Who is Jason?
Transformative leader with over 24 years of expertise in disaster risk management, emergency preparedness, and operational leadership across military and public sectors. Renowned for driving enterprise-wide innovation, managing high-risk operations, and leading large-scale training initiatives that enhance organizational resilience and operational readiness.
A trailblazer in fostering inclusivity and optimizing resource allocation through adaptive management, consistently exceeding expectations in high-consequence environments. Passionate about cultivating high-performance teams and driving strategies that mitigate risk while enabling agility and adaptability. Dedicated to crafting systems that support sustainable success in dynamic settings.
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Government of Alberta
Manager Risk & Business Continuity Management
2025-Present, Ministry of the Environment & Protected Areas
Leading the delivery of integrated business continuity, facility emergency planning, and departmental security programs across Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.
I manage a team of subject matter experts, provide strategic and operational leadership, and drive continuous improvement to ensure risk-informed decision-making and resilience against disruptions. My role includes acting as a leader for business continuity, coordinating emergency response readiness, and aligning departmental strategies with government-wide policies and best practices.
Learning & Development Facilitator
2024-2025, Public Service Commission
Coaching and Mentoring Managers: Facilitate engaging, inclusive, and impactful learning experiences for middle managers, focusing on leadership development through industry best practices, contextualization of complex concepts, and interactive discussions to drive organizational effectiveness.
Volunteerism
Beyond Practice Podcast
www.beyondpracticepodcast.com
Producer
2024-Present
Digital Media and Content Production: Volunteer producer for an ad-free podcast delivering evidence-based best practices to high-risk field practitioners, focusing on actionable insights in disaster risk management and leadership.
21 Years of Service
"Learning From Experiences and Those With Experience."
Senior Instructor - Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School
Pioneered COVID-Era Training Solutions: Spearheaded the development and iteration of Canada’s first national basic training courses for enlisted personnel and officers during the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing research-driven best practices and KPIs to maintain safety and operational excellence.
Transformational Leadership Coaching: Empowered instructors and senior leaders through advanced instructional techniques and transformational leadership coaching, resulting in measurable improvements in performance metrics and overall readiness levels.
Leadership & DEI Mentorship: Mentored instructor teams and course recruits in leadership, excellence, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), successfully transitioning diverse groups into cohesive, high-performing teams with enhanced socio-cultural awareness.
Advanced Skills Development: Designed and led advanced skill programs, elevating the instructional capabilities of up to 400 instructors annually, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in training.
Efficient Course Administration: Streamlined administrative functions including budgeting, reporting, and personnel management, ensuring seamless course execution and optimal resource allocation.
Outcome Highlights:
- Cross-instiutional export COVID-19 Safe Training Methodology
- COVID-19 Basic Military Qualification Course
- COVID-19 Basic Military Officer Qualification Course
- Forces wide training revision, C7A2 Manual of Arms Revision 1.0.02
- Champion for Canadian Forces Aboriginal Entry Program
- Awarded School Commandants Commendatio
Acting Deputy Director - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (A/Company Sergeant Major)
Leadership in High-Tempo Operations: Directed administrative functions for a high-performing department of over 120 personnel during a demanding operational period, expertly managing taskings, deployments, training schedules, and operational reporting.
Strategic Communication Liaison: Served as the primary liaison between company headquarters and field units, ensuring seamless communication and coordination across all levels of operation.
Combat Readiness & Tactical Training: Spearheaded the implementation of training programs focused on enhancing combat readiness and tactical proficiency, directly contributing to the unit’s operational success.
Outcome Highlights:
- Maintained peak operational readiness during critical periods.
- Successfully met and exceeded all deployment and tasking demands, ensuring mission success.
Assistant Manager - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Platoon 2IC)
Strategic Training & Mission Execution: Collaborated with the manager to plan and execute critical training exercises and operational missions, aligning efforts with a shared strategic vision to achieve mission success.
Mission Briefing & Clarity: Led comprehensive briefings and debriefings, ensuring clear communication of mission objectives and outcomes, which significantly enhanced mission clarity and execution across the team.
Leadership Development & Mentorship: Provided mentorship and guidance to emerging leaders, fostering the development of advanced leadership skills and enhancing overall team capabilities.
Operational Readiness & Equipment Management: Ensured the maintenance and readiness of equipment and supplies, improving accountability and reducing equipment shortages, which directly contributed to mission preparedness.
Outcome Highlights:
- Successfully managed domestic deployment to combat BC wildfires, ensuring rapid and effective response.
- Spearheaded the transition of the vehicle fleet through lifecycle upgrades, enhancing operational efficiency.
- Increased departmental operational capacity through effective leadership and strategic resource management.
Operations Coordinator - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (LAV Sgt)
Fleet & Equipment Operational Readiness: Maintained the operational readiness of a multi-million-dollar fleet of military vehicles and equipment, ensuring mission-critical assets were always deployment-ready.
Specialist Team Leadership: Mentored and led specialist project teams of up to 45 members, driving successful outcomes through focused leadership and strategic guidance.
Expert Program Development & Implementation: Developed and coached specialist training programs for an institution of over 800 members. Played a key role as a writing board subject-matter expert, creating, testing, and operationally fielding a new institutional Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual that enhanced safety and operational standards.
Community Engagement & Public Relations: Led community engagement initiatives, including public speaking and open house events, fostering strong relationships with local institutions and leaders while coaching soldiers in effective communication skills.
Outcome Highlights:
- Enhanced capabilities of allied partners during a multi-national training event deployed abroad.
- Established safer operating environments through the successful rollout of the new SOP manual.
- Increased operational readiness and standards across the institution, ensuring high performance in domestic and international missions.
