About Graham
Graham was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, the grandson of Slovak and British immigrants. He moved to Ottawa for five years, where he studied Television Broadcasting at Algonquin College and Political Science at Carleton University. Both of these programs came at a pivotal time in communications, as social media and digital streaming platforms were starting to enter the landscape.
​
Graham leveraged his time in the nation's capital to learn about procedural and political processes. He did a voluntary placement with "Army News," which provided biweekly news broadcasts for the Canadian Armed Forces. Being a smaller production shop, he would take on several positions and roles to assist in the weekly productions.
Following his time in Ottawa, Graham returned to Calgary where he managed several restaurants. These were both corporate chains and small business franchises. This gave him a perspective into the challenges that small business owners face and the intricacies of navigating the corporate structure.
​
During this time, Graham helped improve efficiencies and financial returns, including increasing profitability during the 2008 recession. However, Graham's biggest accomplishment during this time was the community work he helped lead, including fundraising efforts with the Special Olympics, Red Cross, and Calgary Stampeders during the 2013 Flood Relief.
​
In 2015, Graham was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary-Shaw. In that role, he helped his constituency navigate the intricacies of the SW Ring Road, and issues with the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). He also advocated for additional infrastructure projects like interchanges and school builds for the growing South Calgary Communities.
During his time in office, Graham served as chair for the Standing Committee on Alberta's Economic Future, which was responsible for reviewing the budget and legislation for a third of all government ministries. It also reviewed several emerging items, including:
In 2017, Graham was appointed as Vice-President of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) where he served two years. This organization is made of MLAs and US state Congressmen and Senators from Alberta, Saskatchewan, BC, Yukon, NorthWest Territories, Montana, Idaho, Washington State, Alaska and Oregon. In this role Graham helped with the adoption of mutually beneficial policies and represented Alberta on the North American stage.
Graham’s skills in PNWER were put to the test when President Trump, as part of his re-negotiation of NAFTA, threatened to put tariffs on Canadian products, including steel and aluminum, which would have impacted billions of dollars on the Canada-US supply chain. Graham was able to help coordinate memorandums of understanding between party lines to ensure that all 10 states, provinces, and territories had alignment and agreement on what they hoped to see in the new USMCA and delay impending tariffs.
​
When he was not re-elected in the 2019 provincial election, Graham quickly transitioned into a role as the Public Affairs Specialist at the not-for-profit tech organization Cybera. In this position Graham used his agility to help foster mutual relationships on policy issues, supporting government relations, organize and host workshops and panels, represent Cybera in many regulator and advocacy groups, and manage social media, marketing, and communication strategies.
​
Graham also supports his community through various volunteer activities including providing consulting for Alberta IOT (Internet of Things), and serving on the Senate for the University of Calgary.