EXECUTIVE TEAM
Meet the Leaders Behind the Movement
Visionary leaders united by a shared commitment to excellence, equity, and lasting impact. CBNA's leadership brings together expertise across healthcare, education, research, policy, and community leadership to advance Black nursing and shape a more inclusive healthcare system for generations to come.
Executive Team
Providing strategic direction, setting priorities, and leading CBNA's mission forward.
Ovie Onagbeboma is a Canadian nursing leader, educator, and advocate for health equity, workforce development, and the advancement of Black nurses in Canada. She is the Co-Founder and National Chair of the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance (CBNA), a national organization established in 2020 to serve, mentor, and empower Black Canadian nurses through the power of community.
Under Ovie’s leadership, CBNA has grown its national presence and strengthened opportunities for Black nurses and nursing students through mentorship, academic chapter development, professional networking, leadership development, and strategic partnerships. Her work is grounded in a commitment to creating meaningful pathways for Black nurses to thrive, lead, and influence the future of healthcare.
Ovie brings extensive experience in nursing leadership, critical care operations, health system improvement, education, and policy. Her professional journey spans clinical practice in emergency and critical care settings, healthcare management, system-level analysis, and research and consulting focused on equity and organizational change. She has contributed to initiatives addressing nursing retention, inclusive learning, professional development, and the removal of systemic barriers within healthcare and nursing education.
Her contributions include advisory work with the College of Nurses of Ontario, collaboration on the Nursing Retention Toolkit developed with Health Canada and the College of Nurses of Ontario, and contributions to open educational resources supporting nursing education. She has also contributed to national conversations on anti-Black racism, equity, and the future of the nursing profession.
Ovie’s leadership and advocacy have been recognized through distinctions including the 2024 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women recognition and the 2023 Women’s Executive Network (WXN) Top 5 Canadian Equity, Diversity and Inclusion award recognition.
Through CBNA, Ovie continues to champion a nursing profession in which Black nurses are seen, supported, represented, and positioned to lead. Her vision is to build a lasting legacy of community, opportunity, and institutional change - one that strengthens the nursing workforce and advances equitable healthcare for generations to come.
My name is Ava Onwudegwu and I grew up on the beautiful Island of Jamaica, before migrating to Canada at the age of 18. I am currently the Patient Care Manager for the Critical Care Unit at Lakeridge Health – Ajax. I have also held various positions at Unity Health Toronto, from staff nurse on the Resource Team and in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU); as well as, eCare Support, Professional Practice Leader for Nursing Practice and Education, Manager of Nursing Practice and Education, Clinical Educator – Nursing and Assistant Patient Care Manager. I have also had the opportunity to work in academia as a Clinical Instructor and Clinical Advisor. I am also currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto.
In all my leadership experiences I was always the only black person on the team. I didn’t see black representation or mentors. As the Vice President and Director of Academic Relations, I am motivated by my desire to empower and build another generation of leaders who will forge the way for the generations to come. I am passionate about seeing black nurses and black nursing students reach their highest heights. I believe we have so much to offer. We must all leave a legacy!
Outside of the world of Health Care, I am passionate about working with young adults, travelling and dancing. I have been part of different planning committees for conferences geared to empower Women and Young Adults. I have also been featured as a speaker and guest performer at many of these events.
Not only do I give back to my immediate community but on a larger scale, I have travelled to Israel, the Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and other areas within Canada doing humanitarian work.
Shanique Victoria Edwards is a seasoned mental health clinician, strategist, and educator with specialized expertise in racial trauma, culturally responsive care, and healing-centered approaches. As CBNA’s Director of Mental Health, Outreach, and Strategy, she leads the development of national wellness initiatives that support the mental health and retention of Black nurses and nursing students across Canada.
Through her private practice, Shanique Victoria Psychotherapy & Wellness, Shanique offers individual therapy, consulting, and wellness programming tailored to the needs of racialized communities. She is the creator of the CULTURE Framework—an Africentric and anti-racist model designed to support equitable clinical care, leadership development, and organizational change.
Shanique is a dynamic speaker and experienced facilitator, frequently invited to deliver keynotes, workshops, and professional development sessions for healthcare institutions, universities, and community organizations. Her work is known for blending clinical insight, lived experience, and practical tools that empower individuals and systems to foster meaningful, sustainable change.
With academic training in neuroscience, psychology, and clinical counselling, Shanique brings an evidence-informed and community-rooted perspective to every space she enters. Her leadership is grounded in compassion, clarity, and a deep commitment to creating safer, more affirming environments for Black professionals to thrive.
Asha Farah is a Nurse Practitioner in postpartum providing newborn care in an urban tertiary hospital. With foresight and grace, Asha developed the role and implementation at her site, recognizing the clinical and social needs of families and current gaps in services within inpatient maternity care. Asha has a 10-year background in labour and delivery and as a postpartum nurse. She believes in striving to have culturally safe spaces for all to thrive in their health and wellness journey, but especially in those early moments of life and birth of families.
