Staff
Éric Hébert-Daly, National Executive Director
Having worked in progressive social and political movements for two decades, Éric brings significant senior management skills in capacity building and financial management to CPAWS. Most recently as the National Director of the Federal New Democratic Party, formerly its Chief Financial Officer, as well as five years as Communications Assistant for a Member of Parliament, the breadth and depth of Éric’s experience is considerable. He proved himself managing this complex pan-Canadian organization with multi-million dollar annual budgets and a diverse and passionate membership, and tripling fundraising. He garnered respect from people across the nation and his national staff team, while moving the whole organization through significant changes.
Éric is fluently bilingual, a graduate of Concordia University’s School of Community and Public Affairs, and is a Certified Lay Worship Leader for the United Church. He has worked with municipal, regional and national groups across Canada and has focussed his attention on social justice, ecological and human rights issues throughout his career.
Éric is an avid cyclist and hiker and has travelled extensively throughout Canada, with a particular interest in remote and northern regions from Labrador to Inuvik. He enjoys canoeing, cross-country skiing and camping, as well as his home life shared with his partner on the north edge of Gatineau Park near Ottawa.
Ellen Adelberg, Director of Communications and Marketing
Ellen has been CPAWS' Director of Communications and Marketing since June 2005. Previous to that, she worked for several years as an independent communications consultant assisting groups including CPAWS with strategic communications planning and activities.
Trained as a journalist, she has over 20 years of experience in Ottawa providing communications advice and program management to national organizations and government agencies including the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, the Canadian Boreal Initiative, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada and the Canadian Council on Social Development.
Andrée Charlebois, Executive Assistant
Andrée recently joined the CPAWS team, and brings with her significant experience in the arts and non-profit sector, as well as in administrative support. As Executive Assistant, she ensures that the National Office in Ottawa is run in an organized and efficient manner, and is the first point of contact for public enquiries.
Andrée is fluently bilingual. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance from Concordia University, and participates in the arts culture in Ottawa, as an educator and youth leader.
Lyla Cho-Kee, Financial Manager
Lyla joined CPAWS as a consultant in July 2007. A University of Toronto graduate, she is a Certified General Accountant with years of experience in accounting, finance, and cash management. She works for CPAWS one day a week to provide financial oversight.
Ursula Dechnik, Donor database manager
Ursula joined CPAWS in the summer of 2008. She has a BA in Environmental Science and Chemistry from Poland and a Diploma in Computer Programming from Canada. She has 10 years of experience in fundraising.
Prior to her role at CPAWS, Ursula worked for Nature Canada as their Database Manager and for the Canadian Cancer Society as a Programmer Analyst. She enjoys traveling from coast to coast across our beautiful country with her husband, two children and dog which she takes camping during the summer.
Vicki DiMillo, Development Coordinator
Vicki has 12 years of experience fundraising for charities and not-for-profits. She joined CPAWS in 2003 as a part-time membership assistant, and expanded her role in 2005 as the full-time Donor Relations Manager.
Prior to her role at CPAWS, Vicki worked for the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the Administrative Coordinator, and she was employed 10 years as the Development Officer for the Queensway-Carleton Hospital Foundation. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Canadian Marketing Association.
Vicki resides in Ottawa with her husband and three children.
Bonnie Glines, General Accountant
Bonnie joined CPAWS National office as the General Accountant in April 2007. Her responsibilities include maintaining and processing all financial transactions in the accounting office. She also provides administrative support on Foundation Grant matters to the national staff and chapter offices. Bonnie comes to CPAWS with several years experience in financial and accounting management.
Bonnie is passionate about her dogs, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, and does agility, obedience and conformation with them for Canadian Championships.
Chris Henschel, National Manager of Domestic and International Affairs
Chris has a decade of experience in the Canadian conservation movement with a specialty in private and public sector forest policy. The focus of his current work is ensuring that international and domestic policies and markets for forest carbon make a real contribution to mitigating climate change and result in biodiversity benefits.
Chris is a 2007 Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation Global Youth Fellow.
Sabine Jessen, National Manager, Oceans and Great Freshwater Lakes Program
Since her involvement with CPAWS began in 1991, Sabine has served in a number of staff and volunteer capacities, including Executive Director from 1995 to 2000, President of the Board of Directors from 1993 to 1995, and Secretary. Sabine steered the chapter into three new campaign areas - the Marine Protected Areas Campaign, the Parks Stewardship Program, and the Grasslands Conservation Campaign. Under her guidance, the chapter budget and staff increased fivefold. She also previously coordinated the marine spaces campaign for World Wildlife Fund Canada in British Columbia as part of the Endangered Spaces Campaign.
Sabine holds a Masters Degree in Geography, specializing in coastal zone management and environmental regulation. She has considerable academic and work experience on land-use planning issues, particularly in Canada's North. She has served as an Advisor to the BC Parks Department, the former BC Commission on Resources and Environment, and the Economic Council of Canada. She was recently appointed to the Minister's Advisory Council on Oceans, and was previously a member of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Science Advisory Council.
