OkaZHI Executive Board

Bill Nelems

Executive Director

Muriel Kranabetter, MA Nursing

Chair of the Board

Passionate about global health issues, UBCO instructor Muriel Kranabetter travels with a group of students to Ghana each February where she works to give her students experiences which will enrich their nursing careers forever while at the same time working to improve health care provision for rural Ghanaians. In her spare time she is an active member of OkaZHI since its inception, and looks forward to continuing to support OkaZHI’s mission and programs in Zambia as Board chairman for the next 2 years.

Jessica Barker, RN, BSN

Vice Chair

Jessica is a Registered Nurse, graduating from the University of British Columbia-Okanagan in 2007. She traveled to Ghana as a nursing student and fell in love with Africa. She has spent the last couple of years working in Zambia, beginning with teaching for six months at Lewanika School of Nursing in Mongu, Western Province. This time introduced her to the wonderful Lozi people and culture of Western Province, and gave her a true appreciation for the beauty of the country. She was confronted with the huge disease burden and human resource crisis that faces Zambian health care workers each and every day. "By empowering our Zambian colleagues through education, OkaZHI can enhance Zambian health care in a sustainable way". For this reason, Jessica is inspired by OkaZHI's work in Western Province, and looks forward to heading back to be with her Lozi people.

Kevin Blackmore, CA

Treasurer

Kevin is a senior manager at Grant Thornton in Kelowna. Although he had a limited knowledge of health care issues in Zambia, as an accountant he is a very welcomed member of the OkaZHI board. His contributions and enthusiasm have been invaluable.

Diana Barker

Secretary

Diana is the Program Director for the Central Okanagan Hospice Association’s Palliative Volunteer Services. She is a founding member of OkaZHI and currently serves on the Board as Secretary. Diana was inspired to contribute after her first visit to Western Province in 2008. She hopes her offerings will further the work of her OkaZHI colleagues, so it may be that the health care of those living in Western Province will be improved. The words spoken by poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, ‘Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something’, resonates strongly with Diana, who remarks “May asking the timeless inquiry of the heart, ‘How can I help?’ serve as a reminder to us that we all have something to give and in doing so recognizing it can lead to some of the most significant moments of our lives”

Lianne Jones RN, BSN

Member at Large, Chair of Communications Committee

Graduating from UBCO in 2007, Lianne began what promises to be an outstanding career in global health nursing. She spent 6 months living in Mongu, Zambia teaching at the school of nursing. Since that time she has returned to Zambia several times to continue working to develop health care capacity in the Western province. Truly passionate and with a love for her Zambian friends, Lianne works tirelessly to develop and deliver OkaZHI programs. When not in Zambia she can be found in working in Inuvik or travelling the globe.

Past Executive Boards