Board of Directors
Board Member Bios
Tammy Wiebe – Acting Executive Director
Tammy Wiebe has been an animal lover from her earliest childhood. Growing up on a farm in central Alberta gave her numerous opportunities to interact with domestic animals and develop a wonder for their wild counterparts. An avid traveller Tammy seeks out zoos and sanctuaries at all destinations, she is a strong believer in education and conservation and enjoys seeing it at work in our urban centres.
Tammy is a Marketing Director with a large Alberta law firm, and as such has participated in numerous strategic planning sessions, media campaigns, re-brands and large scale event organization over her 18 year professional career. She is currently a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society, Edmonton Branch and The Legal Marketing Association.
A single mother of two young adults, Tammy’s house has always been home to several pets. Many profound lessons have come from four legged friends, including what they teach us and the obligations we owe them. Her favourite animals at the zoo would be the big cats and the much aligned villian of children’s fairy tales – the wolf.
Tammy is passionate about making a difference in the Edmonton Community and is excited to join the Valley Zoo Development Society as they embark on a new stage with the plans to develop the Revitalization Project and to be a part of developing Canada’s Cold Climate Zoo with a Tropical Heart.
Jacqueline Greenly
Jacqueline Greenly was born and raised in Edmonton, however her adventurous side has led her all over the world . Having lived in Hong Kong, Milan, Tokyo and Seoul- she has quite the appreciation of animals big and small all over the world. A recent trip to Kenya and the Serengeti brought her nose to nose with her favorite and long time love- Giraffes. This also sparked her interest in the Valley Zoo Development Society and the efforts to ensure a future for education and conservation of animals in the city. While those Giraffes are #1 in her heart- the Valley Zoo’s Armadillos are a close second!
Jacqueline is the anchor of Shaw TV. Her love for the job is shown each and every day as she meets different Edmontonians that make our city so wonderful -not to mention- that no two days are the same! Recently Jacqueline was on the committee for the Valley Zoo’s annual fundraiser “ZooFest” and with its recent success she is excited for the future of our zoo and its fundraising efforts.
Judy Bunkall
Judy Bunkall was born and raised in Edmonton and was part of a family that really enjoys the outdoors and wildlife. Judy loves animals so volunteering for the VZDS was a natural fit for her. Judy is a graduate from Grant MacEwan College and has been working over 20 years in the travel and tourism industry. She has had the opportunity to travel extensively over this time. Judy has a wide range of experience in sales, marketing and management. Having a bit of the adventurous side Judy has had the opportunity to experience many adventures. Two that stand out the most are the sled dogs in the north and her first ride across the frozen tundra with a dog team. Her trip to Costa Rica where 5% of the world species live. Having the opportunity to experience the eco adventures, which not only took her through the rainforests, but the thrill of zip-lining and repelling down canyons. Judy believes in giving back in her community and does many volunteer hours with organizations that are close to her heart. Judy is excited about the new Revitalization Project for the Zoo and is looking forward to the changes that start this summer at the Zoo!
Shannon Troke, CA – Treasurer
Shannon was born and raised in Edmonton and graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Applied Business Administration Degree. While working towards his Degree, he was also working for his current public practice accounting firm in order to obtain his Chartered Accountant designation which was achieved in early 2009.
After obtaining his designation, he determined that it was time to give back to the community. His love of animals and early memories of the Valley Zoo drew him to the Valley Zoo Development Society. He is excited to bring his not-for-profit accounting experience to the VZDS as the Board embarks on its major fundraising campaign for Nature’s Wild Backyard.
Cindy Afanasiff
Cindy Afanasiff was born and raised in Edmonton. After working for many years as an Insurance Broker, she now owns her own Personal Assistant business, doing contract work for companies, individuals and a non-profit group. Cindy volunteered with the Girl Guides of Canada for ten years, first as a Guider, and then as a Camp Advisor. She has taken many courses to develop her board and business talents including Newsletters That Work, Making Minutes, Silent Auctions – Getting the Word Out, and Promoting Your Event, and also has experience in event planning including fundraising and silent auctions.
Barabara Chapman
Barbara Chapman, a lifelong Edmontonian, began volunteering as an Assistant Primate Zookeeper in 2008 and took on the duties of building internal websites for the zookeepers in 2010. She retired by selling her wholesale produce company in 2009 and rapidly filled the associated void with zoo and other volunteer work.
