Mentor Bios

Recently relocated to Montreal, Quebec, Arthur is now leading the Resolute Forest Products’ Eastern spruce-pine-fir lumber sales department, which offers over 2 billion board feet annually. Previously, he was the Head of Market Intelligence at Paper Excellence Group, developing corporate strategies for its diverse forest products organization ranging from solid wood, pulp, paper, printing/writing and packaging market segments. Before joining Paper Excellence Group, he worked at Canfor Corporation for 24 years in various departments, including corporate communications and lumber/pulp sales and marketing.

Arthur’s connections with the Faculty of Forestry include being a Tri-Mentor, guest lecturer, and faculty representative as a member of the UBC Alumni Advisory Council from 2017 to 2024. In 2022, he was awarded the Alumni Builder Award for contributing to the UBC community and enriching student experiences. Arthur graduated from the UBC Faculty of Forestry with a BSF’95 and an MSc’12.

Ben Patton

Ben Patton is a Forestry Professional and Wood Waste Expert from North Vancouver, BC. A former tree planter, arborist, and wildlands firefighter, he has created an umbrella of Circular Economy & BioEconomy businesses for Forestry Waste Solutions.

A loving father and husband, he is the Director of Communications for the North Shore Streamkeepers, has been a Sustainable Forestry Initiative Youth Delegate, and also named a Top 20 Under 40 Canadian Forestry Professional by Canadian Forest Industries Magazine.

Ben is helping to grow and develop the National Wood Waste economy in Canada by actively pursues regulatory reform for Forestry Act and Municipal Bylaws surrounding Urban and Community Forest Wood Waste Utilization.

Chazel Solamo graduated from the UBC Forest Operations program in 2020 with a specialization in Harvest Planning and Engineering. She is a Registered Professional Forester and an Engineer-in-Training. Since graduating, she has been working as a Junior Engineer specializing in bridges and roads in the forestry and mining sectors. Her experience includes coordinating projects, designing crossing locations, performing maintenance inspections, and supervising construction projects all over Northern BC. With her current role at Allnorth Consultants, she works on a wide variety of projects involving remote access and land use planning, First Nations consultations, structural bridge analysis, as well as logistics and transportation feasibility studies. 

As a previous mentee for the Tri-Mentoring Program, she hopes to come full circle by sharing her experiences as a forestry student and the path that led to a career that combines her love for the outdoors with her passion for engineering.

Although I am presently completing my law articles, I have five years of forestry experience in both BC and Alberta working for large forest licensees. My past experience involves harvest planning, operations supervision, and GIS management. Throughout my career, I have volunteered with recreation management and search & rescue organizations. I recently received a law degree from Dalhousie University and am articling at a full-service commercial law firm in Vancouver. Much of my new role involves working with Indigenous and natural resource clients to assist in resolving their legal concerns.

Domenico Iannidinardo is a second generation forest worker and UBC graduate with degrees in Forestry and Business. He is also registered as a professional forester, biologist and engineer. As Chief Executive at Strategic Natural Resource Group, he is continuously working to advance frontline and strategic level resource management across varied landscapes, sectors and cultures while celebrating professionalism at all stages. 

Erin graduated from the UBC Faculty of Forestry in 2000 with a Forest Science specialty. Post-graduation, she realized that her interests and passions were centered on resource conservation and, to that end, she completed a Master of Forest Conservation at the University of Toronto. Once back in British Columbia, Erin discovered the relatively new and growing sector of Urban Forestry. She began as a consultant working with builders and developers to meet the requirements of municipal tree bylaws, and then transitioned into a municipal government role administering a tree bylaw and reviewing development plans. Erin has spent the majority of her career at the City of Coquitlam in various roles related to urban forestry and park operations. She is currently the Urban Forestry and Park Services Manager where she leads the team doing ecological site restoration, trail maintenance, tree bylaw administration, tree risk assessment and street tree management, as well as the municipal cemetery. Erin is passionate about urban forestry and parks and sharing knowledge about the social, economic and ecological benefits that trees, forests and parks provide to urban communities. Erin feels grateful to be a part of the tri-mentoring program; in her experience she has gained so much knowledge and perspective from the mentees and is thankful to play a role in helping them discover their own passions and drive.

