ALTA Symposium Schedule & Information

November 9, 2023

Welcome to our first Symposium, this day-long workshop filled with engaging and informative sessions will focus on library boards and governance, best practices, practical advice and networking opportunities.

Our Speakers and Presenters

Ian McCormack

Ian has a unique passion for good governance and lives in the professional space between elected officials and organizations’ senior management.  His interest in local government, libraries, housing, post – secondary education, health, non-profit organizations and community safety comes together in a broad range of experience and insight as President of Strategic Steps Inc. 

Dr. Margaret Law

After a career in public, regional and academic libraries, Margaret Law is a library consultant who provides organizational and governance support to libraries.  As well as being a professional librarian, she has formal training in management and organizational psychology.  She has worked with several library boards and organizations to resolve governance and operations issues with a focus on ensuring that the goals of the library are supported by the processes and policies that the library adopts.

Tim Duhamel

Tim is a municipal veteran whose municipal career has spanned over 25 years.  Tim has been a municipal finance manager, general manager and CAO.  He was the lead liaison for finance and budget development to the Strathcona County Library Board and developed the funding and tax strategy for their Library project.  He was also the lead administrative liaison to the Spruce Grove Library board and supported the restructuring and capital replacement analysis and funding plan.

Carla Frybort

Carla has been working in public libraries for 23 years and a fun fact is that she thought, during library school, that she wanted to work in a university library – public librarianship was not even on her radar.  Carla has been working as a manager for most of those 23 years and enjoys the day-to-day challenges of working in and managing a busy library in a fast-growing community.  Highlights of her career thus far, include the partnerships she has nurtured with municipal and other community partners, as well as helping plan for a new library facility which opened in 2015.  When Carla is not at work she enjoys gardening, stained glass projects and working on her LEGO city in her basement.

Wayne Rothe

Wayne is a former journalist and certified financial planner who served 26 years on Spruce Grove city council. He served on the Spruce Grove library board for 15 years and had been on the Yellowhead Regional Library board for nine years, most recently as vice-chair. He currently works with Bloom Centre for Municipal Education helping municipalities and their councils to be more effective and practice good governance. 

Jenn Anheliger

Self employed as a bookkeeper and Tax professional, Jenn is in her 9^th year as a library trustee with Town of Morinville Library Board serving 6 years as board chair.   She also chairs the Northern Lights Library System Board and is the President of the Alberta Library Trustees Association.  With a passion for Libraries and governance, everything she learned about during her time as a trustee encouraged her to become an elected official for the Town of Morinville. Jenn believes that strong education, peer networks and collaboration are key for finding success in any governance role.

Hank Smit

As a long-term library board trustee, Hank remains passionate about libraries, how they improve communities and their value as essential services for all Albertans.  Hank has served multiple years on the Town of Hinton Library Board, is the current chair of Yellowhead Regional Library System, Vice President of Alberta Library Trustees Association as well as spokesperson of the collaborative Systems Advocacy Group. 

Sandra Marin

Sandra is a successful 25-year veteran of the corporate world with leadership experience in Sales, Marketing Communications and Human Resource Management.  She specializes in leadership, emotional intelligence, career and NeuroTransformational coaching and has extensive experience with recruitment for organizations and Boards.  Sandra is also a trustee for Edmonton Public Library and ALTA.

Karla Palichuk

Karlas career has been spent working with and for the library community in Alberta.  She has been a Librarian in a rural Alberta community, has worked inside of a regional library system, and specializes in technology and how public libraries use technology.  Having spent 10 years supporting the development of library services she currently works as the Executive Director of the Yellowhead Regional Library System which serves over 303, 000 people in 54 municipalities and 9,785 full-time equivalent students in 3 school divisions.

Breakout Session – Coffee Chats

1. Board Ethics with Margaret Law
2. The Library/ Municipal Relationship with Tim Duhammel
3. Library System Boards and how they work for you with Hank Smit and Karla Palichuk
4. Recruiting Board Members with Sandra Marin
5. Managing the Board/Library Manager relationship with Jenn Anheliger & Carla Frybort