Governing Board
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 Caritas Health Group Board of Directors. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the new 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.
Most Rev. Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton
Board Member
Archbishop Richard Smith was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 28, 1959. He 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 Licenciate 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.
Michael Dimnik
Board Member
Michael is a practicing lawyer, having started his career in Lethbridge in 1985 following his admission to the Law Society of Alberta. His practice of law has evolved over the years and has included acting as Agent for the Attorney General of Canada (Department of Justice) during which time he was involved in prosecuting numerous high profile and significant cases in Southern Alberta. His current practice of law is now concentrated in the area of real estate, wills and estates and corporate law. Michael has served as a member of two separate church councils, acting as chair for both. He has served as First Vice-President of the University of Lethbridge Alumni Association, member of the University of Lethbridge Senate, member of the City of Lethbridge Community Services Planning Committee and elected trustee of the Lethbridge Roman Catholic Separate School Districts No. 9. He further served as a member and Vice Chair of the Police Commission for the Lethbridge Regional Police Service. In February of 2005, Michael was appointed as a Director of the St. Michael’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Housing Association and is currently serving as Vice Chair and Chair respectively.
Bill Grace, FCA
Board Member
Bill, a Chartered Accountant, has been a financial executive with several corporations in the oil and gas service business and a financial institution, as well as serving as the chief financial officer of a number of major Alberta corporations, including Chieftain Development Co. Ltd., R. Angus (Alberta) Limited and Canadian Utilities Limited. In 1988, Bill joined Price Waterhouse as the managing partner of their consulting group and, later, as managing partner of the Edmonton office until his early retirement in 1994. In 1980, Bill was awarded the Alberta Achievement Award by the Province of Alberta. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alberta Institute of Chartered Accountants, and in 2000 he received the University Of Alberta Alumni Award Of Excellence. Bill currently holds a number of corporate directorships (including advisory boards)—BioMS Medical, Lockerbie & Hole, The Forzani Group, Melcor Developments, Can-Cell Industries, Diversity Technologies Corp., J. Ennis Manufacturing, Millar Western Forest Products, Nelson Group and The Crossing Company. He is the independent chairman of The Edmonton Pipe Industry Pension and Health & Welfare Trust Funds. Bill has been active over the past twenty-five years in numerous community and professional activities including Vice Chair of the Capital Health Authority, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of Alberta, and most recently as a member of the Caritas Health Group Board.
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 #1. As a leader known for his responsible fiscal management and many accomplishments, Dennis served as Superintendent of Catholic Schools from 1992 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 and is President of the Grande Prairie-Smoky PC Association.
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 currently a governor of the Newman Theological College and a former director of the Caritas Health Group, a position that he held since 2005.
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. 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. After an extensive career in pediatrics and medical education, Dr. Kenny founded the Department of Bioethics at Dalhousie in 1996. Author of over one hundred papers and two books, her research interests have included professional character formation, ethics in health policy and public health, pediatric ethics, and end-of-life care. This work has earned her many honours, including the 2008 Canadian Bioethics Society Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2008 Canadian Healthcare Association Distinguished Service Award. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Kenny is regularly involved in policy deliberations, particularly in relation to values and Canadian Medicare and is a member of the Health Council of Canada. She has recently been appointed Ethics and Health Policy Advisor for the Catholic Health Association of Canada.
Richard Leavens
Board Member
Richard has lived in the Banff area for 10 years and is the Executive Director of The Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment, an agency that advocates for access to the mountain parks, sustainable tourism within the parks, and the improvement of visitor experiences in the parks. Richard represents the organization on various working groups with the provincial and federal government, and 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 was recently serving as the Chair of the Board.
Raymond Peter (Ray) Mack, FCA
Board Member
A Partner with Kenway Mack Slusarchuk Stewart LLP in Calgary, Ray Mack brings expertise in effective change management to the Board through his many accomplishments. From 2006 to 2008 Ray was President of DFK International and has served on the Board for 10 years and counting. From 1994 to 1997 he was President of DFK Canada Inc and served on the Board 12 years. Ray was the CEO for Transborder Capital Inc from 2002 to 2005. Currently, he is Chairman of the Board and Audit Committee for Eagle Rock Exploration Inc, and Chairman of the Audit Committee for Century Oilfield Services Inc. A Fellow of the Chartered Accountants, 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.
Mary Pat Skene
Board Member
Mary Pat is the Chief Executive Officer of Sisters of Charity (Grey Nuns) of Alberta. She has had extensive experience in clinical practice, education and administration within the health care field, having served as the President of the Saskatchewan Catholic Health Corporation and 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 until recently, she was the Vice Chair of the Board of the Alberta Catholic Health Corporation. She was also the interim Chair of the Board for the Catholic health facilities in East Central Health, and has served as the Chair of the Board of Youville Home, the Chair of the Board of La Salle, and has served on the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing. In 2005, Mary Pat was awarded the Performance Citation Award for Catholic Health in Canada.
