We are a registered B-Corp social enterprise.
This ensures we add value to generate income to keep us sustainable and constantly innovating.
OUR VALUE PROPOSITION
We are good people who are passionate about systems change – even if that means taking the harder road to achieve meaningful and sustainable impact for the communities we support.
We’re founded on the principle that testing doing good with innovative approaches and tools has a better shot at making lasting change than the status quo.
We started in 2018. Now we operate in more than 200 communities across Canada. We started with 1 product: the HelpSeeker end-user app. Today, we have a growing portfolio of product and service offerings, with more in the works.
Our work is authentic, innovative, and most importantly, effective.
We choose to support communities willing to brave deep systems change alongside us, who share our dedication to making the world a better place. Our projects are diverse, but focused on resolving complex social issues like addictions, mental health, community safety, homelessness, domestic violence, and poverty.
We are participating in the 50-30 Challenge to increase the representation of women and under-represented groups of people including visible minorities, people living with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and Indigenous peoples. We recognize that as founding peoples of what is now called Canada, members of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities continue to be under-represented in positions of economic influence and leadership.
Our Team
We have a very good team that’s growing quickly.
Co-President & Co-Founder
Dr. Alina Turner
Alina is recognized as a leading researcher and thinker on social issues with proven implementation results. Her work on system planning is recognized as a leading practice and often called upon as a model across communities. Her drive and passion for this work is grounded in her lived experience of the social issues she continues to challenge in her professional work. Alina is a Fellow at The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary and serves on the Board of Directors for A Way Home Canada and the Alberta Rural Development Rural Advisory Board on housing and homelessness.
Alina co-founded HelpSeeker as a spin-off social enterprise dedicated to connecting people with the help they need, fast. The back-end of HelpSeeker provides service providers and decision-makers with real-time analytics to inform strategy and decision-making. HelpSeeker is fast becoming a system mapping tool across Canadian communities, essential to mapping and analyzing over 100,000 social and health resources nationally.
Working with the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and A Way Home Canada, Turner Strategies established the Systems Planning Collective - dedicated to building capacity nationally to implement systems approaches to prevent and end homelessness.
Alina has worked at an executive leadership level at both management and board of directors levels for the past 10 years. During her tenure as VP Strategy at the Calgary Homeless Foundation, Alina led the implementation of Canada’s first Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) and designed Calgary’s Housing First System of Care. She oversaw $35 million in annual investments across 40 programs in Calgary, their performance management and quality assurance. Prior to this, Alina worked at the Poverty Reduction Initiative of the United Way of Calgary & Area, and a variety of front-line immigrant and homeless-serving agencies.
Co-President & Co-Founder
Travis Turner
Travis has spent the last 15 years as a school administrator, learning leader, and classroom teacher with the Calgary Board of Education. He has a Master’s degree in educational policy, organizational analysis and leadership. His graduate work examined the role of technology innovation in school policy and teaching practice.
Travis co-founded HelpSeeker with Alina as a social enterprise focused on bringing emerging technologies to bear on real-world challenges. The app is dedicated to connecting those in need with the right services and programs, at the right time. This work has not only included working closely with developers but also with community leaders to assist in the process of system mapping to ensure effective program access.
In addition to his leadership experience, Travis has significant front line experience working with at-risk children and youth. He led a cross-disciplinary team specializing in working with youth with severe mental health concerns delivered in partnership between the school board, health services, and family supports. In this program, Travis developed individualized case plans and system advocacy strategies for vulnerable youth working closely with counsellors, psychiatrists, family support workers, occupational therapists, social workers, system specialists and behaviour support workers.
Indigenous Advisory
Elder in Residence
Doreen Spence
Our cultural and spiritual guide, our Grandmother, Elder Doreen Spence O.C., has been appointed to receive the Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours. Her appointment is in recognition of “her efforts as an internationally respected Cree Elder advocating for peace and Indigenous peoples’ human rights.”
Doreen, whose sacred name is Bald Eagle Woman Who Leads, has been a proud activist for most of her 83 years of life! She worked for over two decades with the Working Group of Indigenous Peoples. This group was instrumental in the creation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Locally, she has been a founding member of the Calgary Indigenous Human Rights Circle. Doreen hosts vision quests, sweat lodges and other sacred ceremonies to build healthier communities and leave a legacy for others.
She will never stop advocating for her communities and those that need support to understand and combat the root of racism. Her ultimate goal is to teach us how to heal ourselves and support the healing of others.
Grandmother Doreen plays a vital role at HelpSeeker, as she provides us with support and guidance for our internal and external Indigenous & Diversity strategy.
Innovation
Executive VP, Innovation
Matt Parker
Previous to his work in AI/ML, Matt worked in commercialization and innovation in Toronto for Sinai Health System. Matt has obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Victoria and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.
Data Science
Research and Policy Analyst
Camilo Escamilla
Camilo is a political scientist with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Calgary. He has more than 5 years of experience in social research and policy analysis in diverse topics such as immigration, development, gender, integration, among others. He is currently the co-chair of Immigrant Advisory Table (IAT) of the City of Calgary and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Colombian – Canadian Professionals of Alberta (ACCPA).
Data Scientist
Dee Wang
Data Scientist
Rupal Gandhi
Marketing & Strategic Partnerships
VP, Marketing
Valerie Sergienko
Valerie joined the HelpSeeker team in fall of 2020. Having worked as a marketing executive at multiple startups, she brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, agility, creativity, and ingenuity to the table. Her marketing experience within the private sector combined with her drive and passion for helping people are invaluable in supporting HelpSeeker’s vision of forging a sustainable business model that applies startup agility and innovation to the irradiation of the inequities within Canada’s social safety net.
