Community Advisory Council

Carlene Donnelly

Executive Director, CUPS

Carlene Donnelly has more than 25 years as an executive leader and consultant in the non-profit and social services sector. She has led an organization through significant change and growth, participated in high profile research and advocacy projects and is asked to speak internationally about her work and experience.

Donnelly believes that non-profit and social sectors have much more potential to scale up positive outcomes for children and families and that by adopting a business framework and applying current brain science, they will be able to be achieve larger impact.

Randy Mabbott

President, of Grand Central Properties Inc.

Randy Mabbott serves on the Board of Directors and as President to Grand Central Properties Inc. In addition, he is formerly a lawyer with the law firm Mabbott & Company.

Mr. Mabbott has had extensive experience acting for individuals, private and public companies, locally, nationally and internationally. He has experience with startup private companies through taking companies public. He also has extensive experience in technology issues having served as General Counsel to a technology company publicly listed on the NASDAQ exchange.

Mr. Mabbott is very involved in community activities. He was a member of the University of Calgary Senate – a bridge between the university and the wider community. Mr. Mabbott is a former President of the Cochrane and District Chamber of Commerce. He is past Chairman of the Student Financial Assistance Appeal Committee, Calgary; the former Chairman of the Town of Cochrane Subdivision and Development Appeal Board and received the commemorative medal for the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in recognition of significant contribution to compatriots, community and to Canada. He is also a community member of the University of Calgary Faculty of Nursing advisory committee. 

Janice Stewart

Senior Operating Officer, Peter Lougheed Centre

Janice Stewart has worked in health care in Calgary for 30 years. She holds degrees in nursing and health administration from the University of Manitoba and Central Michigan University. During the course of her career, Stewart has had the opportunity to work in both acute care and community roles. She has been the Director of Home Care and Executive Director of Cardiac Sciences under the former Calgary Health Region, Executive Director for Surgery and Women’s Health at the Rockyview General Hospital and is currently the Senior Operating Officer of the Peter Lougheed Centre.

Shawna Syverson

Chief Zone Officer, Calgary Zone, Alberta Health Services

Shawna Syverson is a senior healthcare executive with over 35 years of experience in public and private sector healthcare. Shawna is the Chief Zone Officer, Calgary Zone, for Alberta Health Services. Prior to this role, Shawna was the Senior Operating Officer of the Foothills Medical Center, a position she held from 2009 – 2024. Shawna took a one-year secondment during this tenure in 2016, when she held the Chief Operating Officer role for Calgary Lab Services. Shawna is presently the Board Chair of Carewest Board of Directors.

In addition, Shawna has held several senior roles in the Calgary Zone in the areas of Surgical Services, Cardiac Sciences, Bone and Joint and the Chief Operating Officer office, and was the Chief Executive Officer, Surgical Centres Incorporated – a western Canada private and public surgical services company.

Shawna is a native Calgarian and has graduated from the University of Calgary with the Bachelor of Arts degree (Major in Psychology). She also has Post Graduate Professional Managers Certificate from University of Calgary and Post Graduate Certificate of Business Administration from Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh Business School, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Barb Shellian

Director, Bow Valley Community and Rural Health

Barbara Shellian is a registered nurse committed to nursing practice, health care reform and people. She is Director, Rural Health – Calgary Zone, Alberta Health Services and is located in Canmore, Alberta. Barb is a graduate of the Foothills Hospital School of Nursing and earned her Bachelor and Masters Degrees from the University of Calgary.

Shellian has also been very active in professional and community organizations. Since 1980, she has been involved in the provincial professional association and served as President of the Alberta Association of Registered Nurses from 1995 to 1997. She has presented many papers on clinical and professional issues across Alberta and at national and international conferences. She is also an adjunct assistant professor for the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Nursing and has been instrumental in establishing a national association for rural and remote nurses and was elected as the first president of the Canadian Association of Rural and Remote Nurses in 2004. She was co-chair of the International Council of Nurses Rural and Remote Nursing Network 2009-2017. Shellian is the past president of the Canadian Nurses Association (2016-2018) and is currently the editor-In-chief for the Canadian Nurse online journal.

She has been the recipient of several awards including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals in recognition of contribution to Canada and nursing. Barb also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta in 2021. In 2024, Barb received the Order of the University of Calgary. 

Tracey Martin

Chief Operating Officer, Kids Cancer Care

Tracey Martin has been a leader in the private, government and charity sectors for more than 20 years. She’s been part of starting up an organization and evolving it into a recognized charity and launching and leading a research and innovation arm of business that showcased its work and social impact nationally and globally.    

Tracey’s passionate about collaborating with great partners and co-designing with young people, families, and communities to new kids of solutions to society’s current challenges.   

Elaine Wilson

Incoming President & CEO, CUPS

Elaine is the incoming President and Chief Executive Officer of CUPS as of January 1, 2025. Elaine has been with the organization for more than 10 years. She started as an outreach nurse with the organization and has worked in various capacities including Director of Health Services and Chief Operating Officer. She has also worked overseas in eastern Africa on various community health initiatives and has worked for First Nations and Inuit Health in Atlantic Canada. Elaine is passionate about working towards health equity for all populations and believes this is achievable through intentional collaboration and engagement from all levels of community, partners and government.

Elaine holds a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Calgary and a Masters degree in Public Health from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. 

Dr. Catherine Laing

Interim Dean, UCalgary Nursing

Dr. Laing has served as associate dean, undergraduate programs, in the Faculty of Nursing since 2018 and previously served as acting dean in the fall of 2023. Dr. Laing has been working in the field of paediatric oncology nursing for 25 years and holds a PhD as well as a Master of Nursing, Bachelor of Nursing, and Bachelor of Physical Education from UCalgary.

Dr. Laing’s research is in the field of paediatric oncology, and, more recently, in undergraduate nursing program planning. Dr. Laing’s current research interests lie in lottery-based admission processes in undergraduate nursing education, and the role of technology for evaluation and clinical feedback. 

Dr. Laing has been in in the field of paediatric oncology nursing for 18 years, and in that time has held clinical, educational, administrative, and academic roles. Predominantly a qualitative researcher, Dr. Laing has held an academic appointment with the University of Calgary, Faculty of Nursing since 2013, and is active at the local, provincial, national, and international levels of paediatric oncology nursing.

Stephanie Ng

Director of Development, UCalgary Nursing

Stephanie Ng has worked in development, marketing and communications in the non-profit sector for more than 12 years. She began her career at the University of Calgary in May 2011 with an advisor role with the Principal Gifts team that provided strategic recommendations and support to the President and Vice-Provost, and executive team members of the University of Calgary.

From there she transitioned to a front-line fundraising role with the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary supporting initiatives in population health, global health, indigenous health, and community engagement.

Stephanie is a native Calgarian and a graduate of the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary.

Lynda Sea

Senior Manager of Communications, UCalgary Nursing

Lynda Sea has worked in higher ed communications for more than a decade. She previously managed communications for the Libin Cardiovascular Institute at Cumming School of Medicine and was the UToday Online Editor for a stint. She has been with the Faculty of Nursing since 2015 as UCalgary Nursing’s senior communications and digital specialist where she built up the faculty’s online and social media presence.

Lynda is also a former journalist and award-winning magazine writer in Calgary. Her stories have appeared in Avenue, WestJet Magazine, Culinaire, EnRoute and Flare. She’s a freelance writer/editor who contributes regularly to Leap magazine on behalf of the Alberta Cancer Foundation, SPUR on behalf of the Calgary Foundation and Create Calgary on behalf of Calgary Arts Development.