Staff & Board of Directors

Board of Directors

ADRIA is governed by a Board of Directors and has adopted a set of by-laws, registered on the incorporation of the Institute on May 14, 2012. The Board consists of up to nine individuals who are elected by and from the membership. The Board also includes an elected representative from the ADRIC Board, and often a Past President. An Executive consisting of a President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary is elected by the Directors and announced at our Annual General Meeting.

2019-2020 Board of Directors

President:

Barbara McNeil

C.Med, Q.Arb

Barbara is a chartered mediator, integrity commissioner, facilitator, and adjudicator.  She’s a certified ombudsman and trained in workplace assessment and investigation. For over thirty years, she’s helped people find resolution for their tough problems. Barbara was a hearing commissioner with the Alberta Energy Regulator from 2013 – 2017, adjudicating and mediating oil and gas issues. She has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and a Masters in Public Administration.

Barbara’s work takes her throughout Alberta, where she meets wonderful people and keeps falling in love with our province’s beautiful landscapes. With more enthusiasm than talent she enjoys skiing, tennis, golf, and sailing. Recently Barbara started tormenting herself by learning and trying to play competitive bridge.

Vice-President:

Michelle Bonnici

Treasurer: 

Dora Dang, C.Med, Q.Arb. 

Past President: 

Michelle Simpson C.Med, C.Arb 

Michelle Simpson is based in Edmonton, AB and is a Lawyer, Investigator, Chartered Mediator and Chartered Arbitrator.  Michelle has been involved in construction dispute resolution processes since 1982.  Michelle teaches the National Arbitration course and has arbitrated or acted as referee in well over 100 cases since 2011 and has mediated countless numbers of issues associated with a wide variety of topics involving mostly business, sport, and construction issues. Michelle investigates work place and sport issues including allegations of harassment.  Michelle is the current Past President of the ADR Institute of Alberta and has been heavily involved in CBA activities involving ADR and Construction.

ADRIC Representative: 

J. Barrie Marshall, QC

Barrie is a retired lawyer and was, until June, 2019, a partner in the Calgary office of Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP.   Barrie spent his entire career practicing in the area of commercial litigation with an emphasis on construction and securities law. He is highly regarded for his creative and effective litigation skills and dispute resolution strategies. His expertise in builders' lien law, in particular, made him a frequent advisor to a broad spectrum of construction industry participants including fellow construction law practitioners.

Barrie is a past chair of the National Civil Litigation Section of the Canadian Bar Association and has held several posts with the Alberta branch of that body.

Barrie is currently a director on the Board of ADR Institute of Alberta (ADRIA), an affiliate of the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC).  Barrie also serves on the ADRIC Board as the ADRIA representative to that Board.

Barrie pursues a broad spectrum of interests and recreational activities.  He enjoys reading, cycling, hiking, skiing, and spending time with his three grandchildren. 

Director and Governance Committee Chair:

Kevin Kelly, Q.Arb, Q.Med

Kevin was born and raised in Calgary. After attending university in Victoria and traveling extensively while studying law and playing rugby in the UK, Kevin returned to Calgary and has practiced law primarily in insurance litigation, risk management, real estate, business, and estate planning. He acts as a mediator, arbitrator and adjudicator in disputes involving businesses and partnerships, land development, condominiums, estates, and professional competence and disciplinary hearings. Kevin works with corporations, non-profit organizations and multi-stakeholder groups as a facilitator and board meeting chair, and assists them with strategic planning and governance.

Kevin has developed and taught courses for SAIT in real estate law, business law and negotiation, and he is a learning group facilitator and evaluator with the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education. He enjoys spending time in the mountains and by the ocean and would love to write a novel.

Director:

Amin Poonja, Q.Med

Amin Poonja is a professional biologist and has worked in the fields of pest management and public health for over 35 years. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biology (BSc. Biology) from the University of Ottawa and a postgraduate (Dip (MPM) in Pest Management from Simon Fraser University.

Over the last 25 years or so, he has been actively involved in volunteering on various institutional bodies within the Ismaili Muslim and the greater community, including being Chairman of the Aga Khan Education board, Vice Chair of the Aga Khan Social Welfare board, Member for the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Boards for Edmonton and the Aga Khan Economic Planning Board of Canada.

He has also served as President of the Pest Management Association of Alberta, Member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Pest Management Association, member on the Telus - Yellow Pages Advisory Board and on board of directors of the MRJC (Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre).

He has a strong interest in conflict resolution and is currently the Chairman of the Aga Khan Conciliation and Arbitration board for Edmonton (www.cabcanada.org ) He believes that mediation has an important role to play in conflict resolution.

His interests are Travelling and learning through meeting and engaging with people.

Currently he is President of Ecopest Inc. – a company headquartered in Edmonton dealing in Pest control and Hygiene services throughout Alberta. He is married with 2 children (young adults) and a proud grandfather to 2 grandchildren.

Director:

Ali Ansell, Q.Med

Ali has a private practice, working mostly with families and communities, and currently spends most of her time as an ADR Specialist at the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). At the AER she helps companies, NGOs, landowners, and Indigenous communities work through disputes related to oil and gas development. She instructs, mediates, and facilitates, and she is actively engaged in a number of groups and committees, including the Conflict Resolution Day Planning Committee and Mediators Mentoring Mediators.

In her personal life she loves to garden and has been experimenting with composting over the last few years. She also enjoys travelling to new places and discovering hidden gems around the world. She's travelled to a number of European countries in the past and more recently has been exploring the United States. An unexpected favorite of 2019: sitting on the beach near wild horses on the island of Assateague, Maryland.

Director:

Paul Blakeney, C.Med

Paul is a senior dispute resolution professional with a robust combination of skills, training and experience in the field.  He has mediated numerous disputes in a variety of settings involving governments, companies, municipalities, landowners, condominium boards, civil claimants, and neighbours.  Paul also has experience as a specialized ombudsman and administrative decision-maker involving complex, financially material and politically sensitive issues. 

Contact the Board of Directors