The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is not overjoyed with the picks for the Premier's Advisory Committee on the Economy to grow and diversify Alberta business.

The CFIB's Alberta Director Amber Ruddy says it's an all-star panel, that doesn't represent everyone.

"Small businesses in Alberta make up over 95-percent of the businesses. Yet, when the Premier decides to appoint an advisory panel to kick start the economy and diversify things, the people sitting at the table are the heads of Alberta's largest corporations and union reps."

Ruddy says she was totally surprised no small business leaders were added to the panel that includes leaders from academia, the oilsands and even has Spruce Meadows Executive Vice President and ATCO President Nancy Southern.

Below is the list of the board members:

Joseph Doucet – Chair

Joseph Doucet is the dean of the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta. Prior to this appointment, he was the Enbridge professor of energy policy. He has held faculty or visiting appointments at Université Laval, the University of Florida, and Université Montpellier (France). He earned his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Doucet currently sits on the boards of the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC), the EPCOR Community Essentials Council (ECEC) and the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Alberta (CMC-Alberta). He is also a member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Energy and Natural Resources Policy Council, and the City of Edmonton’s Mayor’s Taskforce on the Elimination of Poverty.

Steve Williams – Vice-Chair

Steve Williams is president and chief executive officer of Suncor Energy Inc.  He has more than 36 years of international energy industry experience, including 18 years at Esso/Exxon.  He is a fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and is a member of the Institute of Directors. He is one of 12 founding CEOs of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), a member of the advisory board of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, and a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. Mr. Williams co-chaired the 2014 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Gala in Calgary, as part of the 2014 Celebration of Excellence in Alberta that raised proceeds for the Canadian Olympic Foundation. He also serves as co-Chair of Indspire’s "Building Brighter Futures Campaign." He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Exeter University and is a graduate of the advanced management program at Harvard Business School as well as the business economics program at Oxford University.

Siobhán Vipond – Vice-Chair

Siobhán Vipond is a leading advocate for the rights of working people in Alberta. Currently serving as the Acting President of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), she is in her second term as the elected Secretary Treasurer of the organization. The AFL represents more than 170,000 unionized workers in all sectors of the Alberta economy, and works to advance the rights of working people throughout the province. Prior to joining the AFL, Ms. Vipond worked as a stage and film technician, and is a longstanding active member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. She was recently selected as one of the next generation of Albertan leaders to be a member of the 2015 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.

Marc de La Bruyère

Marc de La Bruyère is a principal and the chairman of Maclab Enterprises in Edmonton. He has served on several educational, community and non-profit boards including those of the University of Alberta, Edmonton Economic Development and the Citadel Theatre. He was awarded the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005 and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Hugh Mackenzie

Hugh Mackenzie is principal of Hugh Mackenzie and Associates, an economic consulting business based in Toronto. In that capacity, he conducts research projects on economic and public policy and provides specialized support to unions and employee organizations in collective bargaining. He has worked for over 35 years in a variety of capacities related to public policy development in the trade union movement, the private sector, and at all three levels of government. Prior to establishing his consulting business, he served as research director in the Canadian National Office of the United Steelworkers. From 1991 to 1994, Mr. Mackenzie was executive director of the Ontario Fair Tax Commission.

Elisabeth Ballermann

Elisabeth Ballermann has served as the president of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) since her election in 1995. HSAA is the union of health-care professionals representing approximately 24,000 health professional, technical and support employees in over 200 occupations in Alberta. Ms. Ballermann earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy (BSc.PT) in 1980 and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1991, both from the University of Alberta. In her capacity as HSAA president she also serves as a Vice-President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).   She has served as the co-Chair of NUPGE’s Canadian Health Professionals Secretariat since 2007. Ms. Ballermann also serves as HSAA’s representative on the boards of Public Interest Alberta, Friends of Medicare and the Parkland Institute. Ms. Ballermann’s extensive community service and advocacy work were recognized in 2005 with the awarding of the AFL’s International Women’s Day Award and the Alberta Centennial Medal.

Nancy Southern

Nancy Southern is chair, president and chief executive officer of ATCO Ltd. She is also the chair and chief executive officer of Canadian Utilities Limited, an ATCO company. Reporting to the Boards of Directors, she has full responsibility for executing strategic direction and ongoing operations for both companies. After joining the ATCO board of directors in 1989, Ms. Southern served as co-chair of ATCO for 16 years prior to being elected chair in December 2012. She serves on the boards of all ATCO Group subsidiary companies. Ms. Southern also serves as executive vice president of Spruce Meadows. She is a director of AKITA Drilling Ltd., Sentgraf Enterprises Limited, and is an honorary director of the BMO Financial Group.

Elyse Allan

Elyse Allan is the president and chief executive officer of GE Canada and vice president GE. Ms. Allan actively engages in developing and shaping public policy through industry groups, research and advocacy organizations. She serves on the board of directors for the C.D. Howe Institute and the Conference Board of Canada, and the advisory board of the Ecofiscal Commission. She has been recognized as a top 100 women of influence by the Women’s Executive Network, is a YWCA 2012 woman of distinction (Business), and by Maclean’s and Canadian Business Magazines as one of Canada’s most influential business leaders. In 2014, Ms. Allan was appointed Member of the Order of Canada for her community engagement and achievements as an innovative business leader.

Dr. Ray Muzyka

Ray Muzyka is the chief executive officer and founder of ThresholdImpact (www.thresholdimpact.com). He originally trained as a medical doctor and obtained his BMedSc and MD in 1992 from the University of Alberta and his MBA in 2001 from the University of Western Ontario Ivey School of Business. He co-founded BioWare (www.bioware.com), a video game development studio, in the mid-1990s after practicing medicine full-time for two years, with medicine transitioning to part-time as he focused on his role as BioWare's CEO over the following two decades. BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts (EA) in 2007 and Dr. Muzyka took on the role of General Manager of EA’s BioWare division, which grew over the next five years to span eight development locations worldwide. In 2012 Dr. Muzyka retired from BioWare/EA and started ThresholdImpact, which focuses on sustainable, profitable impact investing with social entrepreneurs. Dr. Muzyka is a member of YPO, the A100, and the Ashoka Support Network. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Alberta, Chair of the U of A’s entrepreneur Venture Mentoring Service, a Venture Advisor at iNovia Venture Capital, a Director and co-Chair of CodeBaby (www.codebaby.com) and a Director on the board of Athletigen (www.athletigen.com). He was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 2011, received the International Game Developers’ Choice Awards 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award, and the inaugural Alumni Innovation Award from the University of Alberta in 2015.

Sue Tomney

Sue Tomney has been chief executive officer of YWCA of Calgary since December, 2010. Ms. Tomney’s career has included communications and marketing positions leading to her leadership roles with both non-profits and corporations, including executive director of the Calgary Stampede Foundation; vice president marketing and communications for Imagine Canada; director of communications and external Affairs at TransAlta Corporation; and manager of community investment at Canadian Airlines International. Her voluntary sector experience includes roles as a cabinet member for Calgary’s United Way campaign, governor for EducationMatters – Calgary’s public education trust, executive committee member of the 2008 Governor General’s Leadership Conference, and a member of the community engagement and awareness committee of Calgary’s Poverty Reduction Coalition.