Our Team
Jodi Mucha
Executive Director
Gurmeet Sall
People & Culture Specialist
Jodi Mucha
Executive Director
jodi@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.7796
Jodi has a Masters in Environment and Management, over 20 years of community development experience working both at the local and international level. She also has a strong background in engagement and leadership, community change and practice-based research. She provides expertise in multi-sectoral collaboration and partnerships, systems thinking, the healthy communities approach and practical approaches to understanding the links between the determinants of health.
As a hobby, Jodi runs ultradistance trail races, facilitates leadership courses and maintains her organic garden.
Gurmeet Sall
People & Culture Specialist
gurmeet@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.7773
As BCHC’s People and Culture Specialist, Gurmeet brings extensive knowledge and human resource experience from her 20 plus years of working in the provincial government. Her passion and expertise in human resources translates to a strengthened organizational culture and a supported group of staff members. Working with the Executive Director on HR and operational requirements for the organization, Gurmeet aligns the organization’s HR functions and strategies to support BCHC’s business priorities, and plans. She has a steadfast commitment to shaping a more engaged and unified organizational culture. In her spare time, Gurmeet enjoys walking and spending time with her family and friends.
Johanna Henderson
Communications Manager
Ivonne Zhao
Communications Coordinator
Stephanie Neilson
Program Evaluator
Johanna Henderson
Communications Manager
johanna@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.7791
Hailing from Charlie Lake in Northern B.C., Johanna is a seasoned communicator and researcher with a deep curiosity about communities and the people that comprise them. Her background includes work with a variety of community-based organizations across the province, with project areas including social policy, social innovation, sustainability, community-university engagement, and health initiatives for seniors and men.
In 2017, Johanna received the Royal Roads Chancellor’s Award for her graduate studies in Professional Communication, where her research focused on the intersection of communications, organizational theory and urban studies in neighbourhoods. Johanna also holds certifications in Community Economic Development and Volunteer Administration, and has studied Communication Design at Emily Carr University and the Alberta College of Art and Design.
Ivonne Zhao
Communications Coordinator
ivonne@bchealthycommunities.ca
Ivonne is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia, where she studied International Relations and Creative Writing. She held various Communications and Marketing positions throughout her degree.
In her role with BC Healthy Communities, Ivonne combines her background in policy with media and communications. In her spare time, she enjoys running, exploring the city on bike, and improv and sketch comedy.
Stephanie Neilson
Program Evaluator
stephanie@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.0941
Stephanie brings a passion for local knowledge, context and experience to her work in evaluation. She believes healthy communities begin with people’s relationship to their environment, and that intentional planning, design, strategies, monitoring and evaluation help foster the changes communities strive for.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Development and a Masters in Rural Planning and Development from the University of Guelph. Stephanie has worked in both Canada and overseas and her over 10 years of evaluation and research experience includes projects that examine how research influences policy, capacity building, gender, health, and environment and resource management.
Sarah Dyer
Community Well-being & Age Friendly Specialist
Laura Hube
Active School Travel Program Coordinator
Stacy Chappel
Grants & Engagement Coordinator
Sarah Dyer
Community Well-being & Age Friendly Specialist
sarah@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.7793
Sarah holds a BSc in Food and Nutrition as well as an MSc in Nutritional Sciences, with a focus on nutrition in older adults. Her background includes more than 15 years of experience in best practice health research and health communications in a number of health areas, including gerontology. Sarah is committed to transforming thinking around aging to focus on health and vitality.
In her role with BC Healthy Communities, Sarah supports communities as they implement plans and projects for healthy aging. She also brings her research and communications skills to her work supporting Healthy Communities initiatives as part of the PlanH program.
Laura Hube
Active School Travel Program Coordinator
laura@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.7788
Laura is a lifelong learner and authentic relationship builder who seeks to create happier and healthier communities. Her background includes experience in sustainable transportation planning, health research and teaching yoga. Laura has worked in the private, public, and not-for-profit sector across Canada and the US.
At BCHC, Laura seeks to empower school communities using an asset-based approach with an equity lens. She believes that the journey to/from school is a ripe opportunity for adventure, activity and autonomy. Laura holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, where her thesis and internship were focused on active and safe school travel and healthy school environments.
In her spare time, Laura enjoys exploring beautiful Vancouver Island with her husband and two young children, discovering the best in local food, or curling up with a good book.
Stacy Chappel
Grants & Engagement Coordinator
stacy@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.0510
Stacy is passionate about community-led initiatives to build justice and sustainable communities. She has 25 years’ experience working for community non-profits. She served as a grant adjudicator for BC’s Community Gaming Grants program and manager for the UVic Graduate Students’ Society and VIPIRG. She volunteers with Capital City Fencers’ Club and her local refugee sponsorship group.
