There have been many changes to the Board of Directors over the past three years, and each Director has contributed significantly to support the growth of Open Arms. Below is a list of the current Board of Directors as of March 31, 2023 and a list of some recent Past Directors. Thank you all for your involvement and time with OA!
Board Of Directors
Gail Nowlan
Gail joined the Open Arms Board of Directors in 2020 as Volunteer Coordinator, and was elected Vice Chair at the March 2023 AGM. As a family caregiver, HR Manager in non-profit seniors housing, previous elected official, and passionate community builder, Gail works with Open Arms to advance the mission that anyone needing help navigating the healthcare system has someone to walk with them through their journey. As Volunteer Coordinator, Gail onboarded dozens of volunteers, improved the process for training volunteers (including Board Directors), and built a pool of volunteers who are ready to help as needed. In the role of Vice Chair, Gail remains committed to relationship-building and helping Open Arms be the organization of choice for volunteers. She supports Open Arms in creating awareness of its patient advocacy services and volunteer opportunities by attending events and building partnerships with charities and with other non-profit organizations. Gail is an advocate, collaborator, and connector that would love to hear from you and find a way we can work together!
Emma Elder
Emma joined the Board of Directors for Open Arms in 2023. Her responsibilities as Treasurer include budgeting, management of day-to-day expenses, and preparation of financial statements for the board. Emma is a fierce advocate for women’s health and is completing her undergraduate thesis on postpartum cardiovascular complications at the University of Alberta. Through Open Arms, she hopes to better understand the intricacies of healthcare ethics from a new perspective as she prepares for a career in medicine. Aside from academia, Emma volunteers with Hope Mission to support Edmonton’s homeless population and she is the President of her students’ association. She is also a poet and enjoys attending concerts and live shows.
Heather Templeton
Heather joined Open Arms as an advocate in 2018 and joined the board of directors in 2020. As Advocacy Chair, Heather is responsible for working with advocate volunteers, reviewing cases, and assigning them to the appropriate advocate. Heather’s journey to advocacy began when working as a cook at Senior Lodges where she spent much of her time getting to know the residents. She later volunteered and worked for the Alzheimer Society of Calgary Adult Day Program “Club 36” and administrative support and has extensive experience working in long-term care and hospice. Heather attended Mount Royal College where she received her Gerontology Certificate and Grant McEwan College where she received her Compassionate Care Certificate. She also holds a Licensed Practical Nurse Certificate and graduated from Ambrose University in 2019 where she received her master’s degree in Leadership in Ministry. While in school her father became extremely ill, and Heather and her family had to advocate for him as the care he received in hospital contributed to further complications. This experience along with her patient focussed work and education intensified her passion for patient advocacy. In her spare time, Heather enjoys knitting, reading, walking, animals of all kinds, and music.
Kaylee Dawson
Kaylee was a volunteer patient advocate from 2018 to 2022, when she was elected the Advocacy Co-Director. Kaylee works with people with disabilities and mental health challenges full-time. She became involved in Open Arms while looking for volunteer opportunities during a class at Bow Valley College. Upon losing her father in 2014, Kaylee wishes she had known about Open Arms back then. As Advocacy Co-Director, Kaylee assists with bringing on new advocates and leading the advocacy team. When Kaylee is not volunteering or working, she enjoys singing lessons, playing softball, getting outside with her fiancé and dogs, spending time with her two cats, and learning to grow a garden.
Nishi Patel
Nishi’s passion and experience in promoting self-advocacy among equity-seeking minority groups in healthcare led her to join the Open Arms Board of Directors in 2021. As an Outreach Director, Nishi works with a diverse team of volunteers to spread awareness about our services and make connections with organizations whose values and goals align with ours. As a PhD candidate specializing in virology, Nishi applies her research background to provide crucial evidence to policy makers that the non-medical needs of Albertans are not being met. In her spare time, Nishi enjoys travelling, kayaking, and dancing.
Bianca Velasco
Bianca joined the Open Arms Board of Directors in 2020. As a former caregiver who has experienced challenges in the healthcare system, Bianca became motivated to share her skills to help others have a voice in their healthcare journey. Bianca supports Open Arms in the planning and execution of various initiatives including the website revamp and marketing efforts. Outside of Open Arms, Bianca works in tech, with a focus on product marketing, launching new products to help professionals work better. Passionate to contribute to her community, she has recently joined another Alberta non-profit board to support family caregivers and is also currently working on a personal project to provide resources for mental health support for the Filipino immigrant community. In her spare time, Bianca enjoys hiking new summits in the rockies, learning new songs on the ukulele, and improving her cake decorating skills.
Graham King
Graham joined in 2022 as the Information Technology (IT) and Privacy Director. He has over 20 years of experience in IT and brings a wealth of expertise in networking, systems, and security to his role. Graham is dedicated to continuously enhancing his skills and knowledge and he is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Calgary. With CISSP and CISA certifications, he has extensive experience in systems and network analysis, cybersecurity, operational technology, audit, and IT consulting. As the IT and Privacy Director, Graham is responsible for ensuring that Open Arms’ follows best practices for technology and data management. Graham is implementing new technologies and enhancing existing systems so that Open Arms can provide the highest quality support to its clients. Outside of work and studies, Graham enjoys hiking, backcountry camping, snowshoeing, and travelling with his family and friends.
