Board of Directors
Covenant Health Board of Directors consists of 11 individuals , who are appointed by, and accountable to, the Catholic Bishops of Alberta. The Board is an important component in the governance of Covenant Health and in the areas of developing our vision, strategic planning, community engagement, site monitoring, and physician liaison. The Board has full governance authority for the entire organization and has appointed Community Boards in each community we serve. The Bishops, the Board and the Community Boards are governed by Article of Assoication, Bylaws and Terms of Reference. These documents define the relationships, accountabilities and responsibilities of each group.
W. John Brennan, PhD, FCA
Board Chair
John has devoted much of the past three years to strengthening Catholic health care in the capital region and across Alberta as the Chair of the Covenant Health Board of Directors. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the Board, especially in the areas of governance, strategic planning and clinical management. Now retired, John was Chief Executive Officer of the CA School of Business, and prior to that, the Chuck and Norma Childers Professor in Saskatchewan Enterprise at the College of Commerce, University of Saskatchewan. John served as a member of faculty, department head, and Dean of the College of Commerce over his 30-year term there. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Edmonton, and has served on several boards including the Saskatoon Airport Authority, Wascana Energy Inc., Banff School of Advanced Management, Institute of Canadian Bankers, SciTec Instruments, Victory Majors Investments, as well as several national and international professional and academic committees.
Ed Stelmach
Board Member
Ed Stelmach has a long record of public and community service. Between his five terms as a hardworking MLA from Vegreville to his leadership as Premier of Alberta, Ed held four cabinet posts as Minister of Agriculture, Infrastructure, Transportation, and International and Intergovernmental Relations. During his time as premier, he was instrumental in crafting the faith-based sector’s master agreement with government, and he helped navigate various agreements and legislation as Catholic health care made the transition from the Sisters’ leadership to the current structure. Before entering provincial politics in 1993, Ed served as a school trustee; the chair of the Vegreville health unit; a board member of the Archer Memorial Hospital and Lamont Auxiliary Hospital and Nursing Home boards, and he was also councilor and reeve for Lamont County.
Dennis E. Grant
Board Member
Dennis Grant was a teacher and school principal in the Grande Prairie and District Catholic School Board for 10 years before becoming Deputy Superintendent of Schools for the County of Grande Prairie No.1. As a leader known for his responsible fiscal management and many accomplishments, Dennis served as Superintendent of Catholic Schools from 1972 to 1997. Dennis has contributed to the community in numerous ways, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors and Venue Director for the 1995 Canada Winter Games, as Vice-Chair of the Alberta Student Finance Advisory Board, and as a member of the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce. He is also a founding member of the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools Foundation Board and a past member of the Board of Directors for the United Way. Dennis also brings his experience as a member of the Board of Governors for the Peace Country Health Region where he served as chairman of the Finance Committee from 2001 to 2008. Dennis was formerly a licensed commercial realtor for Tom Shield's Realty.
James Heelan, QC
Board Member
James is a practicing lawyer in Edmonton and has extensive experience in a broad range of litigation and regulatory matters. He appears frequently before the Alberta Securities Commission and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. He also acts for physicians and other professionals and is involved as litigation counsel on employment, and corporate and commercial matters. He appears before various arbitration panels, public inquires and regulatory bodies, including the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. As a former managing partner of the Edmonton office of Bennett Jones, James brings considerable management experience and knowledge of business practice to the Board. He lectures to various groups on the duties and responsibilities of professionals and has taught advocacy at the Alberta bar admission course. James has served as the Chair of the Canadian Bar Association – National Health Law Section. He is a former director of the Caritas Health Group.
Mary Pat Skene
Board Member
Mary Pat is the Chief Executive Officer of The Grey Nuns of St. Albert. She has extensive experience in clinical practice, education and administration within the health care field, having served as the President of the Alberta Association of Registered Nurses, President of the Saskatchewan Catholic Health Corporation, President of St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, and in Vice President positions at both the Capital Health Authority and the Caritas Health Group. Mary Pat has been actively involved in the Catholic community and has served as Vice Chair of the Board of the Alberta Catholic Health Corporation, interim Chair of the Board for the Catholic health facilities in East Central Health, Chair of the Board of Youville Home, and Chair of the Board of La Salle. She has served on many Health related committees including the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing. In 2006, Mary Pat was awarded the Performance Citation Award for Catholic Health in Canada.
