Community Board Members

Jane Manning - Board Chair

Ms. Manning is a Registered Nurse and a board member of the Wapiti Community Dorm Society, that manages the Rotary House emergency shelter in Grande Prairie. She is also a member of the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta Continuing Competence Committee, Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness and the Seniors Advisory Council for Alberta. Until she retired in 2007, she held the position of Vice-President of Regional Health Services for the Peace Country Health Region.

Wil Porat (Slave Lake)
Contact: wjbporat@snipercom.net

A resident of Slave Lake, Wil Porat has experience operating several businesses, including a jewellery and floral shop, a private counselling service, and a general contracting operation. He worked with the Mental Health Advisory Committee for several years, and most recently served as a board member of the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

Carmen Ewing

Carmen Ewing previously owned and operated a retail grocery outlet but her focus has been on her contributions to numerous boards and councils in her community. Carmen is currently the Mayor of the Village of Girouxville, a member of Smokey River Doctor Recruitment & Retention and the Northern Lakes College Community Education Committee. She has served on the Community Health Council, Smokey River Regional Water Commission, Tourism Smokey River Tourism Association and Northern Alberta Development Council, as well as numerous other boards, foundations and commissions since the 1980s. Carmen is well known in her community for her commitment to making it a better place to live.

Norma Llewellyn

Norma Llewellyn has lived in the Peace Region for 31 years. She has been a member of the PDD Northwest Region Community Board since August 2011 and is currently serving her second year on the Citizens Appeal Board. She spends time working and volunteering with seniors and people with developmental disabilities. She volunteers doing crafts at the Accredited Supportive Living Services (ASLS) office in Grimshaw, as well as the Long Term Care Facility in Grimshaw, the Autumn Lodge in Berwyn, and the Friends are Us Ministry in Grimshaw. She also volunteers time helping seniors in their homes and driving them when needed. Norma worked as a Special Needs Assistant for 19 years in the Catholic School System. She also raised 12 foster children over a 19 year period.

Dianne Wearden

Dianne Wearden is from Brownvale. She has a background in business and financial planning. Dianne currently works with students who have special needs. She is also a Board Member of the Citizens Appeal Panel for Peace River/High Level. Volunteer work consists of chairing a community club along with library and bingo committees, and auditing books for various non-profit organizations. Dianne enjoys coaching the Allycat'z Skipping Club. Dianne believes, "you get out of your community what you are willing to put in."

Lois Johnson

Lois Johnson was born and raised in Lacombe, Alberta. She has lived in the northwest for almost twenty years and has resided in Grande Prairie for the past eleven.

Upon achieving a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta and completing post- graduate work in Human Resource Management, she embarked on a career encompassing the financial, newspaper, land use planning, forestry, oil and gas, not for profit and retail sectors. Additionally, Lois operated her own management consulting business for several years and gained valuable experience with the Alberta Government as a Human Resources Consultant in Edmonton.

A lifelong avid reader and a "news junkie", she has travelled extensively and raised a son and daughter who both graduated from college and continue to live and work in this great province.

Lois is delighted to have the opportunity to be involved in her grandson's life in Grande Prairie and looks forward to making a worthwhile contribution to the PDD Northwest Region Community Board while continuing to explore her many fields of interest.

Jen Laderoute

Jen takes pride in her two children, both of whom are University of Alberta graduates. She is also a Kohkum (grandmother) to five "Ochima" (grandchildren). Jen was born and raised in the Gift Lake Metis Settlement and is a fluent Cree speaker. She left her community for twenty five years to pursue an education and build a career. She attended Grant MacEwan College in 1985 and again in 1996 and earned certificates in Business Administration and Non-Profit Agency Management. Jen's working career has been with the government of Alberta and upon moving back to Gift Lake in 1993 began working for her home community as Administrator and later on as Director of Community Services. She also operated as Morning Star Consulting and worked with a variety of communities, organizations and other Metis Settlements in the areas of community capacity building.

Jen has experience in community engagement, working with groups, developing programs and services. Jen was part of the initial group of Settlement members who pursued the establishment of the Metis Settlements Child & Family Services, Region 10 and wrote the Service Plan in its formative stage. Jen was on the Keeweetinok Regional Health Authority Board for six years, founded Gift Lake People for CommUnity Society, an organization that raised money for community projects designed to enhance the quality of life for Gift Lake residents. Her Esquaos (woman) Award from the National Institute of Aboriginal Woman in 2003 for community involvement as well as her awards of Community Member of the Year and Lifetime Achievement from her home community were definitely highlights in her life.

Jen looks forward to working with the Persons with Development Disabilities Board and advocating for awareness and access to these services by rural and remote communities.

Keith Moore

Keith was born and raised in Vermilion, Alberta. He moved to the Peace Region in 1987. Keith served two terms as Mayor of the Town of Spirit River and served six years as Fire Chief for Spirit River Volunteer Fire Department. He also served two terms as Director of Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and has served on the Hospital Board and Grande Spirit Foundation. Keith is currently a member of the PDD Provincial Advisory Council and now a Board Member for the PDD Northwest Region Community Board. He is a proud father to a son who has developmental disabilities and works as Operations Superintendent for a mid-size oil and gas corporation covering Northeast British Columbia to Swift Current, Saskatchewan.