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Meet your Alumni Council Members
Dawn Burke (she/her)
COUNCIL MEMBER
Dawn Burke (she/her) is a proud MRU graduate with an Applied Bachelor of Business and Entrepreneurship degree, Sport and Recreation (2012). She has had a varied career including roles in hospitality and tourism, high performance sport event planning and hosting and supporting grassroots sports organizations. She is now a Business and Policy Planner for Parks and Open Spaces at the City of Calgary. A few recent projects of note included contributing to the planning and development of the Sport for Life Policy, implementing and reporting on the progress of the Imagine Parks strategic plan for Parks and Open Spaces, and collaborating on the Business Continuity Plan for operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outside of her professional role, Dawn enjoys giving back to the community. She takes every opportunity to stay engaged with MRU to provide current and future students (and alumni) the same great experiences that she has had and continues to have. She supports the people she cares about by fundraising for primary school extracurricular initiatives including a new playground build (2024) and offering support to causes she cares for whenever possible.
To unwind and stay connected with her inner circle and family, Dawn enjoys spending time exploring the city and the outdoors. Dawn can be found trying out the newest bakery, local business or latest attraction and participating in a variety of recreational activities including mountain biking, indoor rock climbing and hiking.
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Tia Hagen
PRESIDENT, MRUAA
CHAIR, ALUMNI COUNCIL
Tia (she/her) is the Director of Brand Communications at ATB Financial, leading the external communications team and the communications surrounding ATB's ESG work.
Mercedes Brown
VICE PRESIDENT, MRUAA
VICE-CHAIR, ALUMNI COUNCIL
Mercedes (she/her) is a practicing nurse clinician, a mentor in the Harry G Schaefer Mentorship program and is the 2014 recipient of an Outstanding Alumni Award.
Bunmi Afolabi
Chair, Nominating & Appointments Committee
An experienced leader and inquisitive learner, Bunmi (she/her) is currently an HR Manager at GoodMorning.com.
Eric Bennett
COUNCIL MEMBER
Eric (he/him) is an experienced financial services professional and Senior Wealth Advisor with ScotiaMcLeod/Scotia Wealth Management.
JOSHUA DAHM
COUNCIL MEMBER
Joshua (he/him) is an HR Advisor at Elk Valley Resources and is a dedicated MRU alum, mentor and advocate for student success.
Bronson Ha
COUNCIL MEMBER
Bronson is experienced in consulting in Canada and overseas and currently works as a project management analyst and public relations consultant.
Arielle Land
COUNCIL MEMBER
Arielle (she/her) is a professional with a background in strategic marketing and a track record in B2B tech, SaaS, and B2C environments.
Lauren Steeves
COUNCIL MEMBER
Lauren (she/her) is an experienced communications professional and is currently a Senior Marketing and Communications Strategist at the Haskayne School of Business.
ALEXANDRA SWISTON
COUNCIL MEMBER
Alexandra (she/her) works as an Account Manager with TEKsystems — one of the largest global IT staffing and services organizations responsible for accelerating business transformation.
MIRELA TOPCHIEVA
COUNCIL MEMBER
Mirela (she/her) is a government relations and advocacy coordinator for Cerebral Palsy Alberta. She engages stakeholders from academia, government, non-profit and the private sector.