Finn Wheeler

Finley is a Senior Consultant within Ernst & Young (EY)’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice, where he specializes in ESG strategy, sustainability integration, and climate-related non-financial reporting. Finn leverages his experience to assist clients in navigating the intricate challenges of the environmental, social, and governance regulatory landscape.

Prior to joining EY, Finley contributed to environmental advocacy in academia, consulting with the International Sustainable Campus Network. He is a UBC Forestry alumnus and a graduate of the Natural Resources Conservation program, where he majored in Global Perspectives and studied as a McCall MacBain Loran Scholar.

Now based in Calgary, AB, Finley is committed to driving sustainable innovation in the energy sector. Outside of work, you can usually find him refereeing hockey or hiking in the mountains.

I am primarily a builder. I help build relationships, organizations, and processes tailored to the unique characteristics and needs of the groups that I am working with. My objective is to help create something that helps those groups better envision and shape their own futures. Over the last 40 years some of the things that I have been involved in creating include businesses, schools, various land management arrangements, public policies, foundations, working relationships, and governments. I am often sought out to help groups work through difficult situations in unknown territory. I use a variety of tools including negotiating, brokering, planning, facilitating, chairing, mentoring, mediating, strategizing, managing, teaching or any other professional skill required for the situation.  My current affiliation with UBC is as the Director of the Centre for Indigenous Land Stewardship.

Gerlissa Chan

Gerlissa is a Junior Urban Planner with a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Forestry and a Minor in Landscape and Recreation Planning from UBC. Her past work experience includes working in academia, where she led a field crew in the Kootenays and Cariboo region. Her fieldwork explored forest fire ecology, such as how fuel treatment influences forest fire occurrences and the regeneration process following severe fires. In 2017, Gerlissa interned at the National Parks Board of Singapore. She played a crucial role in planning sections of Jurong Lake Gardens, ensuring a balanced approach to wildlife habitat preservation and recreational spaces. Notably, Gerlissa contributed to the design of Singapore’s first-ever dragonfly habitat. She is committed to promoting biodiversity in urban environments.

Graeme Dick graduated with an MSc from the Faculty of Forestry in 2009 after completing the UBC, Wood Products Processing Co-op program in 2007. His work experience has ranged from optimization of engineered wood-based products, to overseeing the technical performance and capabilities of operations, managing adhesive development efforts for the forest products industry, and being a technical resource for mergers and acquisitions. Graeme has routinely transformed technical departments and laboratories into results-oriented organizations with an emphasis on collaboration within and between operations.

Graeme is currently the Director, Product Quality & Technical Services for Tolko Industries Ltd.  He is responsible for leading EWP product and process development and improvement efforts, while ensuring that quality management systems are effectively deployed across the veneer- and strand-based businesses. He has been trained in, and practices, Six Sigma and is an active member of the ASQ. He has experience effectively interacting with all levels of an organization, driving change through indirect leadership, and employing systematic techniques to problem solving.

Ian Tom

Ian is currently the Manager of Parks Capital Projects at the City of Coquitlam where he oversees a portfolio of parks and open space project delivery. Ian’s work focuses on finding solutions to deliver parks services, by taking multidiscinplinary approaches to integrate technical disciplines with municipal process and governance. Ian previously worked at the City of Richmond in progressive roles focused on parks planning, design and construction. He is a proud graduate from UBC’s natural resources conservation program, a registered landscape architect, and PMP certified project manager. His pastimes include exploring local mountains and knitting (occasionally both at the same time).

