The RDN team is dedicated to the organization's mandate and is comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds. We speak more than eleven languages, we come from around the world, and we are all committed to doing what we can to make sure rural communities thrive.
As CEO, Lisa is committed to RDN’s mission of building community capacity through collaboration and addressing gaps in rural social and economic development. Formerly serving as the Director of Operations at RDN, she played a key role in developing strategies for effective community-focused operations, organizational growth, and financial sustainability. Her extensive knowledge of our programs, and understanding of community needs and opportunities, enables her to continue driving RDN’s mission forward.
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta, focusing on Strategic Management and Operations with a minor in Business Economics and Law. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Great Divide Trail Association. In addition to her professional commitments, Lisa’s drive and love for adventure is evident with notable achievements including a 4,265 km 4.5-month thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, and completing a 100-mile ultramarathon. Whether working on issues that affect rural Canada or pushing her limits in the outdoors, Lisa brings a high level of organization, energy and skill to everything she undertakes.
Linda has been leading community change and developing coordinated community responses in the areas of homelessness, the housing spectrum, poverty reduction, domestic violence, and Indigenous engagement and reconciliation for over 23 years. Her education in Child, Youth and Family Counselling, Community Development, Economics of Social Change, Anti-Racism, Conflict Resolution and Incident Command System (ICS 300) has allowed her to work front line with the highest risk population to supervising and training staff in case management, trauma-informed care and harm reduction. This has supported her ability to identify approaches and design community engagement for difficult conversations. Linda has found these conversations essential to building a solid foundation for improving quality of life and overall wellness for the most vulnerable. Linda is the lead author and researcher for the RDN Emergency Mat Program Guide.
Linda has been honoured to learn from many Elders and Knowledge Keepers along with the opportunity to participate in the Indigenous Canada Certificate. These leanings have inspired her commitment and ability to lead stakeholder engagement through the understanding and importance of Reconciliation. Linda utilizes system integration that is based on the TRC recommendations, the rights-based approach, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In her free time, Linda enjoys kayaking, cooking, and spending time with family.
Sandra was born and raised in the rural community of High Prairie, AB. She completed High School in Brooks, AB and upon graduation relocated to Edmonton to study Accounting at MacEwan University. Sandra is committed to ensuring the financial well being of the RDN and brings an abundance of Accounting knowledge to her role. Sandra has many years of professional experience in various management positions. She has acquired a diverse skill set working in different industries including construction, education and non-profit. Sandra is highly skilled in all aspects of finance and has proudly earned a reputation as a team player. In her spare time, Sandra enjoys walks through the river valley with her family, reading, yoga and watching documentaries.
Kelly joined the RDN team in 2018 as the Office Manager and Executive Assistant to the CEO, joining our HR team as the Director of Human Resources in 2022. Born and raised in Edmonton, she has spent the majority of her work life in the Floral Industry owning, operating and building a prominent flower shop from the ground up. As the RDN team has grown over the past year, she has taken on the role of HR Director. She is an organizer and planner at heart and loves to work in the RDN team environment. Her diverse range of knowledge and know-how allows for the staff’s day to day lives to flow a bit more smoothly.
During her spare time, Kelly enjoys doing anything creative, critiquing blockbuster films, reading the latest bestsellers and cheering on the Edmonton Oilers!
Sydney joined RDN's Homelessness Initiatives in 2020. Her job involves managing and administering funding for the Reaching Home program’s rural & remote stream in Alberta. Sydney enjoys engaging with various projects and communities to learn about and respond to homelessness and has a passion for improving community well-being.
Sydney grew up in Hamilton, Ontario and earned her Bachelor of Social Science with a specialization in International Economics and Development from the University of Ottawa. Sydney then completed her MSc. at the University of Alberta, where she engaged in a collaborative research project with Kátł’odeeche First Nation. The project highlights the importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in understanding environmental change.
Sydney draws on her previous experience with the federal government and community-based research to help advocate and build strong relationships with rural, remote and Indigenous communities in Alberta. In Sydney’s free time, she enjoys studying Spanish and tutoring high school students. You can also find her in the mountains hiking, cheering on the Blue Jays or Oilers and playing sports such as volleyball and softball.
As an Operations Manager, Joy has returned to the Rural Development Network (RDN). She initially contributed to the group's founding in 2009, and after joining another not-for-profit organization Joy has come home to RDN, driven by her passion for the organization and her desire to use her organizational and operational expertise to support it.