Michael Dimnik
Board Member
Michael is a lifelong resident of Lethbridge and has been practicing law for over 27 years. During the course of his practice, he has engaged in several areas of law including acting as Agent for the Attorney General of Canada (Department of Justice) for 10 years. His current practice is concentrated in the area of real estate, wills and estates and corporate law. Michael’s involvement in the community has been extensive and has included serving as the first Vice-President of the University of Lethbridge Alumni Association and elected trustee to the Board of Directors for the Lethbridge Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 9. He has also served as a member of the board of directors of the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association as well as a member of two separate church councils, the University of Lethbridge Senate, the City of Lethbridge Community Services Planning Committee, and the Police Commission for the Lethbridge Regional Police Service. Prior to being appointed to the Board of Directors for Covenant Health, Michael served as director of St. Michael’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Housing Association in Lethbridge.
Raymond Peter (Ray) Mack, FCA
Board Member
A Partner with Kenway Mack Slusarchuk Stewart LLP Chartered Accountants in Calgary, Ray Mack brings expertise in effective change management to Covenant Health Board of Directors through his many accomplishments. From 2006 to 2008 Ray was President of DFK International and has served on the board for 15 years. In 2011 he received the DFK Meritorious Service award for his contributions to the association. From 1994 to 1997, he was President of DFK Canada Inc and served on the board for 12 years. Since 2002, Ray has been on the Board of Raging River Exploration Inc. or its predecessor companies, a public oil and gas company, and is currently Chairman of the Audit Committee. A Fellow of the Chartered Accountants of ICAA, Ray has been actively involved in the Chartered Accountant profession, serving as Vice-President and President of ICAA, sitting on numerous committees both provincially and nationally, as well as working as a writer, editor and presenter in professional publications and conferences.
Richard Leavens
Board Member
Richard has lived in the Banff area for 13 years and is semi-retired and doing some work in the tourism industry. Richard has held management positions in the tourism industry with Ski Banff Lake Louise Sunshine in customer service, and with Banff Lake Louise Tourism in marketing and in-resort services. Richard’s career also includes leadership roles in continuing and adult education. He served as Chair, General Studies Program, and Director, Distance Education Program, at the University of Guelph. Richard has been a board member of the Mineral Springs Hospital in Banff since 2004 and is currently serving as the Chair of the Community Board.
Shirley McClellan
Board Member
Shirley McClellan has over 20 years of distinguished service to the Province of Alberta. Her career include the offices of Deputy Premier of Alberta, Minister of Finance of Alberta and Chair of the Treasury Board and Vice-Chair of the Agenda and Priorities Committee of the Government of Alberta. Shirley served a total of six terms as a Member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly representing the constituency of Drumheller-Stettler. During this period, she held numerous other portfolios, including Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations, Minister of Community Development, and Minister of Health. Retired from political office since 2007, Shirley McClellan is currently Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the University of Alberta for the Faculties of Agriculture and Rural Economy and the School of Business and CEO of Horse Racing Alberta. The University of Lethbridge awarded Shirley an honourary degree for her commitment to Albertans in June 2010. Shirley was also appointed as Chancellor of the University of Lethbridge in March of 2011.
Sister Nuala Kenny, OC, MD, FRCPC
Board Member
A member of the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, Dr. Kenny received her M.D. from Dalhousie in 1972. She did postgraduate training at Dalhousie and Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Pediatrics in 1975. In 1999 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contributions to child health and medical education. Dr. Kenny founded the Department of Bioethics at Dalhousie in 1996. This work has earned her many honours, including the 2008 Canadian Bioethics Society Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2008 Canadian Healthcare Association Distinguished Service Award and the 2009 Catholic Health Association of Canada’s Performance Citation Award. Author of over one hundred papers and three books, her research interests have included pediatric ethics, professionalism, ethics in health policy and public health, end-of-life care and the clergy abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic church. Dr. Kenny was a founding member of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Health Council of Canada and Canadian Doctors for Medicare. Since 2009, she is Professor Emeritus in Bioethics at Dalhousie and Ethics and Health Policy Advisor for the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada and on the board of the 2012 National Centres of Excellence Technology Evaluation in the Elderly Network.
Most Rev. Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton
Ex-Officio
Archbishop Richard Smith studied at St. Mary’s University and at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax. Ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1987, he pursued further studies in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian Institute in Rome and obtained a Licentiate in 1997 and a Doctorate in 1998. After some fruitful years of ministry in Halifax, he was appointed Bishop of Pembroke on April 27, 2002 and ordained to the episcopate on June 18, 2002. Pope Benedict XVI, on March 22, 2007, appointed him to the Metropolitan See of Edmonton. Archbishop Richard Smith was formally installed as eighth Archbishop of Edmonton on May 1, 2007, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.