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Barb Kathol Chief Operating Officer Barb Kathol is the Chief Operating Officer at Carewest Innovative Health Care. She previously held the role of Senior Operating Officer for the Peter Lougheed Centre and the Alberta Kidney Care – South and Transplant programs. During her healthcare career, Barb has held many leadership positions including Senior Program Officer with the Connect Care Clinical Operations team Executive Director including for the Emergency Department, Medicine, Ambulatory areas, Gastroenterology services, Allied Health, and many other subspecialty programs. Barb holds a Master of Nursing from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Nursing (with Distinction). In addition, she is a graduate of the AHS Executive Education program. In addition to her current role, Barb is an member of the Alberta Association of Nurses Board of Directors, the Mosaic PCN Board of Directors, and is a regular volunteer with the Calgary Food Bank. |
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Shelley Bannister Executive Director, Dr. Vernon Fanning, Nickle House, Central Services and interim Director of Operations, George Boyack Shelley Bannister is the Executive Director for Dr. Vernon Fanning Centre and Nickle House, as well as the Director of Carewest Central Services, Pharmacy, and Information Management, Privacy & Technology. She has worked in several jurisdictions (Alberta, Toronto, and Halifax) in Canada in the roles of Operational Leadership, Quality Improvement, Nursing Professional Practice, Clinical Health Informatics, Research, Education, and Provincial Projects. She has worked in acute care general medicine, endocrinology, oncology, psychiatry, ophthalmology, and in public health. Shelley is a native Albertan and holds a Master’s in Nursing from the University of Alberta 1996. She is passionate about equity and quality in healthcare and supporting teams toward excellence. Shelley is an active volunteer in her community and is the past president of the High River Rotary Board. In her free time, she enjoys travel, reading, gardening, and live music of any kind. |
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Yaro Kiselev, RN, BN, MAL, CHE Executive Director, Colonel Belcher, Signal Pointe, Rouleau Manor, OSI Clinic, Bridgeland Yaro’s journey in healthcare spanned across various areas of service delivery including acute care, community, and outpatient programs with a primary clinical background in critical care and acute medicine. Working with marginalized and at-risk populations over the last decade enabled him to develop emerging models of care to support clients of various walks of life. Yaro prides himself in empowering front-line, formal and informal leaders to create meaningful organizational change and improve client experience. As a lifetime learner, Yaro is committed to serving Albertans by responding to the needs of the health system today and into the future. In his spare time, Yaro enjoys outdoors, fitness and learning new skills. His work experience includes Registered nurse, Clinical Nurse Educator, Client Service Manager, Site Manager, Director of Operations, Business Development. In his current role as Executive Director, Yaro oversees four sites in Calgary and one in Red Deer within complex mental health, long term care portfolio including Carewest Rouleau Manor, Signal Pointe, Colonel Belcher and Operational Stress Injury Services. |
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Rosalee Sears-Ford Executive Director, Glenmore Park, Sarcee, C3 Beddington Profile and photo to come |
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Beatrice Kozlowski, MA, BN, RN Executive Director, Garrison Green, Royal Park and Signal Pointe Bea is the Executive Director for Garrison Green, Royal Park, and Signal Pointe. Bea’s clinical nursing career has spanned across various acute surgical and cardiovascular intensive care settings, both in Canada and the U.S. She brings a decade of leadership experience from her over 20 years at AHS, and is passionate about building high functioning teams focusing on people-centered leadership. She has a strong commitment to client and family-centered care and clinical excellence. Bea completed her Master of Arts in Leadership through the University of Guelph, and her Bachelor of Nursing (with Distinction) through the University of Calgary. A born-and-raised Calgarian, Bea enjoys filling her spare time with many outdoor pursuits with her friends and family, especially skiing, trail running, road cycling, and yoga. |
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Carol Baumgarten, DBA, MBA, DMC, RN CON(C) Executive Director Quality, Safety and Transformation Carol oversees the Quality, Safety and Transformation porfolio. She is a nurse by background and has over a decade of leadership experience. She is passionate about excellence in care, building teams and collaborating across the healthcare system to enhance the resident and client experience while in our care. Carol is also Assistant Adjunct Professor University of Calgary, Faculty of Nursing. |
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Nolan Tario Executive Director of Finance Nolan is the Carewest Executive Director of Finance, accountable for finance, strategy and risk management for the organization, as well as serving as a Non-Voting Member of the Carewest Board of Directors. He joined Carewest in 2025 after almost 9 years with AHS. Within AHS, he gained experience in a variety of roles including External Financial Reporting, Internal Audit, Treasury and most recently Business Advisory Services. Within the Business Advisory Services role, he supported three provincial portfolios which gave him the exposure to frontline operations and the critical connection between finance and operations in their day-to-day operations as well as their business strategy. Nolan has a passion for learning the business and working with operational leaders on how finance can support their strategy and business goals. Nolan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. Outside of work, Nolan enjoys spending lots of time with his wife and two young children doing a variety of activities and spends as much time as he can cycling, whether it be road cycling, mountain biking or even fat biking in the winter months. |
