Council

The Alberta Order of Excellence Council considers the nominations of candidates to the Alberta Order of Excellence. The Council is made up of prominent volunteer representatives appointed by Order-in-Council from across Alberta. Below are brief biographies of the council members.

The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta serves as the Chancellor of the Alberta Order of Excellence.
His Honour, Col. (Ret’d.) The Honourable Donald S. Ethell has been sworn in as Alberta’s seventeenth Lieutenant Governor.
Office of the Lieutenant Governor website

His Honour, Colonel (Ret’d) The Honourable Donald S. Ethell, OC OMM AOE MSC CD LLD

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta

His Honour, Col. (Ret’d) The Honourable Donald S. Ethell was installed as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta on May 11, 2010. His Vice-Regal duties came following a long and distinguished career in the Canadian Armed Forces as well as civilian service as a military advisor and volunteer with humanitarian causes.

Donald Ethell was born in Vancouver in 1937 and raised in Victoria, BC. In 1955 he joined the Canadian Army (Regular) as a rifleman in the Queen’s Own Rifles and then moved to the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in 1970. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972.

Colonel Ethell is a veteran of 14 peace support operations. His military service included NATO duties in Germany as well as extensive service in Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Central America and the Balkans. During the first Persian Gulf War he served for 16 months as the Chief of Staff/Deputy Force Commander with the Middle East-based Multinational Force & Observers. From 1987 to 1990, he served in National Defence Headquarters as the Director of Peacekeeping Operations. His last tour of duty was as the Canadian Head of Mission to the European Community's Military Mission to the former Yugoslavia during the wars of 1992 in both Croatia and Bosnia. Colonel Ethell retired from the Army in July 1993 as a highly decorated peacekeeper.

Following his retirement, Colonel Ethell travelled extensively as a military advisor and began to deepen his focus on humanitarian causes. He became involved with CARE Canada, working with staff responsible for five refugee camps in Eastern Kenya and Somalia. He also served as Alberta’s director of the International Committee for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering (ICROSS), which delivers aid to the countless African children and adults facing starvation and AIDS-related illnesses.

He is a past member of the Veterans Affairs Canada, Canadian Forces Advisory Council and chaired various projects focused on strengthening mental health supports for members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP. He also has been an active member of numerous service organizations including the Canadian Association of Veterans of United Nations Peacekeepers, the Gulf War Veterans Association of Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion and the ANAVETS.

He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence and the Order of Military Merit and a Knight of Justice of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. In 1987 he received the Meritorious Service Cross for his work with neutral observers to plan and negotiate large scale, short notice prisoner of war exchanges between warring nations in the Middle East. In 2010 he received an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta.

His Honour first moved to Calgary in 1956 and has made that city his home base ever since. He and his wife, Linda, have been married since February 1960. Their family includes two sons and daughters-in-law, Darrell/Ruth and Doug/Iryna, and two beautiful grandchildren, Natalie and Alec.

Angus Watt

Chair

Angus Watt is an active community leader and volunteer. He is past Chair and currently a Director of the Edmonton Police Foundation, as well as past board member of the TELUS Edmonton Community Board, the Hockey Canada Foundation 2010 Edmonton Celebrity Classic and the David Foster & Friends Edmonton Committee 2008. He serves as Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Angus is a member of The Senate of the University of Alberta, and is an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the South Alberta Light Horse regiment.

Other current volunteer duties include his work as an advisor to the Canadian Cancer Society, the Hearing Foundation of Canada and Little Warriors. Previously Angus was twice chair of the United Way of Northern Alberta, and chaired the Minerva Foundation, the Support Network, and the Support Network Foundation. He also served as a director of the Winnifred Stewart Foundation. Angus is a past recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow, awarded by the Rotary Club of Canada.

Angus graduated from York University in 1974 with a degree in Political Science, and immediately entered the investment industry. Currently, he is Managing Director, Individual Investor Services, National Bank Financial. His expertise is in assisting with long term financial planning, group benefits, and estate planning. He is a past recipient of the Investment Dealers Association Program of Distinction Award for the Prairie Region. As Central Alberta’s Business Authority, Angus broadcasts 57 times per week on Global TV and 630 CHED.

Brian Felesky, CM, QC, LLD (Hon.)

Brian Felesky is currently Vice-Chairman, Investment Banking (Canada), Credit Suisse. He was a founding partner of Felesky Flynn LP where he specialized in corporate tax law.

Brian is co-chair of Transformation Calgary, a group of business people committed to providing a new financial tool for Alberta municipalities; on the Board of the Calgary Stampede Foundation; on the Executive Committee of the Institute of Corporate Directors (Calgary); co-founding member of Awali, a teacher development project in East Africa; advisor to the Immigration Access Fund; on the Senate of Notre Dame College; and on the selection committee of the Calgary Business Hall of Fame. He is also the founding co-chair of HomeFront, past vice-chair for the Canada West Foundation; and president of the both the Calgary Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association (Alberta).

