Meet Your Community Futures West Yellowhead Team
Our team of dedicated small business specialists really care about your goals and would love to hear about your plans. Our team provides services throughout the West Yellowhead region.
They’re here and ready to help you.
Nancy Robbins
General Manager
(780) 865-1224
Nancy moved to Jasper in 1997 for a summer job and has been living in Alberta ever since. With a background in economic development in fisheries and women’s issues from growing up in Newfoundland, she loves the West Yellowhead region for its diversity in people, communities and geography. She has been manager of CFWY since 2012 and worked for the CF program prior to that time with Leadership West Yellowhead. Her passions include writing, reading, knitting, hiking, travelling, and of course, following her two children and husband around northern Alberta in a quest to see every hockey rink north of highway 16.
Benita Smit
Business Analyst
(780) 865-1224
Benita was born and raised in the Yellowhead Region with family roots in the communities of Edson and the Coal Branch. The community of Hinton is where she and her husband reside where they enjoy hiking, paddling and sharing life with family and friends. Benita joins the CFWY team as the Economic Diversification and Energy Transtion in the West Yellowhead Project Manager and Small Business Coach.
Heather Cokes
Community Economic Development/RRRF Coordinator
(780) 865-1224
Heather grew up with her family’s small business in Newfoundland and moved to Edson in 1992. She loved the small-town feel so much, her and her husband decided to plant down roots and raise their family. Her love of community development, business and politics started at a young age and reaches to her volunteer work. Her employment in community and regional economic development make her no stranger to Community Futures, having partnered with them in the past, as well as participating in the CEDAP and Leadership Programs. Heather enjoys travelling and reading, but can usually be found by a lake, camping and fishing, or hanging out with her family and friends.
Emily Fehr
Digital Service Squad
(780) 865-1224
Emily was raised in the picturesque mountains of Grande Cache, Alberta. Having grown up in a rural community, Emily has a deep passion and respect for the land and her lifestyle reflects this. She also understands the employment barriers rural communities face and wants to help mitigate these challenges by assisting businesses with their integration to online marketing, i.e. content creation, web presence, and digital assessments. Emily is excited to be able to help businesses expand into the digital marketplace!
Nathalie Lacoste
Office Manager/SMARTstart Coordinator
(780) 865-1224
Nathalie moved to Alberta in 2017 after spending 24 years in the Yukon. She’s been in Hinton since 2018 and loves the people, community-spirit and mountains. She joined CFWY in March 2019. When she's not working, she's busy reading, renovating her current abode, camping, and exploring Alberta's many beautiful regions. She also loves to travel to warmer climates as time and money permit!
Let’s see what we can do for your business
Give us a call, send us an email, or drop in for a chat.