ACSRC People

Clark Banack

Director

Clark Banack, PhD is the Director of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities and an Assistant Professor of Political Studies at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta.  Clark is the author of God’s Province: Evangelical Christianity, Political Thought, and Conservatism in Alberta (McGill-Queen’s University Press), the co-author of Faith, Rights, and Choice: The Politics of Religious Schools in Canada (2023), and the co-editor of Building Inclusive Communities in Rural Canada (2023).  He has also authored several academic articles and book chapters related to Alberta politics, rural issues, religion and politics, education policy, and populism in Canada.

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Serena Isley

Research Associate

Serena Isley, MSc., is a Research Associate for the ACSRC. She is an Augustana alumnus, where she completed her BSc in Biology and Psychology, and holds an MSc in Medicine from the University of Alberta (2024). With experience in clinical research, Serena has contributed to numerous papers and reviews related to mental health and rural initiatives, including investigating the impacts of programs like Men Sheds on mental health in rural communities through the ACSRC (2022). Originally from a rural region, Serena is deeply committed to enhancing the sustainability and longevity of rural communities through research and innovative solutions. 

 

Laticia Chapman-Rainway

Postdoctoral Scholar

Laticia Chapman-Rainway, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Scholar of the ACSRC. Laticia has roots in central British Columbia and the West Kootenays, and her heart is in small-scale, sustainable agriculture and homesteading. A series of events brought her to the PhD program in Political Science at the University of Alberta, where her doctoral research (2025) examined the history of rural-serving library systems in Western Canada with a focus on the role of the library as a public place in rural communities. She is proud to have contributed to the ACSRC’s research on behalf of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) into challenges facing rural Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) programs. Her postdoctoral work with the ACSRC will draw on her experience with interview and immersion-based research and interest in political theory from a rural perspective in support of a cross-Canada ethnographic study of rural political attitudes and opinion-formation.

Kate McConnell

Coordinator

Kate McConnell is the Coordinator for the ACSRC, where her favourite part of the job is facilitating community connections and curating awesome experiences where people can gather for great conversations over great food. Over the years, Kate has worked alongside Clark to shape the Centre’s strategic direction, build community partnerships, and connect its research to the rural communities it celebrates. Outside of the office, she can be found slowly transforming her 1950s bungalow and backyard into a cozy retreat with a permaculture food forest for her two amazing kids and animal sidekicks.

Rebecca Purc-Stephenson

Professor (Psychology) 

Rebecca Purc-Stephenson, PhD., is an Applied Social Psychologist and professor at the Augustana Campus. Working collaboratively with industry experts, community members, and healthcare providers, she and a team of undergraduate students study the stressors and resilience of those living in rural and farming communities, turning research into practical programs and resources that support their mental health and well-being. She is the lead researcher of the Agricultural Well-being in Alberta (AgWellAB) program and a co-founder of AgKnow, the Alberta Farm Mental Health Network.

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Glen Hvenegaard

Professor, Augustana - Sciences 

Glen Hvenegaard, PhD, is a Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus. He explores the connections between people and nature by researching environmental interpretation, parks, birds, nature-based tourism, and rural sustainability. He is a co-author and co-editor of Frank Farley and the Birds of Alberta (2025), Parks and Protected Areas: Mobilizing Knowledge for Effective Decision-Making (2021), Tourism and Visitor Management in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Sustainability (2018), and Taking the Next Steps: Sustainability Planning and Collaboration in Rural Canada (2016).

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John Parkins

Professor, REES - Environmental Sociology

John Parkins', PhD, research covers a range of topics in rural sociology, natural resource sociology, the sociology of agriculture and social impact assessment. His current research project Energy Transitions in Canada explores the social, cultural and ethical dimensions of a changing energy landscape.  The project includes detailed cases on wind energy in Alberta and emerging areas of focus on the role of co-operatives for renewable energy development in Canada. 

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Greg King

Assistant Professor, Environmental Science

Greg King, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability Studies at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus. His research is rooted in the natural sciences, with a focus on dendrochronology (tree-rings) and the role of trees in ecosystems, but increasingly includes looking at the ways people interact with those systems through decision-making, local history and governance. Greg is currently investigating the human and environmental history of the  landscapes across the Beaver Hills Biosphere, the dynamics of urban forests in small cities, and how small communities approach sustainability through partnerships.

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John Pattison-Williams

Adjunct Professor

John K. Pattison-Williams is an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta and Principal
Investigator of the National Grassland Learning and Knowledge Hub, a national initiative
integrating human dimensions and learning and knowledge transfer from the academy to
people on living on the prairie landscape. He also maintains an active research program with
the assistance of his graduate students exploring wetland conservation, wildlife disease, and
international development. In addition to his academic roles, John is president of Pattison
Resource Consulting Ltd., a company specializing in environmental conservation, economic
development, strategic planning and facilitation. John is a Professional Agrologist and Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. He farms and lives in the Miquelon Lake area, raising grass and blue roan quarter horses with his spouse and two boys.

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