Board of Directors Nominees 2023

I am a Registered Practical Nurse with over 45 years nursing and leadership experience in diverse environments. I have been a successful nurse entrepreneur running a community-based foot and wound care practice for 33 years.

I hold leadership positions including as the President of WeRPNs’ Independent Business Specialty Interest Group (IBSIG) for RPNs in independent business since 2010, former Vice President of the Nurses Entrepreneurial Foot Care Association Canada (NEFCA) and currently, sit on the Advisory Council to the Board of Directors for the Canadian Nursing Association (CNA): Specialty Nursing Practice.

I have been a Nurse Educator for WeRPN, Seneca & Loyalist Colleges and Arnott Lightens Your Load Inc. Educator/Preceptor and have provided traditional nursing care in Long-Term Care Centers throughout Greater Toronto area. I have also assisted the College of Nurses of Ontario as an Item Writer, Quality Assurance creator and a member of several committees involved in creating Best Practice Guidelines for Diabetic Foot Complications and Ulcerations. I also have private sector experience facilitating the workings of an international corporate office.

I am a volunteer with other non-government organizations including the Women’s Institute and the Girl Guides of Canada.

Jack (they/them/iel) grew up in a small French Métis community in a rural community in Manitoba surrounded by First Nations Reserves. In their youth, they grew up learning about their culture and the traditional teachings of the Objiwe/Anishinabe Nations. As they interacted with these communities and learned more about their stories, the inequities and injustices they faced became apparent. This instilled in them a passion for social justice and a desire to use their voice for change. They received their Nursing diploma from the Collège Universitaire de Saint-Boniface in 2004, their B. Sc. N from the University of Ottawa in 2009 and their M. Sc. N from the same institution in 2019. I am currently completing my doctorate in nursing at the University of Ottawa with a focus on two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc., communities during their transition to parenthood. They have worked in rural and urban settings and are currently employed at Université de Saint-Boniface and consider themselves a nurse educator and mentor. Their research and practice focus on the social, ecological structural determinants of health, with a planetary health focus.

Victoria Casas-Alcuaz is the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for the Frail Elderly-Older Adult Network of Fraser Health and a Consultant CNS for Long Term Care in Vancouver Coastal Health. She has been redeployed twice during COVID-19 and has jumped in as Pandemic Lead in Long Term Care at the height of the first wave and again as Clinical Lead for Vaccination Clinics during the third wave.

She is primarily ICU-trained with years of progressive leadership experience across Asia, Europe and North America. She has a Masters in Hospital and Educational Management and Advanced Mental-Health-Psychiatric Nursing as well as Haemato-oncology. She has a keen interest in bridging systems together for seamless transitions, better collaborations and Quality Improvement. She is passionate in changing the narrative on the nurses’ journey as indomitable health-care improvers and instituting the Joy At Work framework. She is a hiker, writer and has yet to finish her book.

I hold dual licensure as both a registered psychiatric nurse and a licensed practical nurse, and live and work in Manitoba. My work experiences span a wide variety of settings: long term care, geriatric psychiatry, acute psychiatry, addictions, psychiatric emergency, outpatient clinics, and education. I have practiced in both rural and urban settings. I am currently employed at Brandon University as an instructional associate, teaching in the psychiatric nursing program, where I am also a co-investigator on research projects examining the stories of nursing and psychiatric nursing students with disabilities. I am also currently completing graduate studies in the Masters of Psychiatric Nursing program. Outside of work and school I am part of a volunteer program that provides support to survivors of sexual abuse and serve on a board for a charitable organization that provides transitional housing for women leaving sex trafficking. I value relationships and am passionate about people realizing their potential.

