Who We Are
Executive team.
Wendy Beauchesne
Chief Executive Officer
Wendy joined the Alberta Cancer Foundation as CEO in 2020. Since joining, she has led the organization through a period of transformation, strengthening its ability to inspire community giving and direct philanthropic investment into innovation in cancer detection, treatment and care for Albertans. In this role, she is focused on ensuring donor contributions translate into meaningful impact — advancing research, accelerating clinical breakthroughs and supporting patients and families across every stage of the cancer journey.
Her leadership includes championing one of the largest health campaigns in Western Canada in support of innovation and excellence at the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary, while positioning the Foundation as a catalyst for discovery and a bridge between donors, researchers, clinicians and patients. Wendy has spent most of her career in the health care sector, bringing deep system knowledge and a commitment to improving outcomes at scale.
She joined STARS Air Ambulance in 2011, helping expand the organization into Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and was named executive vice president of the STARS Foundation in 2017. Wendy serves on the Board of the Open Circle Benefit Plan Trust. She was named a Calgary Influential Woman in Business for Social Enterprise in 2024, awarded the King Charles III Medal for community service in 2025 and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D).
Christy Holtby
Vice President, Philanthropy
Christy is a recognized leader in strategy, innovation and partnerships across health and life sciences. With a career dedicated to transforming health care through collaboration, Christy brings a unique ability to align industry, government and philanthropy in support of bold, system-level change.
Most recently, Christy led the landmark $1 billion, eight-year value-based partnership between Alberta Health Services, the Alberta Cancer Foundation and Siemens Healthineers — one of Canada’s most significant public-private-philanthropic health care collaborations. She was also instrumental in advancing transformational campaigns, including the $298 million OWN.CANCER campaign in Calgary supporting the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre, and Edmonton’s $30 million We Cross Cancer campaign, aimed at doubling clinical trial capacity at the Cross Cancer Institute.
Previously, Christy served as managing director of investment and partnerships at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), and vice president of strategic partnerships — and interim CEO — at the University Hospital Foundation. In each role, she has pioneered innovative funding and partnership models, contributing to both population health and economic growth.
Christy is an alumna of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Philanthropy Institute, a graduate of the Community Shift Fellowship at Ivey Business School, and a member of both the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP). She was also named to the inaugural class of AHP’s 40 Under 40 for her leadership and contributions to the sector.
Ryan Kelly
Vice President, Communications and Community Partnerships
Ryan Kelly joined the Alberta Cancer Foundation as Vice President, Communications and Community Partnerships in 2023. He has over 20 years of experience in strategic communications and marketing, most recently as the Vice President of Strategy at FKA, a large marketing agency. Ryan’s unique skill set includes policy development, community building and government relations, honed during his work in civic politics as a campaign manager and Deputy Chief of Staff to Don Iveson, the former mayor of Edmonton. During the past four years, he also built a small consulting practice that helps clients bridge the gap between partnerships, public relations and communications. Ryan has received both the Advertising Club of Edmonton Fellowship Award and the IABC Edmonton Inspired Leader of the Year Award.
Ryan is an avid cyclist and enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and two teenaged children. In work and in life, he values meaningful relationships, hopeful conversations and continuous improvement.
Deborah Rhodes
Chief Financial Officer
Deb joined the Alberta Cancer Foundation as Chief Financial Officer in 2022. In her role, Deb leads the overall financial strategy of the organization and oversees a team focused on delivering financial services, budget management and planning, facilities and operations, as well as information technology.
Prior to her role at the Alberta Cancer Foundation, Deb was with Alberta Health Services for over 10 years where she led their financial strategy as vice president of finance from 2010 to 2014. In late 2014, she moved into the role of vice president of corporate services and chief financial officer, leading and overseeing a provincial team of employees in financial services, budgeting, planning and performance, facilities services, contracting procurement and supply, and information technology. In the spring of 2020, Deb joined the Edmonton Public Library in the role of executive director of shared services and chief financial officer. Before moving to Alberta, Deb was with the Saskatoon Health Region from 1994 to 2010 where she held the role of vice president of finance and administration and before that, director of finance.
In Deb’s free time, she is heavily involved as a leader in sports, serving as director for Hockey Edmonton’s Junior Oilers Program. If you can’t find her volunteering her time, you will find her and her husband Dick at the rink cheering on their daughter Cassidy at her hockey games representing the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on the ice.
Shelley Valaire
Vice President, Impact and Accountability
Shelley brings more than three decades of experience in health system transformation, strategic innovation and research impact to her role as Vice President, Impact and Accountability at the Alberta Cancer Foundation. She leads the Foundation’s efforts to strategically invest in cancer research, prevention, screening and enhanced treatment programs across Alberta — ensuring donor contributions drive measurable outcomes and meaningful change.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Shelley held senior leadership roles within Alberta Health Services and Alberta’s health ministries. Throughout her career, she has focused on aligning clinical priorities with research and innovation, building strategic partnerships across government, academia and health organizations to advance patient-centred care. Her leadership has resulted in award-winning programs, improved patient outcomes and enhanced system performance across the province.
Outside of work, Shelley enjoys spending time with family and friends, near water or in the mountains — often by a campfire. She believes that better has no limits, and that when we focus on people and their experiences, there are always opportunities to improve.
Dayna Schuster
Senior Director, Human Resources
Dayna joined the Alberta Cancer Foundation in 2022, bringing a deep commitment to building a fun, flexible and high-performance workplace where people can grow and thrive. She believes that every employee plays an important role in delivering hope for those facing cancer and is dedicated to supporting a culture that empowers teams to make a meaningful impact.
Throughout her career with progressive, people-orientated organizations, like TELUS and WestJet, Dayna learned the importance of putting people first and that culture is worth investing in. During her fifteen years with WestJet’s people team, she worked closely with all levels of leaders and frontline employees, gaining experience in all aspects of the employee journey.
A long-standing Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CHRP), Dayna brings expertise in leadership development and change management, helping teams navigate growth and an increasingly fast-paced world around us.
Dayna knows firsthand the impact of cancer after tragically losing her six-year-old son, Max, to leukemia. With the loss of her son, she and her husband Adrian have committed to ‘living to the Max’ by embracing joy, adventure and connections with family and friends. She is also an advocate for the pediatric cancer community, dedicated to supporting children and families facing this devasting disease.