our leadership
Board Chair: Lourdes Juan
Lourdes is an Urban Planner and Calgary based entrepreneur. She is an alumna of the University of Calgary with a Masters in Environmental Design. She shares her time as the Director of Hive Developments, Soma Spa, and doing community work with non-profits she founded, the Leftovers Foundation and Moonlight Market Foundation. She is on the Board of Directors with Homespace, the Calgary Homeless Foundation and Calgary Planning Commission. Her work and career accomplishments have been awarded her as one of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 in 2013, a cover feature in Business in Calgary Magazine in 2014, CBC's Top 10 Change makers in 2017, L’Oreal Paris’ Women of Worth award in 2018 and as a Distinguished Graduate from the University of Calgary in 2018. She continues to be involved with community work and give back to her profession.
Vice Chair: Ernest Hon
Ernest is a graduate of New York University and keenly interested in urban places. He’s a photographer by night, revealing fresh perceptions of built form from Shanghai to Calgary and many cities in-between.
Secretary: Darshan Tailor
Darshan is an Urban Planner at the City of Calgary. He holds a BA in Urban Studies from the University of Calgary and a MSc from Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Calgary born and raised, Darshan is passionate about urban planning, connections, and partnerships for an equitable and diverse city.
Treasurer: Shirley Tetteh
Shirley Tetteh is a finance professional with 20 years plus experience working in various positions and industries. She completed a degree in accounting at the University of Lethbridge and is a CPA.
She is currently working as a Finance Manager at Maxfield LP and a bookkeeper for d. talks. When she is not working, you can find her relaxing and watching movies, spending time with family and friends and working out.
Board Member at Large: Alkarim Devani
Alkarim’s vision is to help create diverse and accessible communities by providing more housing within established neighbourhoods. He wants to connect more people to the simple pleasure of living in walkable neighbourhoods full of vibrant, local businesses and existing infrastructure. Seeded in his hometown of Calgary, he is committed to improving the urban life and connection of people everywhere.
As President of RNDSQR and a Sessional Instructor at the Haskayne School of Business his passion and ideas are rooted in his work. Emphasis is placed on living, access and creating sustainable homes where people can make it all fit.
In addition, Alkarim is a partner at NHBR Coffee and No Island Co-Work, places to connect with his community and maintain a pulse on the needs of Calgarians.
Past Chair: Marta Sensidoni
Marta’s breadth of experience as an architect includes internationally recognized work in Miami, Hong Kong, Paris and Latin America. Fluent in English, Spanish and Italian, she brings expertise in the cultural, commercial, government, sports and residential market sectors. Marta has worked on the design of the Esker Foundation Gallery and the KOAC, both in Calgary, and the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, as well as the Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York and the South Dade Cultural Arts Center in Miami.
Voting Members
Sano Stante
Carol Armes
Gerd Birkle (Co-Founder)
Hyeseung Jung
Kara Tersen
Kate Allen
Lindsay Fischer
Paul Fesko
Rob MacCaulay
Christina Michayluk
amery Calvelli
Ernest Hon
Sarah Bramley
Miles Nixon
Darshan Tailor
Lourdes Juan
Christina Amaral
Katherine Wagner
Mark Cooper
Suhkpreet Kuhr
Cynthia Watson
Marta Sensidioni
Kate Van Frassen
Alkarim Devani
Alicia Ta
Shannon Lanigan
staff
amery Calvelli is Artistic Director Emeritus and Co-Founder of d.talks. A design advocate, amery has worked with architects, artists and designers to renew connections with place; hosted radio interview program Space and Place for four years; and written about architecture. She’s served on the Boards of the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art and the SFMOMA’s Contemporary Extension, and was an Adjunct Curator at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
Shannon Lanigan is Managing Director and Co-Founder of d.talks. Shannon is a design/strategy consultant with a background in Health Sciences and Therapeutic Exercise, approaching design through the lens of overall well being. Her passion for urban design is fuelled by topics that bring connection to community, the livability of space and design centred on human scale interactions.
Jared Tailfeathers; Sikomh Kokomii (Calling Crane) is Guest Artistic Leader for the 2023 program year. Jared is a practicing multidisciplinary biracial Blackfoot (Kainai) and Caucasian artist, musician, inventor, workshop facilitator/teacher, amateur Historian/researcher and author. Since 2015, Jared’s work has been mainly in Indigenous arts and culture, working for the Calgary Public Library’s Indigenous Services, building relationships with artists, Indigenous run organizations (Making Treaty 7, IRIM, Siksika youth/arts), Knowledge keepers, ceremonialists, and elders from the Treaty 7 Nations and our neighbouring Nations, research about Treaty history and to support community members in their practices in public settings and organizations.