Executive Team
Chair: Stephanie Gee, MA
Stephanie Gee is an applied researcher specializing in program development and evaluation. Driven by a deep commitment to social justice, her work has addressed social inequality and inequity. Employing participatory methodologies and processes, Stephanie has worked with diverse communities and organizations to develop, implement, evaluate, and improve programs and services to create meaningful and positive change.
Since 2017, Stephanie has worked at the Region of Peel – Public Health as a Program Evaluation Advisor. In collaboration with her colleagues, she seeks to enhance effective public health practice through building individual and organizational capacity for program planning and evaluation.
Vice Chair: Eryn Pleson, MPH CE
Eryn is a credentialed evaluator and has worked in public health since 2011 and public health evaluation since 2013. With her specialization in health promotion and experience growing up in a small rural town in Northern Ontario, Eryn has applied her passion for northern health first as a public health promoter for the Timiskaming Health Unit and currently as the program evaluator for the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
Eryn joined the former Community of Practice for Public Health Evaluation (COPPHE) in 2013 and was part of the LDCP project for building evaluation capacity from 2013 to 2016. As the only evaluator for her organization, Eryn continues to strategize and implement ways to build evaluation capacity at an organizational level.
Eryn is a true northerner at heart and takes part in activities such a curling, camping on the beautiful Lake Nipigon, and hiking the infinite trails in the Thunder Bay area with her family.
Former Chair: Laura Gibbs MSc, MPH
Laura has worked in local public health since 2014 in various roles and program areas. She is the Program Manager, Foundational Standards at Southwestern Public Health, overseeing the organization's evidence generation and health equity initiatives. She has been part of evaluations related to mental health, opioid services, physician outreach, student nutrition programming, oral health, food safety course development, comprehensive school health programming, tobacco prevention, online prenatal classes and an incident response plan. Laura joined the OPHEN’s previous incarnation, the Community of Practice for Public Health Evaluation (COPPHE), in 2015 and became the Chair in 2017. Laura is passionate about promoting rigour and innovation in public health evaluation, and she’s excited to see what OPHEN’s next chapter brings!
Treasurer: Rachel Skellet
Rachel is the Manager of Planning, Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement at Niagara Region Public Health. Prior to this, she was an epidemiologist, supporting both chronic disease and injury prevention, as well as infectious disease epidemiology since 2014. During her time in both of these roles, Rachel’s passion for both planning and evaluation to improve public health practice has continued to grow.
Rachel lives in Niagara with her husband and three kitties. In her spare time, Rachel is currently working towards certification in Privacy, Access and Information Management.
Secretary: Katrina Dumont, MHE
Katrina is the Quality and Change Management Officer at Ottawa Public Health (OPH). Since joining OPH in 2020 she has held a several roles, including as a Program Planning and Evaluation Officer. Prior to joining OPH, she was an Evaluation Lead in an organization focused on healthcare improvement. Katrina’s interest in public health led her to pursue a variety of positions with the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), the Public Health Physicians of Canada (PHPC) and the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health. Katrina is of Algonquin Anishinaabe and Irish descent. Katrina is committed to continuing to learn about and apply culturally responsive Indigenous evaluation methods.
Communications Liaison: Heather Callum, MSW
Heather has worked at Halton Region Public Health since 2022 as a Program Evaluation Specialist, supporting program planning and evaluation. She has been part of evaluations, planning and program reviews related to prenatal nutrition, oral health, rabies prevention and control, comprehensive school health, sexual health, workplace mental health, communicable disease, and substance misuse prevention. Heather has previously worked with Region of Waterloo (Public Health and Social Services) and as an external evaluation consultant with Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health, as well as clients in the health, social services and education sectors. Heather has also worked in community-based and post-secondary settings developing mental health strategies, and as a coordinator for the Canadian Healthy Schools Alliance. Heather is passionate about participatory approaches to evaluation and social justice. Heather lives in Guelph, Ontario with her husband and two daughters and is working towards her Certified Evaluator designation.
Executive Member At Large: Adrienne Gullekson
Adrienne has worked in local public health since 2012, starting as a public health inspector before joining the foundational standards team. As the evaluation lead for Timiskaming Health Unit, Adrienne led the evaluation of the local public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and mass vaccination campaign. She also supported planning and evaluation in topic areas including emergency management, environmental health, infectious diseases and sexual health. She joined OPHEN as a member in 2020 and is excited to contribute to the Executive team. Adrienne recently moved from Kirkland Lake, Ontario with her husband and two daughters, and is excited to start a new chapter of life in Ottawa.