ABOUT US

Chair: Douglas Alexander Gardner CD2 (Captain, Retired) 

A strong leader with a full military career, Doug Gardner rose through the military ranks, earning new experiences and opportunities. Originally from Owen Sound Ontario, Doug grew up in a military family, with his father being a World War II Canadian Merchant Navy Veteran.

Starting in the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, Cadet Corps, Doug received his Officer Commission scroll to rank 2nd Lieutenant as a Cadet Service Officer. He enrolled as a non-commissioned member in the Ottawa Service Battalion (Mobile Support Equipment Operator and Vehicle technician) and completed his first United Nations deployment in the Middle East. 

He left the military to pursue policing and was hired by the London (Ontario) City Police Department after graduating from the Ontario Police College. Doug then returned to the army and enlisted in the Regular Forces; he was assigned to the Armour Corps as a direct entry to the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), in Calgary, Alberta. 

He completed his second United Nations tour in Cyprus as a Section Commander and was qualified as an Advance Armoured Gunnery Instructor and promoted Sergeant. 

For the next ten years, Doug worked as a member of many armoured vehicle troops and received multiple awards for leadership, gunnery and soldier skills. His performance as a gunnery instructor was in demand at the Regiment, on posting to the Armoured School and as an exchange instructor at the United States Armor School in Fort Knox, Kentucky. 

After his tour with the US Army, Doug returned to Regimental duty and became the Squadron Sergeant Major (SSM). As the SSM Headquarter Squadron, he deployed on his third United Nations tour to Camp Visoko, Bosnia Herzegovina. 

After 16 years of regimental and gunnery school duty, Doug was posted to Ottawa to attend his second language training. He was promoted Chief Warrant officer and posted back out west to be the Base Regimental Sergeant Major of Canadian Forces Base Suffield. 

Doug was commissioned to the rank of Captain and tasked to Land Force Western Area Headquarters (LFWA (HQ)) as the Individual Training Officer. After three years in the LFWA (HQ), he requested a posting to an overseas position. 

Duty with North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was different and challenging. After six years working inside the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Complex as part of the Missile Warning Center, Missile and Space Domain and finally with Standards and Evaluations, it was time to head back home.

Doug, father of two (Devon and Ashlinn), retired in 2010 and now enjoys travelling as a Recreational Vehicle enthusiast (RVer) with his wife, Alannah.

Director: Rachel Dziver CD1 (Chief Petty Officer, 2nd Class) 

Rachel Dziver is a Chief Petty Officer Second Class with the Royal Canadian Naval Reserves serving at HMCS TECUMSEH in Calgary, Alberta. During her career, she has trained and been employed in Halifax, Esquimalt, Alert, Calgary and Quebec. Rachel spent time on the West Coast sailing as the Senior Naval Combat Information Operator (NCIOP) in both HMCS Saskatoon and HMCS Whitehorse, was employed as a Port Security Officer of the Watch and also as an On the Job Training Coordinator.

In 2009 Rachel took the position of Platoon Warrant Officer to start up the Integrated Personnel Support Centre, Calgary. Upon completion of that contract, she transferred back to HMCS TECUMSEH. Rachel completed her tenure as Coxswain of HMCS TECUMSEH in August 2017 and is currently serving as the NCIOP Military Occupation Advisor. 

Rachel is a Certified Horsemanship Association English and Western riding coach and an Equine Assisted Personal and Professional Development Coach. 

Her education is in Sign Language Communication and Equine Science Production Management. Rachel works as a Policy Advisor with Provincial Addiction & Mental Health for Alberta Health Services (AHS).

Rachel Dziver joined Can Praxis in 2014 as the Administrative Coordinator and has grown to not only assist with Phase II programs but also to help lead the organization as a Director.

She has an Andalusian mare, Diosa, and currently trains in dressage, jumping and at liberty. Rachel also shares her life with a canine ball of rescued energy named Harley, a Siamese, and a ginger Tabby. 

Director/Founder: Steve Critchley, C.Med, CD (Warrant Officer, Retired) 

Steve Critchley is a practicing mediator with international experience. He taught mediation programs overseas in the United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Dubai. 

Steve spent 28 years as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces as a Basic Training Instructor, as well as an Advanced Leadership Instructor. He was deployed to Egypt, Cyrus and Bosnia. 

During the Bosnian war, Steve witnessed human conflict at its worst. 

His experiences included negotiating with armed belligerents and establishing small local areas of trust and cooperation. Steve developed the belief that people can work together to achieve realistic and positive results. Steve was also included in a select group from the Canadian military to undergo Mediation training as part of a pilot program co-coordinated by the Executive Director for Conflict Management responsible to the Department of National Defence and the Federal Government. 

After completing the assignment of authoring a paper on Mediation, Steve achieved the third phase of the Mediator Qualification Program in July 2000. 

Steve has led mediations set in Alberta Civil Court for clients, from private mediations between landowners and multi-national energy companies to a $500 lawsuit, workplace harassment cases, and abuse of authority at the Federal, Provincial and Municipal government levels. 

Steve co-founded Can Praxis in 2013 and continues to work with Veterans and First Responders along with their families overcoming PTSD and other OSI. 

After working with more than 750 families dealing with PTSD, Steve has in-depth experience working with the crisis and conflict the injury brings to their everyday life.

Steve lives in rural Alberta with his wife Patti. They spend their time caring for their dogs and horses and spending time with family, including their daughter Bonnie (a Veteran), and her partner.

When he is not planning and running programs, Steve is focused on collaborating with other Veterans’ programs and providing peer support for the injured.

Director: Jillian Young

Jillian Young is an entrepreneur with 25 years of retail management and sales experience.

Jill was a store manager for the big-box retailer Future Shop for eight years, which oversaw all operations and exceeded sales of $30 million annually. She started, owned and operated her own small business for seven years.

Jill currently holds her Life Insurance certified license. Jillian is also an active spokesperson and advocate for Cara HELLPs and an Alberta Health Services (AHS) family volunteer.

Jillian is excited to be a part of Can Praxis and to bring her decades of experience to its valuable programs.

Director: Jordan Witzel

Jordan Guildford is a small-town Nova Scotian girl who moved to Calgary in 2014. After initiating a successful Jewelry Drive to give gifts on Christmas morning to survivors of domestic abuse, she made a critical observation which would change everything for her. This led to Jordan creating a national charity called Gems for Gems focused on bringing an end to the cycle of domestic abuse in collaboration with the public.   Jordan Guildford Consulting has also been created to give organizations, and start-ups, the ‘leg up’ and creative injection needed to mobilize the community around them. With a focus on impact, Jordan’s innovative instincts never cease to seek progressive solutions to tenacious problems.  Collaboration is at the very center of each successful project Jordan has pursued and it continues to be a non-negotiable asset to enlisting her support.

 “Everyone can be meaningful part of change by uniting and understanding we are always stronger together”.   -Jordan Guildford