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Meet your Alumni Council Members
Eric Bennett (he/him)
COUNCIL MEMBER
Born and raised in Calgary, Eric has been a Senior Wealth Advisor with ScotiaMcLeod/Scotia Wealth Management since 2011. He brings with him more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, with a core focus on helping clients to plan for and realize their personal financial goals and dreams. He previously worked at Canaccord Genuity, Richardson GMP and HSBC.
A lifelong volunteer, Eric believes that “volunteering is the rent you pay to occupy the space in a community.” He has been a Rotary member for 12 years and is the Past President of the Rotary Club of Calgary (2020-21). Eric is a board member with CerviCAL Action Canada and Past Chair of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Western Regional Fundraising Council. In 2018 Eric co-founded “Spin for Life”, a national fundraiser to benefit the Canadian Cancer Society.
He is a recipient of the Canadian Cancer Society Prairie Leadership Award in Philanthropy, a two-time recipient of the Scotia McLeod Share the Wealth Award, and a finalist for the Edward Jones Award for Excellence in Philanthropy and Community Service.
Eric’s studies at Mount Royal included a life-changing exchange experience at Lingnan University in Hong Kong in 2006, following which he was awarded the Hong Kong Canadian Business Association’s (HKCBA) award for excellence in international studies. He also served as a mentor in MRU’s Harry G Schaefer Mentorship Program for five years.
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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.
DAWN BURKE
COUNCIL MEMBER
Dawn (she/her) is a Business and Policy Planner for Parks and Open Spaces at the City of Calgary. She has had a varied career spanning industries and loves giving back to the community.
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.