Shelley Arnusch
Avenue’s Editor in Chief has more than two decades of experience working in magazines and 13 years of experience working on Top 40 Under 40 projects. Prior to Avenue, she held editorial roles at the Calgary Herald’s Swerve magazine and at Pique Newsmagazine in Whistler, B.C. She has won numerous awards from the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association and the International Regional Media Association for her work as an editor, and a National Magazine Award for her writing.
Don Coulter
Don Coulter has been a leader in the financial services industry for more than 25 years. As CEO for connectFirst Credit Union, he believes in harnessing the power of cooperative banking to build sustainable economies, while driving positive social and environmental value for members. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, NYU, and the University of Toronto; a Chartered Public Accountant and an accredited director by the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Zahra Goodarzi
Dr. Zahra Goodarzi (Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2021) is an Associate Professor in the Section of Geriatrics within the Department of Medicine and Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. She is Deputy Division Head for geriatric medicine and Program Director for Leaders in Medicine. Her research is focused on improving the care for older adults across the spectrum of clinical care.
Usman Tahir Jutt
Usman Tahir Jutt (Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2019) is a father, philanthropist and entrepreneur. As CEO of Calgary-based Chirp Foods, he owns and operates more than a dozen McDonald’s restaurants in Calgary and surrounding communities and is one of the largest employers of young people in Southern Alberta. His most recent project is serving as chairman of the Calgary Surge professional basketball team. He was named Calgarian of the Year by the City of Calgary in 2023.
Käthe Lemon
Käthe Lemon is the president and co-owner of RedPoint Media Group, Calgary’s largest independent, locally owned media company. RedPoint is the publisher of Avenue and The Scene, and through RPM Content Studio creates award-winning custom publications including Leap for the Alberta Cancer Foundation, SPUR for the Calgary Foundation, Create Calgary for Calgary Arts Development and others. Prior to taking on the role of president, she was the Editor of Avenue for 15 years.
Erynn Lyster
Erynn Lyster (Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2016) is executive director of The Grand theatre, leading a talented, diverse team of arts professionals dedicated to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for artists and patrons. An entrepreneur with a background in event planning and production, design, communications and business development, she co-owns The Commons Collective Inc., one of the first coworking spaces in Calgary that has evolved into an event curation enterprise.
Sarah Sinclair
Sarah Sinclair (Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2021) is a member of Peguis First Nation, Treaty One, Manitoba, and was born and raised on Mohkinstis. An alumnus of UBC law school, she is the first lawyer for Sahwoo mohkaak tsi ma taas, the Indigenous justice program at Calgary Legal Guidance, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, the Human Rights Commission Indigenous Circle and the Law Society of Alberta’s Indigenous Advisory Committee.
Brett Vasconcellos
Brett Vasconcellos is the CTO at BIDS Trading, a subsidiary of Cboe Global Markets. BIDS runs the largest equities block trading systems in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia, trading over $60 billion per month. After earning his BS and M.Eng. degrees from MIT, Brett lived and worked in San Francisco, Whistler and the U.K. before moving to Calgary in 2009. Outside of BIDS, he advises startups in Alberta on technical leadership, product innovation and business strategy.