Other Team Members
Hali Melnyk
Hali has proudly worked for Open Arms Patient Advocacy since 2014 where she is responsible for a variety of key activities. She is the first point of contact for Open Arms clients, often providing guidance through the intake process. Hali is a member of the Advocacy Committee where she contributes her insights and counsel to advocates and clients. She also works closely with the Board of Directors on many projects. Hali is a graduate from the University of Calgary where she acquired her Bachelor of Commerce degree. Her education has helped her streamline processes and develop business strategies. Hali is the mother of two girls and is located in Medicine Hat. She enjoys gardening, camping and caring for her three adorable cats.
Past Directors
Christina LeGay
Christina was Board Chair from 2019 to 2023. Her responsibilities as Board Chair were varied as she led and mediated monthly board meetings and the activities of the directors; and she assumed the responsibilities of other positions when vacant. Christina changed the structure of Board Meetings to increase efficiency and productivity, presented Open Arms’ services to other organizations, and helped draft new Bylaws for Open Arms. Christina will be starting medical school at the University of Calgary in July 2023.
Khyati Kryger
Khyati joined Open Arms in August 2022 to volunteer as Treasurer. As Treasurer, she used her accounting experience and bookkeeping skills to bring the society's books up to date and create the annual financial statements for the AGLC and the registrar. Khyati is pursuing her CPA degree and works as a Staff Accountant at Friesen Viney Stasiuk Chartered Professional Accountants.
Kim Nguyen
Kim joined Open Arms as a volunteer to support our SharePoint database update in 2021, and was later elected to the Board as IT, Privacy, and Analytics Co-Director alongside Jon Adam. In her work, she revised and improved Open Arms' file storage and management, and data-analysis capabilities. Kim provided support for onboarding new volunteers and created all the forms available on Open Arms new website. Kim is an Accountant and holds her CPA and CGA certifications.
Nathan Hertz
Nathan was the Open Arms Vice Chair for over three years from 2019 to 2022. As Vice Chair, Nathan supported the work of all Directors and spear-headed several key projects. Some of Nathan’s activities with Open Arms included fundraising, upgrading the team’s database and website, and improving the team’s internal processes. Nathan works for Suncor Energy Inc as a Service Procurement and Contract Specialist and is a part of Suncor’s Calgary Corporate Challenge Committee. He maintains a keen interest in empowering others in overcoming their health issues.
Kristen Schmidt
Kristen was the Media and Marketing Director for Open Arms (OA) from 2018 to 2022. She brought a decade of experience in corporate communications to her volunteer work and refreshed Open Arms’ branding. Kristen revised our vision and mission, established a social media presence for OA, wrote copy for the new website, and trained board directors on media relations. Kristen is currently a Communications Manager at Eldorado Gold Corporation.
Alyssa Lam
Alyssa volunteered with Open Arms from 2018 to 2021 as Outreach Director. Alyssa’s experience working in public health and patient-oriented research, and her background in marketing, communications, and operations management was an asset to Open Arms’ Outreach efforts. She spread awareness about our services and developed partnerships with organizations whose values and goals align with those of Open Arms. Since leaving Open Arms, Alyssa started a new job as Director of Communications & Content at Carbide.
Gurleen Gill
Gurleen was Treasurer for Open Arms (OA) from 2020 to 2022. As Treasurer, she prepared annual financial statements, handled day-to-day expenses and transactions, and provided the organization with financial management advice. Gurleen created a fillable budget template that has been an essential tool for Open Arms' budgeting and forecasting. Gurleen joined OA to apply her professional finance experience in a non-profit environment, and since leaving she has become an Associate in Investment Banking at National Bank Financial.
Jonathan Adam
Jon volunteered for Open Arms from 2020 to 2022. As IMAT Co-Director, Jon applied his education in business intelligence by supporting the maintenance and improvement of the Open Arms website, database, and account access. He spearheaded the overhaul of the website and led the website committee. Since leaving Open Arms, Jon has continued to build on over a decade of work within the Calgary Real Estate industry and is a Property Assessor with the City of Calgary and working on his Commercial Appraisal designation.
Ben Bishop
Ben held the position of Secretary from 2020 to 2022. As Secretary, Ben created a much-needed template for recording Open Arms’ meeting minutes and he led the committee that updated the society’s bylaws to meet Government of Alberta standards. Since moving on from Open Arms, Ben has completed his Paramedic training in Calgary and continues to advocate for patients.
Want to Get Involved?
We have many opportunities for those who want to volunteer with Open Arms, such as joining our Board of Directors, becoming and Advocate, or volunteering at events, or enioying the perks of becoming a member. You can make a difference and use your skills to improve the lives of others.
Find out how you can get involved.
“The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are.”
― Johnnetta B. Cole