Brian is a member of the Order of Canada, is a Queen’s Counsel and received an Honourary Doctor of Laws from the University of Calgary.

Michael John Frey

Michael Frey is an active business and volunteer leader in the community of Grande Prairie. For over thirty years, Michael led a successful chartered accountancy firm while offering extensive community service to the City of Grande Prairie and the province as a whole. His list of volunteer service includes contributions to the Knights of Columbus, the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce, Grande Prairie Regional College, the Kinsmen Club, the Rotary Club, the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital Foundation, the Grande Prairie Hospice and Palliative Care Society, the United Way and the Grande Prairie Regional Airports Authority. He has also served as a board member of the Alberta Law Foundation, a member of the Provincial Court Nominating Committee and a member of the Access to Funding Committee for Alberta Advanced Education.

Michael retired from his accountancy firm in 2003 and now works as an independent consultant for small businesses. He and his wife, Gail, have two adult children.

Kathleen Herman

Kathi received her R.N. from Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario. She married rancher/farmer Dennis Herman of Schuler, Alberta in 1968. Kathi worked at the Medicine Hat General Hospital until 1973 when Dennis and Kathi bought their uncle’s farm at Schuler and moved to the farm. Over the next 35 years, they raised four children and continued to expand their ranch and farm to its present size of 8000 acres. During this time, the family was very involved in their community through many volunteer organizations including sports, education, conservation and health organizations.

Kathi has been involved with the Rural Further Education Council, V.O.N. board and Cancer Society. She has served as a board member on the Cypress-Medicine Hat P.C. Board, the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, and as founding chair of the Medicine Hat and District Hospital Foundation. Kathi is currently serving as the chair of the Shortgrass Library System, chair of the Alberta Blue Cross Foundation and volunteering at the Medicine Hat Food Bank.

Kathi continues to work in her community. Volunteers are the backbone of a small rural community and she feels it takes a community to raise a child. Kathi believes it is important for everyone to have a healthy interaction between generations which is one of the joys of living in a small community. Kathi received the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005. Kathi and Dennis live in Medicine Hat while remaining actively involved in the family farm and ranch, where their son and his family now reside.

Audrey Luft

Audrey Luft is the President and Owner of Manpower in Alberta and has over 40 years of industry experience. She is responsible for the vision and management of Manpower, in addition to active participation on numerous business advisory groups, and substantial involvement on a community level within the province.

Audrey contributes a significant amount of time to various boards, committees and foundations in Alberta. She is passionate about her work with the Premier’s Council on Arts and Culture and the Alberta Order of Excellence. She has made a difference to the province through her work with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the TELUS Community Board, Pilgrim’s Hospice Society, the Alberta Economic Development Authority, and Edmonton Economic Development Corporation. In 2004, Audrey was appointed as an Ambassador for Alberta’s 2005 Centennial.

Audrey and Manpower, under her direction, are contributors to many organizations that support children and youth, seniors, immigrants, and support the health and education of Albertans. A sample of those organizations include: The University of Alberta Hospital Foundation, The Stollery Children’s Hospital, The Pilgrim’s Hospice Society, Alberta Art Gallery, YMCA, Edmonton Symphony Society, Grant MacEwan College Foundation, Elmer Winter Scholarship Fund, Kids Cottage, Youth Emergency Shelter, Red Cross, SPCA, the Olds Agricultural Society, and the United Way.

Audrey was also inducted into the Alberta Business Hall of Fame in May 2011 for her contributions to the Alberta community.

Her dedication to the quality of life in the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta has been an ongoing commitment and she has been recognized with numerous awards, including The City of Edmonton Citation Award, Global Television’s Woman of Vision Award and Grant MacEwan College’s prestigious Dr. Charles Allard Chair in Business.

Bryan D. Perkins, AOE, B.Sc.

Bryan D. Perkins of Wainwright is a successful farmer and entrepreneur. He lives with his wife Sharon on the Perkins family farm, which has over the years been home to five generations. Bryan has served as Chairman of the Agricultural Diversification Alliance, Vice President of the United Grain Growers, President of the Western Hog Growers Association, Director of United Oilseeds Products, board member of the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute and Chairman of the Board of Fletcher’s Fine Foods, the Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon and the Banff Pork Seminar. He has served with the Wainwright Credit Union, the Wainedge Gas Co-op and on the board of the Grace United Church.

Bryan is currently focusing his energy as President of Sunhaven Farms, which is made up of approximately 150 farms. He fundraises for the Buffalo Interpretive Centre in Wainwright and is a member of the local Rotary Club where he is currently chairing a committee responsible for funding and building a local splash park for the citizens of Wainwright. Bryan was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2004 and the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005.

Former Chancellors

The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta serves as Chancellor of the Alberta Order of Excellence. Chancellors automatically become members of the Order. In addition to the current lieutenant governor, the following six former lieutenant governors have held the position of Chancellor since the Order’s inception in 1979:

The Honourable Norman L. Kwong
Chancellor 2005-2010