Stefani Chokka is the Network Coordinator for the Rural Mental Health Project. With a BSc in Psychology and a Masters of Global Public Health, mental health and wellness have been intricately woven into the backbone of her drive and purpose. Her experience and exposure with the clinical nature of mental health has given her a duality of perspective with her shift in focus to mental wellness, population health and community development. Stefani hopes to always empower and foster growth, equity, passion, and creativity in the work that she does.

Reach out to Stefani about:

• Network Activities and Inquiries
• Training Details
• Backbone Organization Support
• Design Teams
• Creative design

David is an enthusiastic and innovative community development professional with over 5 years’ experience working in local government and social services. David is passionate about supporting grassroot organizations to build capacity and maximize their efforts in a sustainable manner. Having a bachelor's degree in Psychology, a Social Work diploma, and being an entrepreneur, he strives to use a holistic approach to his work.

You can reach out to David about:

• Brainstorming
• Local asset mapping
• Using social innovation to solve complex issues
• Community Engagement principles
• Facilitation tools and techniques

Tim is the Training Coordinator for the Rural Mental Health Project. He has spent over 28 years involved in community development work (asset-based), psycho-social capacity building in communities following natural and man made disasters and training development and facilitation for organizations across Alberta looking to create psychologically safer workplaces. Passionate about citizen-led community action he is a champion for social movements seeking change at a societal level. 

Reach out to Tim to chat about:

• Asset Based Community development
• Mentally healthier workplaces
• Disaster recovery and collective resilience
• Psycho-social capacity building
• Training creation and facilitation
• Community coaching

Torri is the Project and Network Coordinator for the Rural Mental Health Project. Originating from the GTA and moving to Alberta in 2015, Torri has lived and worked in various parts of rural Alberta while gaining experience in front-line mental health care. Experiencing the uniqueness that rural Alberta has to offer has made Torri passionate about the Alberta landscape and people. Torri is passionate about the intersection of social policy and citizen-led community change, and she is a passionate advocate for systems change that supports real people and communities.

Reach out to Torri to chat about:

• Collaborative partnerships and sponsorships
• Youth empowerment
• Community development and placemaking
• Idea generation

Jessica Turowski is the Project Manager for the Rural Mental Health Project with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Division. She endeavors to enable better mental health for all through continual engagement and dialogue with local and provincial stakeholders. She is a champion of systems-thinking and social innovation. Her work focuses on embedding health promotion and community development principles, along with supporting collaboration processes and creating strategic opportunities to tackle the complexity of mental wellness. Jessica has a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, a BA (Honours) in Psychology, and 10 years of provincial mental health project management.

Reach out to Jessica to chat about:

• Partnerships that leverage our collective efforts
• Social innovation to shift systems
• Collaborative leadership
• Balancing theory and practice
• Positive psychology
• Art in practice and knowledge creation
• Equity

Robyn is the Capacity Building Coordinator for the Rural Mental Health Project. She is passionate about building community capacity and systems change that positively impacts our mental health and wellbeing.  With a degree in Social Work and a lifetime of lived experience, Robyn is an advocate for positive mental health and reducing the stigma around mental illness. She brings a commitment to strength-based and trauma-informed approaches, as well as supporting a culture of care in her work with communities.

Reach out to Robyn to chat about:

• Capacity building and training
• Trauma-informed care
• Supporting peers
• Community resilience

Luna is the Research and Evaluation Coordinator for the Rural Mental Health Project. They are an experienced researcher who has conducted multiple research projects examining the marketplace, labour, and race through an intersectional lens. Professionally, they have 6 years of experience working in academic and non-profit sectors. Luna is invested in community-wellbeing, grassroots approaches, and equitable practices. They hold a Master’s in Science, specializing in Marketing, and a BA in Sociology.