Perspectives

About the Author:Wayne Thomas was born on August 22, 1972. He grew up on a farm near a small town in Central Alberta, Canada. He pursued his higher education through Red Deer College and the University of Lethbridge, where he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Management. Thomas had a successful career, initially quite by accident, in Human Resources in Calgary, Alberta, for 20 years. Throughout, he successfully progressed into more senior roles, beginning in Executive Search and Career Transition and wrapping up his career as a senior leader overseeing HR, Learning & Development, Compensation & Total Rewards and Corporate Facilities. He was grateful to have worked in the natural resources industry, among others, and to have experienced such diversity of company cultures, from a small private consulting firm, to a 10,000-plus-employee publicly traded company, to a Texas-based & family-run multinational company, to a Middle Eastern corporation, and finally a local, mid-sized company that operated in Canada and the United States. Over the years, he continued his appetite for lifelong learning, achieving a CMC designation from the Canadian Association of Management Consultants, a Chartered Professional in Human Resources designation (in which he was eventually granted a lifelong fellowship) from the Human Resources Institute of Alberta and a Master's of Business Administration degree from Athabasca University. In 2010, Thomas had the honor of running with the Olympic torch for the Winter Games held in Vancouver. In 2012, he met his soulmate, Joanna, and they married in 2014. In 2016 he won the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteerism from the Canadian Governor General. In 2017 he was awarded the Canada 150 Medallion. He enjoyed giving back over the years, and among other things held several volunteer roles with many organizations. He was fortunate to visit 38 countries around the world. Since he retired in 2018, he keeps busy with various hobbies and enjoys spending time with friends and family.About the Contributing Editor:Born in British Columbia, Kerrie Etson now makes Calgary, Alberta home. Although the day job is in the energy sector, a lifelong passion for writing and travel has turned into several published travel-writing articles. It has been an honour and a privilege to assist Wayne Thomas in his book Perspectives: 17 Things I Learned About Living Your Best Life While Battling a Terminal Illness. I have known Wayne for ten-plus years, both professionally and personally, and when the idea for this book came up he ran with it. Despite the fact that most of the collaboration has been virtual, I am happy to say that this wonderful book has been a labour of love. In her spare time, Kerrie reads, writes, travels and volunteers for MEOW, a local no-kill cat shelter, as well as for the Kerby Center as a volunteer meal driver (during the Covid-19 lockdown). For further information see her website at www.kerrieetson.com.