Chris Miller, National Manager of Wilderness Conservation and Climate Change
Chris's work involves expanding the protected areas system in Nova Scotia and developing nationwide climate change adaptation strategies for wilderness protection.
Chris has a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Waterloo and a B.Sc. in biology and earth sciences from Dalhousie University. He is also an assistant professor in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University.
Chris developed a grassroots campaign that led to the successful protection of the Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area near Halifax and has been involved with many other successful nature conservation campaigns in Nova Scotia, including the protection of the Jim Campbells Barren Wilderness Area. Chris is a director of Global Forest Watch Canada and the scientific advisor for the Nova Scotia Nature Trust.
Sue Novotny, Communications Manager
Sue has worked with conservation nonprofits for over 13 years, in roles from outdoor educator to mapping technician to snapping turtle wrangler.
Sue worked with National Audubon as an interpreter at a freshwater tidal marsh, then moved to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to assist with New York's Important Bird Areas program. She later developed outdoor education programs for New York State Parks and Recreation, and did GIS mapping work with a land trust to assist in town planning.
Following a move to the Great White North in 2004, Sue joined CPAWS and has coordinated the organization's web and print communications ever since. She has a B.Sc. in entomology from Cornell University, a background in science communication, and the occasional freelance gig as a scientific illustrator.
Aran O'Carroll, LLB: National Manager, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
Aran was formerly a staff lawyer and the director of forest monitoring for Ecojustice, Canada’s foremost public-interest environmental law firm. Aran is a former director of both the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre and the University of New Brunswick’s Environmental Law Society.
Aran is the Canadian environmental community’s elected representative to the government of Canada’s Forest Sector Sustainability Table, a member of the federal Minister of Environment’s Species At Risk Advisory Committee, a director of the forest certification body, the Forest Stewardship Council of Canada (FSC), and a founding director and the current chair of the forest monitoring organization, Global Forest Watch Canada. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Aran worked for many years as a whitewater paddling guide, instructor and trip leader.
Aran lives near the Gatineau River in Chelsea, Quebec, with his partner, Jennifer Ruddy, their son, Eoghan, their daughter, Georgia, and their Yellow Labrador, Cedar.
Jill Sturdy, National Conservation and Outreach Coordinator
Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Jill moved to Ottawa in January 2005 to work as the National Outreach Coordinator. Jill holds a BSc in Environmental and Conservation Sciences, with a major in Conservation Biology from the University of Alberta. She became an active CPAWS volunteer in 1998 and later joined the staff at CPAWS-Edmonton in 2001.
As the National Outreach Coordinator Jill organized the Nahanni Forever National tour in 2005/06 and continues to engage thousands of Canadians to speak out in support of protecting the entire South Nahanni watershed. In 2007 she organized the Journey to the Yukon’s Three Rivers National tour. She is actively engaged in protecting Canada’s Boreal Forest and woodland caribou, and has even been seen donning the caribou costume around town. She works closely with the CPAWS chapters to increase the profile of protecting Canada’s wilderness, and is currently working with CPAWS’ national partner, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) on a new initiative that aims to ensure at least half of Canada’s wilderness is protected.
A Lorax at heart, Jill is dedicated to protecting Canada's wild things and places. Jill loves adventure and meeting new people, and enjoys exploring new places both in Canada and abroad.
Ashley Windsor, Foundations & Chapter Relations Manager
Ashley joined the CPAWS team in 2008. As the National Office Manager, Ashley ensures that the National Office in Ottawa is run in an organized and efficient manner. In her role as Administrative Assistant, she is responsible for organizing bi-annual meetings of the board of trustees, board relations, and assists with many other meetings and special events. She is the first point of contact for public inquiries. Ashley also acts as the Database Assistant.
Ashley holds a BA (Hons.) Degree in both English Literature and Gender Equality and Social Justice. She has a passion for Environmental Justice, Human and Animal Rights and loves to write poetry and create art. Ashley lives in Ottawa with her partner Michael and cat Kylee.
Anthony Wong, New Media Program Manager
Jennifer Smith, CPAWS National Protected Areas Intern
Jennifer recently joined the CPAWS team as a Conservation Intern. She is originally from Montreal, where she completed a B. Sc. in Biology at Concordia University. Jennifer recently completed an M. Sc. in Biology and Environment and Sustainability at the University of Western Ontario, where she studied deer mice in the Kananaskis Valley in Alberta. In Alberta, she developed a love of the natural landscapes of Canada and decided she needed to play an active role in the conservation of our country’s biodiversity. In the summer of 2009, Jennifer was a Conservation Intern with the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Alberta, where she was able to hike some of the most beautiful natural areas of the province while identifying plants and animals.