SABINE DIETZ – Chair

Sabine is currently Executive Director of CLIMAtlantic Inc and has worked as program and project coordinator on biodiversity conservation & education projects since the mid-1980s, as a co-program lead of the Maritimes Important Bird Areas program in the late-1990s, as Executive Director of a nature center (2005-2010), for Parks Canada as ecosystem scientist, and on climate change adaptation on various projects over the last 12 years. She is also co-founder of Aster Group (astergroup.ca), an environmental
services co-operative, and sits on the Board of Directors of Aster Foundation. She holds a BA, an MES, and a Ph.D. in biology. She was instrumental in building Nature NB’s capacity towards becoming a fully
staffed organization many years ago, and her volunteer work has always included building capacity in New Brunswick’s ENGO sector. Sabine loves backpacking, biking, kayaking and canoeing, and cross-country skiing in the winter. She and partner Roland Chiasson have two grown children.

LOGAN MCINTOSH – Vice-Chair

Logan is a passionate strategist, campaigner, and organizer in movements for environmental, democratic and economic fairness. Her background is in deliberative dialogue, mass distributed organizing and digital campaigning. She is Leadnow’s Campaigns Director, where she is especially excited to focus on merging digital tools and face-to-face organizing to win lasting change. In her five years with Leadnow.ca, she has led innovative campaigns at the intersection of political efficacy and high member energy and grown their community driven funding program and membership base.

WILLIAM DAVID – Secretary

William has been working on Indigenous environmental and Indigenous human rights issues at the international level, the national level and the community level for over twenty years. He is currently a Legal Advisor at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and previously has worked in legal, advisory and director roles to advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples through education, strategic litigation, budgetary, and international advocacy. His expertise has landed him key roles in shaping Canadian legislation as well as shaping young minds teaching at the University of Ottawa.

David Coffey – Treasurer

David Coffey is a business leader with over 35 years of success leading software and services sales and operations, management consulting practices and teams, and delivery of complex transformation projects. In all cases, David brings a record of success and expertise in driving innovation and accelerating performance across global organizations.

David has held senior positions with PwC, SAP, Infor and Kinaxis. He now specializes in advising emerging companies on business transformation, governance, and growth objectives.

David holds degrees in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the University of Ottawa. He remains associated with the Telfer Business School at the University of Ottawa, coaching and mentoring Canada’s next business leaders.

As a volunteer, David chaired the Royal Ottawa Foundation, a leader in Canadian mental health care advocacy and care. The crowning achievement – in concert with many contributors – was the opening of the new mental health facility opening in 2006.

David is passionate about his family, a wide range of outdoor sports and wilderness activities and giving back to the community, especially nature conservation and mental health advocacy.

Renata Woodward – Director

Renata is the former CEO of the Nature Trust of New Brunswick. Currently, she is a consultant who helps charitable organizations with engagement organizing, capacity building, fund-raising, land conservation, and policy development. She is a progressive leader, effective decision-maker, visionary, great communicator, and manager who can display sound judgment and bring the best out of a team of passionate and diverse people. She continues to work on advancing environmental protection in Canada. Her expertise lies within the realms of biodiversity, land and ocean conservation. She is passionate about Indigenous engagement and reconciliation, social justice, and ethical investing. She is a natural connector who wants to bring people together to work on “green” climate-just actions that will allow future generations to survive on our planet. Her education encompasses Natural Resource Management, nursing, and international business and development. She lived, studied, and worked in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec. Her passions are organic farming, spending time with her family and friends, and enjoying nature as much as she can.

Aviva Patel – Director

Aviva Patel is a director at Credit Valley Conservation, a municipally funded agency responsible for watershed management of the Credit River in Ontario. Over the past 17 years she has led multiple programs including long-term ecological monitoring, natural area assessments, and protected area system development. With a rigorous scientific approach and strong communications and management skills, she works with her 50-member team to develop and disseminate leading-edge watershed science for effective land use management and planning.

Previous roles include Research Manager at the University of Toronto, coordinating multiple research projects at a conservation biology lab, and a five-year stint at the Sierra Club of Canada as a member of the board of directors. Aviva holds a Bachelor’s degree (Honours) in Biology from Stanford University, California, and a PhD in ecology from the University of Miami, Florida. She is a certified Senior Ecologist with the Ecological Society of America. Aviva enjoys hiking, travelling, reading, and cooking.

Lillian Trapper – Director

Lillian is a mother, grandmother and jaban lives in two worlds. One world in a small town and the other on her family’s customary territory at Kattawagami Lake. She comes a family of a long line of excellent hunters and trappers who have transferred their Cree knowledge on to her family. Lillian was born in a tent in the winter month of January on a trapline and has always felt comfortable in the bush (natural environment). She has been on her healing journey for over 18 years and has found that being in the bush at her camp to be a great part of her healing from the impacts of residential school. Lillian continues to nurture her spiritual connection to Creator through the land and ceremonies. She finds every opportunity to go to her family camp with her family. She is passionate about preservation, conservation and management of human activities on our natural environment. Lillian has personally experienced the impacts of resource development upon the Cree customary lifestyle. She holds a Master’s degree in Environment and Management from Royal Roads University. She has over 22 years of experience in working with her First Nation community to a First Nations provincial and national levels as a Director, Manager, Coordinator and Policy Analyst. Lillian has sat on a number of committees from child & family services, transportation and academia.

Liette Vasseur – Director

Dr. Vasseur is a full professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Brock University. She is a member of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre and a CCOVI fellow. Since 2014, she holds the UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global. Her interdisciplinary research program links issues such as sustainable agriculture, climate change adaptation and resilience, community-based ecosystem management, and ecosystem governance. Her research is in Canada, China, Ecuador, and Africa. In Canada, major projects focus on sustainable agriculture and climate change adaptation in rural and coastal communities, and conservation in the Niagara Biosphere, a co-governed organization with Indigenous and non-indigenous people. She is the deputy chair of the Commission for Ecosystem Management at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (and co-lead of the Climate Change and Biodiversity Policy and Practice group), co-Editor-in-Chief of Botany at the Canadian Science Publishing, member of the executive board of Nature Canada, and former President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

Montana Burgess – Director

Montana Burgess grew up in BC’s interior. She has over 12 years experience working to tackle the climate crisis through civil society participation at the community, regional, provincial, national and international levels, including coordinating civil society at over 25 UN climate conferences and one G8/G20 Summit. She has expertise in organizational development, governance, energy policy, communications, and social enterprise. She believes community organizing is key to achieving social and environmental justice. She is also an advocate for gender rights and strives to continue to do better to take action on truth and reconciliation to support Indigenous Peoples. Montana is currently the Executive Director of the West Kootenay EcoSociety, leading local efforts to transition communities to 100% renewable energy.