Joy is driven to make a difference wherever she goes and has over 18 years of experience in the non-profit sector. She has held a variety of roles, Executive Assistant to C-suite, oversight of corporate operations activities and priorities, departmental budgeting and forecasting, data management and event management. Joy created and maintained operational process, policy and procedures and other key activities to ensure effective operational management of the organization. Joy is always looking for ways to improve processes and increase efficiency.
Joy is a passionate advocate of the power of teamwork and is committed to helping others. In her free time, Joy enjoys spending time with her family, reading, learning new things, and traveling.
Sean is a Planning Specialist within the Sustainable Housing Initiative. Sean has a background in environmental studies and urban and regional planning with over 3 years of environmental conservation experience. Having joined our team in 2022, he is currently involved in RDN’s Enabling Housing Choice Project, a three-year research and policy project funded by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation aimed at identifying barriers to housing diversity across Alberta. He is also involved in the “The Price of Inclusion”, a research project funded by Community Housing Transformation Centre, which seeks to integrate affordable housing initiatives into the broader community.
Sean holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from The King’s University as well as a Masters of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Alberta. His research focused on climate adaptation for built heritage resources in coastal communities. Sean is passionate about how the adaptive reuse of buildings can provide diverse housing opportunities for residents living in rural communities. His personal interests include camping, hockey and playing music.
Alyce is a Project Manager in the Sustainable Housing Initiative, managing the Enabling Housing Choice Project. This project is exploring the housing needs of 6 rural communities to provide insights about their housing issues and needs, and then help them work towards meeting these needs. The project will also recommend changes or adjustment to local policy, bylaws and processes to encourage housing diversity in the community. The eventual outcome of this project will be the creation of the “Guidebook for Enabling Housing Choice in Alberta”.
Alyce started in the planning field with a diploma from NAIT in Urban Planning Technology, followed by an undergraduate degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Saskatchewan, and then a Masters degree from the University of Alberta in Urban and Regional Studies. After a period of being at home to raise 4 children, she became the Development Officer in a rural municipality in Southeast Alberta, and then the Manager of Planning and Development a few years later.
Alyce believes strongly that people should have a choice about where they live, by ensuring that rural communities are a sustainable and viable option for people to make their home. She is passionate about her children, gardening, creating mosaic and stained glass art, volleyball and her cats.
Jordyn works with the Rural Development Network as a Planning and Research Analyst with the Sustainable Housing Initiative (SHI). Jordyn completed a Bachelor of Community Design, Honours in Urban Design & Planning with a Minor in Sociology and Social Anthropology a Dalhousie University in 2020. Jordyn is passionate about helping community members shape their communities to meet their needs and addressing the need for affordable housing across Canada.
Jordyn currently resides in Toronto, Ontario but grew up in Rural Nova Scotia and has seen first-hand how difficult it can be to find adequate, affordable housing in rural communities.
Kabir works with the RDN as the Manager of Capital Funding primarily for the Sustainable Housing Initiative (SHI). Kabir holds a Master of Arts in Global Development Studies from Queen’s University.
Kabir has experience conducting research on affordable housing and energy efficient buildings policy frameworks positioned within and outside of Canada. He is passionate about addressing Canada’s rural housing shortage. He supports pre-development work for affordable rural housing projects through financial data analysis to determine the feasibility of meeting the needs and demands of a community. He works to expand access to sustainable housing initiatives for rural populations in Canada. His personal interests include cooking, exercising, and exploring new places.
Emma is the Project Manager of Community Development and Homelessness Estimations. She graduated from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Community Development and from the University of Alberta with a Master of Arts in Community Engagement. Emma’s research and work experience have focused on poverty reduction and community wellness. She is passionate about supporting rural communities in their efforts to reduce poverty and homelessness and advocate for community health and wellness. Emma is committed to applying an equity lens to her work (and life) and is always looking to meet people where they are at. In her spare time, Emma can be seen enjoying the outdoors with her dog Odie. They enjoy biking, hiking, kayaking, and backpacking together all year long!
Kash is the Lead Data Analyst for the Homelessness Estimations initiative. She has a formal background in fine arts/art history. She then expanded into museum management, senior program development, and strategic operations. Kash has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over seven years in various capacities, always with a focus on rural communities. In recent years, Kash has found her passion in supporting rural communities' continued growth and well-being through working with data to drive positive change for communities.