Isabel Torodova

Isabel is a Sustainability Specialist at the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA), which is an NPO that provides municipality-like services to the UBC Neighbourhoods, where she works on a variety of sustainability initiatives related to landscape and tree management, waste reduction, programming, food systems, and more. She graduated from UBC’s Bachelor of Urban Forestry with a major in Landscape and Recreation Planning and further completed her MSc in International City Planning at University College London (UCL) specializing in Planning for Sustainability and Inclusion. Isabel has worked in the public, private, and non-profit sectors – with experience in outreach and engagement, business development, ecosystem restoration, and urban greenspace research. Currently, Isabel is focused on the implementation of the Neighbourhood Climate Action Plan (NCAP) and is working closely with UBC Campus and Community Planning and research partners to systematically implement NCAP actions.

Jacob Atherton

Jacob is a Registered Professional Forester in BC and has been passionate about sustainability and innovation throughout his life. As the Manager, Bioeconomy, he helps Canada capture growing market opportunities in BC and transition the province to a more sustainable economy. Prior to joining Foresight, Jacob worked in the forest sector on Vancouver Island and along the Sunshine Coast. He worked with First Nations, industry representatives, government, and other collaborators, in a wide array of forest management, including harvest operations, reforestation planning, forest policy, and meeting wildlife/biodiversity targets.

Joe has vast experience in the business, manufacturing, and pulp & paper industry. His previous roles include President and CEO of Catalyst Paper Ltd., Green Belt Renewable Energy, and Canfor, where he oversaw strategic visioning and the overall governance of some of the best-known companies in the business. He has additionally held sales, marketing and business, and production development roles with Canfor and Fletcher Challenge Canada Ltd. Joe retired from the Fortress Board a few years back and is now the General Manager of the BC Pulp & Paper Coalition – an informal partnership between the BC pulp and paper industry and Provincial government with a focus on fibre supply and global cost competitiveness. Joe has a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from UBC and an MBA from Western University.

Joey is an Arborist on the team with an Honors Bachelors of Environmental Studies with a Management specialization from York University, Toronto. She also has a Certificate in Arboriculture from Humber College, Toronto. She has been a climbing arborist for 5 years in the Niagara region in Ontario and in West Vancouver. She participated in ISA Tree climbing competitions and other tree climbing events as a competitor and volunteer, advocating for industry safe practices in tree climbing. Before joining DHC, she worked for the Government of Alberta in the Wildfire Division as a Crew Leader for the Junior Forest Rangers program. There she worked with young people to provide exposure to outdoor work from Forestry to Wildfire, and working with and learning from local indigenous peoples. Joey is both an ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Qualified Tree Risk Assessor, and part of the ISA-PNW DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Committee. In her spare time, Joey enjoys rock climbing, hiking and camping. She also enjoys admiring trees across Metro Vancouver and spreading knowledge to educate others, all the while continuing to educate herself. Most of all, she strives to find the balance between the natural and urban environment that is both safe and inclusive for all.

I have completed two undergraduate degrees, a BSc in Biology (Wilfrid Laurier University, 2015) and a BSc in Forest and Conservation Sciences (UBC, 2022) as well as a Masters in Forestry (UBC, 2022) with a focus on aquatic sciences. I am currently a PhD student in the Geography Department at UBC working to understand the impacts of climate and land use changes to river dynamics and the implications this has for salmon survival. Through this research I am striving to gain a better understanding of how floods are impacting salmon egg and early life stage survival which can help inform better management and conservation practices.

Kiah is currently a Knowledge and Capacity Development Officer with the BC Wildfire Service’s Research and Innovation Team. In this role she leads the research program for the Cultural and Prescribed Fire provincial team, building out projects in the areas of fire ecology, wildfire risk, fire behaviour and social science. She is currently a Biologist in Training with the College of Applied Biology and specializes in disturbance ecology. Career highlights include spending 10 seasons working operationally with BC Wildfire Service, most recently as a member of a Type 1 Incident Management Team, working in Smithers B.C. where her work focused on writing wildlife habitat restoration recommendations in post-wildfire burn areas, developing fuel management guidelines for work occurring in sensitive ecosystems, and coordinating ecosystem restoration projects primarily focused on prescribed fire. Kiah is also a whitebark pine enthusiast and has worked on restoration and research projects as a field technician, as well as in the role of the Whitebark Pine Seed Orchard Coordinator responsible for coordinating the implementation of the first whitebark pine seed orchards in B.C. Kiah graduated with a B.Sc. in Natural Resources Conservation in 2017 and a M.Sc. in Forestry in 2019, both from UBC.

