Our Team

The TEDxCalgary event wouldn't happen without the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers helping to drive the event forward. Here are a few of our talented team:

Rahim Sajan, Curator

To highlight Rahim's fundamental role in TEDxCalgary, we've borrowed from the TED lexicon and dubbed him our "Curator", a term of great respect. From many conversations with interested people, it was Rahim who ultimately took the final step toward securing an event licence and who continues to lead our overall efforts as an event team. Rahim also leads our all-important programming committee.

Rahim is an educator, adventurer and self confessed bookworm. He currently works as a physical education teacher in the Calgary Board of Education, where he has also taught science and math for the last few years. He has extensive experience working in a number of different environments and educational levels, including a 2 year stint as a teacher close to the NWT in an isolated First Nations Community, shortly after he graduated for a second time from the University of Calgary. He actively coaches at his school on a number of teams each year.

He is a recent graduate of the Leadership Calgary program, which he continues to be involved with as a guide to the current year's class. In any spare moment, Rahim can often be found arguing with some poor soul about international issues in a third wave coffee shop in town, or fixing his motorcycles (which is regrettably too often), and going on long range expeditions when they work. When he runs out of twisty roads on the west coast of Canada, he often relies on a sea kayak (if a fishing boat doesn’t hire him) to get  around to the places which are almost as close to his heart as the highlands of Tanzania where he grew up.   

Rahim's favourite TED talk changes every week but Parag Khanna’s Talk on the future of countries has occupied his mind recently:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/parag_khanna_maps_the_future_of_countries.html

Buffy St.-Amand, Logistics Lead

As our lead in the area of event planning and logistics, Buffy St-Amand brings more than 10 years of experience in international education in post-secondary both locally and globally to her role in leading Volunteer Calgary’s work to support Community Engagement through Education, Community & Youth volunteerism and leads the Ethno-Cultural Engagement Strategy.  She is also responsible for leading the Leadership Calgary program in its eleventh year. 

Her international work experience ranges from volunteering with Canada World Youth in Brazil to being Director of Marketing for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.  Buffy’s academic background includes a Bachelor Degree in Social Sciences with a double major in Sociology and Intercultural Management, and a Certified International Trade designation. 

She loves being a mother to her twins, enjoys connecting people through ideas and innovation and is passionate about our planet.  She serves on the board of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association, is part of the Strategic Team for the Make it Good initiative and the Logistics Lead for the TEDxCalgary committee.

Her favourite TED Talk is Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Jonathan Perkins, Partnerships Lead

When he's not out meeting volunteers, prospective partners, and others interested in talking about TEDxCalgary, Jonathan Perkins serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the LeadWell Foundation in Calgary. Since late 2006, he has led the Foundation’s main research and knowledge transfer programs, as well as managing the organization’s day-to-day operations. In addition to his Foundation role, Jonathan is a board member of the Canadian Community Leadership Network (CCLNet), which works with Canada's more than 22 programs of community leadership development. Jonathan is an alumnus of Leadership Calgary class of 2003, and was a returning guide in 2004.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Jonathan served as Vice President, Professional Accreditation for the Certified Management Accountants of Alberta (CMA Alberta). At CMA Alberta, this role involved leading the main accreditation portfolio in support of Alberta’s more than 6,000 active members and up to 1,000 active students and candidates annually.

After moving to Calgary in 1999, Jonathan worked with the Calgary Centre for Non-Profit Management (now CentrePoint) as Manager, Consulting and Director, Business and Knowledge Management. He led a number of consultations with non-profit client organizations, specializing in business and strategic planning, governance transition, and enhancing business processes.

From 1994 to 1999, Jonathan served in a range of roles with the Parliamentary Centre in Ottawa, including providing advisory and research services to Canadian parliamentary committees. He also coordinated the multi-phase Canada-Russia Parliamentary Program, working in close collaboration with the Parliament of Canada and various government departments, and also participated in parliamentary development initiatives with South African and Kenyan delegations.

Jonathan's favourite TED Talk at the moment is Dan Pink's take on the surprising science of motivation:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_pink_on_motivation.html