Who We Are

Dr. Christina Nsaliwa is the Executive Director of the Edmonton Immigrant Services Association and Grande Prairie Centre for Newcomers. Her academic qualifications include a Doctorate in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Alberta, Masters in Education and in Human Ecology from University of Birmingham in England and Mount St. Vincent University, in Halifax respectively. She has broad experience in leadership, administration and management; program planning, implementation and monitoring at government, community and institutional levels; curriculum development and teaching; research and community development. She has served as the Vice-Chair of the Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA) and Chair of the AAISA Training and Accreditation Committee. Her community involvement includes sitting on various initiatives and boards including Canada Volunteerism Initiative, Edmonton and Area Child and Family Authority, Volunteer Alberta, Council of Canadians of African and Caribbean Heritage. She actively participates in various community support networks for immigrant families, women, children and youth. Christina is a past recipient of Daughter of the Year, RISE and Diversity awards.

Hyder has held positions in various leading financial institutions and most recently was Head of Wealth Management at First Calgary Financial/Qtrade before joining Immigrant Services Calgary in February, 2019 as their CEO. Hyder and his wife, Christina, moved to Calgary in 2013. It did not take long for Hyder to become involved in the local community, including Rotary, Junior Achievement, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and Alberta Health Services. In addition, Hyder has also volunteered with Immigrant Services Calgary where he organized several newcomer client seminars and he hopes to see this initiative continue. Following a visit to Uganda, Hyder and Christina started a non-profit charity – FullSoul – an organization supporting maternal health in Uganda. As a recognized strong community leader, Hyder received an Immigrants of Distinction Award in 2018, 2017 University of Waterloo Young Alumni Award, 2018 Calgary Top 40 under 40 award, 2016 Global Runner-up Plan Plus Financial planning awards, & 2019 Compelling Calgarian.

In 2009 Frank immigrated to Canada from The Netherlands with his family. Soon after their arrival in Red Deer he started volunteering with amongst other Care for Newcomers to connect to the community, make friends and also to build a Canadian resume. After a successful career for over 20 years in international sales, marketing and business development, Frank decided to change his career path to the community serving business. Since September 2013 he is the Executive Director with Care for Newcomers in Red Deer, and has lead introduction of several new initiatives, such as employer readiness training, community-based childcare, applied ESL and the Red Deer Local Immigration Partnership. While he challenges fellow immigrants to take initiative in obtaining a good quality of life in this country full of space and opportunities, he is a strong advocate for building stronger communities to be welcoming and inclusive to new immigrants. In this he believes that a strong settlement sector is crucial on regional, provincial and national levels.

En 1998, il quitte son pays natal pour l'Ouganda et, une année plus tard il sera réinstallé au Canada, dans la ville de Sherbrooke, au Québec, le 09 septembre 1999. En avril 2005, il quitte Sherbrooke pour Brooks en Alberta et se joint aux fondateurs de l'Association Francophone de Brooks, AFB, la même année. De 2006 à 2008, il est Président du conseil d'administration de l'AFB tout en travaillant chez Lakeside Parckers comme agent d'emballage. Il quitte cette compagnie de viandes pour se concentrer sur le Projet d'intégration des Jeunes Immigrants à Brooks et ses environs depuis 2009 jusqu'à nos jours. Désiré Kiana est l'un des principaux acteurs du film "De Sherbrooke à Brooks" du professeur Roger Parent sorti en 2016.

Katie Paton is the Vice President of Career Services at the Centre for Newcomers in Calgary. This includes oversight of the Career Development and Job Search Services Department, which offers one-on-one career advising by culturally competent Career Practitioners in more than 20 languages. Katie also oversees CFN’s social enterprise, EthniCity Catering, which is a program that offers paid training in a commercial kitchen setting to newcomers, all while operating a catering company and two café locations. Prior to joining the Centre for Newcomers, Katie worked as a Senior Policy Analyst in Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s office for six years, and before that she was a newspaper reporter.

Kathryn Friesen is Director of Catholic Social Services, Immigration and Settlement Service in Edmonton and Red Deer. Kathryn completed her MA in 2004 focusing on Canadian Refugee Policy. She has worked in the settlement sector since 2006 and has participated on the National GAR-RAP Working Group and the UNHCR's Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement. 

Coming soon

Gordana Radan came to Canada as a refugee from former Yugoslavia, with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society’s Margaret Chisholm Resettlement Centre serving as her first home upon her arrival. On January 1, 2023, she became the CEO of CCIS. Throughout her 24 years with CCIS, Gordana has been actively involved in designing and delivering innovative programs and services that address the needs of local employers and support the labour market integration of immigrants and refugees.

Evelyne Kemajou is a Canadian of Cameroonian origin. In 2008, she immigrated with her family to Calgary where she founded the PIA which has offered a range of services and programs that meet the needs of Francophone women and young people in Calgary. Evelyne has been recognized with multiple awards during her career including receiving the Dulari-Prithipaul Prize from the Association Canadienne Française de l'Alberta (ACFA), a prize that rewards the actions of an immigrant within the Francophone community of Alberta.