Leona Hanson

Mayor, Town of Beaverlodge, Alberta

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Leona Hanson is a seasoned business professional who has dedicated herself to the community for over two decades. She is currently the Mayor of Beaverlodge, a town of 2,500 people 40 kilometers northwest of Grande Prairie.

She currently operates her own consulting business providing services to business and non-profit clients in a number of areas including business and human resources planning account management, organizational reviews and operational planning. Leona was elected mayor in 2007 and acclaimed ever since. She holds an MBA in project management from Athabasca University.

Leona was the Executive Director of SMEDA Business Development Corporation, a Community Futures organization, for 17 years. In that role she led an organization committed to economic and community development through financing, training and coaching to small- and medium-sized enterprise start-ups and expansions. She was subsequently an advisor to all Community Futures Development Corporations and Regional Economic Development Alliances across Alberta.

Leona is very connected to the small business community and has been for her entire career. She has seen first-hand the wide range of businesses that serve the energy industry in Alberta.

Leona was selected for the panel for a number of attributes. She has a first-hand understanding how the activities of the energy sector in Alberta ripple throughout the province, particularly in rural areas. She understands municipal and business finances well, and with eight years under her belt as Mayor is skilled at finding consensus within varying viewpoints. She is smart and a good listener which suits her well for the job at hand.