Stephanie Tuurngaq Gilbert is an Inuk woman, Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing, Registered Nurse, Certified Remote Nurse, and Territorial Specialist of Public Health with over ten years of nursing experience in the Northwest Territories. She grew up in Iqaluit, Nunavut but her family is from Igloolik, Nunavut. She has spent recent years advocating for Inuit within health care and has emphasised the need for co-creating safe spaces and good relationships between health-care professionals and Indigenous people and communities using trauma-informed approaches to care and teaches real-world ways to accomplish this. She has worked with the Canadian Medical Association as a Member of the Indigenous Guiding Circle, the Canadian Nursing Association (CNA) as a member of the Indigenous Relations Advisory Council, as a presenter in the CNA Indigenous Leaders Series, as an Indigenous content reviewer for the Canadian Nurse online journal, as a presenter and guest lecturer for various nursing classes throughout Canada to speak on Truth and Reconciliation, and has written some online pieces about these subjects, and will continue to pursue work that gives Inuit a voice within health care and Reconciliation in Canada.

My nursing roots began as an RN Diploma graduate (1990), I continued on my education journey to graduate from both St Francis Xavier University (BScN) and Dalhousie University (MN).

I am a career public servant, currently serving as Indigenous Services Canada’s Deputy Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Director of Primary Care Services. In my Deputy CNO role, I perform key leadership function for nursing in the Department including union – management negotiations, occupational health and safety and recruitment and retention for a national nursing workforce of over 800 nurses. I am responsible additionally to advocate nationally for thousands of First Nation and Inuit employed nurses through policy and funding requests, all in collaboration with partners such as the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association.

I regularly work across health jurisdictions collaborating with provincial, national and international nursing organizations and I have significant experience at all these levels having participated in numerous task forces and professional collaborations. I am currently a CNA Board member in a one year term as part of the Board reorganization process, I am putting forward my candidature for re-election to continue this important work.

My name is Max Hamlyn and I have been Nursing now going on forty-six years. This is a career that I had never thought of growing up and went into Nursing at the suggestion of my sister's friend. It has turned into a career that I fully love and still love doing. I began my career as a Certified Nursing Assistant as at the time I graduated that was all there was in Newfoundland. I wrote my Canadian Registration exams when I moved to Nova Scotia in 1979 and became at that time a Registered Nursing Assistant. I have worked in many fields of Nursing over these many years everything from first breath to now End of Live Care. I have traveled and worked across the Canada including 11.5 years in the Canadian High Arctic. I have over the years specialized in different areas of Nursing. I have a Diploma in OR Technique as well hold a certificate as a Urology Technician. My current specialty is Hospice Palliative Care, a specialty that I absolutely love. I am also a firm believer in continuing education as you can see from my resume. As nurses we never stop learning, and I continue to want to learn.

Aileen Holland RN, ENC(C) is a Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) emergency certified nurse at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH). She has developed multiple educational activities for nurses including morbidity and mortality rounds. She is a member of multiple hospital committees and is a member of four nursing associations. She has completed a forensic nursing certificate at Pennsylvania State University and the didactic training for sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) as well as an adult/adolescent course at Texas A&M. She has volunteered at the Montreal Sexual Assault Centre and has been a guest presenter at McGill Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds. She has also successfully applied for accreditation for a lecture presented at McGill’s Ingram School of Nursing. She teaches nurses, students, residents, and physicians about best practice and trauma-informed care for victims of sexual assault and has recorded a podcast. She has presented at two IAFN conferences and was part of a panel discussion at the AQII conference in 2020. She was an expert advisor and evaluator for a new OBGYN sexual assault simulation. She is an advocate for victims of sexual assault and for the recognition of forensic nursing and all other specialties in the province of Quebec.

I graduated from the Bachelor of Nursing program at Memorial University in 2011. Since then, I have practiced primarily in community health and acute care dialysis. I currently work as a Tuberculosis Nurse in the Inuit community of Nain, the northernmost community in Labrador. I am accustomed to working with a great amount of autonomy and limited supervision in the workplace, which has developed my critical thinking skills. I completed a Master of Nursing with a Focus in Teaching from Athabasca University and I have maintained CNA Certification in Community Health Nursing since 2013. I am currently a member of council with the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador (CRNNL). I also volunteer my time with numerous community-based organizations and professional committees. I possess strong written and verbal communication skills and I am committed to working collaboratively to advance the nursing profession.

