Health Work & Wellness™ Conference Ambassadors

Allan Smofsky

Allan Smofsky is a Senior Consultant with Towers Perrin Inc., and consults to organizations on workplace health issues and strategies. Fluently bilingual, Allan has spent most of his career in workplace health, holding senior consulting and leadership positions with major human resources consulting firms, as well as workplace health service providers. Allan is an active member of several industry organizations, including The Canadian Healthy Workplace Council (Chair), Forum on the Advancement of Healthy Workplaces, Ontario Healthy Workplace Coalition, Mississauga Board of Trade Human Resources, Education & Training Committee and Institute for Health & Productivity Management (IHPM) Advisory Committee. He is a frequent speaker and writer on workplace health and employee benefits issues.

Al Taylor

Alan Taylor has worked in various capacities in both the private and public sector advancing the cause of individual and workplace wellness. He has been a supporter of the Health Work & Wellness™ Conference since its inception, and is proud to count Deborah Connors both a colleague and a friend.

Heather Anderson

Heather is a Senior Consultant at Standard Life, where her work focuses on identifying and implementing best practices in disability management and return to work, as well as developing prevention and wellness programs and tools for clients. Heather has a background in Exercise Science and Athletic Therapy and has also pursued studies in psychology and mental health intervention. She worked for many years in rehabilitation before taking on her current role.

Jackie Riley

Jackie Riley is a Wellness Consultant for TELUS and is proud of the award-winning work of the TELUS Wellness team. Jackie is currently immersed in the concept of family wellness partnering with national experts to create a comprehensive program for TELUS while balancing her own part-time teaching and full-time "mom" schedule.

Janet Crowe

Although Janet’s formal education centred on Finance, her interests soon turned to education and leadership development. Janet has been involved in the TELUS Communications wellness program from its inception. Her dedication and passion for Wellness culminated into her current role as TELUS' Director of Health and Wellness. Janet has extensive background and experience in the fitness and wellness field. She lives in Vancouver with her husband Mark and spends most of her spare time enjoying outdoor activities (rain or shine).

Kate Lekas

Kate is a Kinesiologist (BSc Kinesiology from Simon Fraser University) with background in fitness & recreation programming and employee health promotion. Kate helped develop and implement the City of Vancouver's Health Enhancement Program – Fit City - and has coordinated this program since 1993. The Fit City program provides education, programs, health screening and motivation for 8,000+ civic employees to be healthy and active. In 2005/2006 Kate coordinated the Local Government Employee Health Promotion Project, for 2010 Legacies Now and the Union of BC Municipalities. As part of this project, Kate developed the Active Civic Employees (ACE) Network interactive website providing resources, and networking opportunities for workplace wellness practitioners in local governments in British Columbia.

Kendy Bentley

This is Kendy's 12th Health Work & Wellness™ Conference! Kendy founded Kendrith Bentley and Associates Ltd. in 1985. KBA specializes in fitness centre design and management. As well they develop workplace wellness strategies and programs for organizations. Kendy has a public speaking background and provides presentations and workshops on a variety of health, wellness and fitness related topics. She also teaches Worklife Integration and Workplace Wellness for the University of Calgary. Kendy has received the Mall Peepre Canadian Fitness Leadership Award and the Canadian Workplace Wellness Pioneer Award for her efforts in promoting health and physical activity. She has been a fitness class instructor and a trainer of fitness leaders. Kendy recently ran the Icebreaker 10km run. She enjoys backpacking, hiking, running, skiing and playing badminton and tennis.

Linda Lewis-Daly

Linda is an inspired wellness consultant who has significantly advanced individual, team and organizational health through best-in-class program development and health promotion. Her work, including the award-winning wellness program at TELUS Mobility, has attracted the attention of the media, garnered international attention and appears as case studies in American business texts. Her dedication to the field extends to a teaching and advisory position at Centennial College in the Workplace Wellness and Health Promotion program. She is also a media spokesperson for the Heart & Stroke Foundation advocating for disease prevention and the integration of heart healthy lifestyles for all, and in particular, for women. As an active mother to four teens, work-life balance is an important factor in Linda’s life and forms the core foundation for her work in influencing the development of healthy organizational cultures.

Line Vermette

Line Vermette's career with TELUS as a Wellness Consultant involves supporting 5000 employees in 11 sites across Quebec. Before joining TELUS, Line was the Communications Director of the Quebec Division of the Arthritis Society. Line also worked at the Canadian Red Cross for 14 years. She had different roles including emergency measure management, educational program development, project management, communications and fund raising. Line also served for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in many African countries and Haiti as a medical administrator and logistician. Line is a water safety, first aid and CPR master instructor trainer. She also acts as a consultant and editor in the field of violence prevention.

Mardi Denis

Mardi is a Retired Occupational Health Nurse who presently consults in her field. She worked in the Oil Industry for majority of her career and recently began working in Health Care industry. Wellness has been the focus of her practice particularly for the worker at all levels of the organization. Mardi has organized other conferences, helped set up Health Fairs, and has been a strong advocate of the Health Work & Wellness™ Conference. She has been fortunate enough to attend 10 of the 11 Health Work & Wellness™ Conferences and has served as an ambassador for several years. She looks forward to meeting you at this year’s conference!

Marie Mac Donald

Marie Mac Donald leads a rich and varied life as a senior consultant and mother of two teenagers. She has run her own human resource development company since 1989. Her undergraduate degree in psychology and Masters of Social Work coupled with extensive ongoing learning support her consulting work in complex workplace situations. Marie is an experienced keynote speaker, facilitator, educator and executive coach and has worked with many organizations supporting them in riding the wave of phenomenal change. She works with leaders to evolve their leadership capacity to create a culture of leading both the operational and human sides. Marie brings a humorous, infectious and powerful presence to the processes of transformational change and organizational health and wellness. She believes ‘Walking the Talk’ of our own wellness provides the personal resilience needed to thrive in our fast paced world and works actively to create work-life balance. Her clients have described her as someone who brings heart to organizations.

Marlynn Kennedy

Marlynn is the Provincial Workplace Wellness Officer for the Alberta Cancer Board. Marlynn joined the Alberta Cancer Board a year ago and began a purposeful, energetic and invigorating journey into employee wellness with Alberta Cancer Board and its employees. Her favourite comment is "We have passionate and dedicated employees in our workplaces and our role is to listen, engage and support employees in improving or maintaining their wellbeing in whatever way we can!" Marlynn is a native Albertan and a true Calgarian. So with this year's Health Work & Wellness™ Conference taking place in Calgary, she has eagerly joined as an Ambassador! She looks forward to assisting the delegates in having an extraordinary experience at this extraordinary conference.

Rob Crooks

Rob is a thought and practice leader in workplace health strategy, with 25 years experience in quality of work/life, health promotion, safety and disability management. Rob partners with clients to create healthy employees, engaged organizations and vibrant communities. He has been involved with the Health Work & Wellness™ Conference since 1999, contributing in a variety of roles. Rob is a frequent speaker and author on workplace health, an instructor in the Faculty of Continuing Education at the University of Calgary, Chair of the Strategic Capability Network (Calgary chapter) and Alberta Centre for Active Living Advisory Board and a member of the Canadian Healthy Workplace Council. Rob, his wife Faye and two daughters Erin (18) and Rachel (15) live and play in Calgary.