Name: Gheboa Zeleniski (she/her/hers) Job Title: Support Services Years of Service:  5 years Worksite:  Cariboo Memorial Hospital Community:  Williams Lake Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc First Nations Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: "Everything happens for a reason." Born in Squamish, Gheboa (pronounced “Ja-bo-a”) Zeleniski comes from a large family of five brothers and two step-siblings. Her parents named her after an actress but changed the pronunciation slightly so her name sounded more French. Gheboa’s Indigenous ancestors are from Saskatchewan, and include her great-grandmother, Dorothy Macquabeak Francis. Dorothy founded the first Indigenous friendship centre in Regina and was awarded the Order of Canada in 1978. When she was a young girl, Gheboa and her parents travelled to a powwow in Broadview, Saskatchewan where her great-grandmother spent her early life. There, she was given the name “Peppermint Woman” by a North Dakota Medicine Man named Clifford Young Bear, a name that signifies strength and healing.

Name: Christopher Russell (he/him/his) Job Title: Leadership & Organization Development Consultant Years of Service: 2.5 Worksite: Community Health & Services Centre Community: Kelowna Ancestral Territory: Syilx/Okanagan Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Ginni Rometty, “All things are difficult before they are easy.” – Thomas Fuller A calm, empathetic and imaginative change management professional, Chris Russell is passionate about working in public service, and supporting the growth and development of others. From inspiring folks to see new career possibilities through facilitating workshops and development sessions, to being involved in the launch of the Change Leadership and Change Management programs and Interior Health (IH) Change Framework, Chris is a valuable resource as IH navigates change, big and small.

Name: Kris Scott (he/him/his) Job Title: Formulary coordinator, pharmacy services Years of Service: 7 Worksite: Kelowna CHSC (and home office) Community: West Kelowna Ancestral Territory: Syilx/Okanagan Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” -Mark Twain From the time your health-care provider writes you a prescription in hospital to the time your nurse provides it to you, there’s an intricate process that takes place, one which is always evolving. One of the people helping guide this process is Kris Scott, formulary coordinator for Interior Health pharmacy services. “I'm passionate about quality improvement,” says Kris, who was born and raised in Prince Rupert, B.C. “Having the opportunity to work as a pharmacist in a unique regional role provides me with almost daily opportunities to contribute to system changes that can improve efficiencies for our IH pharmacy teams in supporting patient care. "At the end of the day, it's really being able to have a positive impact on patient care that inspires me and the work I do.”

Name: Leanne Brace (she/her/hers) Job Title: Social Worker Years of Service: 8 Worksite: Primary Care Network (Fruitvale and Rossland) Community:  Kootenay Boundary Ancestral Territory: Syilx and Ktunaxa Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: "After all, tomorrow is another day." - Scarlett O'Hara Born at the Trail Regional Hospital (now Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH)), Leanne was raised in Fruitvale. Her patience and passion for helping others brought her to choosing a career in social work.  During her studies in the Bachelor of Social Work Program, Leanne took an adventurous step to enter in an exchange program. Travelling all the way to Knoxville, Tennessee to continue her academic journey, she learned another important lesson – she loves the South! Her Tennessee interests ranges from football to sweet tea and everything in between.  Once Leanne returned to Canada from her exchange program, she graduated from the University of Calgary, Lethbridge campus with a Bachelor of Social Work in 2009. 

Name: Barb Burke (she/her/hers) Job Title: Team Lead, Home Support Transformation Project Years of Service: 41 Worksite: Kamloops Public Health         Community: Hybrid – Home and Penticton Regional Hospital Ancestral Territory: Sylix Nation Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Family is everything” During her 41 years working at Interior Health (IH), Barb Burke, team lead, Home Support Transformation Project, has worked in almost every department in the hospital. She says she loves the challenge of work, but most importantly she loves helping people. “I started in the laundry at Penticton Regional Hospital on Feb. 14, 1983. I’ve worked in almost every department that you can think of," she says. "My favourite was probably the operating room. I love the challenge of work, but I love helping people. No matter what I was doing, whether it was working in admitting, switchboard, or housekeeping, you’re always helping someone.”

Name: Joanne Juras (she/her/hers) Job Title: Public Health Nurse Years of Service: 25 Worksite: Kamloops Public Health         Community: Kamloops Ancestral Territory: Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” ― James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Joanne Juras grew up as far away from the B.C. Interior as one can imagine. Born and raised in Sierra Leone until she was about six years old, Joanne lived in a town without running water. Her mom, an American, was a midwife who delivered babies, while her British father was a school teacher who made life interesting for the family at home. “My dad, as a science teacher, collected a lot of animals. We had a pet monkey and all sorts of pets―armadillos, he brought in snakes. I remember all that stuff,” she says. The family moved to Winnipeg when she was six and Joanne later moved to B.C. on her own.

Name: Logan Nealis (he/him/his) Job Title: Clinical Psychologist  Years of Service: Two Worksite: Royal Inland Hospital Community: Kamloops Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “We’re all just walking each other home.” – Ram Dass As one of the only psychologists in Canada working as an integrated member of an acute trauma service, Dr. Logan Nealis is on the leading edge of improving trauma care at Interior Health (IH). Day to day, his work involves supporting the psychological needs of patients presenting with significant physical trauma. More broadly, he and his team seek to understand and model what can be accomplished with patient care by considering and addressing the psychological needs of trauma patients early in their recovery.

Name: Jenelle Butchart (she/her/hers) Job Title: Recreation Therapist Years of Service: 11 Worksite: Cottonwoods Care Centre Community: Short Stay Unit  Ancestral Territory: Syilx/Okanagan Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: "Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." – Will Rogers Born in St. Albert, AB., and later moving to Coquitlam, Jenelle has embarked on an 11-year journey in health care as a recreation therapist. Therapeutic recreation is a person-centered health-care profession that uses evidence-informed leisure and recreation activities to improve and maximize a client's overall quality of life. In her role, Jenelle aims to see the able, not the label, and says that seeing her patients reach their goals and increase their independence are the most inspiring things about her role.

Name: Kim Young (she/her/hers) Job Title: Licenced Practical Nurse  Years of Service: 16.5 Worksite: Cottonwoods Care Centre and Brookhaven Care Centre Community: West Kelowna Ancestral Territory: Syilx Nation Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Live, laugh, love” and “Be the person people will remember and appreciate” Meet Kim Young, a compassionate licensed practical nurse (LPN) with an impressive 16.5 years of service at Interior Health (IH). Born and raised in Kelowna, which is situated on the ancestral territory of the Syilx Nation, Kim wholeheartedly serves her hometown community through her dedication working with tracheostomy and ventilator-dependent patients at Cottonwoods Care Centre, while also working in dementia care at Brookhaven Care Centre.