Our Board of Directors
John Stefaniuk, B. Comm. (Hons.), LL.B., Chair
John Stefaniuk is a partner with the Winnipeg firm of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP, practicing environmental, real estate and development, natural resources and energy, commercial and municipal law.
Mr. Stefaniuk was President of the Manitoba Bar Association in 2005-2006 and served on the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) Board of Directors in 2005-2006. He is a past Chair of the CBA National Environmental Energy and Resources Law Section (NEERLS) Executive and now co-chairs its Legislation and Law Reform Committee. He is a member of the CBA Supreme Court of Canada Liaison Committee.
He is Chair of the Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board. He has served on the Province of Manitoba’s Planning Act Review Task Force.
Mr. Stefaniuk has served on the Fundraising Cabinet for Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights for several years. He is a Past President of and is Honourary Counsel to The Family Centre of Winnipeg.
In January 2010, Mr. Stefaniuk was appointed to the board and became a Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Gus Campbell, Secretary & Treasurer
J.K. Angus (Gus) Campbell, B. Comm, CA, FCA was a partner in the Winnipeg office of Ernst & Young responsible for public and private company clients as well as not-for-profit and public sector enterprises.
Mr. Campbell has generously given his time over the years having held volunteer positions with the United Way of Winnipeg, Manitoba Theatre Centre Board of Trustees, St. John’s Ravenscourt School.
He is the past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba and is the current Chair of the Finance Committee for Arts Stabilization Manitoba.
In January 2010, Mr. Campbell was appointed to the board and became a Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Richard Leipsic
Richard Leipsic was General Counsel and Senior Vice President at CanWest Global Communications Corporation. Before assuming his current position in January 1999, Mr. Leipsic was a partner in the Winnipeg law firm, Pitblado. Mr. Leipsic is a member of the Law Society of Manitoba.
He is a former Chair of St John's Ravenscourt School. Current Board positions include the Asper Jewish Community Campus of Winnipeg. He has lectured and written extensively on corporate law matters. In June 2008, Mr. Leipsic was named the National Post & ZSA Recruitment Canadian General Counsel of the Year.
In January 2010, Mr. Leipsic was appointed to the board and became a Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Donald B. MacDonald
Donald B. MacDonald , BA, CIM, FCSI, CFA, Senior Vice President & Portfolio Manager with Goodman Private Wealth Management is a veteran in the investment business having begun his career in the industry in 1984. Prior to joining Goodman Private, he was the National Marketing Manager for a major Canadian brokerage firm.
Mr. MacDonald has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba. In 1993, he obtained the Certified Investment Manager designation and became a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute. In 1998, Mr. MacDonald added the Chartered Financial Analyst designation to his list of credits.
In January 2010, Mr. MacDonald was appointed to the board and became a Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Gail Asper, O.C., O.M., LL.D.
Gail Asper graduated with a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Manitoba in 1981 and 1984, respectively. After receiving her call to the Bar of Nova Scotia in 1985, Ms. Asper practiced corporate and commercial law with Goldberg and Thompson. In 1989, she joined CanWest Global Communications Corporation as Corporate Secretary and Legal Counsel. She served on the Board of Directors from 1992 to 2010.
Ms. Asper is President of The Asper Foundation, a private charitable foundation and is a Director on the Board of Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Board of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. She has served on the boards of numerous not-for-profit groups, including acting as Co-Chair of the Manitoba Theatre Centre Capital and Endowment Campaigns, Vice-Chair of the Council for Business and the Arts and Chair of the United Way campaign and Board of Trustees. In 2007, Ms. Asper was awarded the Order of Manitoba and was recently made an Officer of the Order of Canada, in recognition of her work as an arts advocate, fundraiser, and business and community leader.
In July 2011, Ms. Asper was appointed to the board as Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Hon. Vim Kochhar, O.Ont., O.M.C.
Senator Vim Kochhar is President and Founder of the Vimal Group of Companies in Toronto. Working for InterContinental Hotels and Howard Johnson Hotels, he was responsible for project management of major hotels around the world.
For the past 30 years, Senator Kochhar has played an active role in community work by creating the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons. Through this foundation, Senator Kochhar has created the annual Great Valentine Galas, the Terry Fox Hall of Fame, Rolling Rampage for elite wheelchair athletes, The Canadian Helen Keller Centre, Rotary Cheshire Homes for the Deaf-Blind, and the WhyNot Marathon for the Paralympics. He has served as a member of the Advisory Committee on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Born in India, he received his engineering degree at the University of Texas and immigrated to Canada in 1967, becoming a Canadian citizen in 1974. Senator Kochhar was appointed to the Senate in January 2010.
In July 2011, Senator Kochhar was appointed to the board and became a Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Moe Levy
Moe Levy received his Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and Masters in Business Administration in Finance from the University of Manitoba. He began his career in government and achieved the position of Managing Partner within the Manitoba Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism. He continues to lecture at the Asper School of Business and was also instrumental in creating the Asper Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Management, University of Manitoba. He was made a Fellow of the Asper Centre in 2003.
