Our Leadership

Dean brings drive and compassion to his work as UGM President. With a background in pastoral and nonprofit leadership, Dean is motivated by the inherent personhood of everyone he meets. “I believe that everyone has worth, value, and is deserving of dignity. I want to see community members experience life to the fullest, to lead a life of wellness and independence.”

Before coming to UGM, Dean was a pastor for 17 years. He then served as Executive Director for The Mustard Seed in Edmonton, and later as Chief Regional Officer, overseeing programs and operations for teams in Edmonton, Kamloops, Red Deer, and Medicine Hat. He thrives in an environment where he can bring people together around a common purpose. 
 
Dean holds a Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Ambrose University, and a Bachelor in Secondary Education from the University of Alberta. He has been married for 26 years to his wife Sasha, and they have three adult daughters and three dogs. Dean enjoys podcasts and live music, and he follows sports—namely the Oilers.
 

Ryan is an expert at integrating his skills of fundraising and faith and he has brought this expertise to UGM to serve people in real, tangible ways for the past 11 years. Ryan has comprehensive fundraising experience with a variety of organizations in education, healthcare, and social services.

At UGM, Ryan is consistently inspired and motivated by “the incredible bravery of community members, the realness and authenticity of the UGM community and the fact that we can all come together (staff, community members, volunteers, donors) as broken human beings and experience the incredible richness that God creates out of the whole.” 

Outside of UGM, Ryan enjoys doing anything creative, being active outside, spending time with his family and challenging himself with new recipes. Ryan has been married for 20 years to his wife Laura and together they raise three daughters and two dogs.

Angel is a finance professional who is motivated by giving back. Joining UGM with 16 years’ experience at notable Canadian financial institutions and internationally owned companies, Angel brings a wealth of expertise—and heart—to her new role. “Being a part of UGM enables me to work with a team of warm-hearted senior leaders who share the same faith and want to care for people.”

A Chartered Professional Accountant since 2009, Angel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and is in the process of pursuing an Executive MBA. A seasoned leader, she appreciates every opportunity to add value to organizations and her community.

Angel lives with her husband and son, and enjoys volunteering, gathering with friends, and travelling. She is also a sport and music enthusiast.

Stacey loves people, culture and serving others—and is thrilled by how her role at UGM allows her to unite those passions. Her educational background and previous professional experience within various industries has fully equipped her for her position at UGM.

Community is the heartbeat of UGM and Stacey says she loves that working at UGM enables her to “witness the love of God in action through the discipleship of the UGM team and the transformative impact it has on the community we serve.” 

Stacey enjoys spending quality time with her family and serving with various ministries through her church. She is an active volunteer within her community and is a board member with the Richmond Multicultural Community Services. Stacey and her husband, Justin, share three sons — Malhakai, Thaddeus, and Dominic — and fur babes Finnigan and Coraline. Together, they love to worship, enjoy the outdoors, watch Sunday night football, and take unplanned long-drive adventures.

Tara is known for her passion and care for our community. The impact she has made at UGM has been truly evident over the last four years. She is a capable, skilled and articulate champion for UGM’s women’s ministries. Tara has a diverse background that includes executive level planning and administration and she possesses significant leadership experience managing recovery programs and supporting staff at all levels.

Tara finds joy and motivation collaborating and strategizing with our incredible women. Tara values the opportunity to develop and nurture meaningful relationships with our community members, walking alongside and encouraging these beautiful people and families as these  women, mothers and infants journey toward their goals and dreams.

Tara’s passion for people is also apparent beyond her work at UGM. In her spare time, she enjoys rest and relaxation in nature, socializing with friends and family, fostering new relationships while nurturing existing ones. She and her husband of 17 years share four children—Zoe, Zachary, Zander and Zane—and a fluffy 8lb Morkie named Lola.
 

Rob has a variety of experience within UGM and beyond, that have perfectly prepared him for this role. He has been at UGM for 20 years, first starting as an Associate Chaplain, serving on the front lines. He worked a number of roles at UGM before ultimately becoming the Vice President of Men’s Programs. Rob also holds a Masters of Divinity, a Doctorate of Ministry and a certification as a Certified Leadership Coach.

Rob lives out his desire to be a servant-leader and mentor at UGM every single day. “My favorite thing about working at UGM is serving alongside fellow servant leaders and seeing transformation in the people and communities we serve.” 

Married with 3 adult children, Rob enjoys working on classic motorcycles and cars, kayaking and spending quality time with family and friends.

Dan brings a plethora of expertise to his work at UGM. He has a Master of Christian Studies and Doctorate of Ministry. Prior to UGM, he held roles such as the Director of Finance at a Christian Conference Centre in Austria and District Manager at General Motors.

He has a heart for our world broken by poverty and addiction, which is what brought him to UGM, 15 years ago. Dan is motivated by the beauty and resilience of our community members, the compassion and expertise of our staff team, and the love of God in action, resulting in changed lives.

Beyond being thankful for his wife Karen, three grown children and daughter-in-law, Dan is loving the new experience of being a grandfather to Elias.  He also enjoys walks on the beach, resting in God’s presence, talks and games with family and friends, watching sports, a round of golf, and European chocolate.

In the spirit of Fr. Greg Boyle, Kris has dedicated his life to answering God’s call “to go out to the margins until the margins no longer exist.” Having worked as Frontline Staff, as a Community Correctional Chaplain, and in Executive and Senior Director roles at not-for-profit organizations including The Mustard Seed, Kris is invested in seeing people journey out of suffering and into renewed life. 

Kris holds a Sociology Degree from the University of Alberta, a Masters of Divinity from Taylor Seminary, and a Certificate in Strategic Leadership from the Banff Centre. During his time in prison ministry, he developed and implemented a reintegration program for federal offenders that continues to support men and women 22 years after its inception. He is familiar with the challenge of scaling support services while never losing the focus on the individuals receiving care.

Kris’s family includes his wife Gloria, his two daughters, and an old dog named Zeus. In his downtime, he is learning to play the guitar, and enjoys mountain biking, hiking, yoga, and golf.