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Meet Brittney Sawyer: a dynamic individual with a passion for helping others on their journey to recovery. With a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology from the City University of Seattle, Brittney brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her work. As a Registered Provisional Psychologist, she is committed to providing compassionate and effective support to those in need. Currently serving as a Mental Health & Addiction Counsellor at Alberta Health Services, Brittney plays a vital role in helping individuals navigate the challenges of addiction. Her dedication to the field goes beyond her professional role, as she is also the Co-Founder of Stonewall Recovery Centre, Canada's first 2SLGBTQ+ addiction treatment centre. With the professional experience of working in addiction recovery since 2014, Brittney brings a unique understanding and empathy to her work, supporting individuals in their own individual recovery journeys. Passionate, driven, and compassionate, Brittney is making a significant impact in the field of addiction recovery, empowering individuals to overcome their challenges and find a path to lasting recovery.
Meet Steven Archambault, a fascinating individual with diverse experiences and a strong passion for helping others. With a background in the Canadian armed forces, Steven dedicated five years to serving his country. Following his military service, he transitioned into the business and banking sector, where he flourished for two decades, attaining the position of Vice President for western Canada at a Schedule 1 bank. Driven by his desire to make a difference in people's lives, Steven embarked on a new educational journey at the University of Phoenix, continuing to pursue a degree in Psychology. Alongside his studies, he also earned a master's degree in hypnotherapy from the Alberta College of Hypnosis, honing his expertise in this field. For over 15 years, Steven has been actively engaged in the addiction field, dedicating his time and knowledge to supporting individuals struggling with various addictions. His personal journey of overcoming a process addiction spans an impressive 22 years, empowering him with a profound understanding of the challenges individuals face on their recovery paths. Steven's commitment to helping others has led him to work within a range of recovery models, including the renowned 12-step program and Buddhist recovery. Through these experiences, he has cultivated a holistic approach to recovery, embracing diverse perspectives and tailoring his support to meet individuals' unique needs. With his extensive background, academic achievements, and vast experience in addiction recovery, Steven brings a wealth of knowledge and a compassionate approach to his work. He continues to make a positive impact in the lives of those he encounters, providing support, guidance, and encouragement as they navigate their own paths to healing and transformation.
Brittney Sawyer and Steven Archambault: Co-founders, Stonewall Recovery
Bringing Stonewall Recovery to life is no small feat, and we are grateful for the dedicated individuals who make up our Steering Committee. Their expertise and commitment allow us to provide guidance and direction in various aspects of our organization, ranging from policy development and social media to program implementation and client intake. Allow us to introduce our incredible Steering Committee members, who play a vital role in shaping the future of Stonewall Recovery:
Cathy Olson, Committee Chair: Cathy Olson's illustrious career in the airline industry spanned the nation, as she dedicated 30 years of service before retiring in Calgary. Following her retirement, Cathy embarked on a fulfilling journey in the not-for-profit sector, contributing her expertise for 15 years. In 2017, she joined the Simon House Board, where she found a deep connection to their mission. Cathy's experiences from the family’s point of view drew her to Simon House and Stonewall Recovery. Cathy feels blessed to have shared in this journey and sought an opportunity to give back to organizations that share her core values of compassion, respect, acceptance, and integrity.
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Todd Jenkins MSW RSW, Program, Client Care and Educational Advisor: A highly skilled and dynamic clinician-scientist with 20 years of experience in healthcare, community and academic sectors. Significant expertise in project management, program implementation (and evaluation) and knowledge translation/dissemination. Adept in team leadership, human resource management and stakeholder engagement. Documented success in attaining research grants, conference presentations and publications and development of intervention and assessment tools for use with a wide variety of participant populations.
Gael MacLeod, Policy and Governance Advisor: Gael has over 30 years of board governance experience with crown corporations, charities, non-profits, and cooperatives. She has held leadership roles with large, sophisticated organizations and grass-roots community groups. Gael is a collaborative and visionary leader who brings a flexible but focused approach to problem-solving. She has a proven ability to work with a broad range of people having diverse, complex, and often competing interests.
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Kendall Gender, Marketing and Recovery Advisor: Performer, host, model and 2SLGBTQ+ activist, Kendall Gender is a Bonafide Canadian drag sensation. With grassroots in Vancouver, she has performed coast to coast since 2014, Kendall is best known for being on season 2 of Canada’s Drag Race and most recently on Canada VS the World, an all-stars international season. Kendall has used her star power to raise money for social charities and groups. As a biracial artist, Kendall started the show ‘VISIBLE’ which is designed as a platform to raise money and awareness for visible minorities.
Jeremy Luk Psychologist, RPsych, MEd, Program and Client Care Advisor: Jeremy is a registered psychologist in Alberta and is the owner of Alpine Psychology. With strong experience in counselling and therapy, Jeremy’s work has included specialized populations, to more broad and general groups. Jeremy has spent the last four years working in both private practice and within an internal employee assistance program. As the owner of Alpine Psychology Jeremy and the team at Alpine work with depression, anxiety, communication difficulties, infidelity, grief, stress management, parenting difficulties, co-parenting after separation, blended family issues, sexual identity, trauma, phobias, emotional regulation, workplace stress, addictions, motivation, self-esteem, goal setting, and conflict management.
Gillian Lueke, Events, Social Media and Social Enterprise Advisor: Gillian holds a Master of Business Administration from the Haskayne School of Business and serves on the Haskayne MBA Alumni Alliance board. She is a Sr. Manager, Business Process and Manager of Health & Safety at OneWest Event Design & Production. Gillian previously worked in the Aviation industry and has focused her career on growing and managing positive relationships while balancing organizational needs and leveraging opportunities.
Cassidy ElDarazi: Cassidy ElDarazi wears two hats as both the funds development manager and volunteer coordinator for Stonewall Recovery. This means that if you are a granting body, he will probably be in touch with you. Outside of work, Cassidy is a student, studying accounting and plans on pursuing a masters in social work. In what little spare time he has, Cassidy spends it with his husband Eddy and his dogs, Cabbages and Mulfuf.
Stonewall Recovery is located in Calgary (Mohkinstsis) and in the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta. Stonewall Recovery also serves people from coast to coast and respectfully acknowledges that much of the land is unceded and that many nations have been completely wiped out due to genocide through colonization. We ask that you honour all the peoples of Turtle Island by learning the history of your territory and know that the space you call home was not discovered but was already inhabited by many great nations who protected and stewarded this land.