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Who are we?
Your local, Alberta credit union.
Every Albertan has a unique story, and we're here to help you craft the next chapter. Together, we build stronger communities and brighter futures.
Become a member➜
Perry Dooley
Board Chair
Andrew Eberl
Board Vice Chair
Kelso Brennan
Doug Bristow
Amy Corrigan
Shawn Eltom
Danielle Ghai
Darlene Harris
Adil Lalani
Greg Nakonechny
Shannon Rennie
Carey Taubert
Perry Dooley is a successful entrepreneur and governance professional with over 30 years’ experience in business, financial services and board governance. He believes in organizational purpose, culture and diversity with passion for corporate strategy, leadership and organizational sustainability. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and holder of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) Designation.
Kelso Brennan brings knowledge of the credit union system, business administration, and strategic planning to the table. Kelso is the General Manager of a group of architectural signage and wayfinding companies in Alberta. He holds a master’s degree in business administration and a Project Management Professional designation.
Doug Bristow brings 15 years of experience working with financial institutions, where he has served in senior roles, including chief of internal audit, assistant vice president of finance, vice president and controller to the board. Doug is a partner at the David Aplin Group and a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Amy Corrigan is the working owner and director of The Coverall Shop Ltd. She is an experienced credit union director and has served on the Community Credit Union and Red Deer Chamber of Commerce boards. She graduated from the Institute of Corporate Directors/Rotman School of Business Director Education Program
Shawn Eltom is a long-time credit union member with board and retail leadership experience. He served on the Safeway Employees Credit Union board for five years, where he chaired the Nominating Committee and was vice chair of the Audit and Finance Committee.
Danielle Ghai is a legal and policy expert with passion for community and social justice. She holds degrees in law, honours English and a certification in immigration laws and policies. She brings to the board table a strong foundation in reading, writing, critical analysis, understanding of law and policy.
A credit union member of 30+ years and Shell Canada retiree with extensive merger and acquisition experience, Darlene is a director on three boards: connectFirst Credit Union, Alberta Central Credit Union, and Topaz Energy. She has a Chartered Professional Accounting designation and has completed Level B of the Credit Union Director accreditation program.
Adil is passionate about growing and nurturing local businesses and communities. He founded his own business consulting and investment firm and has built organizations with increased diversity, strong governance and ESG principles. He has a Bachelor of Commerce, a Master’s of Business Administration, and a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Greg Nakonechny is a lawyer with expertise in financial institutions, regulatory compliance and corporate governance. Greg has expertise in corporate law, consumer financing, regulatory compliance of financial institutions and corporate governance of private and public enterprises. He was also a legal advisor to many businesses in Edmonton and Calgary.
Shannon has over 15 years of experience in credit unions, serving as General Counsel for Alberta Central, and is now VP of Legal at H&R Block Canada. She has extensive knowledge of credit union governance and legislation gained from 12+ years of experience.
Become a Board Member.
Every September we ask members to nominate themselves to run in our annual Board of Directors election.
Considering the opportunity?
Ian Burns
President & Chief Executive Officer
Randy Allarie
Chief Risk Officer
Michelle Belland
Chief People and Experience Officer
Ryan Gobolos
Chief Financial Officer
Dion Linke
Chief Operating and Integration Officer
James Shore
Chief of Staff
Atul Varde
Chief Information and Payments Officer
Before leading Connect First & Servus Credit Union, Ian was President & CEO at Servus Credit Union and, before that, President & CEO of Alberta Central where he gained a deep understanding of the role credit unions have in the financial sector.
Ian has represented the Canadian credit union and financial industry on the Boards of Interac, Everlink, Celero, Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA), Credit Union Payments Services (CUPS), and Prairie Payments Joint Venture (PPJV). He is also a member of the Alberta Business Council.
With more than 25 years of experience, Randy's career has included leadership roles in the banking, financial and accounting industries in Canada and the United Kingdom, including in member-facing lending and enterprise risk management.
Randy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Alberta, Chartered Accountant designations in Canada and England, an Institute of Corporate Directors Designation (ICD.D) from the Institute of Corporate Directors, and a Master’s Certificate in Risk and Business Performance from York University.
An experienced leader, Michelle has played an instrumental role in ensuring financial cooperatives thrive in the fast-moving financial services sector. She has also held executive roles in several industries that have experienced significant disruption, including telecommunications, media, transportation and real estate development.
Michelle is an experienced board member. She holds an Institute of Corporate Directors Designation (ICD.D) designation, served on the Alberta Motor Association’s board, and sits on the board of Alberta Central.
Ryan’s extensive academic and professional background includes a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, and the Derivatives Market Specialist designation from the Canadian Securities Institute. He completed the Business Leadership Program for Financial Executives at the University of Toronto and holds his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. Ryan received the National Credit Union Young Leaders Award & Scholarship and sits on the Board of Directors for the CCUA.
A long-time credit union employee & leader, Dion was Chief Operating Officer at Servus before taking on his role at Connect First and Servus Credit Union. Dion has held various leadership roles in commercial, agriculture, business development and retail operations, where he led a network of more than 100 branches and was responsible for ensuring a high-quality member and employee experience.
Dion earned his MBA in 2015 and was a founding member of the Servus Young Leaders Network.
James, also known as Jim, has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked in both chartered banks and financial cooperatives, holding various member-facing roles as well as corporate leadership positions including retail, commercial, credit and risk leadership.
Jim holds two MBAs from Cornell and Queen’s Universities. He strongly believes in servant leadership and sees his role as supporting others in achieving their individual goals and objectives.
Atul has more than 20 years of experience as a technology solutions and strategy leader in the financial services industry. He previously held executive roles at two of Canada’s largest credit unions. He also founded and managed a successful information technology solutions company providing services to the financial industry.
Atul holds Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Science degrees, and has completed executive courses in leadership, strategy, finance and law. He is a Certified Member of the Canadian Information Processing Society.
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