The Calgary Stampede stepped into historic territory Thursday evening, with the election of its first female executive on its board of directors.
The Stampede handed the reins to Will Osler at their annual general meeting on Thursday evening, as he’ll take over from Steve McDonough as the President and Chair of the Board.

Stuart O’Connor will be the first vice-chair and Cherie Copithorne-Barnes is the second vice-chair. The Calgary Stampede confirmed the selections Thursday evening. They also confirmed that Copithorne-Barnes was the first female to sit on the board’s executive.
On Friday morning, McDonough (@StampedeSteve) tweeted that Copithorne-Barnes would become the Calgary Stampede’s first-ever woman to become the President and Chair of the board.
According to a bio on the Calgary Stampede’s website, Copithorne-Barnes is a fourth-generation rancher “with a passion for driving innovation as it pertains to how people perceive agriculture.”
The board is comprised of 32 directors.