Meet the Team
The Staff Collective:
Natalie Calles
Natalie is passionate about social justice, community building, and sustainability. She enjoys being able to help others in ways that she can. She graduated with a Social Work Bachelor's Degree from the University of Calgary in 2024. She's been working with the Arusha Centre for the past six years. She’s worked with a variety of populations and places emphasis on strength based approaches. In her free time she enjoys looking for the best new movies to watch and hanging out with her cat.
Byra Danaa
Byra Danaa is the Finance Administrator for the Arusha Centre Society. She oversees all aspects of the organisation’s financial operations, including full-cycle accounting, payroll administration, and complementary currency accounting.
The Arusha Centre fosters community connection and supports initiatives that advance a fair and sustainable future. Our programs such as Calgary Dollars, The Repair Exchange, Take Action Grants, and Climate Grants create meaningful positive impact within communities and promote greater environmental awareness. She is truly grateful to contribute to a team dedicated to such purposeful and impactful work.
Tara Laverdure
Calgary Dollars, Old Y
Tara (they/them) has worked at Arusha since 2023, supporting community development across programs. With 10 years of grassroots organizing experience and a Bachelor of Social Work they are justice and equity driven. A settler born and raised on Treaty 7, their close connection to the land and its inhabitants is a driving force in their work. In their free time, Tara likes to crochet and pick up random hobbies at differing frequencies and commitment!
Sierra Love
Sierra is a community-builder and activist based in Calgary, focused on strengthening local resilience through initiatives like Calgary Dollars, Take Action Grants, Household Lending Libraries, and broader community economic development. With a commitment to practical, people-centred solutions, Sierra works closely with neighbours, small businesses, and grassroots organisations to expand access to community resources, create inclusive gathering spaces, and support circular-economy practices across the city. Their current work includes Circular City events and partnerships that uplift communities throughout Calgary.
Gii is a Native of Turtle Island, identifying as a 2S non-status Indigenous person. He grows, forages & crafts Medicine & Ceremonial Tools from nature's bounty; amongst a myriad of other fun things. Captured from Miramichi and displaced via federal adoption, he is of proud Mi'kmawi ancestry & dubious settler origins. For-the-most-part he has spent his post-millenial years as a chef, writer & bartender--travelling over this mortal coil from India to New Zealand & back again. He presently resides on Moh’Kins’Tis and is the co-founder of The Whole Buffalo & Far-M (@twbyyc): a local Permaculture and Art Collective, as well as being the newly minted Indigenous Facilitator at The Alex Community Food Centre, and the Events Manager for the Arusha Climate Program. Mr. masters can often be found talking to Plants & Animals, massaging sentences endlessly, or making low-waste and up-cycled materials into pretty food & art.
Gii Masters
Farzana Umar
Farzana joined Arusha in 2024. She possesses extensive experience across several sectors including the salon industry, banking and finance, and community engagement with the City of Calgary's Community Social Work (CSW). Her involvement extends to other notable organizations such as Closer to Home, Momentum, West Hub. She has been instrumental in hosting Repair Exchange Events throughout the city. With a genuine passion for helping others, She is also a dedicated mother of four. In her free time, she enjoys quality moments with her family and mentoring children.
Matias Recalde
Gerald Wheatley
Gerald has worked on environmental and social programs at the Arusha Centre for 30 years. He co-founded Arusha's Climate program, Take Action Grants, Repair Exchange Calgary, and Calgary Dollars programs.
He holds a MA in community economic development, has published numerous journal articles and presented nationally and internationally. Gerald is an even organizer with career highlights including hosting events with Nobel Prize winner Andew Weaver, author Naomi Klein, Pulitzer-prize winner Chris Hedges and luminary John Raulston Saul.
Gerald also brings his community-focused energy to the Norfolk Housing society, the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association, the Calgary Climate Hub and as a musician at music events.
Matias has been involved with the Arusha Center for 5 years in the form of volunteering, event activation, advocacy and more recently, as a hire for the Arusha Climate program. Currently pursuing a BA in Urban Studies at the University of Calgary, he brings an urbanist perspective to the issues of community resilience and sustainability. Dedicated to building a better city through community engagement, you can find him running venues at events like Earth Hour or speaking at the podium in the city council chambers. In his free time, he enjoys writing music and crafting narratives in tabletop role playing games.
Sasha Young
Meet Sasha, born and raised in Calgary and our events facilitator who supports local community organizations and events centered around dance, music, and connection.
He is bringing his skills to creating events that strengthen the complementary currency economy, build community awareness, and most importantly, make participation fun. As a musical artist, he loves creating interactive experiences that leave a lasting impression. Feel free to say hi and start a conversation, he's always happy to connect!
