Kurt Kinnear

CEO
ex officio

As CEO of 4-H Alberta, Kurt Kinnear is responsible for managing all facets of the operations.

After moving off the family farm, Kurt earned a diploma, degree, and later a graduate certificate in Leadership related fields. Kurt’s passion for leadership, business efficiency, and innovation brought him to the University of Calgary, where he moved from the front desk to overseeing outdoor youth programs before becoming the Director of the Outdoor Centre at 25 years old, tasked with turning it around after a $300,00 loss.

A few years later, Kurt led a merger of several departments and formed Active Living and Summer Camps for Kids shifting them into growth. Then he became Senior Director of the Faculty of Kinesiology, adding the Olympic Oval, Dinos Athletics, and Operations. Kurt implemented many new initiatives during those years, such as a partnership with the City of Calgary at Bowness Park and the creation of the Outdoor Council of Canada. His commitment to impacting communities and turning around organizations earned him Calgary Avenue Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40.

Kurt left the University to found a tech company that rewarded people for making healthy decisions and spending time participating in real-life communities. This company helped improve participation with many partners across southern Alberta and grew to thousands of members prior to the global pandemic.

Kurt joined 4-H Alberta in 2020 and led the operations through the merger of 3 separate entities and maintained the highest retention rates in 4-H across Canada during the pandemic at over 90%. In 2023 4-H Alberta recorded its first significant growth after 25 years of steady decline in participation. His team sees a bright future for 4-H and looks forward to the many opportunities to come.

Kurt has a passion for working with youth and truly believes investing in our youth is investing in a better future. Kurt’s pride and joy are his wife, Maddy, and their three children, Liam, Declan, and Jane.