Strategic Partnerships Advisor
Jenny Cull
Jenny supports HelpSeeker’s growth strategy, as well as communications for HelpSeeker's community outreach initiatives. She holds an applied Bachelor’s degree in business from Mount Royal University, and has over 15 years of combined experience in strategy, marketing, customer support, and project management. Jenny’s experience spans across various fields (ranging from gas marketing, to interior design, and auction fundraising), and has worked alongside more than 60 non-profit and charitable organizations across Canada. She is most fulfilled in environments whereby she can help impact social progress.
Communications Assistant
Josie Cassidy
Josie joined HelpSeeker in May 2019 with work experience as a dietitian and educator, in long-term care, hospital, elementary school, and post-secondary settings in Ontario and Alberta. She is proud to be a part of this inspiring team of passionate innovators making waves and creating change in communities across Canada! Josie contributes to marketing and digital communication efforts, including our social media presence.
Graphic Designer
Kim Harper, BAA
Systems Mapping
Manager, Systems Mapping
Nicole Croft
Systems Mapping Specialist - Lead
Melissa Wilkinson
Melissa joined HelpSeeker in the Summer of 2020. She brings Administration knowledge from years of managing offices and staff in 24/7 Flood & Fire Mitigation (Disaster Relief). Throughout her career, she helped hundreds of people in various communities across all provinces get through devastating times. During her school years she made a difference within the community by volunteering at multiple functions and local school events. Mellissa is thrilled to be part of our growing organization.
In her free time she enjoys spending time outdoors, camping with her family and friends.
Systems Mapping Specialist - Lead
Ryan Reeve
Help Desk Service Representative
Danielle Gillard
Prior to working at HelpSeeker Danielle spent 10 years in early childhood where she owned and operated a successful childcare business with a focus on developing minds and social skills. Danielle has completed her Medical Office Assistant/Unit Clerk Certificate and has also received a certificate in Accounting. She has learned through volunteering her time and skills that she is most fulfilled where she is able to be of use and help to others.
Systems Mapping Specialist
Janet Anderson
Janet has over 15 years experience in Office Administration focused in Oil & Gas and purchasing. With her diverse administration experience she brings a flare for systems development and organization. Janet is originally from St. John's NL where she received her diploma in Business Marketing. Her career has brought her to Alberta since 2013.
Community Success
Executive VP, Growth
Jesse Donaldson
Over the last decade, Jesse has dedicated her career to creating social change within and across public, private and charitable sectors.
As the Government of Canada’s technical advisor for Point-in-Time Homeless Counts, Jesse supported more than 60 communities, between 2016 – 2018, to create enumeration strategies that met their unique, local needs. She has also co-authored several important publications on homelessness, including the first State of Homelessness in Canada, and a seminal study on youth homelessness in the Greater Toronto Region.
In the private sector, she’s created and implemented social purpose programs for companies like Starbucks, Petro-Canada, and Home Depot, to effect change in areas such as education, youth, food insecurity, mental health, employment, and caregiving.
VP, Community Success
Monique Fry
Monique is from the Xwchíyò:m First Nation on her grandfather’s side and from the shíshálh Nation on her grandmother’s side. Both Nations are located on territories that are currently known as the province of BC. She holds a Blackfoot name gifted by Elder Dr. Reg Crowshoe, which in English translates to “where the water meets the west shore spirit”.
Monique has 12+ years experience in cross-cultural communication and stakeholder relations with a focus on successful engagement and partnerships with Indigenous communities. She brings both a lived experience perspective as a First Nations woman as well as career and academic experience holding an MA in Communication and Culture from the University of Calgary.
Monique is recognized as a Cultural Mediator, and holds relationships with diverse Elders and Knowledge Keepers from across Turtle Island. Her work in Calgary has included the intersection of understanding and tackling poverty, homelessness, health, human rights, education, justice and employment of Indigenous peoples. One of her strengths is in relationship building and connections to community leaders, as well as those in non-profit, corporate and government.
Community Success Lead
Jennifer Legate
Community Success Lead
Jillian Mah
Jillian is a deep listener, a mindful designer, and a forward thinker. She holds a degree in Information Design from Mount Royal University and has experience working on consulting, information strategy, research, and creative innovation teams.
Jillian is passionate about working towards systems change through designing experiences that are meaningful, educational, and empowering. She is intentionally curious, and recognizes that information design is not only about solutions, but also an act that requires awareness, intent, learning, and wonder.
Community Success Coordinator
Ryan Mallon
Ryan has an extensive background in the tech sector, and a passion for providing access to social services in a way that preserves dignity and equality. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from John Carroll University, and has obtained a Social Service Worker diploma from Loyalist College. Ryan comes to HelpSeeker with over 20 years of experience in web and mobile app development, and is an advocate for using technology to more effectively connect community and social supports with the people who need them.
Corporate Services
Human Resources Officer
Pam Noble, BAdmin
Manager, Financial Reporting
Angie Kuemper, CPA, CA
Angie describes herself as a reliable, energetic, and resourceful professional utilizing over ten years of post-qualification experience coupled with a passion and aptitude for creating and maintaining relationships. As the Manager of Financial Reporting, Angie supports HelpSeeker's accounting, tax and finance functions. Angie holds a Bachelor of Commerce Accounting degree from the University of Calgary and got her Chartered Accountant designation in 2007. Her experience spans across various fields; ranging from public to non-profit audit, accounting, corporate tax and personal finance. Over her career she has also held board of director positions with various non-profits. Angie is in continuous pursuit of the coveted Mom of the Year award with the enthusiastic support of her young triplet sons! She is most fulfilled in forward thinking environments where she is part of a team of individuals that care about social impact and progress.