Between 1993 and 1999, Mr. Levy was the CEO and president of The Canadian Heritage Co., one of Canada’s largest retail catalogue companies. In 1999, he was appointed the Executive Director of The Asper Foundation and reported to the late Dr. Israel Asper, and continues to hold this position. He was also the Executive Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights from its inception until June 30, 2011, which was registered in 2002 as a Canadian charity to promote the establishment of, and act as the fundraisingorganization for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. This major project was spearheaded by The Asper Foundation. Mr. Levy currently serves as a Special Advisor to Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
He sits on various boards including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Associates and the Asper Centre for Entrepreneurship, among others and devotes his time to various charitable causes.
In July 2011, Mr. Levy was appointed to the board as Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Stuart Murray
Stuart Murray was appointed as the first Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Canada’s fifth national museum and the first to be built outside the National Capital Region, in September 2009. Mr. Murray served as President and CEO of the St. Boniface Hospital and Research Foundation from 2006-2009. He became Leader of the PC party of Manitoba in 2000 and resigned in 2006. Stuart also worked as President and CEO of DOMO Gasoline Corporation Ltd. from 1989 to 1999. His past positions include working with the Prime Minister of Canada from 1985-1989, Media Director and fundraiser for the Canadian Opera Company as well as Road Manager for the rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Stuart has also been very active in the community. As volunteer Chairman of the 1999 World Junior Hockey Championships in Winnipeg, Stuart and his team organized what was the most successful tournament in its 20-year history. He was also Manitoba Co-Chair of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) Sustaining Applause Campaign, raising in excess of 10 million dollars.
In July 2011, Mr. Murray joined the board and became an ex-officio Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Lisa Pankratz, FCA, CFA
Lisa Pankratz is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder (CFA).
She was President of Mackenzie Cundill Investment Management Ltd. in Vancouver, Canada from October 2006 until March 2010. Prior to October 2006, she was the President of Cundill Investment Research Ltd., a global investment counsel firm and Chief Compliance Officer for The Cundill Group (2002-2006); an independent Corporate Advisor and Consultant (2000-2002); Chief Financial Officer/Turnaround Specialist of Evans Forest Products Ltd., a BC-based forest products company (1997-1999); and an investment banker, specializing in public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic analyses and risk management advisory services for a variety of clients worldwide with Bankers Trust (BT Bank of Canada), Swiss Bank Corporation and Ernst & Young (1991-1996).
In 2005, she became an advisor to the investment committees of Pacific Blue Cross and BC Life & Casualty Company. Ms. Pankratz served as a member of the Board of CanWest Global Communications Corp. (2005 – 2010) and served on the Audit and Pension Committees (Chair of the Pension Committee since 2008). From 2001 to 2007, she was a member of the Board of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) and served as Chair of the Investment Committee (2004-2007), member since 2001, was a member of the Audit Committee (2001-2007) and served on the Governance Committee (2001-2004). Between 2002 and 2004, Ms. Pankratz was also a member of the Accounting Policy and Advisory Committee advising the Ministry of Finance for the Province of British Columbia.
In 2007, Ms. Pankratz was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia. In 2008, Ms. Pankratz received the Women’s Executive Network Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award as well as an Influential Women in Business Award from Business in Vancouver. In 2005, she was awarded the Peak Award for Performance and Excellence from the Association of Women in Finance.
In 2009, Ms. Pankratz was appointed Trustee of the Board for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights; she currently chairs the Audit Committee.
Ms. Pankratz attended the University of Western Ontario and achieved an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of British Columbia, the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Ontario, the Vancouver Society of Financial Analysts, and the CFA Institute.
In July 2011, Ms. Pankratz was appointed to the board as Director of Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Arni C. Thorsteinson
Arni Thorsteinson is President of Shelter Canadian Properties Limited. He is a Director or Trustee of a number of private and not-for-profit boards, including Huntingdon REIT, Lanesborough REIT, Temple REIT, ONEX Corporation, Bird Construction, and The Banff Centre. He served as Chair of the Board for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Mr. Thorsteinson received a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Manitoba and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
In July 2011, Mr. Thorsteinson was appointed to the board as Director of the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
In Memoriam
Babs Asper
Babs Asper was a graduate of the University of Manitoba and focused her career on making a difference in the community. She was Chair and the Co-founder of The Asper Foundation, a private Canadian charitable foundation based in Winnipeg.
Ms. Asper served on several boards of not-for-profit organizations focused on the arts, education and others. She served on the Boards of the Age & Opportunity Centre, Winnipeg Jewish Community Council and was also a long-serving Board member for The Winnipeg Jewish Theatre.
Ms. Asper supported numerous arts organizations including Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Manitoba Opera. She was active for many years in promoting student scholarships to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was a former board member of the Winnipeg Jewish Board of Education and created a Professorship in Jazz at the University of Manitoba.
Ms. Asper received the President’s Award by the Winnipeg Press Club.
