About Us

Executive Director

Carrie Fritz was appointed Executive Director of Calgary Humane Society in 2014. Carrie is a CGA-CPA, who was drawn to a career in animal welfare and the not-for-profit sector from the start.

Carrie attended the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University, obtaining her accounting designation in 1996. She worked at a public accounting firm focusing on Audit and Assurance.

After returning to Calgary from a five-year contract in Boca Raton, Florida, Carrie was delighted to accept the position of Controller at Calgary Humane Society in 2007.

Since taking on the role of Executive Director, Carrie has focused on building a professional, highly skilled team to further all aspects of animal welfare.

Growing up in a family of teachers, she understands the importance of education and uses this to develop her team, so they can be successful in inspiring the community to take on the challenges of animal welfare and be responsible pet owners.

Carrie lives just south of Calgary, where she shares her home with her daughter, her two dogs, Daisy and Lacey, as well as her two rescue rabbits, Winter and Autumn.

Director of enforcement and vice executive director

Brad Nichols graduated from Mount Royal University in 2003, obtaining a degree in Justice Studies. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Calgary Humane Society’s Animal Protection and Investigation team as a field officer, incorporating his love for animals and his interest in advocating for vulnerable victims. Over the past 17+ years, he has worked his way up the organization in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently to Director of Operations and Enforcement. He has investigated thousands of animal cruelty files and oversees an internationally recognized animal protection program.

Director of Finance

Dayna has been with CHS since 2014. She received her Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Saskatchewan and earned her Chartered Accountant (CA) designation in 2014. During her articling period in public practice, she gained extensive experience working with not-for-profit organizations.

Director of Human Resources

Melaina is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR), Certified Talent Management Practitioner (CTMP), and holds her certificate in Human Resource Management through the University of Calgary. She has been involved in animal welfare since 2004 and started her career at Calgary Humane in 2006.  She is a firm believer in lifelong personal and professional development with a keen interest in human rights and employment legislation, leadership development, and psychological health and safety in the workplace.  Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her spouse, their chihuahua named Terry, and two birds, Eddie and Chuck, all of whom are CHS alumni.

Director of Community Services

Sally started with the Calgary Humane Society in 2016 as the sole Foster Facilitator. Over the next two years, Sally focused on expanding the foster program through increased recruitment and placement of animals. In 2018, Sally stepped into the new role as Foster Team Lead, and hired a second Foster Facilitator as a result of the program expansion. Following the retirement of the Admissions Team Lead in 2019, Sally absorbed Admissions into her portfolio as Team Lead, aligning Foster and Admissions into one cohesive team to improve animal flow. And finally, in January of 2021, Sally became Manager, Animal Operations, overseeing the back of house operational teams, and overseeing animal flow at large.

Director of Public relations

Anna-Lee, an advocate for animal welfare, has been a part of the Calgary Humane Society since 2015. Embracing various roles, she values adaptability and remains dedicated to the cause.

Her leadership and team development extends to creating connections with the community, recognizing the importance of collaboration in bridging the gap between the public and the impactful work of animal welfare.

Driven by a passion for facilitating connections, Anna-Lee has education in Horticulture and Volunteer Management, reflecting her commitment to the one health model and the interconnectedness between environment, animal and human health. Anna-Lee continues to dedicate herself to creating a humane community for the animals that share our world.

Director of Philanthropy

Our newest member of the team, Kaleigh joined Calgary Humane Society in June 2023.  Kaleigh is an experienced fundraiser driven by a passion for dismantling systemic barriers that affect our community’s most vulnerable people and animals.

Kaleigh attended the University of British Columbia, obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2006. Over the past 20 years she has worked in diverse sectors including youth and families, housing and homelessness, community and sport, environment, wildlife conservation and animal welfare. Kaleigh was proud to receive her Certified Fundraising Executive designation in April 2023 and enjoys investing this knowledge and experience at Calgary Humane Society, advocating for critical and urgent change.

Kaleigh’s approach to fundraising is strategic and relationship-oriented, with a proven track record of success. Leading teams towards a common goal, she focuses on maximizing impact. Her leadership style? The innate ability and unwavering desire to uplift those around her, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. She challenges, motivates, and energizes, creating a ripple effect of positivity and excellence.

Outside of work Kaleigh enjoys spending her time immersed in outdoor activity with her husband, sons and dog.  Kaleigh also spends time in music and has played with a volunteer orchestra since 2009.

board chair

Andrew graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University, and a Master of Laws from Cambridge University. He was an associate at Bennett Jones LLP for 9 years. He was then Litigation Counsel – Enforcement at the Alberta Securities Commission for four years before becoming a Partner at JSS Barristers in 2015. He was the Managing Partner of JSS from February 2020 until February 2022. Andrew was named King’s Counsel in 2022.