Kieran Ray Daniels

Kieran is a recent graduate of UBC’s Forest Bioeconomy Sciences and Technology program and currently works as a Strategic Energy Management Program Specialist at CLEAResult. Before this, Kieran worked at ChopValue as a Supply Chain and Operations Administrator and held co-op/summer positions with FPInnovations, ChopValue, and UBC’s Advanced Renewable Materials Lab where they worked on projects involving under-utilized wood resources and advanced manufacturing. Kieran has also volunteered in leadership/mentorship roles with UBC-affiliated organizations including Geering Up, Agora Cafe, and The Faculty of Forestry. Kieran is passionate about promoting environmental and social justice through novel business and technological ideas, and in their spare time enjoys eating and cooking good food, hanging out in nature, and staying active (usually in the mountains)!

Kristy McConnel

Kristy McConnel is a Climate Risk and Resilience Advisor at WSP. She works to improve climate resilience by conducting vulnerability assessments and undertaking adaptation and sustainability planning and advisory. She is passionate about building sustainable communities through creativity and innovation and works on wide range of projects for clients across Canada. Kristy holds a Master of Community and Regional Planning degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources Conservation from the University of British Columbia, and a certified Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP). Outside of work, she loves to mountain bike, garden, and spend time with her family and her dogs in the beautiful West Kootenays.

Kurt Youell

Kurt is an Applied Science Technologist (AScT) with expertise in mass timber manufacturing. Kurt spent several years at Structurlam as an estimator and BIM coordinator before transitioning into the Fabrication Design Lead at Mercer Mass Timber. Over his years in the mass timber industry, Kurt has been apart of numerous projects and has seen the demand for mass timber in North America increase rapidly before his eyes. As the Fabrication Design Lead, Kurt promotes precision and creativity, and is responsible to ensure seamless project execution. Kurt is focused on the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes to bring amazing wood structures to life. Known for his collaborative approach and leadership, he drives excellence in sustainable construction practices. Kurt obtained a diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology from NAIT in Edmonton, Alberta. He started his career in the steel industry before stepping into the world of wood products.

Maria Continentino

Maria graduated with a Natural Resources Conservation (Science and Management) degree from the Faculty of Forestry in 2018 and has been working in the environmental consulting sector since. She is currently a biologist and her work mostly involve freshwater and marine monitoring projects, fish habitat assessments, and aquatic life salvages. Maria also had previous work and volunteering experiences with invasive species management and habitat restoration. In her spare time, Maria likes hiking, paddle boarding and cooking.

Marissa Glavas

Marissa completed a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation from the Faculty of Forestry, with a particular interest in fisheries management. She interned with the Redd Fish Restoration Society, where she developed a strong interest in fish habitat restoration and Pacific salmon conservation. After graduation, Marissa pursued a Master of Science in Ecological Restoration through SFU/BCIT, where her research focused on quantifying road salt contamination in urban salmon-bearing streams. While completing her master’s, she worked part-time as a technician with DFO’s Catch Monitoring team, where she gained firsthand experience in fisheries management and the monitoring of First Nations and commercial fisheries. Currently, Marissa works as a Stock Assessment Biologist with DFO. In this role, she contributes to salmon stock assessment programs throughout the Fraser watershed, collaborating with other sectors within DFO, the Province, consultants, and academics on various Pacific salmon assessment and management initiatives.

