Executive Director

Direct: 780.969.0558  | [email protected]

Christine has been an invaluable member of the LESA team since 2010. She began her work with LESA as the Associate Director for Educational Resources, moved to Counsel in 2014, and has served as our Executive Director since May of 2018. 

Christine graduated with distinction in 2003 with a Bachelor of Commerce followed by her Bachelor of Laws in 2006, both from the University of Alberta. She then earned her Masters of Law from Columbia University in 2010 as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

Throughout Christine’s tenure at LESA she has consistently brought a wealth of knowledge, experience, and leadership. She has the unique ability to understand the needs of LESA clients, the legal community, and the LESA team.

When we asked Christine what she enjoys most about working at LESA, she responded, “Most of all I love the people that I work with. I love our highly collaborative work environment – it makes it so easy to come to work each day! I enjoy keeping up to date on the law and working with our staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders to ensure that the legal profession is receiving the programs and resources they need to keep up-to-date and ensure they are competently serving the public.” She was also quick to note her favourite thing that we’ve done together as a team was play combat archery as a team building exercise.

As a wife and mother of two, Christine has plenty to keep her busy outside of the office. She enjoys baking, relaxing with a good book, and watching her kids at the pool and the arena.

Director of Programs

Direct: 780.969.3559  |  [email protected]

Born and raised in Edmonton, Matt is LESA’s Director of Programs. Matt has a Bachelor of Education, in Secondary Education, with Distinction (University of Alberta); experience as a high school Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher; and a Bachelor of Laws (University of New Brunswick). He articled and worked in private practice in Lethbridge and was Legal Counsel at the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in Edmonton before joining LESA.

In addition to Matt’s education and experience, he brings a growth mindset to the office and encourages a collaborative and fun-loving work environment. His experience as a lawyer in different settings helps Matt do his job both efficiently and effectively, including overseeing all in-person and online programs, setting proposed learning outcomes, developing program content, assigning project responsibilities for LESA staff and volunteers, and recruiting chairs and faculties for programs.

Outside of the office, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids. He also devotes his time to volunteer with community groups and is an active member and lay leader in his local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is an avid birdwatcher and enjoys hiking and generally being outdoors.

Programs Lawyer

Direct: 780.969.0550  | [email protected]

Ally joined the LESA team in the fall of 2022. Ally graduated from the University of Alberta – Faculty of Law in 2021 and completed her articles with MLT Aikins in Edmonton. She was called to the bar in June of 2022 and worked as an associate at MLT Aikins in their corporate/commercial group with a focus on tax law before joining LESA.

Ally’s organization and communication skills as well as her ability to think analytically serves her well in her role. She eagerly applies her past experiences volunteering with Alberta Law Review as well as working as a writing fellow in law school to her role at LESA. 

Her passion to pursue continuing education for herself (she is an avid Duolingo user!) can also be seen in her excitement to plan, host, and deliver quality continuing legal education programs for the Alberta legal profession. When not at work, Ally loves to spend her time crocheting, playing board games, reading, and spending time with loved ones (including her two dogs and two cats). She also enjoys gardening and hopes to one day explore the canning and preservation process. 

Resource Coordinator

Direct: 780.969.3557  | [email protected]

Ashley has been part of the LESA team since she graduated from NAIT in 2009. Her positive attitude, willingness to be a team player, and adaptability to change have served her well in the many different roles she’s filled here. In the past, Ashley worked with the CPLED facilitators, evaluators, and students. Currently Ashley enjoys her role as the Resource Coordinator where she helps prepare and finalize LESA’s resources and publications.

In LESA’s ongoing coffee-versus-tea debate, Ashley falls into the tea camp. Her go-to order is a Steeped Tea Double Double.

Outside of work, Ashley loves spending time with her husband and two kids. They enjoy skating on their backyard rink in the winter, and spending their weekends at the lake in the summer! She’s also very close with her siblings; her brother and 2 sisters were able to stand up with her at her wedding in Mexico, and yes – her brother was a bridesman. Although one thing Ashley likes best about working at LESA is her awesome coworkers, she also loves taking time off with her husband and children to go visit family in Vancouver and Arizona.

Communications Administrator

Direct: 780.969.0553  | [email protected]

With high distinction, Bronwyn graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She joined the LESA team in 2013 as an Administrative Assistant for the CPLED program. Throughout her time with LESA, Bronwyn has worked with both the resources and programs teams. In her current role as LESA’s Communications Administrator, Bronwyn supports both our internal and external communications and helps to spread the word about our upcoming programs and notable resources to lawyers, articling students, and legal support staff across the province.  

