The ALTA Board meets four or five times a year mainly via conference calls. At its Annual General Meeting, generally held in spring, the Board reports to the membership, adopts a budget, and considers resolutions. The Association President and regional Directors are elected at the following Board meeting.
The ALTA Board consists of:
- President, elected annually from the entire membership.
- Vice-President and Treasurer, elected at the first meeting after the AGM from among the Directors.
- One Director from each of the eight regions on the map below. Even and oddnumbered regions elect Directors in alternate years.
- One Director each from Edmonton and Calgary Public Library Boards, appointed annually.
Current Board
President - Hank Smit - 2024-2026
Hank Smit - President
I have been an avid library user since growing up in SW Calgary, my library was Shaganappi branch with was within a short bike ride from my house. There I could read to my hearts content and visit places that I had never been.
I now have resided in Hinton for the past 16 years, 9 year on the Town of Hinton Library Board and 8 years as the Board Chair. Being board chair in Hinton had the extra responsibility of being the trustee that sits on the Yellowhead Regional Library. For the past 8 years I have been on the YRL executive committee 2 as Vice-Chair and 6 years as Chair.
Through my tenure I have been through a lot of ups and downs as Hinton seemed to have a revolving door of Managers when our 30+year manager retired, we changed from a reference based to community lead library. I have experience in dealing with councils and provincial and federal Members too.
I was elected to ALTA 4 years ago and became vice president almost immediately. Trustees have great responsibilities and pressures that sometimes seem endless, we here at ALTA are here to help!
Area 1 - Peace - Brad Pearson
Brad Pearson
Hello, my name is Brad Pearson, I am a family man and grandfather who cherishes all that life has to offer. Retirement from a successful career in the oil and gas sector has allowed me time to give back to my community on many boards and committee’s enriching the rural lifestyle, should you choose it. From camping, fishing, hunting, and all other activities nature can provide us with, I do wholeheartedly enjoy them all. A very important aspect of a healthy community with both populations, large and small, is your local library. Libraries with effective programming and environments from which all ages and ethnicities can learn and help us keep up with our ever-changing world, provide the vessel that transport knowledge to us all.
Alternate: Now open
Area 2 - Yellowhead Regional Library - Hank Smit
See President above.
Area 3 - Parkland - Barb Gilliat
Barb Gilliat
Barb is the Deputy Mayor for the Village of Alix and is just starting her second year as Chair for Parkland Regional Library System. She has been part of the PRL Board since first elected in 2017. Barb has also been a part of the PRL Advocacy Committee since it’s inception.
Alternate: Bill Windsor
Area 4 - Marigold - Natasha Roberts
Natasha Roberts
Bio coming soon.
Alternate: Melody Christofferson
Melody Christofferson retired to Delia with her husband, Tom Hamilton, and two dogs (Tobie and Melo) in 2019. She retired from a career in Records and Information Management where she applied quality management principles and practices to improve identification and retrievability of life-of-product information. Melody is dedicated to life-long learning and believes that literacy is fundamental to improving one’s quality of life. As a child she organized and sorted the textbooks at the back of the grade one classroom. She could also be caught reading by the light of the full moon and still enjoys binging on a good story. Melody volunteers in different capacities for ALTA, the Delia Municipal Library Board, Marigold Library System, Delia in Bloom and the Delia and District Community Centre.
Area 5 - Chinook Arch - Doug Logan
Area 6 - Shortgrass - Open
Area 7 - Metro Edmonton - Open
Area 8 - Northern Lights - Barb Smith
Barb Smith
Libraries can change lives, I truly believe that. The library has always been a second home to me. Whether it was just to pick up a book, do some homework, hangout with friends or to just talk to someone when I didn’t have any one else, the library has always opened it’s doors and welcomed me. My background isn’t flashy. I went to school for business and minored in Human Resources. I’ve worked in finance and banking before stepping aside and taking on the best job… raising my awesome family. I’m constantly learning that I can always learn more and decided to try my hand at municipal politics. I’ve been a village councillor, elected for 2 terms and have dived in to as many boards/committees as I could since being elected . I have also been blessed with my local library board and library system appointments. I put my name forward to sit on the ALTA board because I know the challenges of sitting around a library board table and being overwhelmed with information, not knowing what to do and trying to not let anyone down. I want to help trustees to learn what their role is and help them get the most out of the experience!
Alternate: Open
Calgary Public - Margaret Wu
Margaret Wu
Margaret Wu is Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Operations at Brookfield Properties’ development group, responsible for overseeing organizational strategy, directing execution of strategic initiatives and ensuring quality delivery of shared services. Prior to joining the company in 2014, Margaret played senior roles with global management consulting and communication firms in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Washington D.C., and Calgary. Margaret also serves on the Board for Special Olympics – Alberta and the Calgary Public Library.
Alternate: Aaron Noga
Aaron brings extensive strategic leadership and governance expertise to the Alberta Library Trustee Board. As a former audit partner at a global professional services firm for over 25 years, Aaron specialized in guiding organizations in the real estate, construction, and private equity sectors toward sustainable growth and operational success. Aaron also serves as Board Chair for Obesity Canada, is a Board member and Finance Committee Chair for Clear Water Academy Foundation, the Calgary Public Library, and Kindred Connections Society, and is a Member at Large of the Audit and Finance Committee of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce where he has led initiatives to enhance board effectiveness, drive strategic priorities, and deliver measurable impact. With a deep commitment to advancing access to knowledge and resources, Aaron leverages executive-level experience in strategic planning, policy development, and organizational oversight to support Alberta’s libraries in fostering innovation and community connection. Aaron is excited to contribute his expertise to the Alberta Library Trustee Board’s mission of empowering libraries to enrich the lives of Albertans.