The Alex Leadership Team
Joy Bowen-Eyre
Chief Executive Officer
As a recognized leader in Calgary’s social services community, Ms. Bowen-Eyre has a passion for community health, education, and social work and an intimate knowledge of Calgary’s nonprofit sector. She brings the experience, leadership and love for community that is needed for this critical position.
Holding previous positions as a social worker at McMan Youth and Family Services, and as an elected trustee on the Calgary Board of Education for seven years (three as Chair), Ms. Bowen-Eyre was most recently Director of Government Relations at the United Way of Calgary and Area.
Virginia Trawick
Chief Financial Officer
A Chartered Professional Accountant, Virginia brings with her 20 years of non-profit leadership experience in financial administration, risk and change management. With a passion for community health and social issues, she has also contributed as a volunteer with a variety of organizations including as treasurer & vice-chair at Volunteer Calgary and board member and treasurer at the Distress Centre. Virginia has completed training in leadership and strategic planning and is a graduate of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Outside of work, she tends her community garden, golfs and plays with her rescue dog Josie.
Merrill Cooper
Director of strategy, research and Evaluation
Merrill comes to the Alex with 30 years of social research and evaluation experience, most of which has been conducted in the non-profit and governmental sectors. Merrill’s work has focused on disadvantaged populations and the inter-related challenges of poverty and social inclusion, equality and human rights, crime and justice, intimate partner violence, housing and homeless, and child and youth development. She is excited to join the Alex team and contribute to the delivery of innovative and accessible programming and supports for Calgarians facing barriers.
Jackie Liu
Director of Clinical Operations
Jackie is intensely passionate about healthcare, community, and team-building. He comes to the Alex via a variety of experiences – he is a pharmacist by profession, and has worked with the Primary Care Networks, Alberta Health Services, long-term care, and private pharmacy. He has a keen interest in program development, partnership development, quality improvement, measurement and evaluation, and clinical data optimization. At The Alex, Jackie hopes to work with the team to better understand and reconcile our clients’ life circumstances, past experiences, and sociobehavioural determinants of health with best-practice medical care to improve overall health for our population.
Tori Wright
Director of Community Engagement and Development
Tori is a senior communications and community relations strategist who has dedicated much of her career to helping Calgary thrive. Her experiences include serving as Client Partner and Program Director for Evans Hunt and a Communications Consultant with The City of Calgary. Prior to joining The Alex, Tori led her own communications consulting practice supporting program development for organizations in mental health, primary health care and virtual health care technology. Tori holds a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication from Royal Roads University, a Graduate Certificate in Digital Strategy from UBC, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Cheryl San Juan
Director of
Primary Health Care
Cheryl is a passionate advocate for building health equity for marginalized and underserved populations. Her nursing career has enabled her to work in a variety of acute and primary care settings, while gaining an appreciation for the complexity of our Canadian healthcare system. Notable experiences include working for various acute care sites for Alberta Health Services including urgent care, as well as managing different programs at the Mosaic Primary Care Network. Cheryl is passionate about team wellness, patient-partnered care, utilization-focused evaluation, and developing health programs that are fiscally responsible. Cheryl endeavors to lead with compassion and authenticity in order to support the delivery of evidence and trauma informed health services.
Geoff Braun
Director of Housing and Community Programs
Geoff brings over 25 years in the nonprofit and public sectors to his role at The Alex. Over the course of his career, Geoff has gained experience in the fields of child and youth care, disability services, career development and environment. He is the past CEO of Prospect Human Services and former Executive Director of Green Calgary. Through previous roles with the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations and the Government of Alberta, Geoff has been an advocate for the critical work and role of Alberta’s nonprofit and charitable sector. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Victoria.
Geoff Webber
Associate Director of
Community & Social Initiatives
Geoff started with The Alex as a Vocational Specialist before assuming leadership roles within Housing First and Community Programs. He received an M.Ed. From the University of Saskatchewan, which emphasized place- and community-based education. His passion for adult education aligns with the core values and principles outlined by the Canadian Association of Community Health Centres.
Adjoa Chintoh-Silva
Associate Director of Youth Services
Adjoa (AJ) Chintoh-Silva is a passionate social advocate and community builder, with over 16 years of experience working in leadership supporting programs for at-risk, marginalized and disenfranchised young people in both community and institutional settings. She is an innovative problem solver always looking for opportunities to reduce system barriers for youth and families. AJ maintains and strives for collaborative relationships with colleagues, stakeholders and community partners on issues of mutual concern.
Steve Gaspar
Associate Director of
Housing Programs
Steve Gaspar is originally from Surrey, BC where he obtained an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and a MSc. in Public Health; both from Simon Fraser University. He has worked at the Alex since 2010 and during this time he helped develop one of the initial Housing First programs in Calgary – HomeBase. This program has successfully housed several hundred chronically homeless individuals. Currently Steve oversees all four Housing First programs for the Alex. In his spare time Steve enjoys running, weightlifting and eating pizza; not necessarily in that order.
Jennifer Eyford
Associate Director of Mental Health and Addictions
Jennifer has worked in a variety of health and mental health settings for the past 18 years. As a nurse she feels especially passionate about holistic health and found her calling when she started working with homeless and marginally housed individuals. She received her education at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago/IL and Mount Royal University in Calgary/AB. Jennifer’s hobbies are long distance running and reading.
Evans Yellow Old Woman
Associate Director of Indigenous Relations
Evans Yellow Old Woman is from Siksika Nation, Alberta. His Blackfoot name is Apsipistoo, which means White Owl. He is a member of the Blackfoot Confederacy and the Runs Away Buffalo Clan. He is a Two-Spirit man living and working in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). He is currently Associate Director of Indigenous Relations at The Alex. He is a co-founder of Voices: Calgary’s Coalition of 2S, Trans, Queer & Straight People of Colour. He co-parents his 10 year old niece, Teshay and is engaged to his partner Shilo Clark.
The Alex
Administration
#101 2840 2 Ave SE
Calgary AB T2A 7X9
403-520-2260
info@thealex.ca
CRA# 13282 4905 RR0001
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