RDAR announces new Board of Directors

RDAR is pleased to announce that it has its first elected Board of Directors.

In February, representatives from RDAR’s 33 voting Member organizations came together to elect its new Board of Directors. RDAR’s dedication to being producer-led is a fundamental part of the organization’s DNA. Members have helped shape the overarching direction and now the leadership of RDAR.

The new Board Directors come from diverse agricultural and research backgrounds. They are representative of the broad spectrum of organizations that make up Alberta’s agriculture and research industry. This Board brings years of experience and leadership in the areas of animal and crop production, agri-business, research, and governance to help RDAR create opportunities for Alberta’s producers to positively impact the agriculture industry through producer-led research.

“A very sincere welcome to RDAR’s new Board Directors, a group of professionals from every corner of the province and well representing of the industry. I look forward to working with you to make sure Alberta’s farmers and ranchers are guiding agriculture research priorities.”

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

RDAR Board of Directors:

• D’Arcy Hilgartner (Camrose) Term Expires: 2024
• Fred Lozeman (Claresholm) Term Expires: 2024
• JP Brouwer (Ponoka) Term Expires: 2024
• Stanford Blade (Edmonton) Term Expires: 2024
• Brian Brewin (Taber) Term Expires: 2023
• Melissa Downing (Metiskow) Term Expires: 2023
• Steven Kenyon (Busby) Term Expires: 2023
• David Chalack (Calgary) Term Expires 2022
• John Kolk (Picture Butte) Term Expires: 2022
• Jason Lenz (Bentley) Term Expires: 2022

To ensure that RDAR maintains a stable Board governance structure and continuity for its future, the decision was made to implement staggered terms of service. This design provides the organization with future governance continuity, for its Board of Directors. Each Board Director’s term is directly determined by the number of votes received during the election.

“Thank you to Dr. David Chalack and the interim Board for their service over the past year. It’s a lot of work to set up an organization from scratch, and they did it with enthusiasm and expertise. Through innovative research agriculture will continue to lead Alberta’s economic recovery.”

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

RDAR is confident that the installation of its new Board will continue to ensure that results driven research leads to innovation for our province’s agriculture and food industries.