CPAWS-BC is proud to have a wide range of experienced and committed individuals on its Board of Directors. Members of the Board are nominated and elected to their positions.
Executive
Georgette Parsons, President
Karen Thompson, Treasurer
Gail Ross, Secretary
Directors
Kai Chan
Julie Davidson
Karin Emond
Mike Fenger
Richard Paisley
Robert Penrose
Jason Puddifoot
Wayne Sawchuk
Executive:
Georgette Parsons, President
Georgette Parsons is Mountain Equipment Co-op’s Chief Information Officer. She began her career with an honours degree in Economics and Environmental Studies. Since 1988, she has been instrumental in developing MEC’s information systems, communication and marketing functions, and has supported the development of MEC’s community involvement policies. Georgette is a long time climber and an avid downhill skier.^ top
Karen Thompson, Treasurer
Karen Thomson is a Chartered Accountant who spent several years working in public practice before moving into industry to work for a private corporation. Karen has specialized in corporate tax and has completed the CICA’s In-depth Tax Course. ^ top
Gail Ross, Secretary
Gail has worked for 34 and a half years with BC Parks in various capacities, including as a park interpreter at Manning, Garibaldi, and Mt. Seymour parks, a summer naturalist at Golden Ears, and as regional planning officer at Prince George. Her responsibilities included conservation management, interpretation, education, park planning and leading negotiations for the protection of 1/3 of the province area. She currently also sits on the Board of the Young Naturalists of BC, and is a club leader in Prince George. ^ top
Directors:
Kai Chan
Kai Chan is an assistant professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability at the UBC. He investigates the ecology and evolution that underpin ecosystem resilience to species invasions and infestations; he fosters better decision making for the multiple benefits that humanity derives from nature; and he examines the structure and substance of our duties to non-human organisms and future human generations.^ top
Julie Davidson
Julie has a strong passion for the outdoors and wild places, coupled with experience in environmental project funding which led her to become a volunteer on the CPAWS board. She has twenty years' administrative experience in the human resources field, most recently board-related in the not-for-profit business sector. She is presently studying at Simon Fraser University, embarking on a new career path in social policy issues.^ top
Karin Emond
Karin practices environmental law with a large downtown Vancouver firm. The best place to find her, however, is skiing in the mountains or surfing in the waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island. In her role as CPAWS BC Chapter's newest Board member, Karin is committed to working to protect the wilderness places that make BC so special. ^ top
Mike Fenger
During his three-decade career in government, Mike Fenger provided conservation advice on behalf of Ministry of Environment to government. He was instrumental in developing the interagency Wildlife Tree Committee, a member of the provincial Old Growth Task Force and the co-chair of the Biodiversity Working Group that guides forest biodiversity conservation outside of Parks. After leaving government, Mike finished the book Wildlife and Trees of British Columbia, a collaboration of three biologists and two foresters on managing wildlife trees. Currently he is the principle of Mike Fenger and Associates Ltd. and remains active advising on sustainable forestry and conservation advice. Mike is President of a NGO Friends of Ecological Reserves whose wardens work as extra eyes and ears for MOE staff to safe-guard Ecological Reserves.
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Richard Paisley
Richard Paisley is the Director of UBC’s Natural Resources Law Program and a member of the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. Richard’s current research and teaching interests are primarily in the areas of international water and energy law, negotiation and environmental conflict resolution. His outside interests include down hill and cross country skiing, biking, back packing, tennis, kayaking and coaching soccer.^ top
Robert Penrose
Robert and Dorli are the proud and busy parents of sports-mad and book-crazy William, age 8. They live in North Vancouver and love to venture into BC’s parks and wilderness to hike, camp, ski, and kayak. Robert has been a director for many years at CPAWS-BC, where his key focus areas have been human resources, communications, and planning.
Robert Penrose is a Senior Sustainability Coordinator at BC Hydro, where he works to improve and audit environmental management and to further integrate environmental, social, and financial considerations in decision-making. Prior to joining BC Hydro, Robert was a part-time research associate at Simon Fraser University and a consultant. His research at SFU focused on strategic land use planning and public participation processes. As a consultant, Robert worked on issues including watershed and coastal management, land use planning, and environmental assessment.
Robert holds a Masters in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University. ^ top
Jason Puddifoot
Jason Puddifoot and his brother own W.H. Puddifoot Limited, an importer of tablewares for the restaurant and hotel industry. He says that “he worked in the business since he was big enough to move boxes around.” Now he employs 22 staff and exports around North America. He is a longtime member of CPAWS, having donated for about 20 years. Jason is an avid back country hiker and diver. He’s logged over 1200 dives in BC! He is a passionate and accomplished photographer of underwater landscapes and nature.^ top
Wayne Sawchuk
Wayne, a lifetime resident of Chetwynd is the founding and now past President of the Chetwynd Environmental Society, (now in its 10th year). He is a long-time logger (skidder owner/operator), guide, trapper, sawmill worker, contractor, and wilderness advocate. He began working as a volunteer in environmental issues in 1990 and in 1993 was hired by B.C. Wild as an environmental representative.
During the past nine years, he has been actively involved in grass roots networking, (between environmental, outfitting, trapping, conservation, first nations, and other interests) land use planning processes (LRMP s), consultation processes, the Protected Areas Strategy, as well as forestry and natural gas exploration issues. He participated in the Mackenzie Land and Resource Management Planning process, and served on the recently completed Dawson Creek, and Fort Nelson and Fort St. John LRMPs which created the Muskwa- Kechika Management Area.
He serves as a Board Director for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, BC Chapter, and was a BC Parks Legacy Project Panel Member. He also serves as a Board Member on the Muskwa Kechika Advisory Board, and on BC Oil and Gas Commission Advisory Committee. In 1998, he was honoured to received the Ministers Environmental Achievement Award, in the category of individual citizen. ^ top
CPAWS - British Columbia Chapter