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 a registered dietitian and views diet as an impactful lifestyle behaviour. She believes everyone should be able to enjoy the foods they like while achieving a balanced lifestyle. She has experience in clinical research and values learning about credible, evidence-based information and practices. Supporting local foods and providing school children with nutritious foods is of great importance to her. She is happy to bring Albertans together through community engagements. Claire enjoys the outdoors and appreciates all that nature provides us with. Truly, laughter is brightest in the place where food is.

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 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! 

Gbemiro Adegbuyi

Gbemiro Adegbuyi

Board Member

About Gbemiro

 Gbemiro is a dietitian who passionate about community nutrition, public health, children’s health, and food security. He believes that nutrition is an essential aspect of overall health and has worked with people to develop and maintain nutritional practices appropriate for them to live healthy and happy lives. He also has experience in health-based research and enjoys providing people with evidence-based information and support to improve their health.

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