Rose Council

YWCA Edmonton’s Rose Council is a passionate group of community members who are advocates committed to taking action on gender-based violence. As champions for the YWCA’s Rose Campaign and 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, our Council Members are ambassadors and leaders, engaging the Greater Edmonton community on issues of gender-based violence, equity, and safety. We are proud to introduce you to our 2024 Council Members.

Felicia Michie, Rose Council Chair

Felicia is a management consultant specializing in strategy and governance and a partner with National Growth Partners. Her passion is helping leaders and boards overcome complex challenges that inhibit their growth potential. She holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Winnipeg and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Dalhousie University. In her governance roles, Felicia has brought her expertise to various boards, including Winnipeg Business for the Arts and HIV Edmonton, and she currently serves as the chair of YWCA Edmonton’s Rose Council.

Felicia’s WHY:

Felicia’s commitment to the Rose Council is deeply personal. She can speak firsthand about the transformative impact trauma services can have on children recovering from family violence. Sometimes, all children need is a safe space to explore and understand their experiences and feelings, which can help them to lead to a happy and healthy life. YWCA Edmonton provides these vital services, and Felicia hopes that all children in our community who need them will have access.

Christa Eaton

Christa Eaton is a registered nurse with extensive experience in healthcare and has worked throughout AHS. She is currently working in community health, assisting in triaging and transition services from hospital to home and providing home care to the acute client population. Christa graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and continues to seek out educational opportunities. Christa has a passion for mentorship and volunteering with the more vulnerable members in our community.

Christa enjoys art and interior design as a creative outlet. Christa loves spending time outdoors walking her dog in the river valley, playing tennis and is just taking up golf.

Deborah Dodd

Deborah (Deb) Dodd is a Senior Partner with Aplin, a national staffing and recruiting agency headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Deb works with organizations to source top talent in the technology industry and is the division lead for Aplin Information Technology. Deb has previously served on the Advisory Committee of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation Women’s Network and served as a member of the Edmonton Elks Women’s Dinner Committee from 2018–2021 to raise funds for Ovarian Cancer Research at the Louis Hole Hospital. She is a past member of the Edmonton Health City Working Group, an economic development initiative focused on retention and recruitment to advance the health innovation ecosystem in the Edmonton region. Deb holds a BA (Psychology) from Western University. She has received 11 consecutive top-performer awards in her industry and through her commitment to the community, Deb is working to set a good example for her children. She is looking forward to continuing in her role as a member of YWCA Edmonton’s Rose Council.

Dénes Németh

Dénes Németh leads AIMCo’s stakeholder relations function, responsible for establishing and strengthening the organization’s connection to our community and strategic partnerships. Since joining in 2010, Dénes’ responsibilities have included leading AIMCo’s corporate communications program, managing media relations, and overseeing the organization’s public affairs efforts. Prior to joining AIMCo, Dénes was responsible for European investment attraction at Edmonton Economic Development Corporation and later led the strategy for strengthening the region’s Financial Services and Petrochemical clusters. He has held marketing and consulting roles with local firms in Edmonton and earlier worked at MOL Group, Hungary’s national oil and gas company, based out of Budapest. Dénes holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours from the University of Alberta. A committed advocate for Greater Edmonton, Dénes believes the power of community can improve the quality of life for all. He is proud to serve as a member of the YWCA Rose Council and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC).

Heidi Edgar

Heidi Edgar is a native Edmonton, Registered Psychologist, and mother of three. She currently runs Edgar Psychological, a psychology practice which she founded in 2014. Heidi focuses on many aspects of individual, couples, and family therapy, and is increasingly specializing in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy.

Through her work, Heidi has been witness to the for reaching impacts of gender-based violence on individuals, families, and communities, and she is eager to devote her time to the YWCA and its efforts to address this significant issue.

Outside of her work, Heidi enjoys running, travelling and spending time with her family.

Jill Dean

Jill Dean is the president of a group of entities providing training and employment support to Albertans. She currently oversees Lives in Transition, a program that focuses on upskilling and educating women whose greatest barrier to self sufficiency is the impact of family violence on their lives. Jill’s dedication to supporting women in overcoming violence originates from the loss of her sister in 2008. Her goal is to continue to bring awareness to family violence and help create community pathways for victims and their children.

Joshua Duarte

Joshua Duarte is the son of Brazilian immigrants and has had the pleasure of living and working in various cities throughout Brazil, Canada and the United States. Over the past 10 years, this multi-faceted outlook on the world has added an extra layer of value to his work with clients at RBC, one of Canada’s most trusted financial institutions. Today, Josh is primarily focused on helping individuals and organizations in Alberta create roadmaps for achieving their long-term financial goals. Through a dynamic Financial Planning process called ”Your Future By Design.” Josh provides a carefully tailored approach to gain financial confidence and freedom. Motivated by meaningful work and passionate about building strong communities, Josh is a Mentor with MENTOR Canada, was a Steering Committee Member at Edmonton Women in Finance, Co-Chair of RBC’s Alberta and Territories Black Professional Network and the Western Canada Lead for Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals. He is also married with three kids and resides in Edmonton.

