Key Influencer: Kym Kaufmann - CEO of CoRE

Source: LinkedIn

With the announcement that the Government Alberta intends to segment mental health and addictions services into its own dedicated organization, Recovery Alberta, came the announcement of a complementary organization, the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE). The organization, which will be established as a crown corporation by Bill 17 (Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence Act) if passed, will be tasked in supporting Recovery Alberta through the development of policies and best practices for mental health and addictions services, conducting of research, and program evaluation. Leading CoRE in its work will be former Manitoba Deputy Minister of Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery, Kym Kaufmann, as incoming CEO.

Kym received a Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of Manitoba in 2008, followed by certificates in Quality Management and Public Sector Management from the same institution in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Over the course of nearly a decade she worked in various roles, including as Director of Operations, for the Selkirk Mental Health Centre, as well as co-owning an occupational therapy clinic from 2010 to 2021. From 2018 to 2021 she also served as CEO of Eden Health Care Services, a mental health hospital and mental health service provider for southern Manitoba, under the banner of the provincial mental health and addictions system. In 2021 she left her previous roles to enter public service upon being appointed Deputy Minister. After finishing her term in October 2023, Kym provided mental health and addictions-related operation and policy advice as a consultant, before being announced as incoming CEO of CoRE in early April.