Victims of Crime and Public Safety Programs Committee
Cusanelli, Christine
The Honourable Christine Cusanelli’s career spans education, advocacy, and public service. Her roles include Director of Learning, school principal, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and Cabinet Minister. She is President of the Alberta Association of Former MLAs (AAFMLA), a recipient of the Queen's Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals and a Government of Alberta, Inspiration Award for Business Leadership in Family Violence Prevention. She holds two Master's degrees – one in Psychology and another in Business Administration.
Christine Cusanelli was directly recruited and appointed based on meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes required by the Committee.
Quest, David
David Quest works in commercial real estate with Royal Park Realty. He is also a franchisee of five Dairy Queen store locations. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Strathcona-Sherwood and was an Associate Minister for Health-Seniors. He was involved in various policy and legislative committees and volunteered in the community. He received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 and more recently the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023. David has a Business Administration Diploma in Marketing Management from NAIT.
David Quest was directly recruited and appointed based on meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes required by the Committee.
Smith, Shelley
Shelley Smith has been a Crown prosecutor, primarily in the area of economic crime prosecutions, for over 20 years with both Alberta Justice and Solicitor General and the Attorney General of British Columbia. She has extensive experience analyzing and understanding financial statements. Shelley has committee experience sitting on multiple committees of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) as well as being a condominium board member.
Hawrelak, Chelsea
Chelsea has 17 years of experience in community policing and social justice. She is a recipient of an Alberta Community Justice Award for collaborative efforts to support loved ones of missing and murdered people. Currently, Chelsea is the Director of Safe and Healthy Communities for the City of Edmonton, developing collaborative and evidence-informed strategies to complex social issues. She previously worked with the Edmonton Police Service and RCMP in Community Relations and Victim Services, and holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice.
Yanko, Mike
Mike Yanko is currently an Airport Unit Team Sergeant and has served several roles and committees within the Calgary Police Service. He is the Chair of the Canadian Airport Police Operations Committee. In 2021, he was invested as a Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. He received a Distinguished Service Award in 2018 and the Chief’s Award Team Citation in 2017. Sergeant Yanko received multiple awards, including the Governor General of Canada Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in 2018, for his volunteerism and community efforts.
Sergeant Mike Yanko was directly recruited and appointed based on meeting the competencies, skills, and attributes required by the Committee.