Diana brings a unique set of skills to the Boyle Street Board and holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Alberta. She has founded two management consulting firms with a strong focus on business and strategic planning, training and development for small and mid-sized enterprises. Diana is grateful to have an opportunity to give back to a community that has supported her when she first arrived as a new Canadian over 30 years ago.  Diana joined the Boyle Street Services Society Board in October 2019.

"I am most proud of Boyle Street’s approach to addressing societal issues that many people are impacted by every day, working alongside those whose daily realities are shaped by inequities while preserving human dignity and self-worth."

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.” 

Vicki Shaughnessy holds a degree in Social Work from the University of Calgary and is a Registered Social Worker. She has worked front-line positions for Sage Seniors Association, and the Women's Emergency Accommodation Centre as well as community development and support roles in an MLA Constituency Office and with the Alberta College of Social Workers. Vicki joined the Boyle Street Board in 2017 and has been serving as the Board Secretary since February 2018.

 

"I am very pleased to be part of the board during this exciting time and witness how, along with our partners, Boyle Street is helping to build and support resilient communities!"

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.

​

“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.”

Robert (Bob) Philp is a former Provincial Court Judge and the former Chief Commissioner of the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Bob is a respected jurist, and lawyer, a community and social justice activist, committed to human rights equality and education.  Bob earned both his BA and a law degree from the University of Alberta.  Bob received the Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2003 and the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005.  Bob has been involved with Boyle Street in various capacities for well over 40 years.  Bob has sat on the Board for two separate terms with his latest term starting in 2018.   

 

“Boyle Street has been a critical part of our inner-city community for over 40 years. In its history, Boyle Street has always treated community members with respect and dignity. Dignity in my view has always been the first casualty of poverty! Boyle Street works constantly at restoring dignity to its community members. That practice helps to create a sense of community which is at the very heart of Boyle Street.  Boyle Street Community Service makes a real difference.”

Gloria Chalmers is the former Director of Programs at Edmonton Public Schools.  In this capacity, she monitored the Boyle Street Charter School.  She is now retired and extremely active in several non-profit organizations in Edmonton.  Gloria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University, Montreal), a First-Class Teaching Diploma from McGill University, and a Masters of Education from the University of Alberta.  Gloria joined the Boyle Street Services Society Board in 2012.

 

“I was attracted to Boyle Street because it serves some of our city's most vulnerable people - facing poverty, homelessness, addictions and discrimination - and because I support its approaches to addressing the challenges, with acceptance and respect toward everyone, and professional harm reduction practices. I am especially proud of Boyle Street's development and accreditation of Ubuntu, the C5 collaboration and the launching of the Northeast Hub.”

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.”