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Natale Oliverio Executive Director, Central Services Natale Oliverio is the Executive Director of Central Services at Carewest, leading key portfolios including Maintenance, Foodservice, Logistics, Clinical Engineering, and Pharmacy. With an engineering background and extensive private-sector experience, he transitioned to healthcare in 2006 with Alberta Health Services before joining Carewest in 2012. Known for his innovative, solutions-focused leadership, Natale has advanced through increasingly senior roles by driving operational excellence and fostering creative approaches to complex challenges. Outside of work, he enjoys classic automobiles, music, and time with family, which remains his greatest source of balance and motivation. |
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Laeticia Haynes Executive Director, Workforce Optimization & Total Rewards Laeticia is Carewest’s Executive Director of Workforce Optimization & Total Rewards, where she leads strategic initiatives to enhance employee experience, optimize workforce planning, and align total rewards with organizational goals. With over 15 years of HR experience in both the private and public sectors, Laeticia has a deep commitment to innovation and operational excellence and drives transformative solutions from a data-driven decision-making approach. Laeticia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Victoria and a Masters Certificate in Organization Development & Change from York University. Outside of work, Laeticia enjoys being active, and spending time with her husband and two children. Photo to come. |
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Jolene Keck Executive Director, People, Talent & Wellness Jolene Keck is a seasoned People & Culture leader with over 20 years of experience driving organizational success through strategic human resources leadership in a wide spectrum of industries including aviation, banking, retail and the technology sectors. As Executive Director of People, Talent & Wellness, Jolene oversees HR Business Partnerships, Labour Relations, Talent Acquisition, and Workplace Health & Safety, ensuring alignment between people strategies and organizational goals. Known for her ability to foster high-performing teams and cultivate positive workplace cultures, Jolene has led transformative initiatives including leadership development programs, large scale talent strategy initiatives, and comprehensive wellness strategies. Her expertise spans leadership development, total rewards, employee and labour relations, and risk mitigation, with a proven track record of reducing costs, improving the employee experience, and strengthening employer brand. Jolene is certified in Advanced Human Resources and Labour Relations from Queen’s University and outside of work is proud mother to two children. Photo to come. |
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Dr. Rachel DeFina Medical Director Dr. DeFina is a family physician whose medical practice focuses on seniors – a population she feels honoured and privileged to serve. After completing extra training in Care of the Elderly she has worked in primary care at a community clinic serving marginalized seniors, and at multiple continuing care sites. She has also worked as a consultant in community settings, including providing in-home geriatric assessments. Through all these settings, what Dr. DeFina values most is working together with dedicated team members to positively impact the lives of the people she cares for. Her work at Carewest allows her to work toward this goal from another perspective. She also enjoys teaching medical learners to help them see the positive impact and rewards of working in seniors care. Outside of medicine, she enjoys being active outdoors with her family and is a passionate nature-lover. |
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Dr. Diana Turner, BSc-CMMB, MSc-Molecular Virology, MD, CCFP, FCFP (Fellow College Family Physicians) – Care of the Elderly Medical Director Dr. Diana Turner acts as Carewest Medical Director specializing in community-based complex chronic disease management of the frail elderly & younger frail population. She is published in areas of infectious disease and cancer (molecular virology) research, and medical research in dementia and frailty. Work to date centres on quality, cost-effective and sustainable community-based complex chronic disease management of the elderly and frail, through team-based care. Her goal is to promote and support quality of life despite progressive multiple medical illnesses, and promote health and wellness. Areas of work include clinical, research, teaching, medical administration and medical executive Continuing Care. Diana also serves as the Site Leader Medical, Continuing Care at Alberta Health Services, a Primary Care family physician and Clinical Associate Professor, University of Calgary, Department of Family Medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities in all seasons and spending time with family and friends. |
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Dr. Meghan Dirksen Medical Lead, Post-Acute Dr. Dirksen, BSc (Hons), MD, CCFP, is a dedicated family physician devoted to making a meaningful impact on the lives of Albertans. With over a decade of work in community care, rehabilitation, and transition programs, she is committed to delivering exceptional patient care, promoting physician and team wellness while ensuring effective resource management. Before entering the field of medicine, Dr. Dirksen worked as a chemist in Calgary’s oil and gas industry. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she values time spent with her family and friends. Photo to come. |
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Samara Sinclair Program Director of Communications & Marketing Samara Sinclair is Carewest’s Program Director of Communications & Marketing and has served in this role since 2007. She is responsible for the internal and external communications needs of Carewest, strategic communications planning, development and execution. She ensures all communications, including websites, to social media channels, newsletters and posters are reflective of the Carewest values of Caring, Relationships, Excellence, Accountability and Teamwork. She sits on the Executive Leadership team and is co-chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Group. Samara earned her Bachelor’s degree of Applied Communications with a minor in Journalism from Mount Royal University in 2002. She holds certificates in Digital Graphic Design, Public Relations, Crisis Communications and Adult Education. She taught at Mount Royal University in the Digital Graphic Design program. She also worked as senior writer and backup photographer for the Calgary Sun, prior to joining Carewest. In her spare time, Samara enjoys scuba diving, home improvement projects, stand-up comedy and anything creative, from cooking to painting to photography. |