About Us

Charlene Lafreniere is the Vice President of Indigenous Health at Shared Health and a proud Red River Métis citizen.

As a collaborative leader, Charlene has spent much of her career building relationships among organizations, communities and Indigenous people. Prior to joining Shared Health, Charlene was the Chief Indigenous Officer with Northern Health Region (NHR). While in that role, Charlene co-led the work around the Joint Declaration and Action Framework to Eliminate Indigenous Racism and all forms of discrimination, the development and implementation of the Addressing Indigenous Specific Racism policy, and the introduction of positions to support the inclusion of traditional medicine. Charlene also held a joint role with NHR and Shared Health, where she supported provincial initiatives, such as the Disrupt and Dismantle Racism Steering Committee and the Provincial Indigenous Health Operating Model.

Charlene has served in a variety of leadership, policy and planning roles for organizations across Canada and in Manitoba’s North. She brings extensive knowledge and experience required to lead system change that will create culturally safe spaces for First Nation, Inuit and Métis people accessing care, as well as for Indigenous people who are committed to working in the provincial health system.

Prior to joining the health sector, Charlene served as a Director with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc., was a Councilor for the City of Thompson, and a Director with the University College of the North. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts in Leadership, Executive Leadership specialization from Royal Roads University, where she is currently an Associate Faculty. Charlene has completed a number of continuing education courses and certificates, including the IDEO U Design Thinking Foundations Certificate, and is a lifelong learner.

In her VP role with the provincial health authority, Charlene’s priority is to guide the health system in implementing the Provincial Indigenous Health Operating Model, which encompasses the work of providing holistic, culturally safe care. This care is provided by the whole organization—all of us working together in a good way to create a more sustainable health system.

Laurie Spinks is a proud Red River Métis woman and an accomplished healthcare leader with more than two decades of nursing, operations management, and community health experience across Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. As the Director of Operations, Indigenous Health with Shared Health, Laurie leads the development, coordination, and delivery of holistic, culturally safe health services that honour the strengths, rights, and priorities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.

In operations and strategic leadership, Laurie has led multi-disciplinary teams, negotiated partnerships, advanced Indigenous-led approaches to care, and supported systems transformation guided by the Calls to Action and distinctions-based health priorities. Her work is defined by a commitment to improving health equity for Indigenous people.

Laurie centres traditional knowledge, land-based healing, and community governance in her leadership approach. She believes that systems must honour culture, language, and lived experience to truly support wellness and sovereignty in health.

Outside of her professional role, Laurie finds balance and connection through time on the land—fishing, being near the water, and sharing outdoor adventures with her daughters. These moments ground her, inspire her work, and keep her connected to the teachings passed down through generations.

Nellie Kopitz has joined Shared Health Indigenous Health as Director of Provincial Partnerships. In her new role, she looks forward to growing distinctions-based relationships, including with northern communities, to support addressing health services gaps that are affecting health and wellbeing.

As a psychiatric nurse, Nellie has a passion for practices that nourish our whole being, including mental wellness. She has worked with the Brandon Friendship Centre as a Community Wellness Counsellor and more recently as Regional Manager in Indigenous Health, Prairie Mountain Health. Nellie’s educational background includes a Master of Education in Guidance and Counselling and a post-master’s certificate in counselling.

She is a proud band member with Minegoziibe Anishinabe First Nation and grew up in the Métis community of Camperville, experiencing a childhood enriched with Métis culture, language and lifestyle. Nellie has four children and two grandchildren.

Jeremy Morin is the newly appointed Director of Provincial Planning, Indigenous Health with Shared Health. A Red River Métis citizen born in Winnipeg with roots going back to Saint Francois Xavier, Jeremy spent over a decade in the transportation and logistics industry before transitioning to the health sector in 2017. Serving in various roles within the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s Indigenous Health program, Jeremy brings extensive experience and knowledge of human resources, business administration and management. He previously served as Director of Workforce Development and Interim Chief Operating Officer for WRHA Indigenous Health.

Jeremy has a passion for recruitment, retention and policy surrounding many key areas including building a representative workforce within the health system and advocating for culturally safe access to care for Indigenous people. He supported the development of a designated Indigenous position framework within the WRHA and worked to increase Indigenous representation in the workforce through active involvement in policy and process change.

Ryan Thomas is the Manager of Indigenous Health Services – Mental Health & Addictions at Shared Health, providing system-level leadership to advance Indigenous mental health and addictions priorities across Manitoba. He leads an Indigenous Health Team based at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre, supporting the delivery of culturally safe, trauma-informed services for Indigenous patients.

Previously, Ryan served as Acting Health Lead and Senior Policy Analyst with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, where he supported First Nations–led initiatives and Chiefs-in-Assembly mandates in collaboration with First Nations leadership and provincial and federal partners. He has also served as part of the Senior Executive Management Team at St. Boniface Hospital, contributing to Indigenous health priorities within acute care environments.

Ryan is a member of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, is Anishinaabe, and was born and raised in Winnipeg. His lived experience informs his commitment to strengthening Indigenous relations and advancing systems change in support of Indigenous-led, culturally grounded approaches to mental health and addictions care.