Regional Advisory Council 7 - Health

Lindsay Rypien was born and raised in Lethbridge and moved to rural Alberta in 2012. In her current role as the site administrator at St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Vegreville, she has forged strong partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders at many levels while upholding organizational missions, visions and values. 

Lindsay is eager to share her knowledge and experiences from operational leadership and urban and rural clinical front-line roles. She believes success in rural health care delivery comes from maintaining a growth mindset while fostering a sense of community and creating a culture of trust, accountability and innovative quality improvement. Lindsay was born and raised in Lethbridge and moved to rural Alberta in 2012. She has three children and resides on an acreage near Ardrossan where they enjoy local activities.

After a distinguished 33-year career in kindergarten to Grade 12 and post-secondary education – including 17 years as superintendent of schools – Karl Germann now serves as an education consultant with the Alberta School Boards Association. He also teaches ethics and law in education at the University of Alberta, sharing his deep expertise with the next generation of educators. 

In addition to his work in education, Karl was recently appointed to the board of Covenant Health, where he serves as vice-chair and chair of the governance committee. His strong commitment to leadership and service continues to make a meaningful impact in both the education and health care sectors.  

Gerd Andres has extensive experience in economics, policy development and board governance. He has been involved in dozens of volunteer community organizations. Gerd has served on several committees, the University of Alberta senate, provincial agricultural boards and held board governance positions such as school trustee. 

Having recently supported a family member with a serious health condition for over two years, Gerd also brings a first-hand perspective of the health care system to the table. He is a postgraduate from the University of Alberta and lives in Wizard Lake in Leduc County after living in Wetaskiwin for 30 years. 

Shelley Biermanski is a current city councillor and longtime resident of St. Albert. She enjoyed a diverse career in sales and management in the food and auto industries, as well as small business ownership and coaching. She also holds a conflict resolution certification, organizes art shows for charity projects and contributes to homeless assistance options. 

Recently Shelley volunteered for the Edmonton region Alberta Health Services Advisory Committee. She currently works with environmental advisory committees and volunteers for community sports and Special Olympics.

As mayor of Stony Plain, William Choy is a dedicated public servant and community leader. With a long-standing commitment to local government, he first joined town council in 2007 as a councillor before transitioning to his current role in 2012. Before entering politics, William earned both a bachelor of arts and bachelor of education from Kings University.

As a proud third-generation business owner, he is also an active entrepreneur in the community. William serves on several local boards and is deeply involved in charitable and service organizations. He has received a Chamber of Commerce Decker Kulak Memorial Award and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals for his community contributions. 

A long-standing resident of Leduc County, Ali Gibbon is a dedicated leader with over 15 years of experience in the public and private sectors. She currently works in municipal management. As vice-chair of the Leduc Community Hospital Foundation, Ali is deeply committed to community well-being and seeks to leverage her expertise to contribute to the regional advisory council. 

Ali holds a master of leadership in service innovation and is passionate about delivering quality services, fostering collaboration and driving efficient processes through strategic planning, team leadership and citizen-centric service delivery. 

Lorne Harvey is an elected councillor in Strathcona County. Until 2019, he had a career spanning more than 30 years with the Government of Alberta. During his tenure, he worked in various ministries and was assistant deputy minister of corporate services. 

Lorne brings a very strong governance background and has extensive financial experience in the public sector. He has volunteered on a variety of boards and committees and now serves on the Heartland Housing Foundation, Accessibility Advisory Committee and Parents Empowering Parents Society. 

Darcy Powlik grew up on a farm in Thorsby. He attended the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and received a business administration diploma. Darcy has been self-employed for 40 years, starting in retail and wholesale. 

He is now a licensed realtor and for the last three years has been Alberta's top RE/MAX contributor to the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Darcy has also been heavily involved in his community and the surrounding area, organizing and supporting many fundraising opportunities. 

Laurie Sembaliuk has been a registered nurse for almost 30 years. Her career started in Wetaskiwin where she grew up. She has practised nursing in both rural and urban areas, spanning the health care continuum from ambulatory to critical care. Laurie has also volunteered in her community and with her regulatory college. 

In 2022, she completed a master of arts in leadership from Royal Roads University. Laurie loves working with a team and sees collaboration as the way to make a lasting and meaningful difference. 

Rhonda Shkrobot is a drug stewardship pharmacist with Alberta Health Services and a senior practice consultant with Acute Care Alberta. Over the past 29 years, she practised pharmacy in Alberta in various settings from hospital and community to Alberta Blue Cross and Canada’s Drug Agency (formerly Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health). 

Rhonda holds a bachelor of science in pharmacy from the University of Alberta and completed an accredited hospital pharmacy residency. She has broad volunteer experience and is passionate about patient-centred health care stewardship, quality and safety. 

Carol Slukynski is a dedicated community leader and small business owner residing in Fort Saskatchewan. She values teamwork and believes in the power of working collectively to achieve optimal outcomes – not just for her business but for the community she serves. 

Carol is the co-founder of Hosting Ukrainians in Fort Saskatchewan and served on the Premier's Advisory Task Force for Ukraine in 2022-2023. She continues to uplift her community with her relentless work and commitment to making a positive difference. Her global perspective is shaped by travelling 23 countries, allowing her to bring a unique and thoughtful approach to her personal and professional work. 

Debby Wiedeman has been a social work professional in Alberta for 40 years. Throughout her career, Debby has worked in rural communities near Stony Plain. She has also worked with individuals in large urban centres to develop programs and policies to improve social determinants of health and mental wellness. 

Debby completed her master of social work through the University of Calgary, with a focus on utilizing a hope recovery framework to support people experiencing addictions and mental health. Additionally, Debby is passionate about bringing together multiple perspectives to advise positive health care outcomes