Name: Colette Mayne (she/her/hers)Job Title: Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) ClinicianYears of Service: 7Worksite: Kelowna Mental Health and Substance UseCommunity:  KelownaAncestral Territory: Syilx NationFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Ghandi With a deep passion for community work and helping vulnerable people, Colette Mayne says witnessing her clients take steps to live healthier, more balanced lives is the most rewarding part of her role. "Kindness, empathy and compassion can go along way when we are collaborating with vulnerable people. The world needs more of this right now," says Colette. "It's important to connect with others and hold space for those that need it, as we all have things that we are dealing with under the surface. Even us health-care professionals are not immune to having tough times." The mental health and substance use (MHSU) clinician, who has been with Interior Health (IH) for seven years and in the counselling field for nearly 20, is part of an Integrated Treatment Team (ITT) in Kelowna that supports individuals with substance use disorder. “We support people at the community level or in their homes who have a moderate to severe substance use disorder and are at the highest risk of drug poisoning due to being recreational users," she says. “Most of the people we support in our program are working professionals, business owners and community members, and have families. Having access to discreet substance use supports is of the utmost importance to those we support.” Colette says she is continually learning in her role and much of that comes from her daily interactions. “I have found that my most profound and valuable learning experiences have been from the people we support,” shares Colette.  

Name: Donna Jeri-Leon (she/her/hers)Job Title: Specialist, Clinical RecruitmentYears of Service: 26Worksite: Community Health & Services Centre (Remote)Community: KelownaAncestral Territory: Syilx/OkanaganFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “It is what it is, but it will become what you make of it.” – Pat Summitt Donna Jeri-Leon is a clinical recruitment specialist that works to attract top notch health-care professionals to join Interior Health (IH). Born in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Donna moved to Kelowna in 1997 and has been working at IH ever since.

Name: Nicole Taylor-Sterritt (she/her)Job Title: Lead, Indigenous EngagementYears of Service: 2Worksite: Kelowna CHSCCommunity: Syilx (Okanagan) territoryAncestral Territory: Syilx NationFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: "Do all things with love." Born and raised in the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh territory, what’s known as Vancouver, B.C., and now residing in the unceded Syilx territory in Kelowna, Nicole Taylor-Sterritt is of mixed heritage and a proud member of the Kispiox Band of the Gitxsan Nation. Nicole loves to be around people and is the kind of person who invites everyone over to gather at the end of the day to hang out. On two separate occasions, her cousin and an Elder told her that she is "the one who brings people together" – a title she embraces with pride; so much so, from 2016-2021 she worked as an event planner. In 2018, Nicole and her mom co-founded the Indigenous Women's Leadership Summit, which opened her up to a world where she could work to better the lives of her Indigenous community, and in a roundabout way led her to her job now at Interior Health (IH)!

Name: Kelsey Arnouse, Registered Social Worker (RSW) (she/her/hers)Job Title: Indigenous Cultural Safety EducatorYears of Service: 8Worksite: Sahali Mall, KamloopsCommunity:  Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc NationFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “It’s education (that) got us into this mess, and education (is what) will get us out of it.” - Justice Murray Sinclair Born in the traditional, unceded Stó꞉lō Nation territory and raised on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of her Secwépemc Nation, Kelsey Arnouse is a proud community member of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. Kelsey's maternal family is from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and her paternal family is from Sexqeltqin; both communities are within the Secwépemc Nation. She also acknowledges her roots as a third-generation Irish settler. 

Name: Isla Coombs (she/her/hers)Job Title: Business Partner, Employee ExperienceYears of Service: 2.5Worksite: Community Health & Services CentreCommunity:  KelownaAncestral Territory: Syilx/ Okanagan NationFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: Treat others how they would like to be treated. Whether you catch her representing Interior Health (IH) at the Kelowna Pride Festival, riding the slopes at Big White, or zooming down mountain bike trails, Isla Coombs is an energetic member of her community, and a force to be reckoned with. Through her work on the Employee Experience team at IH, Isla is passionate about creating an inclusive, welcoming environment where staff feel culturally, psychologically, and spiritually safe.

Name: Jayme Gerk (she/her/hers)Job Title: Improvement ConsultantYears of Service: 10Worksite: Penticton Health CentreCommunity: South OkanaganAncestral Territory: Syilx/OkanaganFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “There are three ways to ultimate success. The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” — Fred Rogers Improvement consultant Jayme Gerk describes herself as passionate and authentic, and occasionally just a little bit cheesy. She was born in Vancouver and moved to Penticton when she was two years old. She lived in Kelowna for eight years before moving back home to Penticton.

Name: Joel Koette (he/him/his)Job Title: Emergency department registered nurse (RN)Years of Service: 5Worksite: Kelowna General HospitalCommunity: KelownaAncestral Territory: SyilxFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind.” – Brad Meltzer Born and raised in Prince George, Joel has always been high energy, active and confident. With his bubbly, effervescent personality, he loves making people laugh and smile. “I try to stay positive, be grateful and have fun at work,” he says. When in early 2018 he started to feel extremely fatigued, he put it down to having taken on too much. “I was working full time as a licensed practical nurse, and going to school full time as a mature student in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UBCO,” he recalls. “My doctor at the time ran some bloodwork and called me that evening to come into his office. “The next day he told me I had cancer.”

Name: Glenn CharbonneauJob Title: PhysiotherapistYears of Service: 2Worksite: VariousCommunity: KelownaAncestral Territory: Syilx NationFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Curious that we spend more time congratulating people who have succeeded than encouraging people who have not.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson Glenn Charbonneau has always had a passion for human movement, but it wasn’t until a chance encounter with a local practitioner in Kelowna a decade ago that Glenn felt compelled to get into physiotherapy.  He pursued his Bachelor of Human Kinetics at UBC Okanagan before earning a Master of Physical Therapy.  Joining Interior Health (IH) in 2022 after stints in the Lower Mainland and Calgary, Glenn has embraced the opportunity to contribute his expertise within the Primary Care Network, where he assists patients with complex medical needs as part of a collaborative team.

Name: Tammy Molina (she/her/hers)Job Title: Regional Practice Leader, Clinical EthicsYears of Service: 13Worksite: Kelowna Community Health & Services CentreCommunity: KelownaAncestral Territory: Okanagan-SyilxFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “It's hard to choose one, but I think what often stirs up my heart and mind most frequently is ‘be the change you want to see.’” In her position with Interior Health (IH) as regional practice leader, clinical ethics, Tammy Molina collaborates with employees and medical staff (physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, etc.) as they navigate what she calls “crunchy” situations that would benefit from an ethical decision-making process. “It’s so important for us to be able to intentionally examine our responsibilities, priorities, choices and impacts, and not only understand but also explain why we have made the decision we did,” Tammy says. “I enjoy being invited to walk through difficult scenarios with teams to pull back the layers and look at what values and priorities are in conflict and provide space to acknowledge the discomfort or uncertainty.”