Kash’s goal is to ensure that the voices of those living in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities are heard through the data, helping to bridge the gap between those with lived/living experience and those working to address community needs such as housing and services. She believes that everyone has a story and that each one deserves to be heard.
Bryn first joined RDN in 2022 as an Executive Assistant for the Housing, Operations, Rural Immigration and Finance Directors and joined the Homelessness Initiatives team in 2023. She was born and raised in rural Saskatchewan before moving West to pursue her post-secondary education. Bryn received her Bachelor of Commerce in Supply Chain Management from MacEwan University and her Fashion Business and Creative Arts Diploma from John Casablanca Institute in Vancouver. Her analytical and creative mindset work together perfectly to help keep the senior leaders’ schedules on track and to simplify their hectic work lives. In her free time, you can find her at the golf course or working on her latest fashion creation.
Elaine works as a Project Manager & Evaluations Coordinator for RDN’s Rural Immigration initiative. Her previous experience in micro-finance, micro-entrepreneurship, and improving financial literacy for the Philippines’ rural and urban poor is an invaluable addition to the Rural Immigration team.
Elaine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Studies with a minor in Development Management from the Ateneo de Manila University. She received the best undergraduate thesis award for her study on the impacts of micro lending to clients of a micro-finance institution in Quezon City: Metro Manila’s largest city.
In her spare time, Elaine enjoys spending time with her family, watching shows on Netflix, and looking for new recipes to cook or bake.
Soheila Homayed is a Program Manager for the Rural Immigration Initiative. Soheila has experience working directly with the settlement and integration of newcomers into urban and rural areas. Soheila is a certified Intercultural Competency Trainer and has worked with employers and municipalities across Northern Ontario and rural Alberta to support the successful attraction, retention and settlement of newcomers into the community and workplace.
Soheila holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa with a minor in Social Sciences of Health and has received her Immigration Policies Certificate from Memorial University.
Mary was the project manager of the Awareness Builds Connection in Dementia Friendly Communities (ABCD) project and the Olds Alberta Age-Friendly You Know Me campaign, and now focuses her efforts as project manager for Shelter Pulse. She graduated from MacEwan University’s Social Work program and is currently working toward her Bachelor of Professional Arts (Human Services) at Athabasca University. Mary is passionate about supporting rural communities in becoming dementia-inclusive and age-friendly.
Mary has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over ten years and is experienced in program development, community engagement, dementia inclusivity, gender-based violence issues, crisis intervention, and 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy. Guided by a strength-based, anti-oppressive perspective, she strives to analyze societal issues through the lens of how social identities and systems intersect. Mary volunteers with a local diversity committee and with a national organization focused on supporting those who have experienced domestic and economic abuse. Her spare time is mostly focused on spending time with her spouse, three dogs, and ten fish.
Champion male traditional dancer hailing from the east coast, Emele is a member of the Mi'kMaq peoples of Chapel Island Potlotek. He comes from the Moose clan of Marshall’s that gave him his love of the Mowi’omi or pow-wow that shaped his culture and world views. Emele has been an Indigenous ambassador since the age 7- knowing his mission at the age of 5 - making him the ultimate fit for his role as Indigenous Liaison where he will be informing RDN on the history and narrative of Indigenous peoples, and relating this to our work.
With his degree in Child & Youth Care from Grant Macewan University, Emele developed his strength based developmental approach to people. The theoretical developmental knowledge gained, informed a more in depth understanding of barriers inhibiting Indiginous peoples through intergenerational trauma. Emele aspires to connect the stories of Indigenous peoples to the actions we take, and hopes to create healing within communities, and to share this narrative.
Emele enjoys narrative based role playing games such as D&D for their therapeutic benefits, and cooking for friends & family with his 10+ years experience as a professional cook. His favorite meals to cook include: pasta, homemade ravioli and focaccia bread with jalapeno.
Rochelle, an Indigenous-Cree Woman from Treaty 6 territory, is the Indigenous Project Coordinator for First Nations Data Collection at RDN. With a Bachelor of Arts in English and ongoing studies in Aboriginal Teacher Education, she is dedicated to decolonizing and empowering Indigenous communities. Rochelle prioritizes their voices and needs, utilizing data collection to address systemic challenges and promote community well-being. Her Passion for Indigenous empowerment drives her work, aiming to impact Indigenous data collection and community resilience positively.