Connolly Aziz

Connolly Aziz is happy to be living and working on PEI, a place where he has deep family roots, going back six generations. Within the Charlottetown community, Connolly is a member of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, where he sits on the Outreach and Social Justice Committee. Connolly’s interests include competitive sailboat racing, where he has competed on national and international levels as a member of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club.

Originally from Oakville, Ontario, Connolly’s education includes a Bachelor of Business Administration Honours Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, and a Master of Science in Applied Positive Psychology, with distinction, from the University of East London. In his post-graduate program, Connolly focused on research-based interventions shown to increase mental well-being. Connolly also holds a Culinary Arts certificate and a Life Skills Training certificate from George Brown College in Toronto.

Connolly’s work experience includes roles in fundraising and communications. He managed the direct response fundraising efforts of clients, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Red Cross Lottery. He has also worked in Ghana with the Canadian High Commission, resulting in the establishment of the Canada-Ghana Chamber of Commerce. He also led community-based programming in Toronto’s under-serviced Regent Park, including bake ovens, gardens and potlucks. In addition, he has been involved with Sail Training International, where we worked as a youth mentor aboard tall ships sailing out of Ireland. 

In 2021, Connolly independently designed, implemented, and reported on the PEI Well-being Project, a province-wide study measuring the subjective well-being of Islanders. His research used quantitative data that highlighted the inequality of mental well-being among marginalized populations, such as LGBTQ, gender diverse, Indigenous, and those living under the poverty line. This published research can be found in the International Journal of Community Well-Being.

He has honed his skills in community relations, diplomacy, and well-being research. He has enthusiasm to foster connections among community change agents, and facilitate the sharing of mental well-being best practices and the spread of successful programs and services across the Island. Connolly understands that evidence-based upstream public well-being interventions play an important part of the health care of all Canadians. Connolly is a member of the International Positive Psychology Association and the Canadian Positive Psychology Association.

Molly Pendergast

Molly Pendergast is from Tracadie Cross. Growing up in a close-knit rural community showed her the value of connection, engagement and storytelling early on in life.  

She holds a Bachelor of Journalism with a minor in History from Carleton University in Ottawa. There, she earned the Peter Reilly Scholarship for effective use of the medium of television, current affairs and documentary programs. In 2018, she was a recipient of the Canadian Military Journalism Course Scholarship and an attendee of the Canadian Military Journalism Course run by the University of Calgary. Currently, Molly is finishing the Public Relations Graduate Certificate program at Humber College. 

Since graduating from Carleton, Molly has worked with the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman and Health Canada. She has also been a member of the National Trust for Canada’s Millennial Advisory Group.  

Molly has joined the Alliance team as a Communications Officer and looks forward to connecting with stakeholders and sharing stories.  

Bonnie Lipton-Bos

Bonnie (she/her) grew up in Charlottetown and attended the University of Prince Edward Island (BSc Psychology). She left the Island to complete her Master of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

Her journey as a social worker started in community mental health as a member of the Mobile Crisis Team at CMHA Waterloo Wellington. She enjoyed a 15-year career with progressive leadership opportunities in Student Affairs at Conestoga College in Kitchener (Learning Skills Advisor, Student Life Coordinator, Manager of the Learning Commons, Director of Student Success Services). In her last role as the Director, she was an early adopter of Stepped Care 2.0 and an innovative champion for a caring college community that removes barriers and creates conditions for students to be well and thrive towards their potential as learners and people.

She returned home to PEI with her young family during the pandemic to align her actions with her values. Bonnie joined CMHA National as the National Manager, Campus Peer Support where she led a multi-year, pan-Canadian pilot project funded by Health Canada to co-design, implement, evaluate, and scale a national Peer Support training and certification for post-secondary students. Her interest in resilience and peer support is grounded in her lived experience with chronic physical health and mental health issues. She is grateful for the protective experiences throughout her life, especially membership in caring communities, which supported her ability cope with adversity.

Bonnie is a learner and community developer. Ideas excite her. She loves collaborating with people to create and innovate. She has served diverse communities and is active in addressing issues of accessibility, equity, inclusion, oppression, privilege, and power.

