Board of Directors (as of June 2024)
| SECTOR | REPRESENTATIVE |
| Public Member at Large | Richard Keillor |
| Public Member at Large | Audrey DeWit |
| Conservation/Environment Director | Dave Walty |
| Research Education | Bin Xu |
| Watershed Stewardship | Cathy Newhook |
| Recreation/Tourism/Fisheries | Brian Lieverse |
| Agriculture | Sarah Cairns |
| Forestry | Wayne Thorp |
| Utilities | Ashley Rowney |
| Oil & Gas | Sandra Miller |
| Mining | Vacant |
| SECTOR | REPRESENTATIVE |
| Métis Nation of Alberta | Wendy Patton |
| Metis Settlements General Council | Alden Armstrong |
| Upper Watershed First Nation | Vacant |
| Lower Watershed First Nation | Vacant |
| Middle Watershed First Nation | Vacant |
| Rural Municipalities | Corrina Williams |
| Small Urban Municipalities | Elaine Manzer |
| Federal Transboundary Relations | Abdi Siad-Omar |
| Large Urban Municipality | Chris Thiessen |
| Provincial Government | Bonnie Segal |
Member Biographies
Rick Keillor - (Public Member-At-Large)
Since 1982 I have been operating my own mixed (cattle and grain) farm. I am married and have a grown son and daughter. Before returning to the farm I obtained a BSc in Zoology, minor Geography, course work in Geology at the University of Alberta (1975). From 1976-1982 I worked for Alberta Fish and Wildlife, mainly on Wildlife management and Land use issues. Over the past years I have been involved in organizations such as Peace Country Forage and Beef Association and Holistic Management, with an interest in grass management, including riparian and forest grazing management. (All bush and riparian areas on my farm are fenced out from general grazing use). During the 1990’s I served as member of DMI Peace River (Daishowa Marubeni International) Public Advisory Council. I gained valuable insights into forest management and water issues, as well as the mill side effects and issues. I have a long standing interest in land use and land and water management issues, as it relates to agriculture, industry, recreation and ecosystem needs.
Catherine Newhook (Watershed Stewardship)
Catherine Newhook was born in Nova Scotia and raised in Prince Edward Island by the water. Family brought her out West and in 1984, she found her forever home in Goodfare, Alberta. Cathy and her husband have four children together.
Cathy is a natural resource technician and her love for nature and conservation began in 1984 when her and her partner started a tree planting company, Next Generation Reforestation. Today, NextGen plants an average of 22 million trees a year in the Boreal Forest.
Cathy was a founding member of the West County Watershed Society and has been president for the last 10 years. West County Watershed Society represents the communities and watersheds West of Grande Prairie, Alberta including the Beaverlodge Red Willow and Wapiti River.
Cathy is driven by the idea of ensuring communities have access to clean, sparkling rivers for fishing, kayaking, recreation and resource use for generations to come.
Ashley Rowney (Utilities)
Ashley relocated from Southern Saskatchewan to the Peace Region nearly 15 years ago upon graduating from the University of Regina. She has since put down roots in Grande Prairie, and is the Regulatory and Compliance Specialist with Aquatera Utilities, a full-service utility corporation. Ashley has been involved with the MPWA since its inception in 2011 as a board member and at times as part of the Executive team.
Abdi Siad-Omar (Federal-Transboundary Relations)
Abdi works with Alberta Environment and Parks and brings the connection between the Transboundary and Ministry work to the Watershed organization.
Dave Walty Conservation/Environment)
David Walty lives in a log house that he built himself on a small farm just outside of the Town of Peace River. The view from his house looks down the valley of the Mighty Peace. “I can view the many faces of the river, its furry, it ever changing flows and its radiant beauty form my front door.” Dave recently retired from 40 years of managing the Fish and Wildlife resources of the Peace Region. Dave is a fisheries biologist by training. His experience with management, planning, aboriginal relations, stakeholder relations, communication, education and working in a team environment are many. Dave has an intimate knowledge of most lakes and rivers in the Peace Watershed. Dave is a founding member and a director of the East Peace Water Co-op, the largest water co-op in the province.