Board of Directors

James was born and raised in Stettler, Alberta and has happily lived in the County of Stettler most all of his life. He is the excessively proud father of 4 children and grandfather to 3 awesome grandchildren, and counts his life to be blessed being married for 30 years. He is a local businessman and has been a County Councillor since 2010 and when he is not involved in the tasks for this he can be found sheep shearing, sheep farming, reffing hockey, or maybe his favourite, just drinking coffee and talking politics. James has a passion for Senior and Community Housing. He was very excited to be appointed to the County of Stettler Housing Authority his first term as an elected official.  

Over the years, James has gained knowledge and experience in this sector through his many years on his local board as well as sitting on the ASCHA board as Vice President for the Central Region for two terms. 

James is very excited to be back with the ASCHA team to serve as President - the key word is “serve”. He truly believes elected officials are meant to serve their respected communities and the boards they sit on.

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Nancy Simmonds became the CEO for Heartland Housing Foundation in January 2019. She entered the non-profit housing sector 10 years prior with a desire to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable Albertans.

Nancy brings over 20 years experience in management and professional accounting, and has been in leadership roles in the social housing sector since 2009 as Controller and Director of Operations. Prior to her career in the housing sector, Nancy was working in her professional accredited field of public accounting at MNP LLP. Her Chartered Accountant designation (CPA) has allowed her the opportunity to lead teams from a unique financial perspective while supporting the invaluable from-the-heart work required of community-based organizations like affordable housing providers.  Her expertise includes managing large scale financial portfolios, planning and implementing strategic developments for housing organizations, and providing financial managerial support for large conversion projects. 

Now, as CEO of Heartland Housing Foundation, she is leading that organization through strategically-driven and values-aligned growth while advocating municipally, provincially, and federally for action on housing needs. She is looking forward to supporting the important work ahead of ASCHA and proud to represent the North Region on ASCHA’s board.

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Shanika Donalds serves in a senior leadership role as the Director of Housing and Client Services at GEF Seniors Housing. Her professional career spans over two decades in the fields of social work, program development, research, and project management. She is passionate about creating and supporting meaningful connections across segments of the social housing sector to effectively address the housing needs of seniors.

Shanika is a Registered Social Worker and holds a PhD from the University of Alberta. She advocates for evidence-based interventions and believes that the intersection between research and intervention is where innovative solutions, policies, and practices to improve service delivery can be achieved.

She is unwavering in her commitment to finding and optimizing opportunities to improve the lives of individuals and their communities and believes in the transformative power of compassionate and innovative leadership in addressing the complex issues faced by society. Shanika is excited about the work of ASCHA and supporting the organization as it continues to make strides in advancing the housing sector in Alberta and beyond.

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Chris Thiessen is a City Councillor for the City of Grande Prairie currently serving his third term, and has been an appointed Board Member to the Grande Spirit Foundation since 2018.  Prior to being on Council, Chris was the Client Support Development Officer for Canadian Mental Health Association ABNW while also serving as a social housing advocate and educator in various paid and volunteer capacities, including creating his own charity music festival - Peace Starts At Home - which helped to support the local Women and Youth shelters (2005-2010).

Since being elected in 2013, Chris has successfully advocated for housing to be the top priority of his municipality - with the capital investments to support it across the housing spectrum.  In 2014, he was appointed by Alberta Municipalities (AUMA) to be their representative for the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness (2014-16), a multi-stakeholder board through the Province of Alberta Seniors and Housing Department.  In this time, the IAC successfully advocated for more funding in the creation and renovation of seniors, social, and affordable housing ($1.2 billion), new investments for supports to maintain housing, and a cross-ministry approach to address the complexities of housing and homelessness.

Other notable and relevant contributions to the housing and community development sectors include: creating the world’s first ever Edible Landscaping Policy (City of GP 2014), member of the Community Advisory Board for Housing and Homelessness (2015-current), board member for John Howard Society (Grande Prairie 2014-current, Alberta 2017-21, Canada 2018-20), current Chair of the Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance.

“I am a believer that access and availability to housing should be considered a basic human right and it has been my mission in service to actualize this in my community, region, and province for over 20 years.   I am overjoyed to be a part of the ASCHA team and am hopeful that together we can move this needle farther, for our seniors and communities, while helping others to develop and reach their goals as well.”

