Organizational Leadership

A team excited to lead the organization into the future.

EDA has a dedicated team that works hard to ensure the needs of the members and the association can continue to be met.

Leann Hackman-Carty, CEO

Leann has a diverse background in the public, private and non-profit sectors. She has been involved in economic development, in various capacities throughout most of her career. For over a decade, she served as the Mayor’s Executive Assistant for Community & Economic Development in The City of Calgary. During this time she gained an appreciation for the role elected officials can and should play in economic development. Since 2009, she has served as EDA's CEO. At the end of 2014, she completed an Economic Disaster Recovery Project (EDRP) with 10 Alberta communities and Treaty 7 Community Futures (Siksika/Stoney). As part of this project, she spearheaded the production of a community toolkit to help them prepare and respond to future economic disruptions. In May 2016, she started working with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) on their business and economic recovery efforts, post wildfire; which included setting up and running the Wood Buffalo Business Recovery Hotline and validating businesses for Red Cross emergency relief. She has her own consulting firm, MYD Global, and in December 2017 released her “Master Your Disaster” series of guidebooks designed to help individuals, businesses and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Leann is committed to advancing the economic development profession throughout the province of Alberta and beyond; and enjoys working with EDA members, stakeholders and supporters to do so. She is currently working towards her Ec.D certification.

Email: leann@edaalberta.ca

Nancy Toombs, Director, Marketing & Communications

Nancy Toombs is a successful professional with more than 25 years of diverse experience and expertise in corporate communications and the broadcast media. A proven team builder, she is able to efficiently handle multiple tasks; recognized as a strong leader, independent self-starter with outstanding creativity; possesses superb organization skills as well as exceptional writing ability; values maximum productivity and professional development.

She has worked in the economic development field for over a decade, and understands both the needs of, and future for the profession.

Email: nancy.toombs@edaalberta.ca

Janice Grant, Director, Administration & Member Development

Janice has been with EDA since 2019. She effectively manages work priorities in fast-paced and changing environments. These skills were developed in a long career in different areas of the automotive industry.

Janice offers a broad spectrum of strengths in people management, driving growth and developing strategies. Experienced in building strong working relationships with management and facilitating positive work environment for team members. Janice is a creative individual who enjoys learning new things such as welding, glass blowing and wood working.

Email: janice@edaalberta.ca