Board of Directors and Staff

Dan is a third generation farmer, with a fourth generation interested in following their father’s footsteps. Dan and his wife have four sons and run a mixed family farm focusing on grain and hogs. A family man, Dan believes that being on the Board of Directors for Alberta Pork is important because it keeps him involved in the industry as it changes and evolves. When Dan is not farming he will either be found abroad with his family, or on his motorcycle.

Martin is in his 5th year as a director at Alberta Pork in a role that he finds equally challenging as it is rewarding. Martin enjoys being able to represent the industry in so many different ways, and also being able to work with a great team of people. “The wins that we make as a board are not always massive nor that visible but I do feel that we make progress with things that can help our producers in the future.”

Hendrik was born and raised in South Africa. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science and is involved in mixed farming including pigs, dairy, sheep and crops. Hendrik immigrated to North Carolina in 2005, where he spent 5 years before coming to Canada in 2010. Hendrik has been married for over 2 years and has two children. As a board member for Alberta Pork, Hendrik knows that we are facing some challenging times in the pig industry, and hopes to contribute in any way to make this sector more secure.

Martin is from Hartland Farming Co Ltd. in Bashaw, Alberta. Martin manages a 750 sow farrow to finish operation at Hartland Farming Co Ltd. Martin is married to Martha and is the proud father of three boys and three girls. Martin has been working with hogs since the late 90s and enjoys working with pigs. Becoming an Alberta Pork Director was a choice he made to try and learn all he can about the challenges this industry faces, and help this industry become stronger and better.

Ruben is from Parkland Colony near Nanton, Alberta. Ruben is married with 3 daughters and is the Assistant Hog Manager at Parkland Colony where they operate a 500 sow farrow to finish operation. Ruben knows the industry is facing challenging times and he wanted to do his part to represent the industry and help to strengthen the future for all in the Hog industry.

Currently the Executive Director of Alberta Pork, Darcy has a technical diploma in Biological Sciences and holds a BSc and MSc from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Alberta. Darcy has spent his career in the agricultural industry. Previously Darcy has worked for the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, the Alberta Livestock Industry Development Fund, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, and Esso Chemical.

Marilyn started with Alberta Pork in February, 1977. She makes sure the office runs smoothly and efficiently. She administers payables and receivables, maintains financial records, prepares financial statements for the Executive Director, and she manages all personnel files and office requirements.

Kassandra is a MacEwan University graduate with diplomas in Fine Arts, Arts and Cultural Management, and Public Relations. Kassandra joined the Alberta Pork team in September, 2016 as a creative mind and versatile worker. As the Executive and Corporate support coordinator you will see Kassandra involved in many of the public events that Alberta Pork is a part of. She also coordinates our social media, marketing, public and community relations and assists the Executive Director.

Scott graduated from MacEwan University with a Bachelor of Communication Studies. He started at Alberta Pork as a summer student in May, 2016. He joined the team full-time as Communication Programs Coordinator in March, 2017. He is responsible for coordinating all direct communication with producers and industry, government relations, public relations and other communication programs.

Alberta Pork welcomed Charlotte in 2007, and she has worked with producers in this role for the last 5 years. In addition to administering the Alberta hog Feeders Association (AHFA) since 2010, she works directly with producers on a wide range of programs. In the course of her work, she has liaised with producers, government and industry partners. She supports our producers through helping grant applications and managing labour initiatives.

Sara hopped on board with Alberta Pork in March, 2016. As Industry Program Assistant she directly supports producers in a variety of ways. She provides grant support, pursues Growing Forward initiatives with producers and administers financial services via the Alberta Hog Feeders Association. She reconciles levy reporting, provides operational and administrative support, and coordinates events directly related to producers. Previous roles with organizations such as ATB Financial, Iron Mountain, Suncor and the Government of Alberta have provided Sara with a diverse skill set that makes her proud to serve producers and be a part of the Alberta Pork team.

Christina originally hails from northern Alberta, specifically around the Municipal District of Smoky River. She grew up in a culture surrounded by agriculture. She moved to Edmonton to pursue a degree at the University of Alberta. She started working at Alberta Pork as a summer student in 2007, and she has been with us ever since. Currently she is the Traceability Coordinator with Alberta Pork, and she also is the resident handler and translator for the entire office IT infrastructure.

Lesley joined Alberta Pork in May, 2015. She was raised in an agricultural family in the Elk Point-St Paul area. She supports Christina and producers directly, as well as being responsible for the data entry of swine movement details to provincial and national databases, ordering of ear tags, registration of new producers, manifest distribution and swine compliance. She coordinates all incoming and outgoing communications for the Traceability program, including inquiries, compliance activities and answering calls.

Javier is an Animal Scientist passionate about swine production. He was born in Colombia, surrounded by a culture of cattle and swine production. He graduated university in 2001, and has been involved with the swine industry for more than 13 years. Since 2008, he has worked with different companies within the industry, and he now has the opportunity to work as the Quality Assurance and Production Manager. He leads the production team made up of himself, Cristina Neva and Bill Mullen. This is our ground team who serve producers and consumers with the best biosecurity, animal welfare, and quality assurance practices.

Cristina has a Bachelor in Animal Science degree from the National University of Colombia, and graduate studies from the University of Manitoba. She has twelve years of experience as an Animal Scientist at different companies in Colombia and Canada. She has enjoyed working with the Agriculture Industry in many different positions and provinces. Having worked from production site to research site, she brings a broad set of skills and pork industry experience to Alberta Pork.

Bill joined Alberta Pork January, 2017, but has 30 years of experience in the Alberta Pork Industry. He is a certified Instructor of the Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) program. His background is in hog marketing & carcass grading. Along with Javier and Cristina, he is a member of the Producer Production support team. Lastly, and most unfortunately, he is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.