John Q. Adams,  President

John has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, where he gained significant expertise in the areas of strategic planning, business development, marketing, sales, and wealth management.

Starting a career at Royal Trust in 1987, he progressively took on more senior positions at Royal Bank, TE Financial and Scotia Bank. John was a senior member of the team that obtained a Canadian Schedule 1 Chartered Bank license for a new start-up, Bridgewater Bank, in 2005, where he successfully led the initial marketing and product development team. Most recently, he led the business development efforts of Fiera Capital in Western Canada, creating a unique value proposition and increasing brand awareness that saw his efforts pay off with him earning trust and confidence of high-net-worth individuals and families in private wealth.

John is a graduate of the University of Calgary (B.A. History 1985) where he also obtained his Marketing Certificate (1998). He is actively involved in the local business community both personally and professionally. He was recently on the board of the Glenbow Museum while serving as the Chair of Valour Canada and being involved in the Calgary Chamber, all while supporting several non-profits in Calgary.

While very much involved with outdoor pursuits, including running, mountain biking and cross-country skiing, he balances that with model railroading, model building, gardening, travel and spending time with family.

It was family connections that piqued John’s interest in military history at an early age as his father and two grandfathers were all involved in the military at one point or another since 1917. As a military brat, John lived in Fredericton, Montreal, Hamer, Werl, Lahr and eventually Calgary, where his father retired, and the family put down roots in the community in 1973.

John is very much looking forward to this new chapter in his career and welcomes every and all discussions on how to better educate youth about our Canadian Military History.

Lisa Cai, Office Coordinator

Lisa grew up in mainland China and she has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Teaching and a Master of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics.

Throughout her childhood, she never thought she would move her life to Canada until the summer of 2009 when she met her future husband during an oversea internship in the Philippines through AIESEC, an international nonprofit dedicated to youth leadership movement.

When the internship ended, Lisa returned to Beijing and completed her postgraduate program. After graduation, she spent one year teaching at a university in the northern Philippines. She then worked as a translator in Beijing for a little over two years before making the big decision of her life to get married and move to Calgary, Canada in the summer of 2016.

In 2017, she joined an immigrant-serving nonprofit organization as a project administrator. She worked with volunteers and contractors from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In the following four years, she worked in various roles, including website content writer, and tech team coordinator.

Throughout this time, she enjoyed volunteering with the Calgary Public Library supporting their Homebound Readers Program and various special events. Through these roles, she developed a passion for the not-for-profit sector and was thrilled to join Valour Canada as the Office Coordinator in January 2023.

In her spare time, she enjoys painting, reading, hiking and spending time with her family.

Aaron Curtis,  Lead Educator

Aaron was born in Eastern Ontario and spent his childhood in the Rideau Lakes area, primarily Lanark and Leeds Grenville counties, an area that marks the high elevation point of the Rideau Canal. In his younger years Aaron could be found playing competitive hockey in the winter and enjoying the countryside in the summer.

His employment experience includes work as a home construction labourer, building supply yard worker, truck driver, fire and burglar alarm installer, circuit pack repair technician (Nortel), production worker (3M), and archaeological assistant.

During the mid-2000s, Aaron attended the University of Calgary where he earned a degree in Archaeology (B.Sc.) and a minor in Earth Sciences. Upon graduation, Aaron went overseas. After a year and a half of teaching English to youth in South Korea, he returned to Canada and attended the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (University of Toronto) where he received his B. Ed. After leaving Toronto, Aaron was hired as an occasional teacher for both the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario and the Upper Canada District School Board. Over the course of a few years, Aaron settled into a role that allowed him to focus his teaching efforts in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Realizing that student enrolment was trending down and that increasing numbers of teachers were being surplussed, Aaron decided that for greater job security he would accept a job with an environmental consulting firm in Calgary, Alberta.

Prior to his time at Valour Canada, Aaron worked for five years at the environmental firm alongside countless First Nations and Métis communities in Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, and N.W.T. During the course of his employment, he spent weeks with many incredible people who taught him a ton about traditional knowledge and ways of life. Aaron will always be thankful for this experience.

Currently, Aaron resides in Calgary and vacations near his grandfather’s farm in Rideau Lakes Township (formerly Bastard Township). He spends the majority of his leisure time reading, playing recreational hockey, and with family.