Alum Spotlights

List of 6 items.

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  Aliza Vellani ‘09

  Actor/Producer
  Bio
  A graduate from the Class of 2009, Aliza Vellani is an actress based out of Vancouver, Canada with over a decade of work experience in the Film & TV industry both within Canada and the United States. She is known for her role on the hit CBC television series Little Mosque on the Prairie. Vellani's other works include Operation Christmas Drop, Riverdale, and The Twilight Zone. Currently, Aliza Vellani has been announced to appear as a series regular on the upcoming Netflix series Sweet Tooth, produced by Warner Brothers and Team Downey which premiered June 2021. Vellani hopes to tell stories and create work that inspires others and shows people that the world is truly their oyster.
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  Devon (Edwards) Leclair '10

  Technical Director, Electronic Arts 
  Bio
  From the Class of 2010, Devon Leclair is a Technical Director at Electronic Arts (EA). She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia in both Computer Science and Mathematics with a Minor certification in Fine Arts. While at UBC, she interned at EA as both a technical artist and as a software engineer. After graduating from UBC in 2015, she ultimately decided to join EA to pursue her career in the video game industry. Devon has shipped over a dozen AAA titles with EA, and was recently promoted to a director-level position for EA Create. 
  
  

  Devon also volunteers as a mentor at Girls Learning Code, participates in the events committee for Women in Animation, and is a member of the Women’s Ultimate Team at EA. She is passionate about advocating for women in technology and a large proponent of 50/50 representation in the gaming industry.
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  Emily (Cochran) Laidlaw ‘95

  Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law, Associate Professor at University of Calgary, and Ethics Advisor at the City of Calgary
  Bio
  Dr. Emily Laidlaw ‘95 is a Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law and Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law, and a member of the Institute for Security, Privacy and Information Assurance. Prior to joining the University of Calgary in 2014, Emily spent almost ten years in the United Kingdom where she completed her LLM and PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science and held a tenure-track lectureship with the University of East Anglia Law School. 
  
  

  She researches and consults in the areas of information and technology law, cybersecurity, human rights, online content regulation and corporate responsibility. She is the author of the book Regulating Speech in Cyberspace: Gatekeepers, Human Rights and Corporate Responsibility (Cambridge University Press, 2015). Emily is a frequent invited speaker on technology law to a variety of stakeholders, from government, to the judiciary, industry, civil society, and academia. As a scholar she actively contributes to law reform and other advisory work, with recent projects for the Federal Government, Law Commission of Ontario, the Uniform Law Conference of Canada and the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development. Since April 2019, Emily has been the Ethics Advisor to Calgary’s City Council.
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  Karen Tsang '07

  Vice-President, Development, Pier 21 Films
  Bio
  Karen graduated from York House in 2007 and attended the University of Southern California’s Business of Cinematic Arts program. She started her career as a TV Packaging Assistant at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles.
  
  

  Currently based in Toronto, she is the Vice President of Development at Pier 21 Films. Karen Tsang works with some of Canada’s most exciting talent to develop comedy and drama series for the Canadian and international marketplace. She’s passionate about creator-driven stories and fostering shows that explore characters and themes that have been underrepresented on screen. 
  
  

  Before joining Pier 21 in 2020, Karen spent eight years working in scripted content at the CBC. In her most recent role as Executive in Charge of Production, Comedy, Karen oversaw the creative development and production of over 150 episodes of original television series including all five seasons of the Rose D’Or and Rockie Award-winning Baroness Von Sketch Show, which was acquired by IFC. Her slate also included Tallboyz, Mr. D, and Canada’s iconic political satire show This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Karen managed several short-form digital series such as the International Emmy-nominated How to Buy a Baby, Bit Playas, and My 90-Year-Old Roommate.
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  Shauna (Lee-Young) Harper ‘92

  Marketing & Communications Business Owner/Entrepreneur 
  Bio
  Shauna is an entrepreneur passionate about empowering other entrepreneurs, developing youth as leaders, and helping social impact organizations grow. She currently works on marketing and communications contracts with different non-profit organizations throughout BC.
  
  

  Shauna holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario and is a trained group process facilitator. She resides in Prince George with her husband and two young children. In her spare time, she can be seen doodling, painting and journaling while listening to an audiobook, TedTalk or a podcast.
  
  

  Shauna is also currently serving as a Board Member for the Prince George Airport Authority, Women’s Enterprise Centre and is the co-Chair of the Exploration Place Science Centre & Museum board. She also serves on the Federal Government’s expert panel advising on the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy in Canada. 
  
  

  Shauna’s nieces, Frances and Pippa are current students at York House. 
• 

  Shirin Foroutan ‘94

  VP Creative, Europe at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
  Bio
  After graduating from York House in 1994, Shirin received a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from the University of British Columbia and an LL.B and B.C.L with distinction from McGill University.
  
  

  Shirin Foroutan is currently the Vice President, Creative, Europe at BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.). In this role, Foroutan leads BMI’s Creative efforts throughout Europe, which includes supporting the company’s affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers as well as cultivating key industry relationships. She oversees the continued development and execution of acquisition and retention strategies that are in line with BMI’s overall mission of growing its leading market share across all genres of music.
  
  Before joining BMI, Foroutan was the Chief Operating Officer for MPC Film, a division of Technicolor. In that role, she was responsible for overseeing more than 2000 visual effects artists out of London, Bangalore, Vancouver and Montreal. In 2017, Foroutan started her own consulting business where she worked on strategic projects for iconic music, sporting and cultural brands in the UK and internationally. Foroutan was also the Global Managing Director at Mute Group of Companies where she led teams in the recording, music publishing and artist management divisions out of London, New York and Berlin. Prior to joining Mute, Foroutan held various positions including Senior Legal Consultant for Ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Director and Legal Counsel of Ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Director of Legal Affairs at Live Nation Global Touring.