• Amy and her family are settlers on Treaty Six territory. She is a second-generation Albertan, and a first-generation lawyer and mother to two children. In the lifetimes before motherhood and law school, she worked as a human rights educator at home and abroad, spent too short a time supporting the community at Boyle Street Community Services, and worked as a political staffer.  Amy joined the Crown Prosecution Service in December 2025 after beginning her legal career in employment law. Amy became a member of the Boyle Street Board in 2026.

• “As a treaty person, I have an obligation to the reciprocal treaty relationship. I am honoured by this new opportunity to be in relationship with Boyle Street Community Services and the Community Members it serves.”

John is a founding partner with St. Arnaud Pinsent Steman Chartered Professional Accountants (SPS) following a distinguished ten-year career with Ernst and Young LLP. John holds a BEd and BComm from the University of Alberta, obtained his ICD.D designation in 2010 and became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta in 2013.  John has spent his professional life building our community and currently serves as a director on a number of volunteer boards including Special Olympics Edmonton (Past Chair), the Alberta Diabetes Foundation (director and treasurer) and the Muttart Foundation (director and treasurer).  In 2012, John was the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his volunteer work with Special Olympics.  In 2017, John also received the Venture Capital of Alberta Rod Charko Service Award for outstanding contribution to Alberta’s technology ecosystem.  He is the proud father to five children and two grandchildren. John joined the Boyle Street Board in December 2020.

"Giving back to our community is what brings balance to all that we do in life.  I’m excited about the amazing work being done at Boyle Street and am always looking forward to finding solutions to the many challenges that we face together.” 

• Johanna is a housing and human services leader with more than 20 years of experience supporting people and communities across Edmonton. Her career has spanned frontline addictions and mental health support, affordable housing operations, and leadership within the non-profit and public sectors. She has worked alongside individuals experiencing addiction, mental health challenges, and housing instability, and believes that safe, stable housing is a critical foundation for health, well-being, and opportunity. Johanna is passionate about strengthening governance, building collaborative partnerships, and supporting organizations that create lasting social impact.

• "I've had the privilege of working alongside people whose strength and resilience have shaped my own perspective. Every person has a story, every interaction matters, and I believe we all have a responsibility to show up for one another with compassion, respect, and a genuine willingness to care."

My interest in volunteerism started when I was in high-school out of a desire give back to the community that gave me so much. Growing up in north Edmonton with a single mom with two jobs I spent quite a bit of time outside of school engaging in community activities centered on helping people get access to services that they either are unable to access due to an inability to get there or lack of knowledge of the existence of such services.

During my time in university studying Nursing, I actually got to spend sometime at the old Boyle Street site behind MacEwan University and found it to be just a fascinating place. Many years later as my career progressed from staff nurse to the leadership team I came to further appreciate the importance of the services I had seen being provided to a community that makes up a great proportion of the people we see in the hospital. And in that spirit I tried to join the organization that I had so much admiration for and here I am. Our organization has been so integral to our community for decades because the services we provide are indispensable and as a board member I will protect and promote our the work we do.

Otherwise, to share a little bit about my self; I just got married in June of this year to my beautiful wife Melissa. Together we live with my elderly cat, Minky. When I'm not at work or spending time with family, I enjoy reading fiction novels, watching basketball, and enjoying our city's vibrant and growing art scene with performances from comedy to theater to music and everything in between.

Annaliese Pope is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Grant MacEwan University. Her work examines theories and experiences of inequality. She has performed research on the unlawful eviction of marginalized populations with the London Poverty Research Centre in London, Ontario, and is currently completing a project with Boyle Street Education Centre here in Edmonton that examines students’ feelings of (un)safety in places where they seek rest. Annaliese is committed to bridging the gap between academic research and the lived experiences of marginalized populations in order to address systemic forms of inequality.

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“I am so impressed by Boyle Street’s commitment to making community members feel seen and heard, and by the passion and humility of team members. I am very pleased to be part of this organization, and look forward to connecting more with these communities during my time on the Board.”

• Veronique is a former Construction Engineering Officer with the Canadian Armed Forces. Throughout her 14+ years of service, she had the opportunity to lead several engineering teams both domestically and overseas. Post-service, she spent two years as a Recruitment Consultant in Engineering and Technical/Supply Chain & Operations with Aplin, a private firm founded in Alberta. A lifelong learner, Veronique holds both a BEng and an MASc in Civil Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada as well as an MBA from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. She was awarded the Chief of Defense Staff Commendation in 2020 for her work as Project Manager of the Multinationals Headquarters in Riga, Latvia.

   

• “My career as a Construction Engineering Officer came to an unexpected end due to significant mental health struggles. Through my recovery, I have been blessed to have several protective factors: financial stability, a supportive spouse, a safe home and a dedicated care team. I feel a deep sense of injustice at the thought that some individuals must not only overcome their struggles, but also simultaneously deal with significant and/or systemic barriers to recovery and well-being. I believe everyone deserves to have someone walk alongside them and I am proud to be a part of the work being done at Boyle Street Services Society.” 

• Alison is a Development Officer at the Edmonton Humane Society with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit fundraising. She specializes in building meaningful relationships with donors, corporations, and partners to advance causes that strengthen our communities. Alison believes philanthropy is about connecting people with the causes they care about to create meaningful impact.

•  In addition to her professional work, Alison has a strong history of community leadership. She previously served as Vice-Chair of the West Jasper Sherwood Community League, Board of Directors and has held various leadership roles on public school councils and community committees, where her work directly supported fundraising initiatives and fostered stronger connections. As a proud Métis woman with roots in Sakitawak (Île-à-la-Crosse) in Northern Saskatchewan, Alison comes from a family with a long history of building and strengthening community through service, generosity, and leadership. Joining the Boyle Street Community Services Board is an opportunity to continue that family legacy.

• "I feel a deep personal connection to the work Boyle Street does to support people through  some of life's most complex challenges. My lived experiences have shaped my compassion and understanding of the realities many people face, and I believe our strength and resilience come from the people, stories, and experiences that make up our community. I am honoured to bring my perspective and experience to the Board of Directors and contribute to the programs, services, and relationships that make Boyle Street such an important part of our city"

Marissa is a mushkego cree woman who  works to support institutions like the University of Alberta to address systemic racism and equity in health care and education with a focus on meeting the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to action. Marissa has a masters in Science from the University of Alberta's School of Public Health, A bachelor of Education, A bachelor of Arts in Natives studies as well as a certificate in Kinesiology in Indigenous Sports and Recreation- also from the University of Alberta. She brings to this work her passion for meaningful education that is focused on addressing systemic barriers, systemic racism and inequity and a commitment to supporting wellness and cultural reclamation for First Nations, Inuit and Metis people whose lives have been affected by colonialism. She has several years of experience working in health education, housing and advocacy supporting people experiencing marginalization. Marissa has a long history with the downtown community and Boyle Street Community services as an employee, a student and community member.

“I grew up in Edmonton with a mother who was resourceful, she knew where to find community and she played a role in supporting that community as well. Because of this, I have seen first hand the beauty of this community and know the importance of safe and meaningful service provision for community members; Boyle Street has been an instrumental space for this for many years. Though my career has branched out of the community I always felt that I wanted to be engaged in the meaningful work of Boyle Street Community Services again. I am grateful for the opportunity to come back to this space as a board member.”