Our team is committed to shaping Edmonton’s communities.

Our team is advised by some of the city’s most passionate leaders.

As part of our incorporation under the Alberta Housing Act, Civida is governed by a Board. This Board consists of up to eleven members, two of which are appointed by Edmonton City Council; the other nine are selected by the Civida board. Each member may serve up to 8 consecutive years.

Civida Board of Directors:

  • Geoff Oberg, Chair
  • Jammi Rao, Vice Chair
  • Ed Gugenheimer, Treasurer
  • Lynette Martin, Secretary
  • Dr. Adil Kodian (City of Edmonton appointee)
  • Leeann Lim (City of Edmonton appointee)
  • Sorab Gill
  • Janet Riopel
  • Claudia Roszell
  • Ashton Rudanec
  • Darlene Scott

Executive Leadership

Bree joined Civida in 2022, and brings over 25 years of public service and and social leadership experience. Prior to her current role, Bree was Vice President of Customer Experience and Community Partnerships, where she led strategic initiatives to enhance service delivery and strengthen partnerships and engagement.

Bree has held senior leadership positions at both provincial and municipal levels. Her career includes Director and Executive Director roles within the Government of Alberta, across the ministries of Human Services, Seniors and Housing, Advanced Education, and Children’s Services, as well as with Strathcona County.

In her executive leadership, Bree is focused on enabling sustainable growth, optimizing capital development, and driving innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of communities. She brings a strategic lens to financial stewardship and organizational performance, ensuring that investments deliver measurable impact and long-term value. Her work is grounded in a commitment to cross-sector collaboration, evidence-informed decision-making, and building resilient systems that improve housing outcomes across the region.

Bree holds a degree in Political Science, a Master of Science in Human Ecology, and is a Doctoral Candidate in Social Sciences with Royal Roads University.

She is a recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award for Community Service and actively contributes to governance through volunteer board participation.

Contact: [email protected]

Chief of Staff: [email protected]

Kenton Betts joined Civida in January, 2025.

He brings over 15 years of leadership experience in financial strategy, infrastructure finance, and accounting.

Before joining Civida, Kenton most recently served as Senior Manager of Infrastructure and Project Finance at Deloitte, where he led advisory engagements for large-scale infrastructure development projects across Canada. Prior to that, Kenton held leadership roles with Alberta Infrastructure, managing substantial capital construction portfolios, developing comprehensive financial frameworks, and overseeing transformative Public-Private Partnership (P3) projects that drove long-term growth and impact. Notably, Kenton’s leadership on P3 Schools Bundle #2 resulted in the 2022 Gold Award for Project Development from the Canadian Council for P3s, earning national recognition.

Kenton is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA), as well as a Project Management Professional (PMP). He also holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration.

Contact: [email protected]

Clarence brings more than 25 years of experience spanning the full lifecycle of community infrastructure, from long-range planning and land development to operations, asset stewardship, and capital renewal. Throughout his career, he has been guided by a core belief that strong communities are built when organizations responsibly steward their assets, lead with empathy, and create environments where people can live their best lives.
His leadership experience spans municipal government, the public sector, and private consulting. Clarence has held senior leadership positions with Parkland County as Director of Growth and Strategy and Director of Planning & Development, Invistec Consulting as Vice President, and the City of Edmonton as Director of Subdivision and Development Coordination. He has led planning and development functions, overseen economic growth and real estate portfolios, and delivered integrated planning and infrastructure initiatives while building strong relationships with industry, government, and community partners. Earlier in his career, he also gained valuable technical experience with the Province of Alberta, strengthening his expertise in infrastructure planning and asset management.
Clarence holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Engineering in Construction Management, with graduate research focused on the maintenance and rehabilitation of safety-critical infrastructure. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer with APEGA. His education and technical expertise have shaped a lifecycle- and risk-based approach to managing aging assets, optimizing operations, and planning for long-term capital renewal.
At Civida, Clarence provides executive leadership in advancing development opportunities, strengthening the preservation of our housing portfolio, guiding capital renewal and maintenance planning, and ensuring our homes remain safe, sustainable, and responsive to the evolving needs of the communities we serve.

Melissa Santoro joined Civida in June of 2023. Melissa brings over 16 years of experience in progressive Human Resources disciplines, successfully executing a diverse portfolio of talent management programs and culture and development strategies.

Before working at Civida, Melissa spent the last fifteen years in a leadership role in Human Resources at the NorQuest College. Melissa worked directly with and advised senior management and executive teams on best practices regarding human resources related initiatives and led the development of several human resources strategies for NorQuest College. In addition, Melissa was responsible for providing leadership over the execution of the human resources operations and strategies for the organization which included but was not limited to – talent acquisition, workforce planning, organizational design, job evaluation, employee and labour relations, performance management, succession planning and organizational development.

Melissa holds a Bachelor’s degree with a major in Sociology, with a Chartered Professional Human Resources Professional Designation (CPHR). She has completed several professional development programs in indigenous training, equity diversity and inclusion, trauma informed practices and investigation and first responder training. Melissa is in the process of pursuing a post graduate program and currently a Director on the Board of Directors for enCompass: Community. Safety. Agency (formerly known as Edmonton John Howard Society of Edmonton).

Contact: [email protected]

Nicole Wilke joined Civida in 2022 as Director of Policy and Strategic Planning. She brings extensive experience in policy development and knowledge mobilization from her time with the Government of Alberta and Strathcona County. Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in business psychology, earned in Berlin, Germany. She is passionate about using evidence-based insights to inform strategic decision-making and strengthen community impact and customer wellbeing.

As of August 2025, Nicole is in the interim role of Vice President, Customer Experience and Community Partnerships. In this interim role, she will provide strategic oversight and day-to-day leadership of this division and help maintain momentum on key initiatives while guiding the team through this transition period.

Contact: [email protected]

Senior Leadership