On a personal note, I am a proud foster parent and dog lover. I live with my husband and two dogs. I love to travel, camp, hike and kayak. I have a strong interest in nursing education and hope to pursue this area of nursing in the future.

I am an Indigenous nurse, a registered band member of Bear River First Nation, NS.

I have two Bachelors degrees (kinesiology and nursing) from Dalhousie University and a Master’s in Public Health (specialization in nursing) from Lakehead University, focusing on Indigenous mothers, substance use and program planning. I am currently enrolled at the University of Toronto in the DrPH (doctor of public health). My dissertation will be focusing on Indigenous masculinity.

She is currently self-employed as the owner and operator of two businesses, Mi’kmaq Mama (a craft studio) and Indigenous Health Academy (consulting and education services).

Jason Reeves of Kentville, Nova Scotia, has been a licensed practical nurse for over 25 years. A graduate of the Nova Scotia Community College, Jason has worked in a wide array of acute, community and continuing care settings including public health, mental health, medical, surgical, and emergency nursing. Jason currently works with Shannex Enhanced Care as the Manager of Work and Learn programs and educational partnerships. Jason has been involved with nursing regulation in Nova Scotia as both Vice-Chair and Chair of College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Nova Scotia where he was instrumental in the creation of one nursing regulator and is currently the Chair of the Nova Scotia College of Nursing Board of Directors.

Lucy has contributed more than four decades of progressive and diverse experience in acute and ambulatory settings as a frontline clinical manager, health informatics specialist, and as a project management leader to several organizational initiatives such as the planning and implementation of the Electronic Health Record at the Calgary Health Region in 2006,the development and offering of the Health Informatics course at the University of Calgary in anticipation of the Electronic Health Record readiness for frontline leaders within the Calgary area after Y2K, and the amalgamation of the different Hospital based Ethics Committee into one Regional Ethics team. More recently, she was instrumental in connecting patients living with a Cardiac Electrical Implantable Devices (CIED) remotely from their homes to their clinics in both urban and rural areas, thus reducing their travels to the clinics especially during the winter times yet having the option of being assessed by their clinicians remotely and reducing emergency admissions. This latter project culminated with their teams’ achievement of the 2020 Patient Experience Award given by the Health Quality Council of Alberta, 2021 Canadian Association of Cardiovascular Nursing Award in Health Promotion and Advocacy and the 2021 Filipino Women’s’ Network (FWN) Women of Influence Global Award on Innovation and Thought Leader and the Alberta Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Platinum Award.

I am an internationally educated nurse and I offer more than twenty (20) years of health-care experience in quality management, professional practice, patient experience and formal leadership roles. I hold an Executive Master in Business Administration and I am a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and Magnet®. I am a quality driven and outcome-focused seasoned nurse leader with an experience in concepts of Zero Harm and High Reliability, Process Improvement, and Accreditation. Throughout my career, I was able to drive transformation through cultivating shared governance, prioritizing safety in decision making and embedding high reliability principles. I have been instrumental in helping different hospitals nationally & internationally to achieve Magnet Recognition Program® Designation, Joint Commission International Accreditation and Accreditation Canada.

I assumed multiple leadership roles such as the Strategic Director of Nursing Excellence at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Deputy Chief of Quality at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center. Currently, I am the Director of Quality, Patient Safety, Patient Experience & Infection Prevention & Control at Mackenzie Health. I oversee and facilitate Hospital Corporate Quality Committees including the Quality & Patient Safety Risk Committee of the Board. I consider myself enthusiastic, flexible, employee and patient centered and team-player.

