Our Team
Helen McPhaden
Executive Director
Stardale Women’s Group is led by Helen McPhaden, who is the Executive Director. Prior to being a founding member of the grassroots organization, Helen had been working within the Indigenous community. Helen worked with girls to become models and hostesses. Helen in the recipient of multiple community and research awards including the JLC Partnership Service Award 2017-2018 from the Junior League of Calgary as well as the 2014 ECOS Award (Event for Communities of Sustainability). She is truly the glue that holds Stardale together and is at the helm of all of our incredible projects an initiatives.
Elder Wanda first Rider
Elder Wanda First Rider of the Blackfoot Confederacy serves as a spiritual guide, cultural teacher and historical witness within the Stardale community. Through prayer, ceremony and cultural teachings, she helps ground Stardale’s work in Indigenous traditions, history and ways of knowing.
Her teachings help young people understand their experiences within the broader history of colonization and the loss of land, language and culture, while reminding them of the strength, resilience and spiritual knowledge Indigenous peoples have always carried. Her presence provides an important cultural and spiritual foundation for Stardale’s work with young women.
Tracy Wrubleski
Program Coordinator
Tracy brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit and human services and a genuine curiosity about people, their stories and what’s possible when we work together. Since joining Stardale in January 2023, she has valued the relationships she’s built with the young women and the opportunity to be part of their journey.
As Program Coordinator, Tracy brings together the people, details and support that help make things possible. She believes in creating space for young women to discover their strengths, find their voices and share their stories, while building meaningful connections to one another, culture and community.
Fikayo Kayode
Communications Specialist
Fikayo brings advocacy and communications experience to the Stardale team in various ways. Having worked with Indigenous communities over the course of her career, she is honoured to bring her knowledge and community outreach efforts to the team as a communications specialist.
With an academic background in political science, her work has entailed co-organizing Indigenous-led initiatives in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS) by highlighting Indigenous ways of knowing through art and creativity. Speaking of creativity, Fikayo is a creative at heart, a spoken-word artist and writer. Her advocacy and communications work extends to healthcare research projects at the University of Calgary and Dalhousie University in the fields of neonatology and oncology, respectively.
Interested in joining the Stardale team?
Contact us today for information on available positions or visit our “Work With Us” page for current postings.