2027 Fireside Chat and Networking Evening

Kallie Wood is first a daughter, sister, aunt, and mother to four beautiful children and a loving kokum to four grandchildren. As a foster parent, she has opened her heart and home to many children who affectionately call her “mom.”

She serves as the President and CEO of the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food (NCIAF) and is a member of Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation located on Treaty Four Territory in Saskatchewan. Kallie previously held the role of Senior Indigenous Advisor for the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Saskatchewan. She holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management.

With her feet planted firmly on Mother Earth and guided by the Creator’s daily blessings, Kallie is a life-long learner with 38 years of leadership experience. Her expertise spans organizational change, strategic planning, and program delivery with a strong emphasis on relationship building, reconciliation, and education. Kallie serves on several Board of Governors across Canada, advocating for Indigenous engagement and fostering meaningful relationships.

Raised in a close-knit agricultural community surrounded by friends and family, Kallie is passionate about supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in sustainable agriculture and food systems. Her approach centers on listening, learning, and implementing change. Kallie has an impalpable way of bringing together voices and a community of partners from diverse regions and generations to share agriculture practices and business knowledge. Her work supports business development, capacity building through education and training, and connects Indigenous communities to vital networks, resources, and funding – while honoring traditional knowledge, ancestral lands, and Mother Earth.

Kallie has received numerous accolades for her dedication to reconciliation, including being named one of the 22 most empowered and influential women internationally in 2023. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and Indigenous Advisor, recognized for her advocacy, research, and transformational leadership. Her ability to inspire and elevate conversations through Indigenous histories, stories, and ways of knowing helps shape a brighter future for our children, grandchildren and those not yet born.

Few have enjoyed a political career as diverse, lengthy, and universally admired as that of The Honourable Ralph Goodale. A farm boy from Wilcox, Saskatchewan, he graduated both high school and law school with academic honours, was first elected to the House of Commons at the age of 24, and went on to spend more than 30 years as a Member of Parliament, most of which saw him hold prestigious Cabinet posts, including serving as minister of:

• Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness
• Finance
• Public Works & Government Services
• Natural Resources
• Agriculture & Agri-Food
• Responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board

One of the many indicators of his excellence is having been voted inaugural McLean’s Magazine Parliamentarian of the Year, an honour voted on by fellow MPs, indicating the respect he has earned on both sides of the aisle.

In 2021, two years removed from politics, Mr. Goodale was appointed Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Though officially “retired,” he currently sits on the PM’s Advisory Committee on Canada–U.S. Economic Relations.

Kim McConnell’s passion for agriculture, food, youth, and the entrepreneurial spirit permeates every aspect of his life.

He is a co-founder and past CEO of AdFarm, one of the largest agricultural marketing communications firms in North America. Over the years, he has led national and international brand and marketing assignments for many respected agri-food companies, spearheading a range of major industry ventures, not the least of which was an initiative to build greater public trust in food and farming.

His contributions have not gone unnoticed, and he has been named “Agri-Marketer of the Year” and Canadian Youth Business Foundation “Mentor of the Year,” as well as having been inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame. In 2017 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, this nation’s highest civilian honour.

Kim serves as director on various corporate, industry, and volunteer boards, in addition to mentoring emerging executives and fast-growth companies.

The McConnell clan lives on an acreage on the edge of Calgary but prefer to spend the summer months at a cottage by their family farm in Manitoba.

Darrell Petras embodies the maxim that, “You can take the boy out of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the boy.” Growing up in Viking, Alberta, he was surrounded by agriculture, including the Petras family beef operation. Despite that immersion, including joining the family farm and helping take it through a full business exit, he chose then-Red Deer College’s pre-chiropractic program. It didn’t stick, and he soon transferred to the University of Alberta, majoring in Agriculture Sciences with a specialization in Economics—the perfect mix for a young guy with a hankering for ag, an interest in technology, and a penchant for business.

His early career set him up for long-term success as he came under the influence of exceptional professionals who mentored him in the world of entrepreneurship and steeped him in the processes and rigour required to build a technology company from the ground up while protecting and benefiting from its core intellectual property.

Not satisfied to sit on the sidelines and only watch others benefit from his guidance, Darrell has walked the talk, co-launching or purchasing successful enterprises himself over the years.

His experience in, and passion for, business and agriculture make him an ideal CEO for CAAIN with its focus on supporting the development of Canadian agtech and encouraging the growth of SMEs that are the lifeblood of our nation’s economy. Because of his background, Darrell believes he has a responsibility to help fast-track the adoption of the agri-food innovation needed to ensure food security domestically and internationally.

Darrell, his wife, and their three children call Sherwood Park home, but they are never far from his rural roots, and when they are not attending basketball games and martial arts tournaments, the family can be found hiking, horseback riding, and taking their quads for a spin.