Outside the office Bronwyn spends her time with her two young kids and husband. As a family they love to go camping and hiking. When looking for some downtime, Bronwyn is quick to pick up her favourite book (hardcopy, of course).  

When asked what she likes most about working for LESA Bronwyn says, “I love the people that I work with. I am so grateful to have friends as colleagues.” 

Finance & Accounting Coordinator

Direct: 780.969.3550  |  [email protected]

Event Delivery & Business Development Lead

Direct: 780.969.3556  |  [email protected]

Kathy has been an event and meeting planner for the last 34 years. She earned her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation in 2000. Before coming to LESA, she was a corporate, not-for-profit, and independent planner. She has planned and executed some amazing events which have included celebrity fundraisers, large corporate team building events, weddings, corporate holiday parties, national and international conferences, company launches, business meetings, graduations, and more. She has attended many world education conferences for meeting professionals held in various locations throughout Canada and the United States.

Kathy started with LESA in December of 2006 as the Programs Coordinator. Her role has changed and evolved from working primarily with in-person LESA programs, to adding CPLED programs, and to recruiting volunteers for all of the CPLED Face2Face programs. She books all of the venues for LESA’s live events as well as coordinates all logistics including catering, audio visual, accommodations, and assists with budgeting for these events. Her organizational skills, past experience in executing and organizing meetings and events, as well as the relationships she has built over the years with various contractors, venues, and volunteers has contributed greatly to the success of LESA events.

Outside of the office, Kathy spends a lot of her free time enjoying her beautiful acreage outside of the city. Currently there are no family pets other than the moose, deer, and coyotes that frequent her yard. She loves nothing more than spending time with her adult children and having her grandchildren over for sleepovers.

Kathy’s dedication and goal-oriented mindset has led her to complete 6 half marathons and a sprint triathlon. 

LESA Library Coordinator & Resource Analyst

Direct: 780.969.3553  |  [email protected]

Katie first joined the LESA team in January of 2018. Her role has evolved and changed over time. Beginning as an Integration Assistant, Katie soon moved to Legal Assistant. Katie’s attention to detail and ability to think analytically helps her in her current role as LESA Library Coordinator & Resource Analyst. In her current role, Katie analyzes and reports on our resources, assists with Board governance, and is the primary contact for the LESA Library. Plus, she is our resident expert in Excel.

Outside the office, Katie likes to indulge in a good book, listen to an engaging podcast, or watch an entertaining Netflix show. Katie also enjoys coffee dates to catch up with friends, cooking up a new recipe, or taking a road trip (preferrable to someplace warm). 

Resources & Publications Lawyer

Direct: 780.969.0551  |  [email protected]

Before pursuing law, Kelsey received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Distinction from the University of Alberta. During her undergraduate degree, she completed the Cooperative Education Program in Psychology, which involved a year-long work placement at the Edmonton Drug Treatment Court. She then continued on at the University of Alberta to earn her Juris Doctor. While completing her law degree, Kelsey was an editor and committee member for the Alberta Law Review and served as a board member on the University Appeal Board. She also co-authored and published a paper on shark conservation in the Journal of Environmental Law and Practice. 

Kelsey first joined LESA as a summer student following her second year of law school. After articling and working at a large Edmonton law firm, primarily in civil litigation, she rejoined LESA as Staff Lawyer on our legal team in 2015 and has since transitioned to her current role as Resources & Publications Lawyer on our resources team. Kelsey’s role involves providing input from a legal point-of-view, and includes researching and working on LESA’s publications and resources; staying current on legal developments; and advising on legal content and questions.

Kelsey enjoys many things about her job, most notably having the ability to work with legal material in a wide array of practice areas. “It keeps my work interesting and has allowed me to continually learn about new and varied legal issues. I also really enjoy working with the other LESA team members. Everyone has their own skill set and educational background, so it’s great to collaborate with such a diverse and talented group.” 

In her downtime, Kelsey spends most of her time chasing after her two young daughters, who keep her busy in the best way! She also enjoys traveling, pottery, bike riding, and spending time outdoors at the lake.

Online Systems & Web Administrator

[email protected]

Muhammad graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Computing Science. Before coming to LESA, Muhammad’s experiences were academically focused, including an internship with the University of Alberta and McGill University where he worked on an open-source software application for collecting clinical and neuroimaging data for longitudinal research studies.

