Karen Rooprai is a Quality Advisor with ATCO Natural Gas, bringing over a decade of experience in quality management, compliance, continuous improvement, and organizational effectiveness across the energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and transit sectors.

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Throughout her career, she has been passionate about helping organizations strengthen not only their systems and processes, but also the cultures that enable people and teams to thrive. 

A proud Calgarian, dedicated volunteer, and lifelong athlete, Karen values the importance of connection, community, and creating opportunities for others to succeed.

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As the daughter of immigrant parents, she developed an early appreciation for the strength that comes from diverse perspectives, perseverance, and supporting one another. She believes that collaboration, curiosity, and genuine care for people are the foundation of meaningful and lasting impact, both within organizations and in the communities they serve.

Bio forthcoming 

Catherine is a born-and-bred Calgarian, with a long track record of community involvement and a passion for learning about other people, places and cultures. She is a lawyer, currently serving as in-house counsel with the Nisga'a Lisims Government, which is the government of the self-governing Nisga'a Nation located in Northwest British Columbia. Prior to joining the Nisga'a Lisims Government, Catherine was a partner at a large national law firm in Calgary specializing in the area of labour and employment law.

Outside of the office, Catherine can be found around the city and in the mountains with her family, including two young children. 

Emmanuel “Manny” Okwara is a senior human resources executive with more than 20 years of experience in leading people, total rewards, compensation, HR technology and organizational transformation across Canada and international markets.

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Manny currently serves as Senior Director, Total Rewards & HR Technology at FYihealth Group, where he leads the organization’s compensation, benefits, payroll, HR technology and workforce analytics functions across Canada and the United States. Previously, he was a Principal Director with Mercer and held senior leadership roles with Grainger, Mercedes-Benz Canada, Philip Morris International, Heineken, Coca-Cola Hellenic and Mondelez International.

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In addition to his corporate experience, Manny has co-founded two HR technology platforms focused on making workforce management tools more accessible to organizations. He has also contributed to public service as a member of the City of Calgary’s Council Compensation Review Committee, which independently reviewed and made recommendations on compensation and benefits for the Mayor and members of Council.

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Manny holds a master’s degree in human resources management from York University and a masters degree in business administration. A Calgary resident, Manny is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces, expanding access to meaningful employment and helping people translate their skills and experience into economic opportunity. He is pleased to bring his experience in governance, organizational strategy, technology and people leadership to the Centre for Newcomers Board of Directors.