Mike Harrhy

Mike Harrhy is a Registered Professional Forester and ISA Certified Arborist who works at, Diamondhead Consulting, a Vancouver-based consulting firm. He specializes in managing trees in parks and cities. This includes tree risk assessments, riparian protection measures, wildfire protection, and planning tree management through urban development and large infrastructure projects. Mike is an interdisciplinary professional who taps a range of experience to solve problems at the scale of an individual boulevard tree up to an entire forest. Mike graduated from UBC’s Natural Resources Conservation and Management program, and then went back to complete a Master’s of Sustainable Forest Management in 2016. Mike lives in Vancouver and is a passionate outdoorsperson; enjoying sailing, skiing, and the marvels of the forests.

Molly Hudson

Molly spent the beginning of her multi-decade career in the forest sector working throughout coastal British Columbia as a tree planter, timber cruiser, research technician, and biologist. She held multiple leadership positions with Mosaic Forest Management, overseeing forest management certification, forestry operations, environmental performance, community relations, and fish and wildlife management, including the species at risk program. She is currently Vice President, Forestry & Sustainability with Nch’ḵaỷ Development Corporation, the business arm of the Squamish Nation.

Molly holds a biology degree from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma of Technology in Forest Ecosystems from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She is a Registered Professional Forester and Registered Professional Biologist and is passionate about forestry’s role in a climate-smart future and about creating a diverse and equitable forest sector.

Nancy is a sustainability and management consultant with more than 20 years of international experience. She currently sits on the BC Environmental Appeal Board, Forest Appeals Commission and Energy Resource Appeal Tribunal and was previously the CEO and Executive Director at the Jane Goodall Institute Australia. She has also served as Non-Executive Director on several boards including Greenpeace Australia Pacific and worked as a management consultant at two of the “Big Four” professional services firms: Deloitte and EY.

Nancy is a graduate of the Natural Resources Conservation program in UBC’s Faculty of Forestry and also holds an MBA and MSc (Ecology). She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and trained as a Climate Reality Leader under Al Gore.

Nancy has recently happily relocated back to Vancouver from Sydney with her family.

When I graduated from the Cons program at UBC, my first job was with the Business Operations section of Surrey’s Parks Division. While I had always envisioned working in the field and getting my hands dirty, this role was almost entirely an office-based database and work management system administration role. It turns out I really enjoyed the work! The job provided me with valuable experience to build upon my formal education and also allowed me to stay connected with the ever-evolving realm of urban forestry in Surrey. I served as Surrey’s urban forestry manager for more than 4 years and now I am Surrey’s director of parks. In this role I oversee long range planning and parkland acquisition; park design and construction; athletic field, structure, and landscape maintenance and operations; community enhancement and park partnerships; the operation and maintenance of the city’s three cemeteries; and urban forestry within Surrey’s parks division.

Nick is a Registered Professional Forester and Partner at Chartwell Resource Group Ltd. Since graduating from UBC, he has always had a keen interest in Ecosystems Based Management (EBM) in Coastal BC. Over his career he has gained an in-depth understanding of Ecosystems Based Management on Haida Gwaii and its application in operational forestry. Beyond EBM, Nick is passionate about emerging technologies and remote sensing. Part of his role at Chartwell, is researching the ways new technologies and devices can be used to improve productivity and deliver great services to his clients. Nick is also committed to mentoring the next generation of forest professionals and believes that the UBC Tri-Mentoring Program is a great program for students looking to navigate the next steps of their careers.

Patrick Duffy is a 1955 UBC Forestry alumnus and a Varsity Outdoors Club and Thunderbird Ski Team alum, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry, a Masters from Yale and a PhD from the University of Minnesota. He is the founder of Vancouver-based international environmental consultancy, PJB Duffy and Associates.

