Welcoming new Directors to the Alberta Ecotrust Board
At our Annual General Meeting this September, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation's members elected three new Directors to our Board. Each brings a distinct depth of experience that strengthens our governance as we advance our vision of an Alberta where people and nature thrive. We're pleased to introduce Winona Lafreniere, Julie Charchun and Milton Ortega.
Julie Charchun
Julie is a public policy advocate and campaign strategist with two decades of experience engaging at every level of government. She spent eight years as Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Edmonton, where she led advocacy for the full build-out of the city's LRT network and negotiation of the City Charter fiscal framework worth hundreds of millions in shared provincial revenue for Edmontonians. Since 2022, she has run her own consulting practice, advising clients on high-stakes public affairs work. Most recently, she co-led the strategy for the national Elbows Up for Climate campaign, a coalition of nearly 300 mayors and councillors across Canada recognized as one of the few climate campaigns to break through during the 2025 federal election. Julie also led strategy and co-managed Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack's successful campaign in 2025. Julie served as Interim Executive Lead, Governance, for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and previously as President and Board Chair of YWCA Edmonton, where she represented YWCA Canada at the UN Convention on Women's Rights.
"I've spent my career watching good ideas live or die on whether they can get support from all three orders of government. Alberta Ecotrust does something rare: it builds practical, local climate solutions and then makes the case to decision-makers to scale them. I'm excited to help strengthen that bridge between what works on the ground and the public policy that can carry it further."
Milton Ortega
Milton Ortega is a strategic, systems-minded leader with more than 15 years of executive experience in Alberta’s nonprofit sector. He sees communities as ecosystems, and he’s at his best finding where the pieces connect, where the gaps are, and how to bring the right people together to close them. As Executive Director of Volunteer Calgary, he has led the organization back to its role as Calgary’s Volunteer Centre. He views volunteerism as civic infrastructure that links community groups, funders and system partners around shared goals. Milton has long believed that thriving communities depend on a healthy environment. He previously served on Alberta Ecotrust’s Climate Innovation Fund Advisory Committee and spent close to a decade on the Calgary Foundation’s Environment Grants Committee. He is also the founding Board Chair of Centro Latino, an organization dedicated to the socio-economic inclusion of Calgary’s Latin American community. Outside of work, Milton enjoys playing tennis with his wife.
"I’ve always seen the well-being of our communities and the health of our environment as part of the same system. Serving on the Climate Innovation Fund Advisory Committee, I saw how investing in a community-led idea can create a ripple effect far beyond the project itself. I’m excited to help the Board connect those dots across sectors, so more Albertans can be part of building a future where people and nature thrive."
Winona Lafreniere
Winona is an Indigenous relations and workforce development leader with more than 20 years of experience advancing Indigenous participation and economic reconciliation across industry, government, and the non-profit sector. As an Indigenous & Community Relations Advisor with The Channer Group, she works with organizations to align community priorities with reconciliation planning and workforce development.
Earlier in her career, she led Indigenous relations for pipeline construction projects valued at $12 billion, engaging more than 30 First Nations and Métis communities. She also secured more than $3 million in program funding for skills training that created employment pathways for hundreds of Indigenous participants. Winona currently serves as Co-Chair of the Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee and sits on advisory bodies including the Energy Futures Lab and the Clean Resource Innovation Network. She has served as an Indigenous Advisor to Alberta Ecotrust's Truth & Reconciliation Working Group for the past two years, so her appointment to the Board builds on an established relationship.
"For the past two years, I've seen up close how seriously Alberta Ecotrust takes the work of truth and reconciliation. It shapes how the organization funds, partners and makes decisions. Joining the Board is a chance to help make sure Indigenous voices stay at the table where long-term choices about Alberta's land, water and communities get made."
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