Meet The CCC Team

Since we're nearing the start of the CCC 2021 September Games, we thought this was a great time to introduce you to this year's staff members!

Dave Ford

Executive Director

What jobs/volunteering did you do before CCC? 

I worked in the sports section of my local newspaper before getting laid off (the newspaper industry is thriving, right…?) I’ve been a bad server, and I’ve been an OK bartender. I spent a great year in South Korea teaching English to elementary school kids. Immediately before coming to CCC, I was working in the marketing department of a private ESL school in Vancouver.

If you could take part in one CCC event (past or present), what would it be? 

I often say that I’d be the person signing up for pretty much anything we do. I would happily be a Trivia captain; ditto for Slo-Pitch and Ultimate when we were running those. 

Do you have any pets? 

Two cats (Jasper and Cassius) and one dog (Stella).

What book are you currently reading?

I’ve read mostly birth/parenting books this year. Right now, I’m reading Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang about the idea that rest is as important to being productive as work is.

Do you support any sports teams?

I was a Winnipeg Jets fan as a kid growing up in Winnipeg, and after some brief hesitation, I’ve been cheering for them since they “returned” to the league. I’m a bigger Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, though, and have been since the mid-90s. (I have to say that now that they won last year’s Super Bowl.) I’ve recently decided to get into the EPL, and I’ve chosen Arsenal as my team (after much deliberation). They seem like they’re young and promising, just like me.

Jacquie Li

Stakeholder Relations Coordinator

How long have you been working at CCC?

I volunteered as an Event Coordinator in 2016-2017 for Ultimate Frisbee, worked as the Event Assistant in 2018 and was hired as the Stakeholder Relations Coordinator at the beginning of 2019.

What is the best part of your job?

Probably the fact that I have never once thought “I don’t want to go to work”. I’m proud of the work that the team does, I think CCC has a lot of potential to grow and I’m excited to be part of that. I feel like I’ve learned a lot since I started, and I also (thankfully) really do like everyone on the team.

Do you have a favourite restaurant in Calgary?

I think if you ask any of my friends what my favourite restaurant is they’d probably say UNA. So it’s probably UNA. But I love so many. Ten Foot Henry is also perfection. WOW Chicken? The best. Fusion? Yes please. Japanese Village? I’ll take all the yum yum sauce.

What’s one thing you’re really good at?

I am very good at taking photos. I don’t mean I’m a “good photographer”. I mean that I am good at making sure that every event, big or small, is documented in some way. I have so many bad photos, but they’re still nice to have for posterity.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

I think I’d always plan to end up in Calgary, but I have loose plans to live in NYC for 3-6 months. Hong Kong would be nice to be near some extended family. And I loved how chill my days were in Greece.

Taylor Rhodes

Events & Projects Coordinator

What does your typical workday look like?

Mostly scheduling and preparing for meetings and scheduling out the timeline of the Games. Making sure that each of our venues is up to date and aware of what will be happening during the Games. 

What is your favourite meal?

Seafood Pasta, like lobster ravioli or any pasta with shrimp. 

What’s something you’re proud of?

Getting my degree. I worked really hard in University, sometimes working three jobs at one time just to afford rent and tuition. 

What is the best place you’ve ever travelled to?

I lived in Germany, so I’ll always have a place in my heart for the area that I lived in. I’d say it's tied for me between Florence, Italy and Edinburgh, Scotland. When I go travelling, I try to collect mugs from wherever I go. I’d like to turn them into little pots for some plants eventually. 

What is a cause you care deeply about?

The care of dementia & Alzheimer patients. I was previously a Recreation Therapist and my last job was working at a senior living facility, planning and coordinating daily activities with dementia and Alzheimer patients.

Hayley Sellick

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

What is your area of expertise for the CCC Staff Trivia team?

I’m fairly good at Geography (more about flags and capital cities, less about clouds and rivers). Also, songs that were popular in England during the late 2000s.

What is your favourite movie?

I will never give the same answer when asked what my favourite movie of all time is. I love the Fast & Furious franchise and my favourite of those is Furious 7, so that can be today’s answer.

Which local business should more people know about?

Foster’s Oguraya Bakery - it’s a small Japanese bakery in Spruce Cliff that makes the best melonpan I’ve had outside of Japan!

What sport would you compete in at the Olympics?

Modern Pentathlon. I grew up riding horses, I was in my university’s fencing club, I can swim, I’ve shot a gun at the shooting range and I guess I can run when forced to, so I’ve got all five things covered!

If you didn’t work at CCC, what would you like to do for work?

Something to do with nature. I love the ocean and I’ve been a certified Scuba Diver since I was 16, so perhaps a Diving Instructor? I am also very interested in plants and would love to go back to university to study either Plant or Marine Biology.

Chelsea Wither

Events Coordinator

Where are you from originally (if not YYC)? I grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. I moved to Calgary in high school and studied International Relations at the University of Calgary.

If you could take part in one CCC event (past or present), what would it be?

Mountain Biking!

What do you love about living in YYC?

Love how much there is to do as an Outdoor person. We’re so close to so much wilderness and amazing outdoor activities in our own backyard! And the view of the mountains is pretty perfect.

Met/know anyone famous?

I once served Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles from Supernatural at a bar. I also saw Ryan Gosling from afar in a bar. 

What’s something you’re proud of?

This is a broad question but I’m going to go with how much personal growth I’ve made in the last year and a half. Despite a very rocky start to the pandemic and essentially my whole industry being shut down, I’ve made a ton of progress in my career and on a whole as a person. I’ve grown to love myself and respect myself more than ever in my life, reflected on a lot of stuff and have come a long way in understanding my own personal needs/wants and prioritizing my mental and physical health. 

Joseph Cheah

Events Assistant

If you didn’t work at CCC, what would you like to do for work?

Probably some form of engineering but undecided at this moment.

What is your favourite thing to do in the city?

Playing soccer with friends. We’ve just started to play golf so maybe that will be my new favourite.

Which superpower would you like to have?

I want to be Spiderman!

What’s something you love that people wouldn’t expect?

BTS, the K-Pop group.

Which five items would you bring to a desert island? All 7 seasons of Parks and Recreation, an iPod with my Spotify playlists downloaded, a deck of cards so I would have no choice but to learn some cool magic tricks, the volleyball from that Tom Hanks movie, and a way off the island!

Gabrielle Freeman

Events Assistant

What jobs/volunteering did you do before CCC?

Most of my jobs have been in childcare and hospitality but I’ve also done vocal recordings for children's songs that were used to teach English. I’ve volunteered as a public speaker and a Peer Health Educator at Mount Royal to organize interactive displays and events on health and wellness topics.

What is your favourite movie?

I literally cried my face mask off while watching A Star is Born. It isn't my all-time favourite but that experience certainly establishes its place in the top charts.

What is your area of expertise for the CCC Staff Trivia team?

Almost anything biology. Those two years in a Bachelor of Science may come in handy after all.

Do you have any pet peeves?

That feeling when your sock slips off your heel into your boot and balls up in the sole of your foot. 

What do you love about living in YYC?

The close proximity to the mountains (typical answer coming from someone who grew up in the flat plains of SK), the river, and the parks.