November 1, 2021

The Southern Alberta Chapter of CPAWS is very excited to announce that Katie Morrison is taking on the role of Executive Director of our chapter as of November 1st. As many of you probably know, Katie has been working with CPAWS Southern Alberta as our Conservation Director for the past nine years. She brings a wealth of experience to her new role as Executive Director. We’re all excited for Katie to bring her strategic and relationship-building approach to the role of Executive Director. We are certain she’ll build and strengthen our Chapter’s commitment to growing the abundance of parks and protecting public lands in Southern Alberta and engaging Albertans through our award-winning education and conservation programs.

“I’m excited to take on the new challenge of supporting the entire CPAWS Southern Alberta team while continuing to lead the important conservation work of our chapter and strengthening relationships with our many valued partners.”

Although we’re sad to see him go, we’re also very excited that our previous Executive Director, Brad Clute, is moving on to a role with CPAWS National as the acting National Director of Operations. His time with CPAWS Southern Alberta over the past 20 months has seen many highlights, including supporting the successful (although ongoing) Defend Alberta Parks and campaign, continued accolades for our educational programming, and the successful (although ongoing) campaign against the expansion of coal mining on the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Throughout this time, despite having to fight against some important threats to our parks and protected areas, Brad has communicated a clear and overwhelming positive message that we are for parks, we are for wilderness, and we are for clean water. I thank Brad for his service to our chapter. It has been a difficult 20 months for everyone, and Brad’s leadership has provided integrity, focus, and vision for our chapter.

“I’m thrilled to have been asked to step into a leadership role with our national office, supporting operations across the country, and I couldn’t be happier that Katie will be taking on the ED role with Southern Alberta. This will be so much more than a seamless leadership transition, it will be a step forward for the chapter.”

We have many ongoing projects at CPAWS Southern Alberta, and we look forward to continuing to engage with our many partners, stakeholders, and supporters. In particular, we are in the process of funding and implementing a plan towards decolonization and reconciliation with Indigenous people, particularly those whose territories include what we know as Treaty 7 land. We look forward to continuing our journey towards protecting Southern Alberta’s lands and waters, and are excited to share in this journey with all of you.

Sincerely,
Jon Mee
CPAWS Southern Alberta Board Chair