Christine Cusanelli

Christine Cusanelli MLA
Member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly for Calgary-Currie
In office April 23, 2012 – May 5, 2015
Preceded by	Dave Taylor
Succeeded by	Brian Malkinson
Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation
In office May 8, 2012 – February 4, 2013
Preceded by	Jack Hayden
Succeeded by	Richard Starke
Personal details
Born	(1972-07-15) July 15, 1972
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Alma mater	University of Alberta
Profession	Educator

Christine Cusanelli, MLA, (born July 15, 1972) was a Canadian politician who represented the electoral district of Calgary-Currie in the Alberta Legislature. Cusanelli was elected to her first term as MLA for Calgary-Currie on April 23, 2012. Cusanelli was the minister for Tourism, Parks, and Recreation from May 8, 2012, until February 4, 2013.

Cusanelli became reknowned as a force for women's issues a fierce advocate for children and our most vulnerable.

Her work around funding second stage women's shelters led her to advocate on behalf of many organizations inside and outside of the Constituency of Calgary-Currie. In the fall of 2015, the continued advocacy the MLA Cusanelli championed paid off. The Alberta Government invested in enhancing supports for women and children affected by family violence.

Cusanelli worked tirelessly during her time at the Legislature to voice concerns for the public on issues of space and school infrastructure. She held regular public discussion forums on topics that affected not only her direct Constituents but, neighbouring Constituencies who's needs for school infrastructure impacted the spaces available in Calgary Currie.

Along with her responsiveness to women and children's issues, Christine Cusanelli showed a deep interest in helping our most vulnerable through action. On many occasions, Cusanelli herself, would contact agencies directly to get advice and support for her constituents. In January 2015, she assisted a single father in finding stable housing when he was faced with the reality of being homeless.

On May 5, 2015 she was voted out of office in Alberta's general election, losing her seat to Brian Malkinson of Alberta New Democratic Party in a landslide victory that saw the NDP end the PC Party of Alberta's 44 year political dynasty.

Education and work

Cusanelli has a Bachelor of Education degree from Faculté Saint-Jean at the University of Alberta, and a master's degree in psychology from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She started her career as a teacher with the Calgary Catholic School District where she taught elementary and junior-high students in French immersion and other educational settings. Most recently Cusanelli led St. Michael's School (K-9) in implementing two International Baccalaureate programs. She has been a keen supporter and advocate for students with special needs and learning challenges.

She became a principal at age 32. In this role she began an outreach program that included visiting seniors' homes, working with Inn from The Cold] and opening the school up to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary.

In 2012, while in Alison Redford's cabinet, Cusanelli chose to repay 31 items adding up to $10,600 in expenses, including $4,000 in airfare expenses incurred as a result of flights being erroneously charged to her Ministerial credit card. In response to media questions, Cusanelli took responsibility for the error. Regarding the established pattern of reimbursement that traditionally occurred in Government, Cusanelli explained her shortcoming in scrutinizing the process: She should have looked at the process better and for that she apologized to Albertans. The released documents show that Cusanelli wrote a cheque to repay the province about 10 days after she returned from the trip.

Executive Profile and Interests

CHRISTINE CUSANELLI

Executive Profile: • Ambitious leader who creates alliances with organizational leaders and, relevant stakeholders. • Builds and retains high performance teams by hiring, developing, and motivating skilled professionals. • Committed to cost-effective management of resources and quality performance. • Accomplished executive with demonstrated ability to deliver mission-critical results. • Dynamic and innovative leader who seeks to involve her team in creating results orientated outcomes. • Deadline-driven change agent who can identify organizational needs to create success and data based results in a timely manner.

Committee and Board Work:

Member of Treasury Board Member of the Standing Committee on Families and Communities Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Private Bills Member of Review Panel for consultation on the Education Act Member of Review Panel for the development and consultation of the Education Act Regulations Member of Results Based Budgeting Committee on Advanced Education (Cycle 2) Chair of Results Based Budgeting Committee on Advanced Education (Cycle 3) Ministerial Group on Resource Stewardship and Development Ministerial Group on Communities and Families Operations and Policy Cabinet Committee

Private Member's Bills:

Bill 206 Tobacco Reduction (Flavored Tobacco Products) Amendment Act Received Royal Assent and Passed Bill 205 Police (Victims of Sexual Violence) Amendment Act Achieved Third Reading during the last sitting of the 28th Legislature of Alberta

Skill Highlights:

Leadership/communication skills Product development Business operations Organization Budgeting expertise Results oriented

Professional Experience:

Fluently bilingual Committed to risk management Strategic team builder Diverse market and industry knowledge Knowledge and experience of Alberta and Canada's political landscape

MINISTER TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION Government of Alberta - Edmonton, Alberta Provided decision making on the implementation of Government initiatives that impacted a $7 billion industry in Alberta. Responsible for providing approval of sporting events that would strengthen the economic and touristic returns for various regions in Alberta. Acted as an ambassador to various countries around the world who sought interests in investing in sporting events in Alberta. Strengthened touristic partnerships across the province through MOU's and developing strategic marketing plans with stakeholders. Reviewed land use agreements with rural stakeholders and provincial recreational providers to assess appropriateness of growth and investment.