- Successfully managed the domestic deployment to combat MB wildfires, demonstrating effective crisis response.
- Strengthened public relations through proactive engagement, improving community ties and institutional reputation.
- Achieved international operational readiness validation in collaboration with U.S. forces.
- Earned recognition as the Top Senior Non-Commissioned Officer and achieved Silver Medal Standing as the top Canadian military team leader.
Assistant Logistics Manager - Princess Patricia's Cdn Light Infantry (Company Quartermaster 2IC)
Logistics & Equipment Management: Managed the repairs, maintenance, supply chain, and equipment replacement processes, ensuring strict adherence to NATO quality control standards and accurate reporting, while proactively identifying areas for improvement.
Operational Readiness Enhancement: Elevated the department’s equipment readiness rate to over 80% through meticulous material management and effective inter-department collaboration, enabling swift and efficient deployments in critical situations.
Outcome Highlights:
- Successfully led logistics efforts during the domestic deployment to combat the AB floods, ensuring rapid and effective response.
- Achieved sustained improvements in operational readiness, contributing to enhanced mission preparedness and success.
Unique Roles: Executive Assistant · Specialist
Strategic Administrative Leadership: Provided comprehensive administrative support to the deputy director, managing schedules, coordinating communications, and liaising with department sections to ensure seamless and efficient operations at all levels.
Global Intelligence Collaboration: Collaborated with international partners, including the Five Eyes community, to acquire, synthesize, and transform timely and relevant information into actionable intelligence, directly supporting strategic decision-making processes.
High-Level Strategic Advisement: Delivered strategic advisement up to the ministerial level through detailed briefings and reports, enabling informed decision-making on critical national security matters.
Outcome Highlights:
- 100% safe operations and operational security
- Synthesization and communication of high-value information
- Awarded Task Force Commanders Commendation
Other Roles:
Assistant Team Leader
Claims Specialist (Travel)
Recruiting Coordinator (Primary Reserve)
Assistant Office Manager
Specialist Equipment Operator
Outcome Highlights:
- Exceeded Recruitment Targets: Successfully exceeded annual recruiting targets, demonstrating effective recruitment strategies and execution.
- Restored Administrative Functions: Played a pivotal role in restoring operational efficiency in a previously delinquent department.
- Commendation for Excellence: Awarded the Commanding Officer’s Commendation for administrative excellence in the execution of duties.
- International Leadership Recognition: Achieved Bronze Standing in a UK military competition, recognized for outstanding leadership as a junior leader.
Recruitment Excellence: Coordinated recruiting activities across 9 offices on Vancouver Island, exceeding annual targets and qualifying as a national recruiter. Collaborated with federal, provincial, and private partners to conduct successful joint recruiting events and established guidelines that aligned with regional and federal policies.
Administrative Leadership: Restored administrative functions in a delinquent department, supervising over 150 personnel. Delivered essential clerical services including leave processing, claims management, payroll, travel coordination, and record-keeping.
Leadership & Mentorship: Assessed and mentored individuals and teams through quarterly and annual reviews, enhancing leadership skills and team performance.
Specialized Support Services: Provided expert travel claims services for over 1,700 students and faculty, ensuring accurate and timely processing.
Civilian Experience
Complementing his military career, Jason has also had a diverse range of complementary professional civilian experiences managing a Personal Training Fitness Boutique, providing Private Security, and working directly with consumers in luxury goods retail.
Private Security
Secured liability up to ~CA$4.0 million throughout northern Alberta.
Enabled corporate optimizations by advising on use-of-force programming leading to safer work environments.
Maintained annual Authorization to Carry for Western Canada.
Boutique Manager
Successfully managed the marketing, sub-contracting and hiring, business development, and product development and implementation of a small family owned and operated business with CA$150,000 in annual gross sales, boosting sales, scaling out operations and services, and expanding staffing while exceeding stakeholder expectations.
Luxury Goods Retail
Passionate about delivering exceptional client experiences in luxury goods retail, specializing in high-end jewelry and horological instruments, including Swiss and Japanese fine wristwatches, ensuring customers receivesd personalized attention and expert advice to match their discerning tastes and preferences with the utmost professionalism and discression.
"Achieving continuous success means blending experience and knowledge with learning and the application of current best practices."
Education
Always learning and striving to understand the world around us and how others engage with and perceive these through their own intersectional lens and beliefs.
Academic
- Royal Roads University Master of Arts in Disaster and Emergency Management
- Camosun College Business Management
Military Qualifications
(Comprehensive list available upon request)
- Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Instructor;
- General Military Training Instructor;
- NATO Intergender Perspectives;
- Introduction to Gender Based Awareness;
- Bystander Intervention Training;
- Source Handler Operator.
Project Management Institute (PMI™) Certificates
- Agile Foundations;
- Hybrid Team Building with Purpose;
- Communicating Across Cultures Virtually;
- Virtual Performance Reviews and Feedback;
- Onboarding in the Hybrid/Remote Workplace.
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA™)
- Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA™);
- Business Analysis Foundations.
Continuing Education Certificates
- Manage Remote and Hybrid Teams as a Middle Manager;
- Using AI in the UX Design Process;
- Leading and Managing Successful UX Teams;
- Accountability as a Leader.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- 2024 Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response (ICS-200)
- 2022 Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS-100)
Awards & Achievements
I believe in helping and elevating others to achieve excellence and become their best selves; my results speak for themselves.
Despite this, I have consistently received awards for industry excellence.
My ethos and dedication have been equally tested in some of the most challenging environments, including medal standings in the United Kingdom Cambrian Patrol and Canadian Patrol Concentration.