Our Team

Alberta Food Matters Board Members

Wanda Laurin

Wanda Laurin

Chair

About Wanda

Wanda Laurin lives in Peace River, Alberta. Born in Calgary, her mom & dad moved their young family to a farm west of Innisfail when she was a year old. Farming and gardening is in her history! Wanda was a half-time teacher at Springfield Elementary for 30 years and retired from the classroom in June. She is now pursuing her passions of gardening, food security and alternative energy. She and husband Paul, have raised three awesome daughters and now have 4 grand-daughters and twin grandsons. She, her husband, and her daughters are all avid gardeners.

Wanda has been involved in the Ground Level Youth community garden for the past 6 years, and just this year also is working with École des Quatres Vents at their school based community garden. Each garden has a unique set-up for who participates and how decisions are made. Wanda also belongs to the Peace of the Whole Holistic Management group and the Peace Permaculture group. These two organizations are a means to share information on stewardship of the land and the mental wellbeing of the caretakers of the land. Her philosophy in life is, enjoy the moment, plan for the future and consider: we are the ones we have been waiting for.

Avni Soma

Avni Soma

Vice-Chair

About Avni

As Vice-President of the Bow Valley Food Alliance as well as a member of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council, Avni is striving to make the world a better place through complex and systemic food issues.She comes from a background in healthcare for over a decade, and now over 15 years of experience in the food industry as a social entrepreneur and community leader. Committed to affecting change in local food systems, Avni launched and ran a successful organic, fair trade tea company, before she co-initiated and developed Farm Box – a social business that has since merged with The Organic Box. Both teams were initial market leaders in the food box delivery model in Alberta.A passionate cross-country skier, Avni spends her time on the trails envisioning ways to improve local food systems. She is committed to inspiring meaningful change in her community, and will always bring some Alberta carrots to the table.

Claire Kee

Claire Kee

Treasurer

About Claire

Claire is an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta. Her career goal is to become a registered dietitian where her interests around food, nutrition, and helping others can coexist. She views diet as an impactful lifestyle behaviour and believes everyone should be able to enjoy the foods they like and still live a balanced lifestyle. She has experience in clinical research and values learning about credible, evidence-based information and practices.

Claire enjoys the outdoors and appreciates all that nature provides us with. She loves to explore gardens and farms, and is always welcome to exciting adventures with healthy food systems.

Gbemiro Adegbuyi

Gbemiro Adegbuyi

Board Member

About Gbemiro

Gbemiro Adegbuyi is an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta where he is studying Dietetics. He is passionate about community nutrition, public health, children’s health, and food security. He promotes these interests with organizations including Rotary International, the Boys & Girls Club of Edmonton, and the Heart & Stroke Foundation. In the future, Gbemiro would like to work as a dietitian in community and clinical settings to help people of various ages and health statuses develop and maintain nutritional practices appropriate for them to live healthy and happy lives.

Laura White

Laura White

Board Member

About Laura

Laura is passionate about food, nutrition and food security. She worked as Dietitian with Blood Tribe Department of Health before completing a Masters in Nutrition for Global Health and a post-graduate certificate in Food Security through Ryerson University. After working in international health for a few years, Laura returned to Edmonton and currently leads a team of Dietitians supporting all First Nations across Treaty 6, 7, and 8 in Alberta. While food has been utilized as a historical tool of colonization, food is also a powerful tool for healing and achieving Indigenous food sovereignty. Laura believes food can not only nourish our bodies but also be used to build healthier communities by strengthening our connections to each other and the land. She looks forward to when we can gather together over food again (and also post-pandemic travel!).
Judith McNicol

Judith McNicol

Board Member

About Judith

Judith McNicol is a newly qualified dietitian with a keen interest in health promotion, food literacy, and nutrition education. With a background in physiology and sport science, she hopes to combine both interests and help people of various health and life stages to meet their nutrition and physical activity goals. Judith enjoys the outdoors and encouraging others to do the same. As a qualified ski instructor, she loves winter and being active all year round! 

Deborah Goatcher

Deborah Goatcher

Board Member

About Deborah

Deborah is a paramedic and is currently based in Fernie, BC. She believes that so much of health starts well before where she sees patients in emergency healthcare, and a lot of that comes down to being educated about and having access to nutritious foods. Deborah believes that nutritious, locally sourced, sustainable food can make positive impacts on individuals and the community as a whole. She is pursuing her passion for providing healthcare and emergency relief through her work and shares her love for her profession through outreach activities. When not working, she enjoys a range of outdoor activities and has recently taken up sewing to both upcycle old clothes and try her hand at designing new ones! 

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