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After serving 10 years as Mayor of the Town of Blackfalds, Melodie Stol left politics in September 2017 to join The Bethany Group as their Stakeholder Relations Advisor. In this role, Melodie has been able to work with the boards and communities of six Housing Management Bodies, including ASCHA members Flagstaff Regional Housing Group and the Parkland Foundation. 

As part of the Bethany Group team, her goals for seniors housing is two-fold. First, is the importance of seniors housing in overall community development. Our residents should be fully engaged in community and our communities should look at the facilities as hubs to support all seniors. Secondly, she is committed to supporting the elected officials and volunteers that serve the housing management bodies so they can make informed decisions in the public interest.

Melodie has an education background in Local Government Administration, and has a long record of service on boards including the Lacombe Foundation, Central Alberta Victim and Witness Support and Blackfalds Family and Community Services.  While her work takes her throughout Central Alberta, Melodie proudly continues to call Blackfalds home. 

“I am very pleased to be serving on the ASCHA board, and I hope that my experience and passion for community development will support all ASCHA members in achieving their goals”.

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Lorne Fundytus joined Rimoka Housing Foundation as CAO in 2021.  In this role, he oversees RHF operations encompassing 342 units spanning Seniors Supportive Living Lodges, Seniors Self-Contained Apartments, a 51-unit Life lease building (Ponoka), Social Housing spaces, as well as a Rental Assistance program spanning Ponoka and Rimbey. RHF also own and operate a commercial building that houses the Rising Sun Clubhouse Society who provide mental health services to support individuals to live independently within the community.

His career has spanned multiple sectors from financial services (Alberta Treasury Branches) to owner/operator of two mid-sized manufacturing (Chemforce Inc. & Synectic Chemicals Ltd.) businesses serving the housing sector in central and south Alberta communities prior to management at RHF.

Carrying on a family tradition of community service, he has served with the Ponoka Boys and Girls Club as an in-school mentor, spent six years as an entrepreneurial speaker and facilitator for a “starting your own business” program (East Parkland Business Development Group) and currently sits as an advisor to a “Hub” committee alongside key community partners who seek to support families experiencing distress.

Lorne’s is passionate about supporting seniors and is honoured to serve RHF communities in Central Alberta. His focus is to secure support for affordable housing for seniors in the community for many years to come with the replacement of the aging Lodge with new infrastructure.

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Michelle Swanson is an active leader and dedicated advocate for Clearwater County, currently serving her second term as a council member with a strong commitment to the community.

Michelle's extensive involvement in various committees and boards, including the Broadband Committee, Central Alberta Reeves Committee, Central Alberta Economic Partnership and many intermunicipal collaboration committees, underscores her proactive approach to governance and strategic planning.

Her leadership extends beyond the council chambers to organizations such as the Rocky Mountain House Museum Operations Board, the Rocky Senior Housing Council and currently serving as a Central Director with the Alberta Seniors & Community Housing Association, where she actively contributes to enhancing community amenities and quality of life for all.

Michelle and her family have been living their best life as local farmers living near Rocky Mountain House.  They do custom grazing of horses and cattle, host on-farm stays and experiences, pasture raise chickens and grow a large garden. 

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George is passionate about serving Albertans, especially in the midst of a housing crisis. He joined Calgary Housing in April 2022 as the Vice President of Customer Experience where he sponsored a new community partnership strategy, an extensive digitization project, the launch of applicant and resident portals, and the development of several keystone policies.  George brings 29 years of customer experience with some of the top brands in the world.

Looking to put down roots in Calgary, he joined the City of Calgary in September 2017 and led the Customer Advisory Services team with the Planning & Development department. His team was able to greatly improve on service delivery.  He also led the successful implementation of the Planning & Development department’s online services project.  

In February 2020, he moved with The City of Calgary to the Assessment & Tax Business Unit as the Manager of Business Services. There he led a diverse group which included Records Management, Technology Services, Learning & Development, and Project Services. He moved forward initiatives like the Customer Relations Management (CRM) system upgrade, implementation of Power BI in Assessment, and the successful rollout of the Chatbot.

George is grateful to serve on the ASCHA Board, and will collaborate with ASCHA members to advocate for safe, stable and affordable housing opportunities for all Albertans.