Andrew was inspired to join the board of directors due to his love of animals and his legal experience, which focuses in part on corporate governance. Andrew also volunteers as a foster parent for Beagle Paws and volunteers with Calgary Legal Guidance. Andrew’s hobbies include soccer, running, travel, and home brewing beer. He shares his home with his wife and their beagles, Winston and Archie.

Treasurer

Yvette is Chief Financial Officer and Development Partner at THYYC Inc. & TH Chestermere Ltd. Prior to her current role, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) for 23 years (1994-2017). For ten of those years, she was a partner at PwC in the Assurance practice. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and has a BComm from the University of Saskatchewan. Yvette enjoys staying active by kickboxing, golfing, and lake activities such as paddleboarding and kayaking. She also loves to travel.

Yvette joined the Board of Directors of Calgary Humane Society to bring her passion for animals together with her desire to give back to the community. Yvette shares her home with her husband Andrew and their two dogs, Monty and Sadie.

Secretary

Elyce Harris is a Financial Advisor at Cornerstone Financial Group. She loves travelling, hiking, snowboarding, and baking.

She’s been lucky enough to have grown up with pets and seen how much love they can give and how much they brighten people’s lives—so it’s a natural fit to spend her time advocating for animals.

Dave Cunnington

Dave is the Technology Director at Strut Creative, a Calgary-based communications agency. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University in Perth, Australia and has been in the Tech industry for over twenty years – he built his first website in the mid 90’s!

He is passionate about being outdoors, always looking forward to the next camping trip, hike, or day trip to the Rocky Mountain foothills. When not running kids to and from hockey or baseball practice, you will normally find Dave on the weekend in some forest or plain of Southern Alberta.

Dave believes that volunteering is an obligation to a functioning society – we must look after all, not just the able. His volunteering experience is vast, ranging from the Red Cross, assisting the elderly and homeless, family support in prisons, children, and animals.

Dave and his wife Kelly have three children and a senior black Lab (Molly) who is the center of their family. After growing up with a rural background and being surrounded by pets, the love of animals is central to Dave’s motivations for joining the Calgary Humane Society. He is inspired by the passion and commitment that all CHS employees and volunteers show every single day while helping our furry (and not so furry) friends.

Board of Directors 

Lisa has been working in the non-profit sector since 2001 in various capacities. She is the Co-Executive Director of Youth Central, a non-profit dedicated to providing leadership and volunteer opportunities to young people. She has degrees in Environmental Studies and Anthropology from York University. Lisa enjoys helping others and working with those who may need help or, in the case of animals, are unable to help themselves. Lisa adopted her first dog from Calgary Humane Society in 2001. A lover of travel, cooking, reading, skiing, and hiking, Lisa shares her home with her husband, son, their dog Tucker, and highly dangerous goldfish named Sharky.

Scott Cressman

Dr. Iain Chynoweth

Dr. Chynoweth is a Veterinarian and Area Medical Director with VCA Canada Horizon Veterinary Group. His first job as a veterinarian was working for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSCPA) in Hong Kong, one of the oldest and largest animal welfare organizations in the world. Throughout his career Dr. Chynoweth has continued to strive to give back to the community in ways that can improve the lives of animals and their people. In his spare time Dr. Chynoweth enjoys spending time with family, including Gemma his Spinone Italiano dog, and Gaston the grey tabby cat, and stays active by walking with Gemma and spending time outdoors, cycling, skiing, kayaking, and hiking when possible. Dr. Chynoweth continues to find inspiration in compassion, humanity, and the unique bond that exists between animals and humans.

Patric Nagel

Patric Nagel is currently the President and CEO of Tiger Calcium Services Inc. Through his career, he has worked across a broad range of industries with companies and boards in the private, public and private equity sectors. For Patric, volunteering is about contributing to meaningful causes, particularly animal welfare. At home, he and his wife care for two rescued Ridgebacks, reflecting their deep love for dogs.

Despite a busy professional life, Patric values time outdoors with his family and pets. He enjoys walking dogs with his wife, running, traveling, and cheering for the Mariners and Seahawks. He is driven by the opportunity to make a positive impact, whether through mentoring or simply being present for others. An interesting tidbit? Patric often jokes that, aside from his immediate family, he has yet to meet anyone as good as a dog—a sentiment well-known and accepted among his friends.

Melanie Litoski

Melanie is the Managing Director at Aisling Strategic Group. She is passionate about helping people succeed and supporting initiatives that are meaningful to her. When she’s not volunteering as a board member at CHS or working as the Managing Director at Aisling she is spending time with family and friends. Speaking of friends and family, she is also a wonderful dog mom to two doggos, Georgie and Tucker. Georgie is a six year old golden retriever who is currently living her best retirement life with Melanie and her family after suffering from a number of health issues as a mama to three litters of puppies for an unlicensed breeder. Tucker is a six month old chihuahua mix who also has a similarly tragic past but like Georgie, is happily living his best life with his sister Georgie.