Early in his life, Craig knew he wanted to help people in any capacity he could. Born in North Vancouver and raised in Kelowna, Craig enjoyed a varied career in the Canadian Armed Forces and as a police officer in the RCMP, and pursued his passion for animals by working with horses before joining Interior Health (IH) in 2017. After moving away from Kelowna for some time, Craig and his family returned in 2012. “I am honoured to have the opportunity to raise a family on these beautiful lands, and acknowledge that this privilege comes as a result of significant trauma to the Indigenous nations of this country. I’m committed to reconciliation and learning to live in harmony with the people, animals and plants of this beautiful land.”

Name: Teresa Packer (she/her/hers) Job Title: Support services supervisor Years of Service: 15 Worksite: Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBH) Community:  Trail Ancestral Territory: Ktunaxa (tun-ah-ha)/ Kootenay Ktunaxa Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Stay positive, make someone laugh and give a compliment every day. This will make for a healthier and happier you. When Teresa Packer walked into Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital 15 years ago to apply for a food service worker role, she was a first-time mother looking to rejoin the workforce. Bringing her 18-month-old son along at the time, they spoke with the support services supervisor for more information. Little did Teresa know that this would be her role a few years down the line. Teresa is now the housekeeping and food service supervisor based in Trail, and if she isn’t helping out someone at work, she’s likely taking care of family or a filly nearby!

National Nursing Week is an annual celebration that occurs the same week as Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. The theme for 2023 is Our Nurses. Our Future. This theme showcases the many roles that nurses play in a patient’s health-care journey. The past few years have brought to light the courage and commitment that nurses work under every day, and showed the important role that nurses play in the community. “To all our Interior Health nurses, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your ongoing commitment to supporting patients, clients and each other in our journey to optimal health and well-being for all. Your caring continues to touch everyone here at IH, and beyond.” - Cheryl Whittleton, Chief Nursing Officer & Professional Practice Lead

Name: Angela Ozero (she/her/hers) Job Title:  Physiotherapist Years of Service: 15 Worksite: Vernon Jubilee Hospital Community: Vernon Ancestral Territory: Syilx Okanagan Favourite Quote: “Today is a gift. That's why we call it 'The Present'.” – Eleanor Roosevelt Physiotherapist Angela Ozero was born and raised in Pembroke, Ont. She lives and works in Vernon, on Syilx Okanagan Nation territory.

Name: Wendy Glover (she/her/hers) Job Title: Team lead, administrative support services, KB Community, Clinical Operations, South Years of Service: 26 Worksite: Kiro Wellness Centre Community: Trail Ancestral Territory: Syilx and Ktunaxa Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Several years ago, Wendy required a lengthy, complicated surgery, the anxiety leading up to which she described as “numbing.” She was reminded of how she wanted to approach the situation by the quote “get busy living or get busy dying” from The Shawshank Redemption. Administrative support service team lead Wendy Glover has a passion for helping and supporting others – from alleviating work from coworkers, to creating positive process change in the workplace, to ensuring the health and safety of her team. After 15 years working at Trail mental health and substance use (MHSU), she was promoted to team lead for the region, where she enjoys the work she does – particularly when she’s able to relieve stress from her colleagues through her organizational skills.

Name: Dr. Glenn Gill (he/him/his) Job Title: Obstetrician and gynecologist Years of Service:  20 Worksite:  Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) Community:  Williams Lake Ancestral Territory: Tsilhqotin, Secwepemc Territory Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you…” Matthew 7:12 When Dr. Glenn Gill was two years old, he travelled with his parents to India on the Queen Mary ocean liner. For the next 10 years, his father worked as medical missionary doctor in a jungle hospital. The same year he arrived in India, Dr. Gill was bit on the face by their rabid pet dog. He received 21 days of rabies vaccine injections in the abdomen, which saved his life. “I definitely am a believer in vaccines!” he laughs. Born in Toronto, he’s a husband and father of three grown children, and is a grandfather to four.

Name: Stephanie Rodgers (she/her/hers) Job Title:  Interim Director Laboratory Quality, Safety and Innovation Years of Service: 16 Worksite: Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Community: Castlegar Ancestral Territory: Sinixt Advice to live by: I live by my Rodgers family rules: be kind, have patience, show respect, forgive and forget, eat healthy, go outside, and love one another. Congratulations to Stephanie Rodgers, a medical laboratory technologist (MLT) who was appointed to the role of interim director, laboratory quality, safety and innovation! Stephanie was born in Vancouver and raised in Richmond, B.C. She’s lived in Castlegar since 2007, located on the Sinixt Nation territory. Stephanie considers herself approachable, knowledgeable and compassionate. “I take pride in my work; I have a strong work ethic. I am dedicated to lifelong learning and want to learn as much as I can about the world we live in.”

Name: Linda French (she/her/hers) Job Title: Community nurse/long-term care case manager Years of Service: 27 Worksite: Kirschner Community: Central Okanagan-South Ancestral Territory: Sylix Okanagan Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Life is too short to drink bad wine. Throughout her health-care career, Linda French has done her part for the community. Linda, who was born in Scarborough, Ont. but grew up in North Delta, B.C., started her nursing career at BC Children's Hospital in pediatric cardiology. She worked at Kelowna General Hospital in pediatrics from 1994-1997 and then transferred to community nursing in 1997. She now serves as a community nurse/long-term care case manager for the Central Okanagan-South. “I have been enjoying this challenging role for 26 years,” Linda said. “I’m an active girl who can't sit still and loves a challenge.”

Name: Kristin Lockhart (she/her/hers) Job Title: Manager, Clinical Operations, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, Daly Pavilion, Harbour House and McKim Cottage Years of Service: 26 Community: Works in Trail and Nelson; lives in Castlegar Ancestral Territory: Syilx, Sinixt and Ktunaxa Nations Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Choose to be kind despite the hard challenges, as we never truly know what is going on for another person and we are all in this together. Kristin Lockhart is a registered nurse (RN) of 26 years. She feels blessed to have worked in a number of positions with Interior Health, both in frontline and leadership, and her true career passion is working in mental health and substance use (MHSU).