Our Team

Anton Smith, Executive Director, MSW, RSW

Anton has worked at Oak Hill for over ten years and in Child and Youth Care for over 30 years. Anton has completed a Masters in Social Work (2005) through Dalhousie University in Child and Family Practice and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria. Anton has presented at international, national and regional conferences on topics related to Child and Youth Care. He has published two peer-reviewed articles in the areas of residential treatment and restraint reduction. He is professionally certified TCI trainer and a CARE trainer through Cornell University and he also has a strong interest in research.

Stacey Charchuk, Assistant Director, BA (Criminology), Certified CYCW

Stacey has worked at Oak Hill for close to 25 years in a number of capacities including Direct Care. She is a professionally certified Therapeutic Crisis Intervention trainer through Cornell University, and is a primary contact for TCI training courses offered in Western Canada. Stacey is also an educator in CARE (Children and Residential Experiences). She has presented at regional as well as provincial conferences on these topics.

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty". -Maya Angelou 

Elisa Zuhling, Program Manager, Certified CYCW

Elisa has worked in the field of Child and Youth Care for over 30 years. She has worked at Yellowhead Youth Centre in open and secure settings, and for the last 20 years at Oakhill Ranch in several capacities. Elisa was a Therapeutic Crisis Intervention trainer (TCI) and was involved in the implementation of TCI and CARE- Children And Residential Experiences program at Oakhill Ranch. She manages the Cavell-Trauma focused program and Athabasca House. Elisa is passionate about trauma-informed and developmentally focused child and youth care practice. She enjoys training and supporting the staff as well as interacting with the youth.

Samuel Mammen, Program Director, MSW

Samuel Mammen MSW is a Program Director, Therapeutic Campus-Based Care, at Oak Hill Ranch since 2012. Working with youth at risk, supporting and training staff and building community capacity has remained his passion. He is a certified Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) trainer and Children And Residential Experiences (CARE) trainer with Cornell University, USA. He is also a certified Response Ability Pathways (RAP) trainer with Starr Global Learning Network, USA. He has worked in India, Saudi Arabia and Canada. He has presented at international conferences and trained practitioners in India, UAE and USA.