Patrick’s first professional job involved solving local frost occurrence problems in Ontario, after which he moved to Alberta to research on lodgepole pine and white spruce productivity while managing a forest research team on land classification. Following his doctorate, Patrick spent a year in Australia and Papua-New Guinea on land classification, then moved to Ottawa to coordinate land classification across Canada and to manage the Canada Land Inventory, which involved teams from the provinces. Patrick has over 55 years of experience working in Canada and overseas in over 40 countries on projects which were for the United Nations, including the FAO and the World Bank, industrial and non-government organizations. He has served as a mentor at UBC Forestry since the program’s inception about 20 years ago. In his spare time, he has enjoyed trekking in the Canadian Rockies, ski racing, classical music, and is interested in international affairs, governance of Canada, and climate change.

https://pjduffy0.wixsite.com/home

Rob has over 15 years’ experience overseeing the management of parks and urban forestry in Surrey and Port Coquitlam. A Natural Resource Professional with the Association of BC Forest Professionals, his work experience includes habitat restoration, forest health management, tree risk assessments and wildlife research. Rob has a Bachelor of Science (Natural Resource Conservation) from the University of British Columbia, is an ISA Certified Arborist and Qualified Tree Risk Assessor.

Sam has a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources Management and a PhD in Forestry from UBC. He has been a Registered Professional Forester since 2012. Sam has a diverse range of experience in natural resources management including forestry, fisheries, environmental science, oil and gas development, environmental assessments, land management, and geomatics. Sam’s career began in 1993 in the UK in operational forestry. After completing his education in 2011, he moved to Terrace, BC. Northwest BC offered opportunity to work for First Nations governments in technical and administrative roles, and also in consulting on major project developments in the Northwest. From 2017 until 2020 Sam was the Director of Investigations for the Forest Practices Board and became an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC. He is now self-employed and based in Smithers BC. Sam works mostly with First Nations in natural resources management and workforce planning and development.

Samantha James

I had a couple of research assistant positions during my undergrad that took me from Inuvik in the NWT to Banfield on Vancouver Island. After graduating, I worked as an environmental consultant in Alberta doing water quality surveys mostly. I then came back to BC and worked as a research assistant doing salmon research on the central coast. I loved it, so started my MSc in Oceanography studying juvenile salmon diets, after which I started with the Pacific Salmon Foundation. I’m just returning to work from parental leave and manage a PIT tagging salmon survival program along the east coast of Vancouver Island.

Shane Hunt

Shane is driven by a vision of the ecological cities of tomorrow. He holds a Bachelor of Urban Forestry (BUF) with a Minor in Urban Greenspace Management from the University of British Columbia. In his role at DHC, he supports municipalities with the development of urban forest strategies and tree protection by-laws, while also facilitating public engagement. Throughout his degree, he learned to develop and implement monitoring protocols and indices that could be used to baseline and monitor the urban forest. He has been a strong advocate for the urban forest throughout the development of UBC’s Campus Vision 2050, as well as while a member of the Imagine West End Waterfront Advisory Committee for the City of Vancouver.

Skicy Liu

Ten years ago, an 18-year-old ventured abroad for academia with three bags and no connections. Six years later, I graduated from UBC with a Master’s in International Forestry, a 4.0 GPA, and a prestigious scholarship in the Class of 2020.

   With a passion for sustainability, I joined Infarm, an AgTech startup, where I advanced from an entry-level associate to Regional Account Manager, overseeing 71 Sobeys retail locations in Canada. In 2023, I returned to the forestry sector as a Global Account Executive at Canfor, managing pulp and paper exports for Asia-Pacific and North America, with annual revenue of ~USD $164M.

   In my spare time, I help my partner’s resell business, dance ballet, explore the outdoors, and visit cute retail stores.

Sydney Baker

Sydney graduated from the Natural Resource Conservation program in 2012, and then went on to complete a MA in Human Geography at the University of Toronto in 2019. Her thesis looked at an extended producer responsibility program for tires in South Africa. She then spent 4 years working at Ontario’s regulator for recycling programs for tires, batteries, electronics, hazardous products and printed paper and packaging. Sydney is currently working as a consultant with Dillon Consulting Ltd. on the waste advisory team and works on a variety of projects related to waste management planning, diversion and the circular economy.

