Our Team

Ryan Wheeler
Leader

Hailing from Ontario, Ryan relocated to Vancouver to take on the role of Leader for CONNECT Partners. With a background in recreation therapy, Ryan is passionate about helping people find joy in their everyday and is excited to lead the CONNECT Partners team of coaches to make lives better.

Having worked in long term care settings in the past, Ryan is excited about bringing the Life Redesign Model to people with more complex care needs. In his spare time Ryan enjoys playing basketball (not jumping as high as he used to) and making music. Most importantly he enjoys building strong and lasting relationships with people. He hopes to bring his sense of humour, compassion, and leadership to Cambie Gardens as we build a special living environment.

“Cambie Gardens is a unique living environment that will push the people we support to be as independent as possible, while re-integrating into their communities. It’s an amazing opportunity to be a part of a project and organization like CONNECT Partners that is viewing health care in a progressive way.”

Ayman Momen
Lead Health and Wellness Coach

Ayman Momen has worked in Vancouver, British Columbia as a Registered Nurse since 2013. Before working for CONNECT Partners, he worked at Royal Columbian Hospital, primarily in acute and critical care, requiring attention to detail, ongoing assessments, use of specialized medical equipment, and relating to patients and their families during difficult times. Being present for conversations and times of vulnerability with patients and their families has been very fulfilling. In these moments he feels like he is doing the work he was meant to do.

The reason Ayman works for CONNECT Partners is because he wants to work with people in a different way. Often, the hospital works by dealing with problems after the fact. This is an extremely important function in society, however, Ayman wants to engage with people in a way that promotes self-worth, relationships, and opportunities for change in their lives. Most people know what is best for them. Often all they need is someone to listen to them and provide support as they move towards that goal.

Ayman loves swimming, rock climbing, listening to atmospheric music, watching movies in the theatre, and going for long walks while he talks on the phone with a friend or family.

Rain Van Der Kamp
Independence Coach (OT)

Rain is a human who is enthusiastic about embracing change and finding new ways of doing things. This tendency has followed Rain on journeys both physical and academic. Rain has cycled across Europe (got lost only a couple times); learnt to fly gliders (crashed just once); learnt to unicycle, juggle, and walk on stilts (fell at least 7 times but stood back up at least 8 times); and most recently they left a little piece of their soul at the North West end of Hudson’s Bay. Prior to pursuing a career in occupational therapy, Rain went through a period of being chronically studious: during this time they conducted a study of teenage clumsiness, searching for a way to prove this phenomena’s existence, and achieving a Masters of Science in Kinesiology for their efforts. Rain is thrilled to find themselves with an amazing team at CONNECT Partners and to be a part of this endeavor.

Nathalie Leveille
Social Wellness Coach (Social Worker)

Nathalie moved from Montreal to Vancouver in the summer of 2000 due to Vancouver being a tremendously wheelchair-accessible city.  She obtained both her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work at UBC.  Nathalie has worked in the Lower Mainland in hospitals, long-term care facilities and non-profit and community organizations with people from all walks of life, from elders to people with disabilities and everything in between.  Nathalie is passionate about meeting people where they are at, and firmly believes that people are the expert in their own lives.  You can often find Nathalie walking her Pug dog around the seawall in her power wheelchair on sunny days.  She never gets tired of looking out at the mountains and the ocean.

Diane Vaughan
Play Coach (Recreation Therapist)

Diane Vaughan first discovered her passion for recreation therapy in 2009 as a Recreation Facilitator at an Assisted Living home targeting younger adults living with complex care needs.  Diane is pumped to see people connect with their community, and live life to the fullest.  She is excited to be part of the change she wants to see in how we care for one another as a society.

Diane loves family, near and far, and enjoys getting out on the trails with friends and her big puppy Bella.  Her other passions include travel, taking in beautiful music, biking, and reading a good book.

Jessica Monfils
Health and Wellness Coach (LPN)

Jessica has been a nurse for 12 years and spent most of her career working in the community. She is compassionate and caring, which makes her thrive as a nurse. Originally from Quebec, Jessica moved to BC in 2015. She immediately started working as a community nurse in the Downtown Eastside, which challenged her as a nurse, but also as a person, allowing her to fully grasp the art of respectful communication and empathy. When not working, she enjoys yoga, hiking and discovering new restaurants and has a passion for traveling and discovering new cultures.

Erika Van Vliet
Communication Coach (SLP)

Erika recently moved back to her hometown of Vancouver, BC after living in Edinburgh, Scotland for several years.

Erika became interested in the field of Speech-Language Pathology after being diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis, which can impede effective functioning of the facial muscles.  This served as motivation to help other people who may be experiencing difficulties with their communication, eating, drinking, or swallowing.  It also served as the basis for Erika’s MSc Thesis topic, “Examining evidence of Speech Therapy offered to people with Myasthenia Gravis” which she hopes to publish in the coming months.  Erika has provided communication and swallowing support to people across the continuum of the lifespan for a variety of reasons.  Erika is passionate about working with the person she is supporting to reach their self-determined goals and facilitate increased participation in their lives.