Stacy holds a Masters in Community Development. Her research focused on co-operatives and she is committed to democratic and inclusive governance. Stacy owes a debt to friends and colleagues who guided her learning about social justice and community-based research. She credits her high school drama teacher for instilling her belief in the power of humour and a good yarn.
Stacy enjoys theatre, sewing, cycling and fencing.
Emily Johnson
Healthy Community Planner
Jacob Cramer
Researcher & Planning Assistant
Emily Johnson
Healthy Community Planner
emily@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.7769
Emily is a community planner who is passionate about the potential for planning and design to promote health and well-being. She believes in community knowledge and expertise as powerful levers to support equitable and sustainable decision-making. Emily’s background includes a Bachelor of Kinesiology and a Masters in Community and Regional Planning. Her past experience includes projects focusing on urban design, active transportation, physical activity, sustainability and social inclusion.
As a community planner at BC Healthy Communities, Emily supports communities as they work towards better health and well-being. She also works together with our partner organizations across the province, facilitating workshops and collaborative planning processes. In her spare time, Emily can be found biking, skiing and surfing.
Jacob Cramer
Researcher & Planning Assistant
jacob@bchealthycommunities.ca
778.404.7792
Jacob’s background includes a Bachelor of Political Science from UBC and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Urban and Rural Planning from Langara. This applied education in community land-use planning, paired with a focus on domestic and social policy, provides him with a wide-ranging set of tools and approaches for working in and with communities. His past experience includes projects focusing on equity and sustainability, and he brings these lenses to his work at BC Healthy Communities.
As our Researcher & Planning Assistant, Jacob informs the development of projects and activities across BC Healthy Communities, with a focus on our evaluation frameworks. In his spare time, you’ll find Jacob biking, surfing, cooking, and spending time with his friends and family.
Connie Truncik (On Leave)
Research & Evaluation Specialist
Lindsey Fletcher
MPH Practicum Student
Connie Truncik (On Leave)
Research & Evaluation Specialist
Connie strives to empower communities to take their health and well-being into their own hands. Using a strength-based approach, she provides communities with the tools and resources needed to help them make decisions most beneficial for them. Through continuous learning, reflection and improvement, her aim is to make equitable, community-driven, sustainable contributions to community development programs.
Connie’s background includes work in health research and evaluation, multi-sectoral policy development and social service work. Through her front-line experience, she gained first-hand knowledge of need for equitable public policies that address the complex nature of social challenges faced by vulnerable populations. Using her Masters in Environmental and Occupational Public Health training, she uses her knowledge of the healthy built environment to inform upstream interventions that tackle determinants of health.
Lindsey Fletcher
MPH Practicum Student
lindsey@bchealthycommunities.ca
Lindsey is a Master of Public Health student at Queen’s University passionate about health equity and promotion, as well as community program development and evaluation.
Her background includes a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Criminal Justice and Public Policy and minoring in Family and Child Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science, both from the University of Guelph. She chose to pursue the MPH program as an opportunity to integrate the breadth of her undergraduate studies and delve deeper into the dynamic field of public health. Lindsey chose Queen’s University for its beautiful campus and educational pedagogy that values collaborative learning environments.
Lindsey brings strengths from her active involvement in the University of Guelph community, where she held various roles within institutional governance and student leadership. Through these roles, she represented undergraduate students while working alongside a diverse range of committees to enhance the student experience. She also completed research assistantships in the University of Guelph Departments of Sociology and Anthropology, Political Science, and Registrarial Services. As an emerging public health professional, Lindsey aspires to integrate skills and tools from these experiences with her interest in knowledge translation to improve community health outcomes.
Born and raised in Ontario, Lindsey saw a practicum with BC Healthy Communities as an excellent opportunity to expand her horizons and explore a different health landscape in Canada. She was drawn to BC Healthy Communities because of its interdisciplinary team and multifaceted approach to improving health and well-being through evidence-informed action. She is particularly interested in the PlanH program and hopes to gain greater insight on the intersections between healthy people, healthy society, and healthy environment that shape the world around us. Lindsey is excited to support the research and development of tools and resources, while strengthening her own skills and knowledge in healthy community planning and public policy.
In her spare time, Lindsey can be found cooking and baking, tending her garden and houseplants, or exploring nearby trails with her dog.
Connie Truncik (On Leave)
Research & Evaluation Specialist
connie@bchealthycommunities.ca
250-590-1845