MLA Calgary-Currie Legislative Assembly of Alberta - Calgary, AB Provided leadership and advocacy for constituents. Promoted effective community engagement that led to the successful growth of organizations within the constituency. Fostered responsive relationships with stakeholders seeking Government support and engagement. Chaired several committees in preparation of Budget 2013,2014 & 2015. These committees involved leading outside stakeholders in evaluating and analyzing Results Based Budgeting lines of Business for Education and Advanced Education. Researched, presented and implemented Private Member's Bills in the Legislative assembly of Alberta (Bill 206 & Bill 205). Delivered public addresses in French or in English as the elected official or in place of Ministers and the Premier to audiences large and small.

PRINCIPAL Calgary Catholic School District - Calgary, Alberta 10 years of experience as a leader of K-12 educational settings. Provided staff selection, professional development, program development, advocacy for students and families in various educational settings involving students at the K-12 level. Balanced all school-based budgets (up to 5) to ensure proper accountability of funding distribution and appropriate use of funds for basic, secondary, and other resources in the school. Ensured on-site risk management including, OH&S training and evaluation, security training, and emergency protocol development. Launched new programs and improved accountability pillar results. Ensured continuous school improvement through analysis, evaluation and planning. Hired and evaluated all personnel.

EDUCATION DETAILS:

Master of Arts, Psychology 1998 Gonzaga University - Spokane, Washington, USA Earned a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology. Specialized in psychometrics and analysis of Psycho-educational summaries. Completed internship at the Calgary Young Offenders Center and the Remand Center at Spyhill, Calgary, AB

B.Ed., French Immersion Education 1995 University of Alberta - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Achieved a Bacheliere en Education specializing in French Immersion Education at the Secondary Level.

CORE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Staff Development:

-Responsible for the hiring, evaluation and professional development of all teaching staff, support and caretaking staff within the school setting. -Launched innovative program of educational professional development courses for all staff. Mentored and coached employees resulting in a 40% increase in satisfaction based on Government Accountability Results.

Operations Management:

-Managed Ministries of Tourism, Parks and Recreation

Supported and secured provincial funding for the completion of the Legacy Trail Pathway into Canmore Handled all functions related to Regional Tourism Partnerships Lobbied for additional access to Alberta's Tourism Industry Monitored the environmental impacts of land use and development applications Secured funding and agreement for the TOUR OF ALBERTA CYCLING TOUR Secured funding and agreement for the hosting of DERTOUR Academy in the City of Calgary resulting in over $5 million ROI for Alberta's Tourism Industry Supported and secured funding for FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 Supported and promoted the Alberta Government's interest and hosting of the ITU World Triathlon Grand Series in Edmonton 2014 Supported and secured funding or 2012 FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Canmore Lobbied for the creation of a user pay trail system or ATV riders and land reclamation projects for soft use trail recreation Assigned research and review of Aboriginal Tourism Study to the Ministry of Tourism Parks and Recreation

Operations Management:

-As Head Master Managed Implementation of International Baccalaureate Programs

Handled all functions related to the successful research, implementation, staff training and growth of 2 International Baccalaureate Programs in addition to promoting growth for 2 French Immersion Programs in a large k-12 school. Advised senior administration on the analysis for improving Accountability Pillar Results though the implementation and successful training of a staff of 70 teachers, administrators and support staff Achieved unprecedented results by improving the overall Accountability Pillar Results and Satisfaction results by over 40%

Her personal interests include running, cycling, swimming and golfing.

She was a member of Chickwagon, a Calgary women’s group that raises money and awareness for women in need.

Election results

2015 Alberta general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Brian Malkinson	7,317
	Progressive Conservative	Christine Cusanelli	4,493
	Wildrose	Terry DeVries	3,748
	Liberal	Shelley Wark-Martyn	1,430
	Alberta Party	Tony Norman	1,126
	Green	Nelson Berlin	403
Total valid votes

2012 Alberta general election: Calgary-Currie
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Christine Cusanelli	7,394	44.96%	7.69%
	Wildrose	Corrie Adolph	4,750	28.89%	23.40%
	Liberal	Norval Horner	2,646	16.09%	-29.47%
	New Democratic	Robert Scobel	896	5.45%	1.10%
	Alberta Party	Norm Kelly	534	3.25%	–
	Evergreen	Dean N. Halstead	224	1.36%	-5.64%
Total			16,444	–	–
Rejected, spoiled and declined			127	–	–
Eligible electors / turnout			30,415	54.48%	15.92%
	Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing		3.90%
Source(s) Source: "07 - Calgary-Currie, 2012 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

External links

• Website of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
• Progressive Conservative of Alberta Website