Julia Borrelli

Julia Borrelli is a born and raised Edmontonian that shares her home with her husband and two daughters who continually teach her the best life lessons. As a family, they love to travel and discover new countries, customs, and cuisine. As a dedicated dental hygiene educator, her focus has always centered around health promotion and public health with a deep understanding of the social determinants of health, which are the social and economic factors that influence people’s quality of health and their daily living conditions. Julia believes that the YWCA is a change agent that can provide women and their families with the tools and resources that addresses the inequities so that they can live safely, independently, and free from violence. She is eager to serve as a member of the YWCA Rose Council and contribute to improving our community by focusing on programs and services, equity and advocacy. A quote that resonates with her is by Malala Yousafzai “I raise up my voice- not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back”.

Kira Gregson

Kira is a Partner with Sequeira Partners, a boutique corporate advisory firm based in Western Canada, where she specializes in business valuation. Kira brings more than 14 years of experience in accounting and finance, and has advised a diverse client base, ranging from independent businesses to large publicly traded companies, across a variety of industries including industrial services, engineering, construction, and technology. Outside of the office, Kira regularly presents on the topic of private company valuations at the University of Alberta and sits on an advisory board for a local Edmonton-based business. In her downtime, she enjoys road biking, fueling her coffee addiction, and spending time with her husband and two young sons. Kira is honoured to sit on the 2024 Rose Council; she looks forward to engaging in important conversations and bringing awareness to the issues of gender-based violence to her communities and network.

Lillian Zenari

Lillian Zenari is a first generation Canadian, born and raised in Edmonton. Her strong Italian family instilled in her the importance of community and compassion. Lillian currently works as a Chartered Professional Accountant for CWB Financial Group. She has come to realize that women, because of their gender and other life circumstances, experience obstacles or injustices that are simply unfair. She believes women need a hand up to achieve their goals, be safe, and make the contributions our city, country and world so desperately need from women. Lillian has been volunteering for the YWCA Edmonton for the past three years, and also serves on the University of Alberta’s Board of Governors. She lives in Edmonton with her husband, their son and their miniature goldendoodle.

Morgan Edgar

Born and raised in Edmonton, Morgan completed her Bachelor of Arts and LLB at the University of Alberta, after which she practiced law with a national law firm in both Edmonton and Vancouver. She now spends most of her time raising her two young children and derives a lot of meaning from being involved in the community. Morgan is a volunteer with Pilgrims Hospice Society and the University Hospital Foundation, and in her spare time is an avid tennis player and loves to read and cook. Morgan is thrilled to be a part of the Rose Council, to do what she can to support women in her community, and to work towards ending gender-based violence.

Nafisa Bowen

Nafisa Bowen is the Director of Sponsorship at Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) where she is responsible for building strong relationships with corporate partners, identifying and creating new opportunities for collaboration, and managing Amii’s sponsorship portfolio to support key initiatives in the community. She is an experienced non-profit leader with experience working in the charitable sector with large health-related charities, including STARS Air Ambulance and the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. In 2022, she was inducted into the Association of Healthcare
Philanthropy’s 40 Under 40 class, designed to recognize future leaders within the international healthcare fundraising profession.

Nafisa holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Ecology from the University of Alberta and
earned her designation as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). In her free time, she is an active volunteer within the community having served on numerous non-profit boards including CCI-LEX, ParityYEG, AFP Edmonton and Area Chapter and campaign cabinet member for MacEwan University’s Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

Robyn Wosnack

Robyn Wosnack is a commercial real estate professional with over 18 years in the industry, working in brokerage, ownership, and presently real estate financing with RBC. She is a member of the RBC Women’s Employee Resource Group, and is immediate Past-President of Edmonton CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), as she believes in working to support and further the careers of women in historically male dominated sectors. The YWCA Rose Council is an incredible opportunity to continue to lift women up and bring awareness about violence against women and issues facing marginalized members of our community.

Shannon Butler

Shannon Butler has been Executive Coordinator of the Butler Family Foundation since 2007, and believes the YWCA is an organization that aligns with her family foundation’s core values. She has a passion for connecting people and working collaboratively. She believes that conversations can inspire real change and that the true measure of a community is how it comes together to support and value its most vulnerable members.

Ted Bauer

Ted Bauer has an extensive and diverse background in the political, journalism and non-profit sectors. He has long been a supporter of the YWCA and its programs. His governance experience encompasses several board positions, including time at Drive Happiness, and the Homeward Trust Indigenous Advisory Council. Ted is a member of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 8 and is a graduate of the University of Montana with a degree in Journalism and holds a citation from the University of Alberta.

Donate to the 2024 Rose Campaign

Your compassionate support of the Rose Campaign ensures the YWCA can continue to offer women and girls the support they need to live healthy lives, free of violence.