Asha received her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA and a Masters – Family All Ages Nurse Practitioner degree at the University of Alberta. Asha has witnessed the power of representation and believes to make the essential changes in our health systems to improve health equity and break down barriers.
Serving as one of the Regional Managers for Alberta, her main focus has been ensuring Black nurses feel supported and seen in their journeys from the student stage to a professional. Asha describes CBNA as being the community she always longed for in her career and is passionate about the future changes possible with the organization.
Beyond her work professionally, Asha is a proud wife and mother to three children. She spends her days involved with her kids’ activities and volunteering with a local organization in Edmonton providing services to immigrant women and children. As soon as the weather gets warm in Alberta, Asha takes in God’s green earth and spends time out for walks on trails or hiking/exploring.
National Leaders
Leading programs, regions, partnerships, and operational excellence across Canada.
Karen’s why for starting nursing school was based on her mother being a nurse, going back to school to upgrade her diploma to a BScN and seeing the impact she had on her patients. Karen began her nursing career in paediatric haematology/oncology at SickKids after earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2002.
She later completed a Master of Nursing with a teaching focus from Athabasca University in 2011 and a Master of Science in Healthcare Simulation from the University of Alabama in 2021. She has now just completed her 1st year of her Doctor of Education (EdD) at UofT in the Social Justice Education department. Her research focus is on sexual and reproductive health for people with Sickle Cell Disease, through the interrogation of the historical and contemporary harms to Black birthing bodies in our healthcare system. Karen is also a faculty at University of Toronto teaching in the Certificate for Nursing Education In the Practice Setting.
Karen is the Senior Clinical Lead for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism at Lakeridge Health where she partners with departmental leadership teams to identify and reduce barriers to equitable care for equity deserving groups.
As the Director of the mentorship program since 2023, Karen loves the connections that are made and the confidence that is uncovered in a reciprocal relationship. She prides herself on grounding the program on Hale & Phillips’ (2019) Mentoring Up theory, to pioneer a mentorship program that is based on a theoretical perspective that supports Black nurses.
Jennifer Philogène is a Registered Nurse who has 6+ years of critical care experience and 3+ years of clinical teaching experience. She completed her Bachelor’s at McGill University. As the Regional Manager of Quebec, she recently left the bedside in the public system and is advocating for Quebec nurses. She also offers tutoring and mentoring services. Jennifer is now doing travel nursing around the country.
Deka Egeh is a women’s health RN specializing in high risk labour and delivery and antepartum. She has a background both in nursing and an HBSc in cell physiology from the University of Toronto.
In her experience in a provincial healthcare system lacking in ethnic diversity, Deka has recognized the need for a safe space for the experiences of Black nurses in Alberta. She is a founding member of the CBNA Alberta chapter and the Regional Manager for Alberta and is optimistic about the positive change that is possible for Black nurses and patients in Alberta.
Safeyyah Raji is a certified psychiatric and mental health registered nurse who currently serves as a lecturer at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) and Master of Nursing (MN) degrees from Western University, where her passion for nursing education and commitment to lifelong learning flourished.
As an educator, Safeyyah recognizes that equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and accessibility (EDIDA) principles are essential components to ensure nursing students have exceptional learning experiences and to prepare compassionate and anti-racist nurses who can provide quality care to diverse populations. Safeyyah is dedicated to empowering students, instilling a belief in their ability to deliver nursing excellence, and inspiring them to become catalysts for positive change in the nursing profession and the broader healthcare system.
In her role as the Lead Secretary at the CBNA, Safeyyah leverages her extensive professional skill set to support the growth and success of the organization. Committed to fostering a supportive and empowered community for Black nurses, Safeyyah advocates for their representation and advancement, aiming to make a lasting positive impact on the healthcare landscape in Canada.
I am a Registered Nurse with a strong commitment to providing patient care, advancing health equity, and promoting social justice. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of New Brunswick, a Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing from Mohawk College, and I am currently pursuing my Master’s degree at Trent University.
I am passionate about lifelong learning and have completed additional training in Phlebotomy, Clinical Research, and Coronary Care. My professional experience spans a variety of healthcare settings, including emergency medicine, acute care, rural and remote nursing, where I’ve developed a broad and adaptable clinical skill set.
As one of the current Secretary of the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance, I am proud to contribute to our mission of promoting excellence in nursing and empowering Black nurses across Canada. I am committed to using my voice, skills, and leadership to drive positive change in the profession and the community.
Building Today. Leading Tomorrow.
Leadership councils and a Board of Directors are on the way as we grow CBNA's impact across Canada.
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