MHSA Annual Member Appreciation Event and Industry Update
Thurs, September 18th 2025 in Edmonton
Four Points Sheraton | Edmonton South
Register Today
email lenaya.larsen@mhsa.ab.ca
Edmonton Speaker Lineup | 9am-3pm
If you would like to have a vendor booth at our event please click below for more information
WCB Alberta Industry Updates
Jodi Russel, Industry Specialist | Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board
Jodi is an Industry Specialist with the Workers’ Compensation Board, bringing 26 years of experience in disability management and employer support. Her portfolio focuses on manufacturing and oil and gas, where she partners with employers to navigate disability management programs, share innovative strategies, and build collaborative solutions in an evolving workforce. Jodi is passionate about helping organizations strengthen their programs while adapting to industry challenges and change. Jodi’s experience, combined with her approachable style, makes her a trusted partner in helping organizations meet today’s challenges with confidence.
Karina Thomas | Partnerships in Injury Reduction (PIR)
Dr. Karina Thomas is the Acting Director of Partnerships in Injury Prevention within the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Prevention Services branch at the Government of Alberta.
Dr. Thomas has a Ph.D. in Public Health and over 20 years of experience with the Government of Alberta, including 9 years with Occupational Health and Safety. Before working with the PIR group, Karina was the lead for the work on the Psychosocial Hazards pillar of the OHS Prevention Initiative.
Production Pressure vs. People
Kolbi Cameron, Mental Health Strategist | Thriving Workplaces
Kolbi Cameron gets it – you need leaders who can build mentally healthy teams without sacrificing operational excellence. As a workplace mental health expert, she helps manufacturing organizations transform how they approach wellbeing, showing leaders that employee happiness and productivity aren't competing priorities. Certified in the National Standard of Psychological Health & Safety and drawing from her own experience in high-stress leadership roles, Kolbi understands the unique pressures of manufacturing environments where
Leading Change in Alberta Manufacturing: Mentorship & Co-op Pathways for Future OHS Professionals
Carmelo Zumbo, CRSP, Occupational Health & Safety Professional & Educator | Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)
Carmelo Zumbo is a Certified Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) with nearly two decades of experience enhancing workplace health, safety, and environmental performance across public and private sectors. As an Instructor in the Occupational Health & Safety Diploma Program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), he draws on a diverse background spanning construction, energy, facilities management, water treatment, food manufacturing, finance, and education to deliver practical, results-driven strategies. His expertise includes program development, hazardous materials management, emergency preparedness, fire safety, and disability management.
Known for his collaborative approach and focus on continuous improvement, Carmelo blends technical expertise with real-world insight to engage and equip his audiences.
AI Applications to Improve Safety Performance
Glyn Jones, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., CIH, CRSP, Principal Engineer | EHS Partnerships Ltd.
Glyn is the Principal Engineer at Bravo Target Safety. Based in Calgary, he leads a team of 50 consultants working in the EHS Consulting Division of Bravo. The EHS Consulting Division is an OHS consulting group with over 50 employees and offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Ottawa. Glyn is a chemical engineer by training and is a Professional Engineer. He completed a master’s degree specializing in occupational health and safety. He has over forty years of experience as an OHS consultant and he is a CIH and a CRSP. He is a very involved conference speaker and provides curriculum oversight and teaches occupational health and safety at the University of New Brunswick.
Rigging, Hoisting & Lifting Safety, Strategic Industry Panel
With a hand-selected panel of Rigging, Hoisting & Lifting industry specialists
Dr. Thomas O’Neill, B.A.Psych, PhD, M.S. IO Psych, Principle Engineer | University of Calgary
Tom is the principal investigator for the Hoisting, Rigging, and Lifting Creative Sentence. Tom graduated from Western University and is Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Calgary. He is the Arts-Engineering Chair in High Performance Teamwork and Engineering Education and Head of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. His interests are in socio-technical systems, specifically the intersection of culture, technology, leadership and management, and behavior in team contexts. He teaches in Executive Education at the Haskayne School of Business and has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and partnered with organizations extensively. He created ITP Metrics, which is a software platform for assessment, diagnostic, and development of high-performing teams in organizations with over 900,000 assessments taken worldwide.
Rigging, Hoisting & Lifting Safety, Strategic Industry Panel
Jessica Wilkins, B.A. Human Factors and Scientific Mobilization Specialist | U of C
Jess is a Human Factors and Scientific Mobilization Specialist at the University of Calgary. Her interests are in how people interact with their environments, especially in the workplace. She cares about making sure workers are performing their duties safely so everyone can go home at the end of the day, and she's passionate about learning how and why workplace injuries happen, in order to help prevent them.
Rigging, Hoisting & Lifting Safety, Strategic Industry Panel
Samantha Jones, PhD. | U of C
Samantha Jones comes from a long line of construction workers (with some of her own experience operating equipment), farmers, miners, and first-responders. Keeping these folks safe has always been top of mind. She has finished her PhD at the University of Calgary and works with ITP Metrics to give work teams the interpersonal tools they need to succeed. Samantha is keen to help individuals and teams reach their full potential and stay safe through conflict management, self-reflection, and optimization of their skills.
MHSA Updates and Annual Safety Award Presentations
MHSA Northern Regional Support Team
John Duncan | Regional Manager
Cameron Schreiber | Safety Advisor and Crane & Rigging Specialist
Jim Garrick | Safety Advisor
Lenaya Larsen | Administrative Assistant
Lisa Lidgate | Administrative Assistant