Featured Image: Watchful Eye – Erin Klatt
The GDTA’s Annual General Meeting was held on:
Monday, September 28th at 6:00 pm MST.
In September each year, the GDTA Board of Directors calls together all GDT Members for our Annual General Meeting. Part of this is the GDTA’s legal obligation as a registered Canadian charitable organization to present members our financials and have them vote to approve them.
But the other big reasons for the AGM is to:
- provide GDTA Membership with:
- An update on the health of the association;
- A summary of the great work our volunteer committees have achieved throughout the year; and,
- A chance to vote for a new crop of Board Members;
- and to thank:
- our Donors and Supporters;
- the companies that offer Member Benefits; and,
- everyone that has volunteered or otherwise supported the GDTA.
We’ll be posting a “year in review” blog shortly, but for now we’d like to take this opportunity to share the Volunteer Award recipients, and introduce the GDTA’s newest Board Members.
Note: The AGM moved virtually a few years back due to planning, costs, and technical challenges of hosting in person so close to the end of the hiking season. Furthermore, our membership extends well beyond a single region, so hosting virtually provides equal access to the material. But have no fear, the board appreciates the value of in-Person get togethers, which is why you saw a good number of meetups last year. We’ll be doing the same again this year. In fact, come join the folks in Calgary for our 2026 GDT Season Wrap-Up!
Volunteer Awards
The GDTA would like to call out the efforts of the following individuals for their contributions over the previous year.
- Jackie Bourgaize
- Charlene Deck
- Dan Dwyre
- Josh Edwards
- Megan Kaizer
- Glenn Mason
- Stuart Mitchell
- Melissa Miceli
- Annette Scheick
- Jim Schieck
- Chris Shank
- Deb Yanchula
New Board Members
The following amazing individuals have put their name up to join, or continue as members of the GDTA’s Board of Directors.
René Bélanger
After completing two thru hikes, I have a new perspective on long trails and the surrounding community that supports hikers. I’m inspired to help sustainably build and maintain our local trails. I enjoyed volunteering on two maintenance trips. My background is in Computer Science, Programming, and IT. My skills include accounting, GPS mapping, and being bilingual. I’m eager to share my skills and committed to supporting the board’s work in making the GDT special.
Rebecca Isbister
Rebecca is an avid hiker and backpacker whose love of the outdoors has taken her across the Canadian Rockies, Pacific Northwest and Tasmania, Australia. Over the past decade, she has spent countless days on the trail, including the last five years backpacking, and has reached 127 mountain summits and counting.
A prospective Great Divide Trail thru-hiker, Rebecca believes trails offer a unique way to connect with nature and inspire stewardship of wild places. If she’s not hiking, she’s usually planning her next adventure or thinking about the mountains. Rebecca brings communications and writing experience from the nonprofit and government sectors. She is excited to contribute those skills to the Great Divide Trail Association and support the completion, long-term preservation and protection of the Great Divide Trail.
Ryan Johnson
My name is Ryan Johnson and I am excited to be putting my name forward for a position on the GDTA Board.
I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba and spent most of my summers on Lake of the Woods, Ontario, where I fished for walleye, slalom skied, and explored as many of the lakes’ 14,000 plus islands as I could. About four years ago I moved to Calgary as a recent law school graduate, and the outdoors have been a big part of my life here too. What was once an annual ski trip has become 20-plus days each winter, with summers now spent hiking and backcountry camping. When I’m not at my desk or getting outside, I’m most likely at the gym or dialling in my espresso.
Professionally, I practice as a litigation lawyer and am genuinely excited about the chance to bring those skills to the GDTA, whether that is in advocacy, governance, strategic planning, or policy. Being able to combine that with a passion for the outdoors and a community I am keen to be a part of would be incredibly rewarding.
I look forward to contributing in any way I can and hope to meet many of you soon
Melissa Miceli
Melissa has been volunteering with the Trail Protection and Advocacy Committee as Secretary since fall 2025. She grew up in Northern Ontario and developed a love of the outdoors at a young age. Melissa moved to Calgary with her partner in 2023 so they could enjoy a mountain-adjacent lifestyle. An avid day hiker and camper, she hopes to expand her backpacking abilities and start tackling sections of the GDT. A land use planner/project manager/cat herder by day, Melissa is keen to lend her expertise to various GDTA initiatives that involve relationship building, external communications, and project management.
Vivian Van Schepdael
I’m a mountain lover at heart, happiest when I’m deep in the Rockies with a long trail stretched out ahead of me. After completing the Colorado Trail and beginning my section‑hike of the GDT, I feel strongly about helping build and protect the incredible routes our hikers rely on while respecting the land and wildlife that call the Rockies home. Volunteering on two recent trail maintenance trips sparked my interest in becoming more involved with the GDTA. Recently retired, I’m excited for the chance to support the GDTA as a Board member. I bring extensive Board experience, including four years as President of a Condo Board, along with my 34‑year career in Finance focused on leadership, risk mitigation, and process improvement.
Re-Elected
In addition to our new board members above, both Steve and Kristine were re-elected as Board Members this year.
Steve Harvey
Steve is currently the GDTA Vice President and is seeking re-election to the board after having served his first three year term. Steve has held a number of roles with the GDTA, including vice president, board chair, co-chair of the outreach committee, chair of the GDTA’s IT committee, and was elected to the board in 2023. He hopes to continue to advance the GDTA’s strategic plan, and see the Great Divide Trail become well known in the hearts and minds of all Canadians and protected as a source of national pride.
Kristine O’Rielly
Kristine has been on the GDTA Board since 2022 and has been living in the GDT-region for the past 10 years. Kristine’s role during her previous Board terms has been focused within the Trail Building and Maintenance Committee (TBMC), where she has worked to improve process and communication between the Association’s largest committee and the Board of Directors. Kristine has also been a trail maintenance volunteer, a trip leader and the elk pass trailhead resupply coordinator for the GDTA.
Kristine is an engineer, as well as a certified hiking guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, and can be found regularly hiking and skiing in the Canadian Rockies. She has volunteer experience with a number of conservation organizations including the Alpine Club of Canada, Parks Canada, Yellowstone to Yukon and CPAWS. Kristine’s mantra is that conservation is a team sport and she believes we can get further by partnering with like-minded organizations who are working toward our shared goal of preserving the wilderness of the GDT region. She hopes to continue using her skills and passion to help the GDTA advance its’ goals if selected to serve an additional 1-year term.