PSPP Sponsor Board

Under joint governance, employee and employer sponsor organizations share control of PSPP design and funding. These organizations appoint members to the PSPP Sponsor Board (Sponsor Board) by giving notice to the PSPP Corporation (the Corporation). There is equal representation of employee and employer groups on the Sponsor Board:

  • Four employee representatives
    • Three appointed by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE)
    • One appointed by the University of Alberta Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA)
  • Four employer representatives
    • Three appointed by the Government of Alberta (GoA)
    • One appointed by the University of Alberta (U of A) or the University of Calgary (U of C) based on a three-year rotation

The Sponsor Board’s roles and responsibilities are set out in the Joint Governance of Public Sector Pension Plans Act and include:

  • making and amending Plan rules;
  • setting contribution rates;
  • establishing a funding policy;
  • reviewing the Corporation’s annual budget;
  • establishing a code of conduct and conflict of interest policy governing its members; and
  • determining how much the Corporation’s directors are paid.

The Sponsor Board may delegate its responsibilities to the Corporation, but only if it is required in order to comply with the Employment Pension Plans Act or other applicable law.  

Employee Organization

Susan Slade

Chair

Susan is AUPE’s Vice President and was appointed to the PSPP Sponsor Board by AUPE. She chairs both the Women’s and Young Activists’ Committees and she is a Licensed Practical Nurse.

Michael Dempsey

Mike is an Environmental Protection Officer with the GoA’s Ministry of Environment and Parks now working out of the Lower Athabasca Region. He’s been a member of our Plan and AUPE since 1982 and was a member of the former PSP Board as an employee representative.

Mike has been active on the AUPE provincial executive and other committees, including those related to collective bargaining and political action. He has been an AUPE Vice President since 2013. Mike was appointed to the PSPP Sponsor Board by AUPE.

Tom Fuller

Tom Fuller is a retired union representative and researcher, whose background includes work in interest arbitrations, labour market analysis, policy analysis and pensions. He served as pension advisor for both the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and the Alberta Federation of Labour. Tom has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Alberta. He has been appointed to the PSPP Sponsor Board by NASA.

Jason Heistad

Jason is the Executive Secretary-Treasurer at AUPE. He previously served eight years as an AUPE Vice President and is active on various AUPE committees, including Chair of AUPE's pension committee. He was also a member of the Innisfail Town Council from 2004-2013 and served briefly as Innisfail's Deputy Mayor in 2004 and 2005.

Jason was a member of the former PSP Board as an employee representative and was appointed to the PSPP Sponsor Board by AUPE.

Employer Organization

Gene Williams

Vice Chair

Gene has been with the Alberta Government for 35 years. As Assistant Deputy Minister of the System Excellence Division he works with ministry staff and education stakeholders to develop strategies to enhance the excellence in teaching and leadership in the education sector. Gene was a member of the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund Board for 8 years. He was appointed to the PSPP Sponsor Board by the GoA.

Gitta Kulczycki

Gitta is the Vice President of Finance and Administration at the U of A. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Master of Business Administration degree.  Gitta has served in a number of senior leadership roles in Canada’s post-secondary education, health-care and high-tech sectors. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Universities Academic Pension Plan. Gitta was appointed to the PSPP Sponsor Board by the U of A.

Lana Lougheed

As the Deputy Minister of the Public Service Commission for the Government of Alberta, Lana is responsible for administering the Public Service Act. Her department oversees government-wide leadership and talent development to ensure Alberta has a professional and engaged public service to deliver the programs and services Albertans require.

Lana has been a member of the Alberta Public Service for more than 30 years and has held executive leadership positions with several ministries, including Executive Council, Treasury Board and Finance and Human Services. Before joining the Public Service Commission in 2014, Lana served as the Deputy Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour where she was responsible for ensuring Alberta has a resilient labour force and safe, fair and healthy workplaces to support Alberta’s dynamic economy.

Dan Stadlwieser

Dan is a controller with the GoA’s Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance (TBF). Before that, he was Chief Internal Auditor with TBF. Dan was appointed to the PSPP Sponsor Board by the GoA.