Volunteer Alberta Board of Directors

Brian Boucher, a proud Indigenous man from Fort McKay First Nations, recently moved to Edmonton in hopes of providing his family to a life of both personal and professional prosperity. During his time in Fort McMurray, he developed many talents and connections that could provide an asset to many organizations. His personal beliefs originate from his culture’s strong sense of community and the importance of family, which further embedded into his person from his mother, who holds a distinguished position in the wellbeing of Indigenous people within Treaty 8. From labor to equipment operation, to providing financial audit at a big 4 firm, Brian developed his outlook through experience. His family, although from Fort McKay, was raised in the rural town of St. Paul, and worked, participated, and promoted programs such of those operated by the Mannawanis Friendship Centre and local food bank. He strongly believes that a sense of belonging of community starts from those that promote the idea of community through organization of programs directed to community members. Whether these programs deal with sustenance of mind, body, or soul; they should be promoted and fostered through positive diversity that is the basis of our great nation.

Amanda Jensen was elected to the Board in 2024. She brings 25 years in Alberta’s nonprofit sector, including four years as Executive Director of Volunteer Lethbridge, an organization deeply involved in all things volunteer management.

She also has four years of experience as a nonprofit governance instructor for Alberta Arts, Culture & Status of Women (formerly Alberta Culture & Tourism), was a member of the Funding Allocation Committee for the United Way of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta, and a former Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters Lethbridge & District. She has many short term volunteer commitments, such as The Big Cook, Coulee Clean Up, and helping at casinos for various organizations.

Amanda is enamored with the Kids Cancer Care Foundation. Her son was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2016 and the Foundation provided them with a full “Christmas” in that first year, giving her son an opportunity to attend a camp every summer that catered to the unique needs of children battling various types of cancer. Related, the Make-A-Wish Foundation became a pretty important part of their lives. Her son’s wish was recently granted – the family went to the NBA All-Star Game – not only did they get tickets, they also met and had photo opps with ALL East and West team members. Something never to be forgotten. The Make-A-Wish Foundation made it easy to attend, held them in the palm of their hands throughout the experience, and went above and beyond.

Amanda spent a summer working for Travel Alberta in Blairmore and can’t get enough of the Crowsnest Pass. Currently located in Lethbridge, Amanda has four kids, ranging from 14-21 (hoping teenagers like her again one day!). She is obsessed with stand-up comedy – some favourites include Jo Koy, Taylor Tomlinson, and Gary Gulman.

Ken Kirk joined VA’s Board of Directors in June 2022. He is a passionate, results-oriented business executive with a long history of building trust and nurturing relationships. Over 30+ years, he has held many roles in a variety of sectors that included strategic planning, business development, relationship building, business analysis, needs assessments, and most recently coaching. His expertise also includes market share strategy and execution, technology implementation, organizational transformation, and performance optimization. Ken leverages his diverse experience across both for profit and nonprofit sectors, enhancing his ability to cross-pollinate ideas and strategies. Ken’s lifelong interest in his community has led to roles in coaching, training, serving as co-Chair of Fighting Blindness, and acting as CEO of a Habitat for Humanity affiliate. He believes that volunteering is fundamental to a healthy community and emphasizes the need to attract and retain the energy and ingenuity of our youth. Ken’s extended family, including four grandchildren, has further deepened his passion for fostering a healthy community where children can be safe and nurtured.

Annand Ollivierre joined VA’s Board of Directors in June 2025. He brings 20 years of experience across the public, nonprofit, and business sectors, with a focus on helping organizations deepen their impact through social innovation and human-centred design. Throughout his career, Annand has worked as a bridge-builder, supporting collaboration, surfacing insights, and empowering teams to apply new frameworks, tools, and methods that drive meaningful change. He cares deeply about creating space for diverse perspectives and doing the messy, necessary work of uncovering what holds complex challenges in place. Through this process, he believes we rediscover our collective capacity to imagine and build solutions that can truly shift and transform systems for the better. Currently, Annand works with J5 Design and is the Edmonton Studio Team Lead and a Service Designer with them. He work a variety of organizations and help them to create and implement strategies, programs, and services that are human-centred and well designed. Annand has volunteered with the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and is a co-founder of You Need This Box, a social enterprise focused on anti-racism education. He admires the work of both Islamic Family and Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society for the same reason: both organizations and are incredible in how they provide important, culturally relevant, innovative, and deeply meaningful services and programs to their communities and those that they work with. Born, raised, and residing on Treaty 6 territory in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Beaver Hills House) also known as Edmonton, Annand has a B.Sc in Human Ecology from the University of Alberta. His favourite place in Alberta is Writing-on-Stone Provincial Parks. It is one of the most enchanting places he’s have ever been! Along with his incredible spouse, theyh have two teenage daughters who keep him on his toes! In his free time he loves to cook, golf, watch bad reality tv, and connect with his friends.

Scott L. Pileckas joined Volunteer Alberta as a Director in June 2025. He brings nearly 28 years of experience (started at 11!) in civic volunteerism and nonprofit leadership across three countries, with a focus on crisis intervention, rural food security, and criminal justice reform. Additionally, he offers a systems-level understanding of nonprofit operations—from grassroots mobilization to strategic governance—combined with lived experience as both a service provider and a service user, particularly in under-resourced and rural communities like Bow Valley. His approach is grounded in compassion, innovation, and practical action. Currently, Scott serves as Head of User Research for Criminal Justice Hub, a nonprofit think tank focused on justice reform and lived-experience policy design. In Canada, Scott volunteers as a crisis responder and counsellor for Samaritans, helping staff the 988 suicide and crisis line. He’s also led food insecurity initiatives through Community Fridge networks the UK (and working on new ones here at home), and is actively developing a culturally safe Indigenous support hotline in partnership with regional leaders in Alberta and British Columbia. Scott works as a data scientist and pricing strategist, consulting for major retailers across the UK, USA, and Canada. His work focuses on building data-driven tools and strategies that help organizations navigate supply chains, optimize revenue, and serve customers more equitably—especially in essential goods and services sectors. He has held a number of positions over the years, including Project Lead for an Anti-Recidivism Programme (Thames Valley Police UK), Head of User Research (Criminal Justice Hub UK), firefighter and emergency responder, founder of several Community Fridge projects, Canadian Red Cross Walmart Wildfires Relief Program, and has been a member of the Royal Society of Biology and Royal Society of Chemistry. With varying interests at University (started at 13!), he recently has decided to pursue a PhD in Industrial Psychology.

Scott deeply admires the work of The Alex in Calgary for its community-first model of wraparound support, especially their mobile health services. He also holds Canadian Red Cross Alberta in high regard—its responsiveness during the wildfires of 2024 was a powerful reminder of how volunteers, logistics, and compassion intersect during crisis, and as a former firefighter, Scott felt it was a privilege to enlist his support for the relief efforts. Both organizations embody resilience, innovation, and dignity in service delivery.

Calling the Bow Valley home—specifically the area between Canmore and Banff, Scott finds that it’s a place of natural beauty and tight-knit community, and feels fortunate to live among such resilient and service-minded people. He’s a devoted husband, a proud son of the most amazing superhero momma, a devoted grandson, and a lifelong volunteer who started at age 11. I’m also a survivor, having overcome significant adversity, which fuels my passion for helping others feel seen, safe, and supported. When he’s not volunteering or working, Scott is usually journaling, reading about Indigenous initiatives, or climbing mountains. His favourite place in Alberta is the quiet banks of the Bow River in early morning light—peaceful, humbling, and grounding. He also adores Grassi Lakes and the pictographs at Grotto Canyon.

Joining the Board in June 2024, Meenakshi brings her experience working across different sectors, including technology and nonprofits, which has provided her with a broad perspective on how organizations operate and collaborate to achieve their goals. Additionally, her experience working with various nonprofit sectors has equipped her with a deep understanding of their unique challenges and opportunities, particularly in areas such as community engagement and capacity building. This cross-sector experience enables her to contribute innovative and comprehensive insights to the Board.

Meenakshi volunteers with the University of Alberta – Alumni Student Support and Engagement Team (ASSET). She admires REACH because it was the first nonprofit to give her exposure to how a nonprofit operates, providing a foundational understanding of the sector. She also admires Volunteer Alberta, as an alumna of the Youth @ the Table cohort. This transformative experience not only gave her the confidence to understand governance frameworks in a nonprofit setting but also inspired her ongoing commitment to community impact and leadership.

Residing in Edmonton, she enjoys checking out new cafes, trying different cuisines, and spending time reading books. Meenakshi’s favourite places in Alberta are Banff, Canmore, Jasper specifically Moraine Lake. Currently she works at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute and holds a BSc with a double major in Biological Sciences and Psychology.

Doray Veno rejoined Volunteer Alberta’s Board in 2025. She brings 15 years of experience in Alberta’s nonprofit sector and experience with rural advocacy. Living in Special Areas #2, she is passionate about all rural groups building community resiliency. Doray currently works with Lynks – Harvest Sky Services and Supports Society, igniting communities by passionately meeting the needs of all people, fostering a deep sense of belonging and ensuring no one is left behind. As well, she raises Angus cattle with Veno Land and Cattle LTD, ranching with her husband and two amazing adult children. Her favourite place to be is at a kitchen party.

Doray is a registered Primary Care Paramedic, has a Bachelors of Arts in Recreation Administration Community Development, is past owner operator of Acers Away (residential group home for adults with developmental disabilities) and Easy Stop Bottle Shop & Recycling, and was a Town of Hanna Councilor. Doray is the recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, Kid’s at Hope: International Hope Honors Medal, and King Charles III Coronation Medal. She has volunteered with the Harvest Sky Economic Development Corporation (treasurer), Dryland Emergency Medical Services Association (chair), Volunteer Alberta (president), Exhibition 31 Ag Centre and Services Society (board director), and Hanna Historical Society.