MEET OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM

As Chief Executive Officer of YW Calgary, Sue Tomney is responsible for the strategic leadership of more than 250 diverse team members who offer shelter, housing, counselling, language, and employment programs to some of the most vulnerable women and families in Calgary. In September 2019, YW opened the doors to the YW Hub facility in Inglewood with a focus on building a sustainable model to support families in the community for years to come.

Sue has held senior-level positions with both non-profits and corporations prior to joining YW in December 2010: VP, Marketing and Communications for Imagine Canada; Director of Communications and External Affairs at TransAlta Corporation; and Manager, Public Relations & Community Investment for Canadian Airlines International.

In March 2020, Sue was honoured to be recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Most Influential Women and in November 2022 she was honoured to be awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.  Sue is the Chair of the Governance Committee for Calgary Housing Company and is also the past chair of CanadaHelps.org.

Sue loves spending time with her three (adult) kids Aedan, Liam and Abby and hiking with her beloved Golden Retrievers Rooney and Teddy.

Bruce oversees the Finance and Facilities areas of the organization, as well as Special Projects.

Experience and Expertise

Bruce is known for his strategic leadership of finance and administrative teams at Board-governed organizations. Prior to joining YW, Bruce held the role of Vice President, Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Banff Centre. Other previous roles include CFO of a TSX-listed public company in Calgary, and before that, partner at Grant Thornton LLP in Calgary and Toronto where he held numerous senior leadership positions.

Board and Volunteer Roles

Bruce has a long history of community involvement; he has served on the boards of Discovery House Family Violence Prevention Society in Calgary, Rotary Club of Calgary Heritage Park as Vice President, the Calgary Chapter of Financial Executives International, and York Support Services Network (YSSN) in Ontario. Currently, Bruce serves on the Board of Banff Canmore Community Foundation as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance, Audit and Investment Committee, and on the Board of artsPlace Canmore as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.

As Chief Programs & People Services of YW, Talia is responsible for developing and driving the continued evolution and strategic direction of the organization’s mission-based programs and services while enhancing YW Calgary’s reputation and impact in the community. This includes driving cultural transformation to ensure YW Calgary is a workplace of choice and serving as a strategic advocate for the organization within the sector at a municipal, provincial, and national level.

Talia has spent the past two decades in progressive leadership positions within the non-profit sector, with a focus on prevention services, evaluation, product design, social innovation, and impact. She brings proven relationship-building skills and extensive experience coaching teams to navigate change and complexity to achieve impact and results.

Talia holds a Master, in Criminal Justice from the University of Fraser Valley, where she focused her thesis on preventing sexual exploitation of youth in Canada. Prior to her role with YW, she led the development and launch of The Social Impact Lab–a place for exploring new models to address philanthropic disruption collaboratively in downtown Calgary. She held leadership positions with United Way of Calgary and Area and Mount Royal University as a part-time instructor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Boys and Girls Club of Calgary.