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OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PolicyWise is grateful to its Board of Directors for their time, energy, and wisdom as they guide our organization.

Dr. Robbie Babins-Wagner,
Ph.D., RSW

Chief Executive Officer, Calgary Counselling Centre

Ms. Amanda Broos, BComm

Vice President, People, Neo Financial

Ms. Stacey Gellatly,
MA, BA (Hons)

Branch Manager, Social Development, City of Edmonton

Strategic Advisory Committee Chair

Mr. James Grattan, CPA, CA

Chief Financial Officer, Edmonton Catholic Schools

Finance, Investment & Audit Committee Chair

Ms. Angela Logan,
MBA, CPA, CA

Chief Financial Officer,
Aquatera Utilities Inc.

Ms. Michelle Okere, BA, CFRE

Entrepreneur

Vice-Chair of the Board

Mr. Mark Razzolini, BA, CPHR

Vice President, People, Wellness & Innovation, Alberta Blue Cross

Mr. Rod Rode, MSW, BSW, BA

Chief Executive Officer, The Family Centre (retired)

Governance Committee Chair

About Mr. Mark Razzolini

Mark Razzolini is a passionate senior executive who enjoys using the knowledge and skills he has acquired over the years not only to support his workplace, but also to support his community in various volunteer settings. Mark currently serves as Vice-President, People, Wellness & Innovation at Alberta Blue Cross where his portfolio includes human resources and payroll, facilities, learning and development, wellness, and innovation. During his tenure in this role, the organization has received the Premier’s Award for Healthy Workplaces for 5 consecutive years, and the Healthy Leadership Award from the province of Alberta. Alberta Blue Cross has consistently been named Top 70 Employers in Alberta and received the award for Top 10 Cultures in Canada. Mark’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a certificate in human resources from the University of Alberta; a project leadership certificate from NAIT; and certificates in executive strategic planning, executive human resources management, and senior executive development from Queen’s University. Further to this, he has completed the Prosci Change Management Certification and is also a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) with CPHR Alberta.

What excites you about being on the PolicyWise board?
I love the mission/mandate of PolicyWise. I feel that how we treat and support children and their families has a direct impact on the type of society we are now and will be in the future. I cannot imagine more important work, and I would like to play a part in making a difference in this area.

What do you aspire to bring to the board – For example, what is your unique strength, skill, passion, ‘super power’, and/or interest area?
I think my personal belief that we are all here to make a difference. I am pretty driven to make the world a better place one step at a time. I am very passionate about education and kids, and I am energized by the thought of helping to change our system so that every child can succeed and we can collectively demonstrate that every child does matter!

What is your favourite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?
For me, it is to get out into the river valley and taking some time to reflect and focus on my mental wellness. I also love an invite to mom’s for dinner…that is always great 😊

Dr. Jackie Sieppert,
Ph.D., MSW, BSW

Interim Director, School of Public Policy,
University of Calgary

Chair of the Board

Dr. Nicoelle Wanner, MD, CCFP

Family Physician, College Clinic

Ms. Cheryl Whiskeyjack

Executive Director, Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society

About Dr. Nicoelle Wanner

Nicoelle Wanner was born and raised in Medicine Hat. After completing her medical education in Edmonton in 2003, she was fortunate to be able to return home to complete her residency, and subsequently operate her own family practice from 2005-2017. In 2017, after her personal experience as a parent with a child needing mental health services, she chose to close her practice and dedicate her time to improving the access, quality, and delivery of mental health services for children and adolescents. She has worked to initiate and support several local and provincial projects that aim to meet this goal. Dr. Wanner played a pivotal role in the early development of an Integrated Youth Hub in Medicine Hat. She led an initiative that has resulted in the completion of the CanREACH pediatric mental health mini-fellowship program by more than 35 Southern Alberta physicians, mental health professionals, and educators. She was also fortunate to work alongside the Alberta Health Services Children & Families Addictions and Mental Health Team, providing team-based mental health care to local youth in a one of a kind provincial pilot program. Dr. Wanner has provided primary care services to staff and students at the Medicine Hat College for the last 8 years. Dr. Wanner and her husband, Tyler, have three children and 14 nieces and nephews; all of whom serve as her motivation for this important work.

What excites you about being on the PolicyWise board?
I'm looking forward to the possibility of effecting positive policy changes on a provincial level. Many of the systemic challenges when it comes to care of children and youth stem from policy barriers.

What do you aspire to bring to the board – For example, what is your unique strength, skill, passion, ‘super power’, and/or interest area?
I bring two unique experiences. First, I bring the perspective of a community based primary care physician. Community physicians are rarely represented as they exist largely outside of AHS. I also bring the perspective of a mother with lived experience with the child and youth mental health system. I have first-hand experience of the barriers faced by children and families as they attempt to access services.

What is your favourite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?
Have a nap.

About Ms. Cheryl Whiskeyjack

Cheryl Whiskeyjack is the Executive Director of the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society and has been with Bent Arrow just about since its inception over a quarter-century ago. Now she oversees a suite of 21 different programs and services. The organization’s programming connects indigenous clients to the city around them, and helps them build skills and resilience that they can use in other parts of their lives. Cheryl proudly serves as a board member of the Canadian Accreditation Council of Human Services, the ALIGN Association of Community Services, and was newly appointed to the Board of PolicyWise for Children & Families. She has contributed to the work of EndPovertyEdmonton since its inception and currently acts as co-chair of the Stewardship Round Table. She also sits at the table for the National Advisory Council on Poverty. She acts as a mentor for the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations Executive Director Mentorship program and represents Bent Arrow through C5, a collaborative partnership of five non-profits using innovative engagement in vulnerable neighbourhoods. Cheryl is proud of the strong partnerships she has maintained across sectors. A graduate of the Child & Youth Care Program at Grant MacEwan University in 1995 and was recognized with Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. She was also recognized with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of Alberta in 2021. Cheryl was also recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary Foundation in 2021.

What excites you about being on the PolicyWise board?
I know the importance of the story that data can tell. It's not an area of strength for me so this post will push me into a challenging zone which I like. I am by nature a storyteller, and stories inform, teach, and guide. They map roads we've travelled, mistakes we've made, as well as discoveries along the way. Preserving these stories helps us map our own journey but also those to follow. They are the building blocks of Society.

What do you aspire to bring to the board – For example, what is your unique strength, skill, passion, ‘super power’, and/or interest area?
I have 30 years of collected stories and experiences myself from a wonderful career in the Human Services field. My superpower I think is to call people into those stories. Indigenous folks have had a difficult journey and I think Canada is in the early stages of reconciliation and reparations. The journey between the two will be difficult for "systems" to understand and acknowledge. My superpower will be to call people into that difficult conversation. I will do this in a gentle way.

What is your favourite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?
Take care of my family! This looks like cooking for them. Swimming or some other activity with my littles. Walking my dog. My life entire is a life of service and weekends are an opportunity to direct that service to my family. They are the fuel for my emotional tank for the week.