Sponsor Board

Ellen Nygaard (Chair)

Ellen was born in Alberta and has spent most of her life in the province. She has a BA in English and an MBA from the University of Alberta, and worked across Canada in her first career as a journalist. She worked as a manager for the Government of Alberta for 26 years, occupying increasingly responsible regulatory and policy positions, most recently as Executive Director of Pension Policy for Alberta Finance. Since her retirement, Ellen has been a member of three pension plan boards. She has been involved as a volunteer and board member of several community organizations over the years, including the United Way and recreational and cultural organizations. Ellen currently volunteers as an English tutor for new Canadians. In 2018, she received her designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

John Burdyny (Vice-Chair)

John has been a police officer for the Calgary Police Service for over 9 years.  Prior to becoming a police officer John worked in the financial services industry and kept his passion for the industry.  John continued his education and is currently working towards Level 3 of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.  He also has a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University.  John currently serves as the VP of Finance for the Calgary Police Association.  John is excited to be a part of the SFPP Sponsor Board so he can bring his wealth of experience to ensure the SFPP remains a viable and strong pension plan for generations to come.

Ron Anderson

Ron has been with the Edmonton Police Service as the Chief Innovation and Technology Officer since 2019 and presently oversees the Innovation and Information Bureau which includes Information Technology Division, the Information Management Analytics and Reporting Division, and the Operational Command Division. Prior to his current role, Ron was an Assistant Deputy Minister at Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Corrections and Policing. Ron has worked in the private sector in the information technology field and with the Prince Albert Police Service.

Ron is an active community member both locally and internationally through his volunteer work and as a community soccer coach. He is presently a board member for the Missing Children Society of Canada.

Howard Burns

Howard joined the Sponsor Board in December 2018 as the nominee for the Alberta Federation of Police Associations (AFPA). He is a retired Calgary Police Service Sergeant, former President of the Calgary Police Association and current Executive Director for the AFPA. Howard was named to the Canadian Order of Merit of the Police Forces in 2016.

Leslie Shikaze

Leslie is a retired Human Resources executive with 40+ years of experience in increasingly responsible positions in both the public and private sectors. Leslie worked at the City of Calgary for over 15 years, most recently leading the Total Rewards and Healthy Workplace Division, including the area of pension governance. She holds an undergraduate degree in English and Psychology from Queen’s University and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University. Leslie enjoys volunteering with community organizations.

Antonio Simioni

Antonio is the current Executive Director of the Edmonton Police Association and a retired 35 year member of the Edmonton Police Service. The last six years of Antonio's police career was spent as the President of the Edmonton Police Association before his retirement from the EPS in 2015. During that time, he became quite involved and immersed in the governance of the SFPP Committee and worked in this role as the President of the EPA. Antonio had also been a police member with the Camrose Police Service when the SFPP was first implemented in 1979. He has therefore seen the plan's birth, its growth and its entire history to this point, right up to collecting a pension from the SFPP starting in 2015. Antonio is eager and excited to rejoin the Sponsor Board at this time and looks forward to continue working towards the longevity and sustainability of the plan for generations to come.