Our Board

Stephen Smith, Chair

Stephen Smith has been the president of five airlines in Canada, including WestJet, Air Canada’s ZIP, Air Ontario and Rise Air. In addition, he was the Senior Vice President, Customer Experience, for Air Canada where he was responsible for the 14,000 employees who touched the customer. Steve is retired though in addition to his board chair role at Rise Air he is on the board of the London Health Science Centre and the safety and quality committee of Sinai Health.

Steve is an Executive-in-Residence at Western University’s Ivey School of Business. He graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Mathematics and from McMaster University with a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Arnie Shaw, Director

Arnie Shaw is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a retired certified management consultant (CMC) and is the President of Centennial Plumbing, Heating & Electrical, and Centennial Kitchen & Bath. Prior to that, Shaw was in public practice for 15 years and later established a management consulting practice which specialized in consulting to and operating companies in financial difficulty.

Mr. Shaw has also served on several for- and not-for-profit boards and board committees including 3sHealth; Blue Cross Canada, Saskatchewan Blue Cross, and Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans; Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium and Convention Centre; Nexstar Network; Saskatoon Fastprint; and the B’nai Brith Silver Plate Dinner. In 2019, Arnie was awarded the B’nai Brith “We’re Proud of You” award for his years of volunteer service in the community.

Doug Burnett, Director

Doug Burnett was appointed President and CEO of SaskTel in 2019. Prior to his appointment, Doug served as Acting President and CEO. He also served as Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Services; and Acting President of SaskTel International.

Doug holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Regina, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan, and is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP). He is a member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan and serves as board chair for the Wicihitowin Foundation, board member for SecurTek, Directwest, SaskTel International, Junior Achievement, and Rise Air. Doug also serves as a member of the University of Regina Leaders Council.

Doug was born and raised in Saskatchewan and is active in his community.

Geoff Gay, Director

Geoff has been with Athabasca Basin Development (ABD) since the company’s inception. As CEO, he is responsible for evaluating new opportunities and monitoring existing investments/operations and, under his leadership, the company has grown to include investments in 14 companies providing a wide range of services. ABD has won numerous awards, including SaskBusiness Magazine’s 2014 Business of the Year, #48 in SaskBusiness Magazine’s Top 100 companies, and the Prospector and Developers Association of Canada’s Skookum Jim award and Business Leader of the Year at the 2017 ABEX awards.

Geoff sits on numerous boards and has also been an active member of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. Geoff has a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Francis Xavier University with a major in Management and successfully completed the Director Education Program (DEP) and received an ICD.D designation.

Rosalie Tsannie-Burseth, Director

Rosalie Tsannie-Burseth is a member of the Hatchet Lake Dënesųlįnë First Nation. She left the community to further her education and then returned in 1987 to share herself and her talents with the Hatchet Lake Education Program. From 2007 to 2009, Rosalie served as Chief of the Hatchet Lake Band. She worked as Associate Director of Education at Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Education from 2009 to 2020. At PAGC, she worked closely with the twelve member First Nations. Rosalie taught for many years, with most of her career supporting teachers in education administration. Currently, Rosalie works with Treaty 10 Inc. as their lead researcher.

Rosalie graduated from the Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP) in 1987, and completed her Bachelor of Education in 1990. Rosalie completed the requirements for a master's degree (2001) in Education Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Regina. Rosalie is a Ph.D. candidate enrolled in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently studying Dënesųlįnë history, language, and culture. Her passion for teaching language and culture derives from her residential school experience.

Rosalie has been involved in community development and assisted Hatchet Lake First Nations in strategic planning to build infrastructure and business capacity. She has been involved in many enterprises, planning and creating innovative projects to enhance economic development. Rosalie sits on various boards and committees.

Russel Marcoux, Director

Russel Marcoux graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan. A lifelong learner, Russel has completed various university courses and executive training programs. In 2016 he successfully completed the Director Education Program (DEP) and received his ICD.D designation.

After convocation in 1973, he and his brothers decided to take over the family farm. A new company called Marcoux Bros. Trucking Ltd. was created to support the growing transportation business and a farm company called Granmark Farms was created to support the increasing size of the farm operation. In the ensuing years, the farm grew to 10,000 acres and the trucking business grew into a company called the Yanke Group of Companies which included rail, road and international steamship transportation as well as warehousing and distribution services.

A past member and chair of many local, provincial and national and international business and financial boards and community and charitable organizations, Russel was also very honoured to have served 6 years as an honorary colonel for the 38 Combat Engineers Regiment based in Saskatoon, completing his term in 2020.

Mr. Marcoux was awarded the Commemorative Medal from the Governor General of Canada and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for significant contribution to compatriots, the community and Canada. He was honored as one of the University of Saskatchewan’s 100 Alumni of Influence in 2007 in conjunction with the celebration of the University’s 100th birthday. He has also been entered into the Saskatchewan Transportation Hall of Fame, the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame and the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame.