News & Updates
RDAR Announces Official Results of the 2022 Election and Names the Board of Directors: 2023-2024
2023-01-11
Edmonton, Alberta (January 11, 2023) – RDAR announced the official results for the election of three directors and the appointment of its Board of Directors for 2023 – 2024. Elected are returning Directors Dr. David Chalack and Mr. Jason Lenz and newcomer Josie Van Lent. The appointments are for a term of three years starting January 2023.
“RDAR congratulates all directors and welcomes Josie Van Lent to the Board. Josie is a well-known figure within Alberta’s agricultural community and superbly qualified to serve on RDAR’s Board. Van Lent worked in the Alberta Department of Agriculture as a Beef Production Specialist; at UFA in Crops Specialization; and in academia as Dean, Agriculture Technology and Applied Research at Lakeland College. She tells me that she is especially proud of her work at the College, engaging the faculty in applied research and ensuring that future generations recognize the importance of the connection between innovation, technology, and agriculture. Josie continues to ranch raising beef and bison near Vermilion, Alberta”.
Dr. Mark Redmond, RDAR CEO
RDAR extends our sincere thanks to Mr. John Kolk and Mr. Gary Vucurevich for standing as candidates and to our Members for their engagement in the nomination process and voting. We are proud to report a voter turnout of 78%!
On behalf of RDAR, the organization would like to thank John Kolk for his dedication and service on the RDAR Board for the last 22 months. He served as Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and as a member of the Governance Committee. His commitment, deep thinking, and diverse experience in biodiversity, governance, extension, and financial oversight contributed significantly to the growth of RDAR.
RDAR is producer led, and this is reflected in RDAR’s Board. RDAR’s Board Directors hail come from diverse agricultural, academic, and business backgrounds and research backgrounds. Each of the 10 Directors are representative of the broad spectrum of organizations that make up Alberta’s agriculture and research industry.
This Board brings many years of experience and innovative leadership in the areas of post-secondary agriculture education, animal and crop production, agri-business, research, and governance to drive RDAR forward, creating opportunities for Alberta’s producers to positively impact the agriculture industry through producer-led research.
RDAR 2023-2024 Board of Directors:
As a producer-led organization, RDAR Directors reflect agriculture in Alberta, with diversity in crop and livestock production and excellence in academia and business.
- Dr. Stanford Blade (Edmonton)
- Brian Brewin (Taber)
- JP Brouwer (Ponoka)
- Dr. David Chalack (Calgary)
- Melissa Downing (Metiskow)
- D’Arcy Hilgartner (Camrose)
- Steven Kenyon (Busby)
- Jason Lenz (Bentley)
- Dr. Fred Lozeman (Claresholm)
- Josie Van Lent (Vermilion)
Dr. David Chalack has been elected as Chair and Melissa Downing as Vice-Chair. We look forward to their leadership for the next twelve months.
Learn more about our RDAR Board Directors here.
About RDAR
RDAR’s mandate is to target strategic investments in producer-led, results-driven agriculture research to power the competitiveness, profitability, productivity, and sustainability of agriculture in Alberta. As a not-for-profit corporation, RDAR’s funding comes from the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, and Alberta’s Government through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership program. rdar.ca
RDAR Media Inquiries
Janada Hawthorne
Communications Lead
RDAR (Results Driven Agriculture Research)
780-903-2734
janada.hawthorne@rdar.ca