Experienced leaders join Legal Aid Alberta Board of Directors.
Legal Aid Alberta (LAA) is pleased to welcome Meryl Whittaker and Kristy Isert to its Board of Directors. Both bring extensive experience in governance, law, public administration and public service that will help support LAA’s work to improve access to justice for Albertans.
Whittaker brings significant executive and governance experience through her work in the provincial public service, the pension sector and the legal profession. She is a retired Government of Alberta deputy minister who served as deputy minister of Municipal Affairs and deputy minister of Culture and Tourism. Before joining the provincial government, she was president and CEO of the Alberta Local Authorities Pension Plan and practised law in Edmonton. She currently serves on the Alberta Pensions Services Corporation board and is board chair of Claystone Waste Ltd.
She holds the ICD.D designation and earned an MBA, bachelor of laws and bachelor of arts from the University of Alberta. Her experience in governance, strategic planning and organizational leadership will support the board’s oversight of LAA’s long-term priorities.
Isert brings expertise in municipal leadership, governance and law, along with experience practising law in rural Alberta and in teaching. An executive leader in municipal government, she has overseen finance, human resources, information technology, legislative services and governance at the City of Cold Lake. She has also taught criminology and business law at Portage College.
She is community-minded, deeply connected to her rural Alberta roots, and is a proud member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. She holds a certified local government manager designation and is a member of the Law Society of Alberta. Isert earned a bachelor of science (honours) and a bachelor of arts in Native studies (honours) from the University of Alberta, as well as a juris doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School. Her background in municipal leadership, rural legal practice and public administration brings a unique perspective to the board and supports LAA’s work across diverse communities throughout Alberta.
Both appointments are for three-year terms and took effect on Sept. 29, 2026.
LAA also extends its sincere thanks to outgoing board members Daniela O’Callaghan and Sonya von Heyking for their leadership and dedication.
About the LAA Board of Directors
LAA is governed and guided by a carefully chosen board of directors. The board makes decisions that are carried out by our executive and management teams. The board can consist of up to 11 members — with at least four members of the Law Society and three public directors.
Chair
Brad Pickering
Vice Chair
David Linder, KC
Board of Directors
Catherine Braeuer
Jim Campbell
Randy Mitchell
Amber-Dawn Boudreau
Roseanne Carey
Clint Warkentin
Tamar Espstein
Meryl Whittaker
Kristy Isert