Meet The Team (Part 3)
Wood Buffalo ready to host Arctic Winter Games.
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The Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games operates with a passionate full-time staff who work hand-in-hand with the board of Directors and volunteer chairs to ensure participants and spectators have an unforgettable Games experience.
Meet the Staff
Elizabeth Priest
Program Manager, Marketing and Communications
Elizabeth joined the Wood Buffalo Arctic Winter Games team in January 2022 as Program Manager, Marketing and Communications. She holds a journalism diploma and worked as a journalist for eight years at radio stations in British Columbia, Ontario, Winnipeg and Fort McMurray – before leaving the industry to move into communications in 2019.
Elizabeth was the Assistant Ambassador Chair for the 2018 Wood Buffalo Alberta Winter Games and is a major sports enthusiast, whether it’s playing or watching. She has coached ringette and basketball and was a competitive equestrian rider showing across western Canada and the United States earning numerous national titles and being selected as a member of Team Canada for the AQHA Youth World Cup in 2010.
When not volunteering, you can find Elizabeth on the badminton court, running, playing co-ed softball, on the golf course, snowboarding, canoeing, or out walking her dog on the Birchwood Trails.
Danielle Lo Bianco
Program Manager, Merchandise & Partnerships
Danielle joined the Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games team in May 2022 as Program Manager of Merchandise & Partnerships.
In each community she has lived in, Danielle becomes involved in local sport or dance. Danielle has managed recreation facilities in California, Washington state and Fort McMurray. She has also coached gymnastics for 22 years in Canada and the USA, specializing in floor and beam choreography.
Danielle supported the Western Canada Summer Games and the 2018 Alberta Winter Games in her role as manager of sports, fitness, box office and guest services at the Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo. Recently she worked with the RMWB as a communication strategist. She is excited to combine her communications degree and her sports experience in her role at the Arctic Winter Games.
Danielle and her family have lived in our region for over five years. Her eldest son was born during the 2016 wildfire and her youngest at the Northern Lights Regional Hospital. You can find them exploring Wood Buffalo with their hiking poles, bicycles, rollerblades, dirt bikes, kayaks, ice skates, snowshoes, snowboards and, when possible, airplanes.
Kaylie Breedevelt
Program Manager, Culture and Diversity
Kaylie joined the Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games team in May 2022 as Program Manager of Culture and Diversity. Born and raised in Edmonton, Kaylie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation, Sport and Tourism from the University of Alberta and is finishing an Event Management Extension Certificate from Mount Royal University.
She has four years of experience working in the sport/recreation field including Guest Experience with the Oilers Entertainment Group, Event Surveyor with Canada Sport Tourism Alliance (events including Red Bull Crashed Ice 2018, FISE World Series 2018, and ITU World Triathlon Edmonton 2019), and was a Recreation Program Assistant at the University of Alberta’s Campus & Community Recreation department executing wellness and recreation-based events for students on campus.
During the summer months, you can find Kaylie camping around Alberta or at music festivals. She also enjoys crafting, exploring the outdoors, hanging out with her cat, and like many of us, eating good food!
Lana Tremblay
Program Manager, Volunteers & Education
Lana joined the Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games team in July 2022 as Program Manager of Volunteers and Education. Lana holds a Masters of Educational Research from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta. Prior to joining the Games team, she taught junior high for ten years in Fort McMurray – more than preparing her for this new role!
Outside of the classroom and office, Lana is busy volunteering at various events around the region, including Ride for Dad, and at the Royal Canadian Legion. She also loves to write, bake, weightlift, and train her one-year-old chocolate lab, Judy!
Charlene Auger
Program Manager, Warehouse & Logistics
Charlene joined the Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games team in July 2022 as Program Manager of Warehouse and Logistics.
Charlene brings over ten years of experience to the role previously managing logistics and traffic planning for companies in Prince George and Fort McMurray. She was also a warehouse and parts manager as an apprentice heavy-duty mechanic for a highway contractor in British Columbia.
Charlene is no stranger to multi-sport Games, competing at three consecutive BC Winter Games in female hockey in 1995, 1996, and 1997. For 14 years, she organized the Annual RCMP Charity Hockey Tournament and the Annual RCMP Bike Rodeo and Fun Run, she also volunteered at elementary and high school sports days for five years.
In her spare time, Charlene loves riding her motorcycle, traveling, cooking and rollerblading.
Bryan Mintenko
Program Manger, Sport & Venue
Bryan joined the Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games team in April 2022 as Program Manager of Sport and Venue.
Bryan holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba and a Bachelor of Science in Sport and Recreation Management from the University of Minnesota and brings over 15 years of experience in the sport and recreation field.
Bryan is heavily involved in sports whether it’s through work or his spare time. He has been a part of seven Canadian Soccer Association Club Nationals in various roles, event coordinator for Manitoba Soccer Provincial Championships for three years, worked for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Valour FC, committee/board member for Canadian Soccer Association Competitions and Manitoba Runners’ Association, an event director for Manitoba Soccer referees’ Association, and a convenor for over a decade for the Winnipeg Women’s Soccer League. And if you need a soccer referee, Bryan is your guy. He refs’ soccer games locally and throughout the country at various levels.
If you don’t see Bryan on the soccer pitch, you can find him out on the trails hiking, running or mountain biking.
Janelle Kidd
Senior Administrative Assistant
Janelle joined the Wood Buffalo 2023 Arctic Winter Games team in December 2021. She holds a Paralegal Diploma from Seneca College in Toronto, ON and has spent the last ten years working in different areas of law and the administrative field.
Janelle moved to Fort McMurray a decade ago from Ontario where she grew up on a farm training and showing horses. In her spare time, you can find Janelle hiking in the Birchwood Trails, gardening, yoga, snowboarding/skiing and hanging out with her cats.
Charity Wiley
Arctic Winter Games Advisor, Sport, Volunteers, Education and Logistics
Charity Wiley joined the Host Society in June 2020 as Senior Manager, Sport & Venue Management before transitioning into an advisor role while she’s pursing a nursing degree at Keyano College. Charity currently holds a diploma in human exercise science and brings over ten years of high-performance sport development and multi-sport Games experience. Her first Games was as an athlete at the 2004 Arctic Winter Games in Wood Buffalo, participating and winning a golden Ulu in basketball. Since then, Charity has served as Zone 7 Chef de Mission for the 2012, 2014 and 2016 Alberta Summer and Winter Games, mission staff for Team Alberta North at the 2012 Arctic Winter Games and volunteered for the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games. Charity also has years of experience planning many national and provincial college championships.
In 2017, Charity ran the Edmonton full marathon finishing with a time of 4 hours and 59 minutes. Today, she’s the president of the local pet therapy program, PAWS, and is a member of the Clearwater Horse Club – where she keeps her horse and shows in western and english classes throughout Alberta. Charity also competes in agility with her two dogs she owns and trains – both carry Novice Trick Dog titles.