Since the zoo is an important aspect of her life she decided to join to the board to help raise money for the Revitalization Project.
Her favourite moments at the zoo are each and every Tuesday morning when she helps zookeepers care for the animals. She is particularly fond of Black & White Lemurs and Otters.
Regan Dean
Regan was born and raised in Edmonton. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a Law Degree in 2009. She is currently working at a small Edmonton law firm and practices insurance defence litigation.
Regan has many fond memories of childhood visits to the Edmonton Valley Zoo. Her favourite animals have always been the otters. Regan was inspired to join the Valley Zoo Development Society after attending the amazing Zoofest event in 2010. She is excited to contribute to the redevelopment of this Edmonton institution!
Brent Willet
Brent Willett is a graduate of MacEwan University with a degree in Supply Chain Management. He has recently achieved the CMA designation and is setting his sights on an MBA. Brent is currently the Controller for a pipe and OCTG distribution company based in Leduc.
Having been born in Calgary, Brent frequented the zoo on a regular basis. Now living in Edmonton, he is excited to help reshape the Valley Zoo to make it even more of an attraction for locals and tourists. Brent is committed to education and continual learning; subsequently he wants to make the Valley Zoo not only another attraction but an excellent education center for people of all ages as well. He joined the Valley Zoo Development Society in 2010, and is eager to see the progress that we can make on the Revitalization Project.
Daniel Heath
Daniel was born in Perth, Australia, before immigrating to Canada in 2006 where he met his wife. He has spent the last 3 years in Edmonton working as a construction engineer and designer while pursuing his interest in photography. His passion for photography, and preservation of Canadian wildlife, is what drove him to join the board in 2009. He sees great potential in the Edmonton Valley zoo and is excited about the planned developments along with the zoo’s future.
Jay Baraniecki – Acting President
Jay Baraniecki regularly attends the Valley Zoo and other zoos throughout North America with his young son Evan and his wife Cheryl. As an avid zoo enthusiast, Jay is passionate about what zoos bring to their communities and joined the Valley Zoo Development Society to help bring the vision of the Valley Zoo redevelopment to fruition in Edmonton.
Jay, Cheryl and Evan round out their family with 3 dogs and are active in the sport of Dog Agility. Most evenings and weekends are spent training and trialing the dogs.
On the career side, Jay recently moved to a commercial development role for EPCOR from his previous role having responsibilities for EPCOR’s periodic rate applications.
Larry Charach
Larry Charach moved to Edmonton from Vancouver in 1979 to join the Alberta Government. He retired from the government in 2005 and started consulting through Strategic Results Consulting Inc (www.StrategicResultsConsulting.com) where he provides expert strategic advice, analysis and support for business and government clients in the Electricity, Natural Gas and Oil Sands sectors.
Larry enjoys travel and has visited many of the top zoos in North America. He joined the Board of the VZDS after attending On Safari and being excited about the potential in the Revitalization Project to make Edmonton’s Zoo another one of Edmonton’s stellar attractions.
Monica Zeniuk – Executive Administrator
Until 2004, Monica spent her entire adult life living and working in Banff. There began her fascination with the flora, fauna, natural & human history of the Canadian Rockies. For many years she was a tour coach operator for Brewster Transportation and then the first woman driver for Pacific Western Transport (owned by Red Arrow). In 1994 she put away her driving boots and began a very successful career in 4 star hotels.
She is a current member and former board director of Meeting Professionals International and was appointed by Premier Stelmach to the Lakeland Regional Health Authority and the East Central Health Authority Board of Directors before the Superboard took over.
In 2003, Monica entered the Mrs. Canada International pageant. Her platform “Quality of care in nursing homes”, born from her time spent on the health board won the judges’ top marks.
Her first love is for felines of any size. The second best day of her life was spending an afternoon holding and caring for 3-month-old lion, tiger and lynx cubs. Her recent life-altering encounter as Zookeeper for a Day solidified the decision to become involved with the Edmonton Valley Zoo Development Society.
Monica & Marvin live in Edmonton with their three cats adopted from the Edmonton Humane Society.
Administration
Valley Zoo Director
Denise Prefontaine - Ex-Officio
dprefontaine@buildingourzoo.com
Charity McManaman - Office and Event Coordinator
cmcmanaman@buildingourzoo.com
