Calgary’s Judy Hannaford was for more than 22 years the owner and president of that glorious celebration of everything about women, the Calgary Woman’s Show.
When in 2009 her speechwriter husband was called to Ottawa to work for the Harper government, she sold the business. But retirement was not for her.
She applied herself there to a ministry of hospitality first to young staffers working on The Hill(jokingly called “Sex, Religion and Politics) and in due course to the demanding volunteer role of women’s discipleship lead at Ottawa’s large Metropolitan Bible Church.
Judy has had a life of joyful ministry, hard scrabble business, brushes with celebrities and politicians and occasionally, heart-wrenching personal circumstances. Above all, she loves her role as wife to Nigel Hannaford, now returned to journalism and mother to Matthew and of her late daughter Gillian.
Drawing on all these many and varied experiences, in particular reading the Bible and the experiences of mentoring young people through life’s ups and downs, she will speak on the subject “The Powerful Woman”.