Community Members
Born, raised and educated in Saskatchewan,
Scott Banda is currently chief executive officer of Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), a position he has held since 2010. Scott joined FCL in 2002 as the legal affairs manager and was appointed vice-president, corporate and legal affairs in 2004. Prior to FCL, Scott's career included time with Areva Resources Canada, Saskatchewan Crown Investments Corporation and the private practice of law. Scott graduated from University of Saskatchewan with a BA in 1986 and with a law degree in 1990. He also graduated from the Banff School of Advanced Management. Scott serves on the board of the Desjardins General Insurance Group and the Wanuskewin Heritage Park Authority, and has served on other boards including the Saskatoon Co-operative Association Limited. Scott was recognized as one of Saskatchewan's Men of Influence by the Saskatchewan Business Magazine, and as one of College of Arts and Science's most distinguished alumni.
Catherine Gryba is the principal and proprietor of CRG Strategies. Through CRG Strategies, a Saskatoon company, she helps organizations with practical value-added insight on strategic planning, board governance, communications and municipal government relations. Prior to joining private sector consulting, she worked for the City of Saskatoon for 34 years, culminating her career as general manager for corporate performance. Catherine is an active volunteer, giving her time and energy to countless community organizations. Currently, she is part of the Sandbox Mutual Insurance board, Nutrien Wonderhub board, and serves on the board of READ Saskatoon. She previously served as chair of the board for Saskatchewan Blue Cross. Catherine is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan (BSc PE 1984) and was a member of the Alumni Association Board. No stranger to the Huskies, Catherine has volunteered for several national events hosted by Huskie Athletics.
Dave King has two undergraduate degrees and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Saskatchewan. During his time as an undergraduate he played Huskie Hockey as well as being the team representative on the Huskie Letterman's Club. After five years of teaching at Aden Bowman Collegiate in Saskatoon and coaching two years in the WHL, he returned to the USask as men's hockey coach. In four years, the Huskies won three Canada West Championships and culminated this success by winning the CIS National Championship in 1983. He then moved on to coach Canada's National/Olympic teams to an Olympic silver medal in 1992 and a bronze medal in 2018. As well, Dave coached 16 years in the NHL with Calgary, Montreal, Columbus and Arizona. Dave was actively involved in the Home Ice Campaign to raise funds for Merlis Belsher Place and always has been keen to follow Huskie Athletics.
Following graduation from the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) in 1987 as the top graduating medical student,
Dr. Peter Spafford (MD) has gone on to a successful practice in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery and as a clinical professor in the college. A leader in his field, Peter has been the head of the Division of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in the Department of Surgery at USask for more than two decades, and has also served as president and executive council secretary of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. A committed community supporter of the Remai Modern and USask Home Ice Campaign, he also served as a member of the advisory board of the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund. Peter is a former captain of the Huskie men's hockey team, playing for legendary Canadian coach Dave King on USask's national silver-medal winning team.
Laurie Dmytryshyn is the Chief of Equity Investment at PIC Investment Group Inc. (PIC), a private family office based in Saskatoon. PIC has majority ownership in eight companies across diverse industries in Canada along with a Minority Equity Investment Portfolio. With over twelve years of experience at PIC, Laurie manages the PIC Minority Equity Investment Portfolio, overseeing minority stakes in 31 companies. Before joining PIC, Laurie served as the Executive Director of the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan. She has a strong background in governance, holding various Board positions in both for-profit and non-profit sectors, including on boards for companies like Three Farmers and TinyEYE Therapy Services. Her commitment to agriculture and health is reflected in her portfolio focus.Laurie holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA from the University of Saskatchewan, along with an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. She is currently a volunteer on the USask Huskie Women of Influence Scholarship Committee and has previously served on non-profit boards such as Protein Industries Canada and Ag-West Bio Inc. A dedicated supporter of Huskie Athletics, Laurie’s family has strong ties to the program; her husband, Duane is both an alumnus of the Huskie Football team and now volunteers as a receivers coach for the team. Laurie is also proud of her three adult children, Andrew and Jennifer whom both graduated from the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business, and Joshua, who is currently finishing his Education degree with USask.
Cyprian Enweani is one of the University of Saskatchewan's track and field program’s most decorated athletes. Asprinter during his career in green and white, he competed from 1982-88 winning nine Canada West medals, three national medals and the Canada West and national team title in 1986-87. While a member of the Huskies, Cyprian competed nine times with the Canadian national team including three times in the FISU World University Games and was honoured as the flag bearer in 1987. He broke three Canada West records – with the 300-metres still standing 33 years later.
University Members
Wade Epp, associate vice-president, services, is responsible for establishing a customer-centred approach to service for faculty, staff, students, and customers of the University of Saskatchewan (USask). This role oversees the organizational effectiveness of a large and diverse portfolio focused on transactional shared services, the operations and maintenance of university buildings and facilities, protective services, and consumer services (retail, culinary, housing) across the university. Wade is passionate about serving the campus community. As an alumnus and long-standing employee of USask, Wade has been able to build high-performance teams that support the vision of improved service across the Finance and Resources portfolio.
Shannon Chinn, Chief Athletics Officer, was born and raised in Saskatchewan with strong connections to the province. Before joining Huskie Athletics, she was most recently the Director of Look Sport. Shannon has worked on multiple NHL outdoor games, the Canada Games, Pegasus World Cup, Mosaic Stadium and Tim Hortons Field. She brings extensive experience in university athletics, partnership development, brand management and game day production for elite organizations including the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Ottawa Senators, Carleton University and TSN (The Sports Network). She has previously served as an elected Football Canada board member and on the Fast & Female board, an organization that focuses on keeping self-identified girls aged 8-14 involved in sports.
As Vice President, University Relations,
Cheryl Hamelin is the senior leader responsible for managing the reputation and key donor relationships of USask, dual oversight of Huskie Athletics and providing vision and leadership to the University Relations team that includes fundraising and development, alumni relations, strategic communications, and operations and services. She is responsible for leading a team dedicated to building relationships with alumni and the larger community, building a culture of philanthropy, leading a successful institutional campaign, and telling the institution's stories and the stories of its people.
Dr. Brooke Milne was appointed Dean of the College of Arts & Science at the University of Saskatchewan on August 1, 2023. She is an anthropological archaeologist and is concurrently appointed as a tenured professor in the College’s Department of Anthropology. Dr. Milne is an established and collaborative interdisciplinary researcher who draws expertise, techniques, and analytical approaches from across the Social and Natural Sciences, and Humanities to explore the long-term human occupation of the Canadian Arctic. Her research and fieldwork programs have been generously supported by SSHRC, CFI, NCE, Natural Resources Canada, Manitoba Heritage, and Research Manitoba, among other agencies, for nearly three decades.