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Don Herring joined the board of Westwinds Communities, a housing management body, in December, 2020, and is currently serving the organization as Vice-Chairperson. Westwinds is located in High River, and serves the non-profit seniors and affordable housing sectors in the communities that comprise Foothills County. Don is a member of the Executive Committee as well as the Strategic Planning and Finance Committees. Prior to joining Westwinds, he spent 35 years involved in not-for-profit trade associations in the oil and gas service industry.

Don served as president for the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, and following retirement, as a consultant to additional non-profits. He has also worked in a senior capacity with the Alberta energy department and the ERCB. Don also served in executive roles in community-based organizations as well as a volunteer in a number of groups over his working career. He resides in Okotoks. Finally, he holds a master’s degree in economics and as well as an undergraduate degree in commerce.

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Sourav began his career in Canada in 2007, working in the Hospitality Industry in hotels and restaurants. He currently owns two restaurants in Medicine Hat: The Rosewood Bistro and The Clubhouse restaurant at the Paradise Valley Golf Course. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality and Hotel Administration from India. He is a certified Red Seal Cook in Alberta, and a Certified Chef De Cuisine (undergoing) from SAIT. He has also participated in The Food Network’s cooking show Fire Masters.

For Sourav, food is an efficient and effective therapy for seniors, and he tries to give a good dose of it by offering them variety.

Sourav started working with seniors in 2016 at Chinook Village as a Food Service Manager. He later joined Cypress View Foundation in 2018 as a Food Services Manager;  he was promoted to Hospitality Manager in 2021. Later, in October 2021, Sourav became the Acting CAO of Cypress View Foundation, and then the CAO in January 2022.

Sourav’s vision for seniors is to make the rest of their lives, the best of their lives.

Sourav is happily married to Naina, and they have a son, Sonak.

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Dwight brings over 34 years of experience from progressive leadership positions in the non-profit and private senior health care sector. In 2020 he successfully completed the requirements for an accredited Long Term Care Administrator through the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS) and in 2022 was accredited through the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA). He has also participated on committees and provided consultation that assisted in the transformation of senior’s health care and occupational health & safety in Ontario including representing retirement residences on the Toronto Central Regional Infection Control Network (TCRICN), Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA), Ontario Retirement Community Association (ORCA) and Retirement Home Regulatory Authority (RHRA).

Prior to moving to Alberta, Dwight worked as a General Manager at a prominent senior’s complex in Toronto for 16 years gaining practical experience in strategic planning, operational leadership and providing a voice for seniors and employees.

In 2019, Dwight made a career move from his position as the General Manager at the Chartwell residence in Toronto to the role of Director of Regional Operations for Chartwell Retirement Residences in Edmonton, Sherwood Park, and St. Albert where he is spearheading strategic growth initiatives that are deeply rooted in values and aligned with the needs of both publicly funded and private living sectors. With a visionary approach he is leading teams to reshape the landscape of senior care by placing a strong emphasis on quality, compassion, and innovation across all facets of the industry. 

“I am excited to champion quality senior care and make people’s lives better through my service on the ASCHA Board. It is a privilege to serve and represent members of such a vital sector and work towards improving the well-being of seniors, and those who work in senior’s care, across Alberta.”

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Ali Shivji is a Principal at Optima Living, overseeing strategy, operations, and development across 39 seniors’ housing sites and care homes in Alberta and British Columbia.

With more than two decades of experience, Ali has successfully combined his expertise in the private and non-profit sectors with a passion for innovation and excellence. His leadership has helped shape the future of seniors’ living by integrating best practices in real estate, operations, and person-centered care.

In addition to his private-sector leadership, Ali brings extensive non-profit governance experience, serving as Chair of the Effective Pricing Solutions Board, as a Board Member for Calgary Economic Development (and as National Fundraising Convenor for Focus Humanitarian Assistance). His leadership in developing a global aging and housing strategy for the Ismaili Community across 21 countries underscores his ability to address complex challenges with strategic vision and collaboration.

Ali is also deeply committed to fostering inclusive environments where diverse voices and cultures are represented and honoured. His work at Optima Living includes delivering culturally responsive services for diverse communities, collaborating with Indigenous groups, and ensuring that seniors’ housing and care are accessible and reflective of the populations they serve.

“I am passionate about creating impactful change in seniors' housing,” says Ali. “It is an honour to represent and serve ASCHA’s members as we work together to enhance the well-being of seniors and the dedicated teams who support them.”

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