Leadership Team
Leadership Team
Providence Living
Email: officeoftheceo@providenceliving.ca
Mark Blandford was appointed President and CEO of Providence Living in November 2022. Since September 2020, he served as Vice President, Seniors Care, Clinical & Operations at Providence Health Care and Providence Living.
Mark is a Registered Occupational Therapist who also holds a Master’s degree in Leadership from Royal Roads University. Mark’s past leadership roles have included Director of Development at the non-profit Beacon Community Services, as well as senior management roles in Island Health Authority’s Long-Term Care, Seniors Health and Home & Community Care programs.
In early 2014, Mark was appointed as Deputy Seniors Advocate with the newly created provincial Office of the Seniors Advocate for British Columbia. In 2016, Mark was appointed the Director of Clinical Operations at Victoria General Hospital and subsequently became the Executive Director for Seniors Health and Primary Care for Island Health where he was the operational and strategic lead for the long-term care (LTC) COVID-19 response the 6,000 LTC beds as well as the 900 unit assisted living portfolio. Mark was also the strategic lead for the Island Health seniors care and community care strategy and its Palliative and End of Life program.
Email: scott.mccarten@providenceliving.ca
Scott joined Providence Living in October 2022 to lead the organization’s expansion through new developments and strategic partnerships. Over his 20-year career in the Canadian healthcare system, Scott has held a number of clinical and corporate leadership roles spanning from the bedside to the boardroom. Most recently, Scott was with Island Health where he served as Executive Director of Capital Management, Finance Projects & Public-Private Partnerships.
Scott Holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science from the University of Alberta. He is also a certified Lean/Six Sigma Blackbelt and a graduate of the BC Patient Safety Quality Council’s Quality Academy.
Email: fmaza@providencehealth.bc.ca
Francis Maza was appointed Vice President, Mission, Ethics & Spirituality, effective January 4, 2022.
Francis has over 15 years’ experience in providing executive leadership for clinical, organizational business ethics, mission integration, Spiritual Care, and leadership formation. He has a Doctor of Ministry from University of Toronto’s St. Michael’s College, a Master of Theological Studies from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, a Bachelor of Science in Medical Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan, and has attained his Specialist in Spiritual Care designation from the Canadian Association of Spiritual Care.
Email: katja.waldman@providenceliving.ca
Katja has more than 25 years’ experience providing financial oversight and information technology (IT) leadership to health care organizations on Vancouver Island. In her executive role at Providence Living, Katja is responsible for accounting, operating budget preparation and performance monitoring, management information systems guidelines implementation and maintenance, external/internal reporting, and internal/external audit. She has experience in asset transfers and providing shared finance and payroll services to other not-for-profits. Katja also oversees Providence Living’s IT services, including the management of information systems and hardware, management of payroll. She holds her CPA designation as well as her MBA from Laurentian University.
Email: Sharon.parkes@providenceliving.ca
Sharon has executive oversight of all Providence Living care village operations, including clinical, support services, HR, and activities related to community and assisted-living provincial licensing.
An RN by training, Sharon brings a wealth of experience to this role, having had the opportunity to work in many settings in addition to more than a decade’s worth of operational and strategic leadership experience. Sharon holds a Masters’ degree in Education from the University of Surrey and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honours from Sheffield Hallam University.
Email: jgibson@providencehealth.bc.ca
Jennifer has Executive oversight of all resident care quality and safety initiatives at all Providence Living care villages. An RN and clinical ethicist by training, she also holds an appointment of Adjunct Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. As an educator and a researcher, she has presented at numerous local and national conferences, and has authored and collaborated on a several peer-reviewed published works.
Jennifer earned an MSN and a PhD from the University of British Columbia School of Nursing. Her research focus included a particular sensitivity to ethical issues in hospital cultures and contexts. Jennifer also holds a Graduate Diploma in Catholic Bioethics from Saint Paul University in Ottawa.
Email: James.Lee@providenceliving.ca
James provides oversight of building, maintenance and operations for all Providence Living properties and care villages. Over the past 20 years, James has served in many building services and project-services capacities, including capital project and IT management and implementation of security and building automation systems and healthcare technologies.
James holds an Inter-provincial 4th class Power Engineering Certificate, a Facility Management Administrator Diploma, and a master’s degree in Building Science. He is passionate about improving the lives of people with disabilities, building systems’ efficiency and security, and workplace occupational hygiene.
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