Synopsis

I am an internationally educated nurse and I offer more than twenty (20) years of healthcare experience in quality management, professional practice, patient experience, and formal leadership roles. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Executive Master in Business Administration and I am a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and Magnet®. Throughout my career, I was able to drive transformation through cultivating shared governance, prioritizing safety in decision making and embedding high reliability principles. I have been instrumental in helping different hospitals nationally & internationally to achieve Magnet Recognition Program® Designation, Joint Commission International Accreditation and Accreditation Canada.

I will contribute to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) by promoting safety science. It is essential to equip our healthcare providers with universal skills for reliability to influence patients’ outcomes and to prevent patient and workforce harm. Serious safety events have an impact on mental, physical, and emotional harm of our patients, families, and workforce. I would also attend to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion by addressing the problem of unconscious bias and microaggressions to harness the powers of diverse thinking and collaboration across nursing and healthcare.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has recently released data that unintended hospital harm has increased from 5.4 to 6 per 100 hospitalizations across Canada in 2021/2022. The report reveals that 1 in 17 hospital stays in Canada involved at least 1 harmful event. It is now the perfect opportunity to improve our systems and processes to reduce preventable harm. The nurses’ shortage is worsening and burnout is increasing, by implementing safety science around universal skill for error prevention and investing time and energy into creating a diverse and inclusive environment, patient and workforce harm will decrease.

Angela Wignall is a Registered Nurse serving as the Director, Professional Practice & Health Policy with the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of British Columbia (NNPBC), BC’s unified professional nursing association. Angela is a policy nurse whose practice centres nursing at the intersection of policy and governance. Angela holds a BA from York University, a BSN from the University of Victoria, a Masters in Policy & Practice, and is currently completing her PhD with a research focus on state level health policy coalitions. She is a member of Canada’s CNO Advisory Committee on Nursing Retention and chairs the International Council of Nurses’ PAHO region and Global GNLI Alumni Policy Tables. Angela advises and speaks around the world on nurse-led innovation, clinical governance, policy science, and health-care transformation. She lives with her partner and two sons on the beautiful homelands of the Lekwungen speaking peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, in what is colonially known as Victoria, BC.

Jennifer Daly-Cyr is a Marketing and Strategic Planning specialist with over a decade of experience in Higher Education and a decade in Marketing Research experience in the Private and a Crown Corporation. Prior to the sudden onset of severe abdominal pain, she had a demanding career and an active personal life with a passion for climbing mountains in my spare time. In fact, she had just returned from a second climb of Kilimanjaro when struck with pain. She has since been on a journey of learning to live with persistent pain and adapting to the dramatic changes this has brought to daily life. While this unexpected circumstance brought a pause to her successful career, it opened up an entire world of advocacy for patient engagement. She has leveraged her skills and experience to advocate, collaborate and share her perspective as a person with lived experience/patient partner/advisor serving a number of national pain research initiatives and projects. She is a strong believer advocating in the public interest for advancing the incorporation of lived experience perspective into research, improving understanding about the value of patient engagement in research and for the improvement of broader health-care system efforts.

Domestic and international business leader of broad organizational responsibilities, which include managing P&L for a high-growth business within a competitive and complex industry (life sciences); mastering the workings and execution of M&A as a growth strategy; planning and implementation of integration and divestiture activities; and connecting the critical value-creating components of a business to ensure smooth operations management and profitability. One of Ms. Gins’ core values is fostering a productive and effective cross-team collaboration culture to surpass stakeholder expectations and build a knowledge-based center of excellence. Ms. Gins has over 25 years of experience in leadership roles, coaching and training, change management, business development, project management, and process reengineering. She holds a Harvard Business School Women on Boards Certificate, an Executive MBA from McGill-HEC Montreal, a Stanford LEAD Certificate in Corporate Innovation, and is PMP certified. A current participant in the Governance for Corporate Directors Certification Program at the Collège des Administrateurs de Sociétés of ULaval.