The Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation (GRPF) confirmed former Calgary city councillor and mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas has been appointed its inaugural CEO. “We are thrilled to welcome Jeromy as our first CEO,” said GRPF Board Chair Georg Paffrath in a Wednesday press release. “His leadership and energy come at a pivotal time as we welcome exponential growth in visitors to the Park, as we navigate challenging development and infrastructure issues, and we work to bring our world-class trails, education and conservation programs to the next level.” Farkas is a born-and-raised Calgarian who has served in many community leadership roles, including as Weaselhead/Glenmore Preservation Society director and Calgary’s youngest and first openly sexual minority city councillor. GRPF was founded in 2007 by Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park founders Neil and Robin Harvie’s children to develop and steward the lands they conserved for the public through the Alberta government. It has raised more than $10 million for capital projects and provides award-winning recreational and learning opportunities for the estimated 180,000 people who visit annually. Farkas described his arrival at GRPF at this time as a personal and professional calling. After losing the 2021 election, he said he “felt lost in more ways than one.” “I found purpose, meaning and belonging in the vastness of Alberta’s rolling hills, grasslands, and mountains,” he said. “Having traveled far and wide, I can tell you that this park and what it represents is special.” He said it did not happen by accident. As stewards, he said GRPF honours the past and builds for the future. Earlier this year, it was instrumental in acquiring 60 hectares of land to enable vehicle access to Haskayne Legacy Park. Together, Glenbow Ranch and Haskayne Legacy will create a continuous greenway across the Bow River Valley and link Calgary and Cochrane, AB, one day. GRPF acknowledged its board has tasked its new CEO with a plan to modernize the visitor experience in Glenbow Ranch and to support the Cochrane Rotary Trail Committee in funding and constructing a pedestrian bridge to connect Cochrane with the park’s western end. GRPF won the Emerald Award in 2021 for its work in conservation education, and it delivers programs for more than 6,000 students annually. It said Farkas aims to build upon that success by improving accessibility and showing the park’s connection with indigenous people. His appointment as CEO followed a thorough recruitment process overseen by its board using Canadian executive advisory company Osborne Interim Management, which saw several hundred candidates considered and vetted. Paffrath called Farkas’ appointment “a re-energization of the Foundation.” It has tasked him to build its financial and volunteer capacity so it can expand its stewardship, increase the size of the park and complete the final missing links in the Calgary to Cochrane trail. As a shining jewel in the Trans Canada Trail, he said Glenbow Ranch will soon welcome more than one million visitors per year. These visitors come from far and wide to experience the best of what Canada has to offer. “And with Jeromy’s leadership and our community’s continued support, we will be ready to welcome them,” he said. The Alex Community Health Centre announced in January Farkas’ climb for community health brought in about $43,075 in donations. READ MORE: Farkas raises $43,000 through mountain climbing fundraiser for community health“I’m thrilled to have completed this challenge and incredibly grateful to see so many Calgarians come through for such a worthy cause,” he said. “The Alex provides vital support to Calgarians in need, and I know these efforts will make a difference in the lives of those facing difficult challenges.”
The Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation (GRPF) confirmed former Calgary city councillor and mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas has been appointed its inaugural CEO. “We are thrilled to welcome Jeromy as our first CEO,” said GRPF Board Chair Georg Paffrath in a Wednesday press release. “His leadership and energy come at a pivotal time as we welcome exponential growth in visitors to the Park, as we navigate challenging development and infrastructure issues, and we work to bring our world-class trails, education and conservation programs to the next level.” Farkas is a born-and-raised Calgarian who has served in many community leadership roles, including as Weaselhead/Glenmore Preservation Society director and Calgary’s youngest and first openly sexual minority city councillor. GRPF was founded in 2007 by Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park founders Neil and Robin Harvie’s children to develop and steward the lands they conserved for the public through the Alberta government. It has raised more than $10 million for capital projects and provides award-winning recreational and learning opportunities for the estimated 180,000 people who visit annually. Farkas described his arrival at GRPF at this time as a personal and professional calling. After losing the 2021 election, he said he “felt lost in more ways than one.” “I found purpose, meaning and belonging in the vastness of Alberta’s rolling hills, grasslands, and mountains,” he said. “Having traveled far and wide, I can tell you that this park and what it represents is special.” He said it did not happen by accident. As stewards, he said GRPF honours the past and builds for the future. Earlier this year, it was instrumental in acquiring 60 hectares of land to enable vehicle access to Haskayne Legacy Park. Together, Glenbow Ranch and Haskayne Legacy will create a continuous greenway across the Bow River Valley and link Calgary and Cochrane, AB, one day. GRPF acknowledged its board has tasked its new CEO with a plan to modernize the visitor experience in Glenbow Ranch and to support the Cochrane Rotary Trail Committee in funding and constructing a pedestrian bridge to connect Cochrane with the park’s western end. GRPF won the Emerald Award in 2021 for its work in conservation education, and it delivers programs for more than 6,000 students annually. It said Farkas aims to build upon that success by improving accessibility and showing the park’s connection with indigenous people. His appointment as CEO followed a thorough recruitment process overseen by its board using Canadian executive advisory company Osborne Interim Management, which saw several hundred candidates considered and vetted. Paffrath called Farkas’ appointment “a re-energization of the Foundation.” It has tasked him to build its financial and volunteer capacity so it can expand its stewardship, increase the size of the park and complete the final missing links in the Calgary to Cochrane trail. As a shining jewel in the Trans Canada Trail, he said Glenbow Ranch will soon welcome more than one million visitors per year. These visitors come from far and wide to experience the best of what Canada has to offer. “And with Jeromy’s leadership and our community’s continued support, we will be ready to welcome them,” he said. The Alex Community Health Centre announced in January Farkas’ climb for community health brought in about $43,075 in donations. READ MORE: Farkas raises $43,000 through mountain climbing fundraiser for community health“I’m thrilled to have completed this challenge and incredibly grateful to see so many Calgarians come through for such a worthy cause,” he said. “The Alex provides vital support to Calgarians in need, and I know these efforts will make a difference in the lives of those facing difficult challenges.”