Karen Cumberland

Karen Cumberland grew up in rural Alberta and Stanley Bridge, Prince Edward Island. School studies took her from Kensington Intermediate Senior High to the University of Carleton (BA Political Studies), and Queen’s University (Master’s in Public Administration). Early in her career, she was Island Focus Host and Co-producer (PEI Government, Communications)  where she excelled at getting to the heart of a person’s story with compassion, a powerful energy, and a genuine interest. Then, she travelled to London, England and worked as a policy advisor (Drugscope, Helping People Stay Safe; Palace of Westminster’s Paul Flynn Member of Parliament Newport West - Wales, and Leader for The All-Party Group on the Misuse of Drugs), and as communications advisor (Mentor UK, England’s leading voice in alcohol and other drug prevention). 

Back home in Canada, Karen would work for the next 20 years building her career as a multi award-winning strategic policy advisor on progressive national and international initiatives for Health Canada (Healthy Products and Food Branch, and Renewal of Canada’s Food Guide; Controlled Substances and Tobacco Directorate; and, Interim Order Respecting the Importation and Sale of Medical Devices for Use in Relation to COVID-19); Environment and Climate Change Canada (Climate Change International; Indigenous, Northern and Stakeholder Affairs; and Water Policy); and The Parliament of Canada (parliamentary affairs). Karen also served as a national policy advisor at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.

Karen Cumberland has moved even closer home to Prince Edward Island with her husband and their young family, leading the PEI Alliance for Mental Well-Being as its inaugural Executive Director.  She looks forward to working within the community with diverse groups on important health matters on the Island. She is dedicated to working collaboratively with the PEI Government, not-for-profit organizations, and businesses, to create conditions for positive change that advance resiliency for all Islanders throughout their lifetimes. 

Jenni Paynter

Jenni Paynter was born and raised in Borger, Texas, but her strong family ties in Prince Edward Island have existed for decades through her husband.

Jenni studied pre-pharmacy at McMurry University and then attended the University of Texas in Austin to complete her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. For 21 years, she proudly worked for the Walgreen Co., ascending through the leadership ranks and serving as Pharmacy Manager, Supervisor, District Manager, Area Healthcare Supervisor, and Regional Healthcare Director across 11 states from coast to coast. Throughout the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenni did extensive work in her role to increase health equity with access to care and vaccines.

Jenni is passionate about helping others and being involved in her local community. She has served on various Boards of Directors in the past, including those of the American Heart Associate (New Jersey), the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (New Jersey), and the National Diversity Council (New Jersey).

Now that she has relocated to PEI with her husband and four beautiful daughters, Jenni is optimistic about advancing resiliency for all Islanders through purposeful and deliberate actions.

Sharon Jollimore

Sharon grew up in the tiny fishing village of French River, PEI. She was one of the last cohorts of Grade One students taught in a one-room schoolhouse and truly knows what it means to walk to school, uphill, both ways! 

Sharon is a passionate advocate of recreation and sport and its potential to build social capital and improve community outcomes. She has a love for nature and play which comes from her rural upbringing and has enjoyed reconnecting with her roots since returning to PEI. Sharon is excited about joining the Alliance team where one of her main roles will be to lead the Focusing Action for Positive Change Grant Program intended to build and strengthen a community of practice to improve mental well-being outcomes for all Islanders.

Shaunna Newton

Bryn Turner

Bryn Turner grew up and began her career in Toronto, Ontario, prior to moving to PEI in the summer of 2022. Despite hailing from the city, she is excited to have returned to her maternal family’s roots on the Island, settling with her cats and dog in rural southeastern PEI.

She received her Honours Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in Accounting from Ryerson University before completing post-graduate programs in Human Resources Management, Marketing Management and Fundraising Management. She has also completed her Graphic Design and Visual Communications certification through the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD).

She has over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector, specializing in fund development and project management at the community, provincial, and national level. She has overseen various programs and events with a portfolio of over $1M raised and thousands engaged annually, working primarily in health, recreation, and community-focused organizations, including Cystic Fibrosis Canada and Tennis Canada.

Most recently, Bryn worked for the John Howard Society of PEI where she oversaw PEI’s Coordinated Access System and worked closely with over 30 different PEI-based community groups, non-profit entities, provincial departments, and municipalities.

Fueled by her own lived and personal experiences, she is passionate about issues surrounding mental and physical health and how communities and families can benefit from placing a focus on improving these areas. Bryn is excited to bring her experience and passions to the Alliance and contribute to the great work already being done to advance resiliency and improve the quality of life for all Islanders.