Board of Directors:
Chantal Chagnon
Chantal Chagnon is a Cree/Métis Multidisciplinary Artist, Educator, Knowledge Keeper and Activist with roots in Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan. Cultural Wisdom and Traditional Ceremony are always present in her Teaching Artistry, as she carries her Ancestral Knowledge forward in a good way. Offering Storytelling, Songs, Drumming, Cultural Teachings, Traditional Indigenous Craftsmanship, Art Creation and collaboration has allowed Chantal to share throughout Canada and the World.
Chantal is a Two Spirit single mother of four, overcoming difficult personal experiences has cultivated a deep understanding of societal struggle. Chantal has been an activist organizing events and publicly speaking as an advocate for over 30 years. Chantal recognizes connections, culture and community are integral parts of creating understanding and acceptance. Chantal believes an equitable, sustainable World is possible when we honour Mother Earth, Learn from our Ancestors and acknowledge our Responsibility to leave a better World for Future Generations.
Arbor Chen
Arbor is new to Canada and supports Arusha’s dedication to environmental sustainability and a harmonious society. She enjoys attending Arusha’s community development events and seeing how varied and participatory they are. Arbor has a Phd in climate science in China and worked across the country in this field. She is now an entrepreneur in Calgary and wants to continue to contribute to sustainable development.
Mike Jones
Dr. Jones is Academic Chair for Financial Services and Financial Technology and Innovation at the School of Business. He holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston. His focus was on the American short story. Dr. Jones’s current focus is understanding AI’s impact on curriculum and textbook requirements in undergraduate education.
Before joining SAIT, Dr. Jones was the Chief Operation Officer of a financial compliance consulting firm, an English and creative writing instructor at the University of Houston, an Executive Director (ED) of a sustainability non-profit, and an Army sergeant and Chinese linguist in the United States Army.
Gerald Lajeunesse
Born in Prince Albert Saskatchewan moved to Calgary from Edmonton at 25 working as a red seal chef. Gerald became active with Arusha in early 1980s and has been involved with community food security ever since. Gerald became a teacher in Calgary’s high needs schools in the 1980s and supported Arusha as a board member through many evolutions. He has managed community garden projects across Calgary, hosted many global WWOOF agricultural volunteers, and supported the Slow Food movement. Gerald keeps Arusha focussed on social justice and networking for change. Arusha has allowed him to meet the best people possible.
Santiago Recalde
Santi brings over 20 years of international expertise in governance, strategic oversight, and financial stewardship to his community work. As a Board Member at the Arusha Centre, he provides strategic guidance and serves as an important counselor on the Finance Committee, ensuring the organization's long-term fiscal health and sustainability. He plays an important role in shaping the strategic direction of the Calgary Dollars complementary currency program, an initiative dedicated to building resilient local economies.
Santi holds a Masters of Finance degree and channels his professional background in risk management and sustainability into strengthening community-focused non-profits, ensuring they are governed effectively and can thrive in a changing world.
Drew Thomas
He/Him - Drew is a local organizer who works with progressive communities including unions, non-profits, and community groups to deliver people-powered wins in Calgary and across Canada.
Drew’s experience is varied and includes academic, non-profit, governmental, and private industry roles. As a consultant he’s worked with organizations big and small with his smallest community contracts being paid in backyard chicken eggs.
Drew believes the tools for addressing Calgary’s climate, environmental, and economic challenges are already in the hands of everyday caring Calgarians. The Arusha Centre is a big part of that and Drew is proud to support Calgarians finding local solutions to global problems with a non-hierarchical and consensus-based approach.
Connie Yu
Connie Yu is a multidisciplinary academic, researcher, frontline worker, and a passionate advocate for animal rights, environmental rights and the non-profit sector. With three other women, she founded the nonprofit Calgary Vegan Society in 2023, which is focused on creating more vegan spaces by connecting local businesses in communal spaces in support of animal and environmental rights.
Connie is a published scholarly writer and has won the student paper award from the Natural Hazards Centre for her paper "Queering Japan: Ignored and Forgotten, An Analysis on the Tōhoku 2011 Disaster, LGBTQ+ People, and the Japanese Government". Connie self-published a poetry chapbook called "Sanctuary Nest", has been published in FreeFall Magazine and appeared on CJSW podcast "The Poetry Joint".
She graduated Mount Royal University with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a minor in creative writing. For over five years, she has dedicated herself to social work at the Calgary Alpha House Society, aiding vulnerable people struggling with addiction who have faced houselessness or continue to face houselessness.