Tim Hawkins

Tim Hawkins graduated from the BScN program in 2016 from the Science and Management stream. In and since his master’s in forestry, he has worked with First Nations across BC and in the Northwest Territories on natural resource management, focusing on water, fish, and riparian forest management. Thesis involves working across scientific and Indigenous knowledge systems and connecting with people about the land, water, and animals that matter most to them. Tim now works as a facilitator with West Coast Aquatic in Port Alberni, where he supports multi-party, collaborative processes in the fish and aquatic management space. Current projects include Chinook Salmon rebuilding planning, watershed drought resilience planning, and facilitating salmon harvest roundtables across Vancouver Island.

Tom Lundgren

Graduate Britannia 1971, BCIT Forestry 1973, UBC BSc Forestry 1977, RPF 1214 1979. Summer work timber cruising Kitimat and Vavenby, road and block layout Mackenzie. Engineering MacDonald Cedar Products 1977 – 1980, Administrative Forester (appraisals, tenure management) Whonnock Industries 1980 – 1986, Silviculture Superintendent (reforestation program) Interfor 1986 -1990, Assistant Chief Forester (reforestation program, negotiations with First Nations and ENGO’s, company environmental standards) Interfor 1990 – 1992, Chief Forester Interfor 1992 – 1995, General Manager (responsible for business unit of 1.5 million m3/yr) Interfor 1995 – 1998, Manager Forestry (electronic mapping, reforestation, negotiations with First Nations, ENGO’s, government agencies) Interfor 1995 – 2012, Senior Forestry Manager 2012 – 2013, retired 2013.

Tori Verkaik

I was born in Kamloops, British Columbia, and began my post-secondary education at Thompson Rivers University. Early in my career, I started consulting in the Kamloops area, focusing on the dry open fir and interior rain belt ecosystems. 

In 2016, I transitioned to the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, where I pursued a degree in Forest Resource Management, graduating in 2019. My goal was to expand my experience in industrial development and integrate it into First Nations forest management.

Following graduation, I joined the Skeetchestn Indian Band’s Natural Resources Corporation, where I broadened my expertise in stand development by applying variable retention harvesting to achieve multi-value objectives. During my time there, I also worked extensively on wildfire land-based recovery efforts following the 2018 Elephant Hill Fire and the 2021 Sparks Lake and Tremont Creek fires.

In 2023, I began working for the government, initially with the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship, focusing on the implementation of Indigenous Protected Areas and species-at-risk conservation projects. I now serve as a Forest Stewardship Specialist, with a focus on Dry Open Fir management and wildfire land-based recovery in collaboration with First Nations.

Valentina Coy

Valentina is a Resource Analyst with over three years of experience in carbon accounting, data analysis, and forest management. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Conservation from the University of British Columbia, where she gained hands-on forestry experience during multiple Co-op terms with the Ministry of Forests. Currently working in the consulting sector at Meristem Insights, Valentina applies a wide range of software and communication tools to inform strategic natural resource management. Her work spans long-term harvest planning, timberland valuation, co-optimization of resource values (e.g., carbon and timber), balancing ESG objectives, carbon inventories, and the development of forest carbon offset projects. With expertise in GIS, SQL, Python, and growth and yield modeling, she has supported Indigenous land management initiatives and developed timber supply models for a diverse client base. A Forester in Training (FIT) with Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC), Valentina is passionate about promoting sustainable forest practices through data-driven solutions.

Yeganeh Asadian

Yeganeh Asadian is a senior leader with extensive experience in environmental sciences and strategic management. She excels in guiding organizational growth and transformation across sectors like energy, infrastructure, and natural resources. She specializes in environmental stewardship, policy development, and sustainable project management, seamlessly integrating long-term environmental goals with business strategies.

Known for her strategic thinking and collaborative approach, Yeganeh is skilled in managing complex projects and leading diverse teams. She is committed to sustainability and focused on building strong stakeholder relationships while driving continuous improvement.