Lee-Anne Kumka

Lee-Anne Kumka was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and made her way to Fort McMurray in 2007 with her husband. Lee-Anne was a busy child, involved in Girl Guides, Ukrainian Dance, and sports, which kept her active and inspired. Lee-Anne credits her parents for teaching her about working hard, being community-minded, and getting involved. She remembers her mother telling her to take every opportunity presented to her, and her father telling her she could do anything she put her mind to. The family often went on trips together, and Lee-Anne and her siblings were encouraged to learn about other people and cultures. These experiences gave Lee-Anne a drive to embrace opportunity and a love of learning about people.

These values have stayed with Lee-Anne into adulthood. She is currently involved in many different community groups including being President of the Fort McMurray Ukrainian Cultural Society and the Avrora Ukrainian Dancers, where she dances with two of her three daughters. Over the last 10 years, Lee-Anne has been a member with the Kinette Club of Fort McMurray including her time as the former president, a member of HALOS, a former member of the Wood Buffalo Baby Friendly Initiative, and she is also a former board member of the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association.

In her professional life she works as a Planner at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Over the years she has been part of the teams delivering award winning projects like the Municipal Development Plan and most recently the Project Manager for the 2018 Municipal Census.

Lee-Anne will tell you that the best thing about Fort McMurray is our pioneering spirit. She explains that the people in our region have “a willingness to try things and strive to be successful in our community.” She feels strongly that what makes our community great is the exceptional people, and community groups that are always working to try and improve and grow. She plans to continue helping in any way she can to promote community and diversity across the city.