Muhammad first joined the LESA team at the start of the global pandemic, in April of 2020. He was a key player in the shift to online programming and helped with the launch of LESA webinars. With his love for problem-solving, he is steadily working on providing solutions to improve workflows and to decrease the administrative burden for LESA staff on various activities. He is customer focused – incorporating efficiencies into the LESA website to improve the experience for our valued customers.

When asked what he enjoys most about his job and working with LESA, Muhammad’s answer is “the team – even though we have only gotten to know each other remotely, it is a pleasure to work with everyone.”.

When not at work, Muhammad can be found enjoying time with his family and pursuing his hobbies of landscape photography and playing the game of squash.

Strategic Initiatives Coordinator

Direct: 780.420.6001  |  [email protected]

Renee started at LESA in 2014 and has worked in many different areas over the years: filling roles in communications, programs, and resources. She is currently the Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, where her organizational, analytical, and detail-oriented skills come in handy bringing major projects and initiatives to fruition.

It’s hard to decide for Renee to decide what is the best thing about working at LESA. It might be the amazing team she gets to work with or the variety that comes with each day and the chance to put different skills to work – from editing resources and managing project timelines to helping refine internal processes and reaching out to stakeholders.

Outside the office, Renee keeps busy with her husband and kids. She loves to read, bake (or eat) anything with chocolate, and spend time outside in the garden, on a trail, or at the lake. She also loves to knit and wonders if maybe in another 50 years she’ll be just as good as her great-grandmother, who first taught her how to cast on.

Online Classroom Coordinator

Direct: 780.969.3555  |  [email protected]

Rhiannon graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2017. During her time there, she majored in Human Geography and minored in History. Before joining the LESA team, Rhiannon spent the better part of a year working in New Zealand as a content creator for an EdTech company that provided online learning for Australian and New Zealand high schools.

Rhiannon joined the LESA team in October of 2018 as the Education Coordinator for the CPLED Legacy Program. Beginning in July of 2020, Rhiannon transitioned to Online Programs Coordinator and was responsible for planning and developing online programming, such as online courses, livestream webinars, and on-demand programs. Rhiannon has recently returned to LESA from maternity leave, and is excited to champion our new LESA Classroom as our Online Classroom Coordinator. When asked what she enjoys most about her role at LESA, she responded, “I enjoy finding new ways to engage people in learning in an online/virtual environment. I love all the supportive and amazing staff at LESA, who really value quality, professionalism, and creativity.”

Outside the office, Rhiannon is passionate about music and the arts in Edmonton. She served as Chair, then Co-Chair, of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra & Winspear Centre’s Young Leadership Council for four years, and still regularly attends ESO concerts and events. Rhiannon has also sung in choir for most of her life and enjoys singing in an adult community choir. On the weekend you can often find Rhiannon with her husband and son at the dog park with their goldendoodle Olive, or out discovering new neighbourhood restaurants and coffee shops.

Communications Lead

Direct: 780.969.0555  |  [email protected]

Robin first joined the LESA team in August of 2009. She holds an honours degree from the University of Manitoba with a focus in visual communications, and first began as LESA’s Graphic Designer. 

Now, Robin’s role as LESA’s Communications Lead includes the planning, delivery, and oversight of LESA’s brand and communications activities and initiatives. With an ability to think big picture while maintaining a tight eye on details, Robin is dedicated to furthering the growth and development of LESA to bring quality continuing legal education programs and resources to practitioners and legal professionals across the province. 

Robin is a member of the Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA) and serves as a co-chair of the Marketing Special Interest Group.

In her downtime, Robin loves to be outside. She enjoys gardening, trail running, and downhill skiing. As a wife and mom of two boys, she can often be found at an Edmonton arena watching hockey.

Programs Administrator

Direct: 587.489.3561  |  [email protected]

Before joining LESA, Saffron gained valuable experience working as a legal assistant in a criminal defense practice in Edmonton. Originally from Wales, Saffron’s strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and proactive approach to problem-solving is a huge asset to the development and delivery of our educational programs. She works closely with our Programs Lawyers to provide administrative support, assist with logistics, and help coordinate program materials.

When asked what she likes most about her job at LESA, Saffron is quick to say, “the people”. She goes on to say, “The collaborative and inclusive environment makes it a great place to work, and I really value being part of a team that is so open, kind, and committed to what they do.”

When not at work, Saffron can be found spending time with friends and getting outside to enjoy nature. She is actively involved with a local dog rescue organization, where she spends much of her time helping dogs in need.