BOARD OF GOVERNORS

BRENT ALEXANDER

Brent Alexander is a Managing Director for RBC Commercial Financial Services. Based in Calgary, his portfolio comprises Professional Services and the Public Sector, whose breadth of operations include accounting, legal, engineering and consulting services; as well as Public Sector, from Alberta Health Services, to municipalities and school boards throughout Alberta, with a concentration of those clients in Southern Alberta.

Brent earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada in 1988 and completed his Masters in Business Administration at the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. Having joined RBC in 1994, Brent held various positions in British Columbia prior to returning to Alberta in 2006.

Brent is extremely active outside of work with various boards. He has been involved with the United Way on the Leadership Giving Cabinet from 2008-2013. He also was a member of the board of the Calgary Parking Authority and was active in various sub committees. He is also currently a Governor on the Board for the venerable Alberta Real Estate Foundation and president of Families Matter – working to make all families stronger – and West Hillhurst Community Association. Previously he was also a board member of the newly established cSPACE, an organization tasked with developing affordable housing for artists and collaborative cross pollinating work space. He has also chaired the Affordable Housing Committee at Hillhurst United Church and had been the #1 Individual Fundraiser for Betty’s Run for ALS for four years as well as the top fundraiser for Kids Help Phone Line Walk-a-thon from 1996-2000. From 2004-2007 he was an active board member with St James Community Service Society (and Foundation), in Vancouver – the second largest not-for-profit provider of supportive housing for those with a mental illness in Western Canada along with seven other programs from emergency youth shelter and a Women’s and Children’s Shelter. He was their Acting President prior to returning to Calgary. From 1991-1993 he was the Co-Executive Director of L.E.A.D.E.R. Project (Leading Education and Development in Emerging Regions),based out of London, Ontario, focused primarily on leading edge non-profit delivery of western economic and business skills in five former Soviet Republics.

Apart from volunteer and community work, Brent loves to ski, rollerblade, read, cook, undertake home renovations, swim and most importantly – raise his two sons with his husband Hugh.

SCOTT BOLLINGER

Scott is currently a Student-at-Law working towards becoming a real estate lawyer. He also holds a real estate broker license has been an licensed and active member of the real estate industry in Alberta since 2006.   Scott began his real estate career in commercial real estate, working with CB Richard Ellis and Westcorp Properties before transitioning to residential real estate.  He opened his own residential real estate brokerage in 2010 which encouraged enhanced seller participation through its website, consumer education and service options.   Scott’s brokerage was acquired by ComFree in 2012 and Scott accepted the position of managing broker with key responsibilities in regulatory compliance and corporate and business development with ComFree.  In 2014 became a student at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law with the intention of enhancing his skills and knowledge and ultimate contribution to the real estate industry.

A life-long Albertan with a deep and abiding connection to this province, Scott has a sincere desire to help make it even better than it is.

KRISTA BOLTON

Krista is a Chartered Mediator with her practice focused on family mediation. Her education includes a bachelor of science in linguistics at the University of Victoria as well as a certificate in Conflict Management from the ADR Institute of Alberta. Currently she is working towards a certificate in Tribunal Administrative Justice.

She has over six years of international teaching experience in both Japan and the United States. Since relocating to Alberta in 2007 she has worked primarily for the Government of Alberta as a mediator for Family Justice Services as well as conducting multi-party mediations in child protection cases. In addition, she has also been able to devote some of her time to other projects such as: facilitating anger management courses for rural communities, participating in community and civil mediation rosters and as well as extensive mediation, conflict-coaching and facilitation work in Alberta with families, communities, businesses and not-for-profit organizations.

Krista currently serves on the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) as the public member appointed by council. Some of her RECA committee work includes governance, hearings and finance, and audit. She also sits on hearings and appeal panels as a public member.

DOUG LEIGHTON

Doug is Vice President, Sustainability for Brookfield Residential Properties, a leading North American homebuilding and land development company. A proponent of good planning and urban design, he has over thirty years’ international experience as a professional planner and architect in the public and private sectors.

A graduate of the University of Calgary (BA Geography and Masters Environmental Design), Doug initially worked as an architect and planner in Calgary and Vancouver. He then moved to the public sector as Senior Planner for the Resort Municipality of Whistler and as founding Director of Planning and Development for the Town of Banff, where he led the Downtown Enhancement Project and helped establish the Banff Housing and Heritage Corporations.

In 1997 Doug moved to New Zealand and became Principal of a leading consultancy. He helped develop the NZ Urban Design Protocol and advised clients as diverse as Housing New Zealand, Waterfront Auckland and Shania Twain.

Doug returned to Canada in 2008 to represent Carma Developers (now Brookfield Residential) on Vancouver Island; and finally ‘came home’ to Calgary in 2012.

Doug has served as a Director of the Alberta, New Zealand and British Columbia Planning Institutes. He currently serves on the Board of ULI Calgary and was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation in November, 2015.

JIM SAUNDERS

Jim is an Associate with RE/MAX Real Estate Lethbridge. He was raised and educated in Lethbridge and calls Southern Alberta home. He graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in 1978, but not before venturing into the business world as a self employed contractor to finance his education. Before he graduated he had begun a successful retail business in the automotive specialty industry, which he sold in 1982 to pursue a career in Real Estate.

In 1983, the year he was first licensed, Jim was awarded the “Rookie of the Year” by the Lethbridge Real Estate Board, and his passion for Real Estate was born. Thirty-two years later Jim enjoys recognition as a member of the RE/MAX Platinum Club and the RE/MAX Hall of Fame. Although his practice is focused on residential Real Estate, he has experience in commercial, country residential, acreages, farms, and land development.

Early in his career Jim was intrigued by the structure of Organized Real Estate and soon became involved, volunteering on various committees, and participating at the local (LDAR), provincial (AREA & RECA), and national(CREA) levels. He is a Past President of the Lethbridge and District Association of Realtors and a Past President of the Alberta Real Estate Association.

Jim and his wife Katie have been married for 28 years and enjoy travelling, golfing, and of course their three grandsons. Jim is also an avid water skier and loves his time in the mountains and at the lake.