RRI ADVISORS

RRI’s advisors are appointed advisors who provide expert advice and share their valuable experience, insight, and expertise from their specialized fields to the RRI program participants and researchers. Advisory experts are outside experts and have no legal responsibility for the organization’s governance.

RICK RIFFEL – Rick is an independent financial consultant, chartered member and holder of a Chartered Financial Analyst designation (CFA). Rick holds a Bachelor of Administration degree (Finance and Accounting) from the University of Regina. Rick’s distinguished career, over the last 35 years, has focused on a variety of areas in finance from venture capital financing to investment counselling. For the last 20 years, Rick was a shareholder in a highly successful western Canadian investment counselling firm and as a manager was instrumental in growing the firm tenfold.

CHRISTINE GIANCARLO – Christine is an applied anthropologist with expertise in a diverse array of areas, such as social and environmental impact assessment, child welfare and parental alienation, gender, multiculturalism, and cross-cultural and cross-species relations. Christine has extensive experience in field research, the lecture hall, and on the conference circuits both on national and international stages.

With over 30 years of experience in lecturing, Dr. Giancarlo has shared her knowledge at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, and Alberta College of Art and Design. Dr. Giancarlo has taught a broad spectrum of subjects within anthropology and general education, ranging from cultural anthropology to ethnography and globalization.

RUSS KALMACOFF – Four decades of experience in the financial sector, business executive Russell Kalmacoff has created a large financial network, connecting him from his base in Calgary, Alberta, with numerous business interests and organizations across Canada and the world.

Russell studied secondary mortgages as a Senior Fellow of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and has be involved in several Alberta government and City of Calgary initiatives studying and advising on Value-Added and Technology Commercialization and in development of the venture capital sector in Alberta.

DREW BARNES – Drew is a seasoned entrepreneur and business proprietor, presiding over a diverse portfolio of enterprises located in Medicine Hat, Alberta. His extensive business holdings encompass a construction firm, a storage facility, and a property management company. Furthermore, Drew also owns numerous commercial, residential, and agricultural properties across Alberta and Saskatchewan.

From 2012 to 2023, Drew served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing the provincial riding of Cypress-Medicine Hat. During his tenure as an MLA, he assumed pivotal roles within the official opposition, contributing his expertise to the positions for the Official Opposition as Critic/Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transportation, Finance and Treasury Board, Environment and Sustainable Development, Innovation and Advanced Education, Health, and Energy. Drew also served on a variety of government standing committees, such as, the Alberta Heritage Trust Fund, Public Accounts, Resource Stewardship, Families and Communities, Alberta Economic Future, and Private Bills.

STEVEN McLEOD – Steven McLeod is a Professional Engineer with a career of over 20 years of multi-disciplinary experience spanning across Canada. Born and raised in Alberta, Steven received his Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering degree from Carleton University (Ottawa), and joined Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg as a simulation and attitude control systems specialist for Canada’s Smallsat program. Steven was later contracted by SED Systems to the Canadian Space Agency in Montreal, serving as Lead Spacecraft Operations Engineer on various earth-observation scientific missions, including Canada’s iconic Radarsat and Scisat missions. His experience also includes a role as project lead for designing the mission operations system for the Cassiope spacecraft operated by the University of Calgary, and 8 years as Senior Engineering Analyst with Bonavista Energy.

LEELA AHEER – Leela has a rich and diverse entrepreneurial background spanning over the last 30 years, Leela actively owned and managed a variety of family-owned businesses which included a music school, property investment, a car wash, and a gas station.

Between 2015 to 2019, Leela served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing the provincial riding of Chestermere-Rocky View and then was the MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore between 2019-2023.  During her tenure as an MLA, Leela fulfilled numerous significant roles within the official opposition and the Government. 

MARK PELZER – Mark is the founder and President of Theorem Audit and Accounting, a joint venture auditing and expert witness firm. Theorem specializes in oil and gas joint venture auditing, trucking auditing, and joint venture accounting services. Mark has worked with small, medium and large industry companies, both upstream and midstream sectors giving Mark a well rounded and indepth knowledge of the industry. Mark has over 35 years of experience in the oil and gas and energy-related industries both domestically and internationally. Mark has worked in General Accounting, Production and Revenue Accounting, Financial Reporting, and Contract Management.

PETER A. ABRAMETZ – Peter is a practicing lawyer in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and has been a member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan since 1995  Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Peter is an alumni of the University of Saskatchewan. During his career, Peter served on the Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security Review Tribunal for the Province of Saskatchewan, the Immigration Committee for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, and the Prince Albert Multicultural Centre.