As Erika has just moved home after living abroad for more than 10 years, she is enjoying being around friends and family again.  Erika is particularly excited about the upcoming year as she and her fiancé are busy planning their wedding.

Lucy Liu
Physical Coach (Physical Therapist)

Lucy has a strong interest in empowering individuals of all abilities to pursue a life they desire through exercise, movement, and creativity. After completing her Master of Science in Physical Therapy degree at the University of Toronto,  she has gained experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings delivering holistic and person-centered care to individuals with diverse diagnoses including complex, neurological, as well as medical and orthopedic conditions.

Lucy is an active member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, she is passionate about education, personal development, and hopes to be a strong advocate for the people, working collaboratively to bring about positive change in healthcare.

She is fluent in English and Mandarin. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new hobbies, hiking, and would love recommendations on activities and places to explore in BC, as she recently relocated to Vancouver in Aug 2022.

Alina Bychkova
Nutrition Coach (Registered Dietitian)

With a strong family history of heart disease, Alina grew up unsettled, believing that it was only a matter of time before she, too, had a heart attack. It wasn’t until a grade 9 health seminar that made her realize that it didn’t have to be this way. She was inspired to take charge of her health through nutrition, and to help others enjoy food while living their longest and fullest lives possible. Alina finished her education in 2016 and has been helping individuals live their best lives ever since! This is why she couldn’t be more thrilled to continue this work with Connect Partners.

Alina is passionate about sushi, tiramisu cheesecake, cats, travel, and nature. Her favorite activities include burlesque dance, cuddling her cats, camping, and eating with her family and friends.

Amanda Harvey
People Resource Coach

Amanda Harvey received their Hons. B.A. in Political Science in 2020 in London, Ontario before moving to Vancouver later that same year. Before working for CONNECT Partners, they worked in the non-governmental sector as an advocate for environmental and Indigenous rights, providing research and developing municipal policies. Having always gravitated towards community-based work, they are passionate about creating change through direct action.

In their free time Amanda likes to write and listen to music, spend time with their loved ones, and be in the great outdoors.

With a passion for helping others find their own happiness, Amanda is excited to be a part of a growing team that puts people and community first!

Owen Muckle
Service Resource Coach

Owen graduated from UBC Okanagan in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology & a minor in psychology. He has always been enthusiastic about learning ways to bring about positive change for others. With an interest in eventually going back to school for further education, he is fascinated by all things within the realm of mental health, specifically around mindfulness and other ways to improve maladaptive mental states. Being one of the first Life Redesign Coaches hired for this project has been an exciting and rewarding experience; he is very eager to continue with CONNECT Partners in his new role as a Service Resource Coach.

When he isn’t working, Owen enjoys going out and spending time with friends, biking, swimming, listening to music and spending time at home with his two cats.

Joselyne John
Health and Wellness Educator

Joselyne is the Health and Wellness Coach Educator for CONNECT Partners. She creates education, makes current resources accessible, and addresses any gaps. She is a wealth of knowledge regarding clinical resources, or education, such as policy or skills. She believes it is not about what we do but how we feel while doing it. Joselyne loves to find opportunities to improve mental health during work. She also loves going for power walks on for runs on her breaks.

Patti Flaherty
President and Chief Operating Officer

Patti Flaherty has worked in the field of brain injury and rehabilitation for almost 30 years. Before joining CONNECT as Executive Leader in 2007, she was a Senior Operating Officer at Vancouver Coastal Health responsible for the site operations of the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. Patti has a degree in physical education, a Master’s of Education and completed the Executive Health Leadership Program at the Rotman School of Management. She helped develop and promote CONNECT Partners’ Life Redesign Model, which emphasizes social capital and person-centred coaching with a creative and flexible approach.

Patti is a founding member of the Interdependence Network, a past chair for the British Columbia Brain Injury Association (BCBIA) and past chair for the Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference Society. Patti is an active member of the Canadian College of Health Services Executive since 2005 and has been a mentor for the Executive Mentoring Program for the Canadian College of Health Service Executives. In her downtime, Patti enjoys time with her family and friends. She enjoys yoga, the outdoors, great music and traveling.

John Sherwood
CEO

John Sherwood, CEO, has almost 30 years of experience working in health care and holds a BA in Economics. He joined family home care business Classic LifeCare in 1993 and has since helped expand the reach of services to include brain injury and stroke, mental health and addictions and transportation assistance. John relates to CONNECT Partners’ approach because he believes that the individual being is in control of their goals, choices and life. John enjoys travel, fishing, skiing, and time with family and friends.