Executive Staff
Dr. Lyall Thomson - President and Chief Executive Officer
As President and Chief Executive Officer of The Mustard Seed, Lyall oversees administration, operations and program delivery at The Mustard Seed locations in Calgary and Edmonton. He also holds responsibility for setting the vision and plans for the organization.
Lyall brings a wide and varied skill set to the position of Chief Executive Officer, with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. As a management consultant of his own practice, he has provided leadership guidance to public and private entities. Prior to consulting, he served as Superintendent of Schools/CEO in Alberta and Director of Education/CEO in Ontario.
In addition to his career experience, Lyall holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Alberta and a PhD from the University of Calgary. He has also travelled extensively and made presentations in England, Taiwan, China and Turkey.
Lyall is married and has two adult children and two grand children.
Don VanderZwaag - Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer of The Mustard Seed, Don is responsible finance and information technology.
Don has over 20 years of experience in accounting, finance, taxation and business. Don previously held the position of Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer with Sun-Rype Products Ltd., a BC-based, publicly-traded company, as well as senior positions in several public accounting firms including KPMG and Grant Thornton. Don has also been an instructor in graduate and post-graduate education. Don achieved his Chartered Accountant designation in 1996 and also has a Certified Public Accountant (Illinois) designation. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University.
