Rural East Central Regional Advisory Council

Dr. Abdul Majeed Satar is proud to call the town of Two Hills home. He is a pillar in his community, having served as a family physician for over 19 years and as hospital medical director for more than 10 years. In this leadership capacity, Abdul received the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. 

He is well known as a health care mentor for training new physicians and various medical staff. Abdul is also very well-versed and experienced in collaborating with various stakeholders, including municipal, provincial, federal and Indigenous leadership.

Dr. Margitta Dziwenka has been a registered veterinarian for more than 25 years and is currently the deputy registrar of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association. She was an active volunteer for many school and extracurricular organizations while raising her three children on the family farm near Vegreville. Margitta continues to be active on multiple boards as either a public member or volunteer, and farms with her husband.

Carla Cavanagh’s passion for community is reflected in her role as program coordinator with Mannville-Minburn-Innisfree family and community support services. She is well connected to the rural community and believes in the power of prevention. 

Carla serves as board chair for the Mannville Centennial Library, is a leader in her local 4-H club, and volunteers with The Walking Through Grief Society and Royal Purple. Her lived experience as a patient and caregiver inspires her advocacy for accessible, compassionate health care. She brings leadership experience and a positive, solutions-focused perspective to everything she does.

Bill Lawson was elected to municipal council in 2013 and served on the Irma and Area recreation board, the Irma fire board and the Battle River Lodge Foundation. Shortly after being elected, Bill was appointed to the Wainwright Health Foundation, where he was board chair from 2015 until 2022. He is excited to be involved in the health care field and continue what his father-in-law started at the Wainwright Health Centre. 

In addition, he chaired the committee that brought the community together to raise more than $2 million to bring a CT scanner to the local health centre. Bill grew up in the Wainwright area and was a firefighter with the federal government for 31 years before being elected to public office. 

Karlana Noel is the owner and principal therapist at 80 Acres Counselling, Mediation & Consulting, where she provides individual, family and couples therapy and mediation services to rural and Indigenous Albertans. Karlana holds a master of arts in counselling psychology from Yorkville University. 

She is a doctor of psychology candidate, focusing research on the scope of practice, assessment and diagnosis for master's-level clinicians through California Southern University. Karlana is actively involved in the community, serving on various boards and committees, including the Association of Counselling Therapy in Alberta, Alberta Sexual Assault Association and the College of Hearing Aid Practitioners Alberta. 

Jan Rajoo is a school trustee with St. Paul Education School Division – one of the most diverse school boards in the province. She is a very passionate advocate and active volunteer within her community, having served in leadership positions on many regional and community organizations during the past 25 years. 

In addition, she has been instrumental in spearheading the local community newspaper for more than 20 years. Jan, her husband and three teenage daughters are proud to call the County of Two Hills home.

Vince Saretsky has devoted more than 30 years to educational leadership within Buffalo Trail Public Schools. He has served as a principal and school leader and is currently a career coordinator, leading initiatives focused on career education and student development. 

Vince has added to his community as a coach, an official, a volunteer and member of many committees including town council. For more than 35 years, he has lived in Wainwright and raised a family there with his wife of 31 years.

Robert Snow is a councillor for the Town of Vermilion and chief executive officer of Focus Society for Support Services. He is a retired advanced care paramedic with more than 22 years of service in rural Alberta, including 16 years in ambulance operations management. 

As CEO, he has developed and oversees Focus Transportation Services – a regional program that helps residents access medical appointments and treatments while supporting ambulance availability in their home communities. Robert also leads projects on accessible housing and community-based supports. In addition, he serves on several municipal and regional committees, collaborating closely with the Alberta government, Alberta Health Services and local partners on rural health solutions.

Louis Van Wyk started working as family physician at Two Hills Medical Clinic in 2001. He also covered shifts in acute care, long-term care, the SAGE stroke and geriatric empowerment rehabilitation unit, and the emergency room at the Two Hills Health Care Centre. Louis joined Lakeland Primary Care Network as a member, then became a board member and later board chair.