Speakers

Danielle Smith is a proud Albertan. As Leader of the governing United Conservative Party, she was sworn in as the 19th Premier of Alberta on October 11, 2022. She represents the riding of Brooks-Medicine Hat in the Legislative Assembly.

Ms. Smith has had a lifelong interest in Alberta public policy and finding the right balance between free enterprise and individual freedom, and the role of government. She was previously MLA for Highwood and leader of the Official Opposition. Danielle Smith holds degrees in both Economics and English from the University of Calgary.

She is married to David and proud stepmom to his son. They live in High River with their two dogs.

Naheed Nenshi is leader of Alberta’s New Democratic Party. During his three terms as mayor between 2010-2021, Calgary was named the third-best city to live in globally. His leadership in Calgary saw an unprecedented investment in quality of life, including transit, roads, recreation centers and libraries.

He also guided the City of Calgary through four states of emergency, including the devastating floods in 2013 and the COVID-19 pandemic, and was named the best mayor in the world in 2014. In 2024, Naheed reentered the political life to run for the Alberta NDP leadership.

He was elected with 86% of the vote and is proud to usher the party into its next era. Naheed is a graduate of the University of Calgary, where he served as President of the Students’ Union. He also earned a Master of Public Policy Degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he studied as a Kennedy Fellow.

Brad Mitchell, MBA-candidate, CRAE, is Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA). Since 2018, he has led AREA’s growth and expanded non-dues revenue through AREA Real Estate Services Corp., supporting brokers and REALTORS® across Alberta. His background spans finance and operations roles in both corporate and association sectors.

Based in Calgary, Janet Brown is one of Alberta's most recognized pollsters and political analysts. With over 30 years of experience in polling and marketing research, Janet has developed a knack for asking the right people the right questions. Janet sees beyond the headlines and talk radio chatter to assess and interpret what's happening beneath the surface in Alberta politics.

Ben is an executive leader with experience as a Chief Economist and public policy expert. He has published numerous policy reports on a breadth of topics including oil & gas, housing, economic forecasting, economic impacts and municipal finance. He has a proven record in advancing successful policy, regulatory and legislative initiatives at all levels of government in jurisdictions across the country for over 20 years.​

Rakhi Pancholi is the Deputy Leader of Alberta's NDP. Rakhi advocates every day for Albertans and has served Edmonton-Whitemud as MLA since 2019. As a lawyer with experience in the areas of education, labour, and employment, Rakhi works to ensure a brighter future for all. Growing up in Southwest Edmonton, Rakhi showed dedication to her community through volunteer pursuits like the Humane Animal Rescue Team, Women’s Legal Education & Action Fund, and the Edmonton Community Legal Centre, providing legal advice to low-income clients. Rakhi lives in Southwest Edmonton with her husband, two school-aged children and furry rescue dog.

Brad Lavigne, named one of the Hill Times Top 100 Lobbyists in 2021, brings over 25 years of communications, government relations, and political experience. He served as National Campaign Director for the NDP’s historic 2011 election, which saw the party become Canada’s Official Opposition for the first time.

Cynthia P. Moore has dedicated her career to strengthening communities through leadership, governance, and public service. With extensive experience in the nonprofit, charitable, and government sectors, she has built a reputation for empowering people, managing change, and helping organizations achieve meaningful results. Throughout her career, Cynthia has served on numerous nonprofit and community boards, developing a deep understanding of effective governance, fiscal responsibility, and strategic leadership. As an executive with the Kahanoff Foundation, she helped develop major philanthropic initiatives that strengthened Alberta's charitable sector and supported community organizations across the province. Her longstanding commitment to healthcare philanthropy earned her the distinction of Honorary Patron of the Calgary Health Foundation.

Dale Nally is the United Conservative Party Candidate in the riding of Morinville St Albert. The Honourable Dale Nally was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on April 16, 2019 and served as the Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity. In October of 2022 Dale was appointed as the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction. Since his appointment to Cabinet, Dale Nally spearheaded the development of Alberta’s Natural Gas Vision and Strategy, which created an industry-supported plan to grow the hydrogen, petrochemical, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and plastics recycling sectors. He has also launched the Alberta Petrochemical Incentive Program (APIP), which is anticipated to drive billions of dollars of investment in Alberta’s leading petrochemical sector.