Staff
Anne Levésque, National Executive Director
Anne Lévesque joined CPAWS as national executive director in October, 2006. Bilingual, Anne has 22 years of experience in successful conservation programs at international, national, provincial and regional levels.
As executive director of Wildsight, a prominent conservation organization in south eastern British Columbia formerly called the East Kootenay Environmental Society, she led the organization through a major growth period between 1997 and 2004. In 2005, Wildsight received the Canadian Environment Community Award. Anne's work has focused in building strategic alliances with governments, First Nations, corporations and community groups. One of her NGO-Corporate partnership programs received honourable mention for the "2003 New Spirit of Community Partnership Award" from the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy. Anne recently completed an MBA in Public Relations and Communications at Royal Roads University. Her applied thesis, titled "Stakeholder Engagement in Reputation Management Strategies," was prepared for the CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op.
Originally from New Brunswick, Anne has raised three children in British Columbia who are now in post-secondary education. She enjoys telemarking, sea kayaking, hiking and yoga.
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.
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.
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.
Chris Henschel, Forest Certification and Policy Manager
Bio coming soon!
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.
Sue Novotny, Communications Officer
Sue has worked with conservation nonprofits for nearly 10 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 CPAWS' 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.
Steve Nurse, Donor Database Manager
Steve has been working with CPAWS since December 2004 as the Data Entry Clerk in the national office. He has been working with us part-time while studying at the University of Ottawa obtaining his Honours in Business Administration, majoring in Human Resources. Steve plans to continue his studies part-time while working with CPAWS as our new Donor Database Manager.
Aran O'Carroll, LLB: National Manager, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
Aran was formerly a staff lawyer and 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 Environmental Law Society.
Aran is currently a member of the government of Canada’s Forest Sector Sustainability Table and Species At Risk Advisory Council. Aran is a founding director and current chair of Global Forest Watch Canada, a not-for profit national forest monitoring organization, as well as a director of Action Chelsea for the Respect of the Environment, his local environmental organization.
Aran lives on the banks of the Gatineau River in Chelsea, Quebec, with his partner, Jennifer Ruddy, their young son, Eoghan, and their dog, Cedar.
Emily Smith, Office Manager
Emily has been a volunteer for the Ottawa Valley chapter of CPAWS since 2003, and joined the national office in April of 2006. As the National Office Manager, Emily ensures that the national office in Ottawa is run in an organized and efficient manner. In her role as Executive 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 chapter, board, and public inquiries.
Emily holds a Masters degree in English literature, and worked in the not-for-profit industry as a Membership Representative for the Canadian Bar Association while pursuing her undergraduate degree. She has an avid love for the outdoors, conservation, and the environment. She lives in Ottawa with her husband and two dogs.
Jill Sturdy, National 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.
Alison Woodley, Manager, National Protected Areas Program
Alison joined CPAWS in 2001 and has over 20 years experience in the conservation and environment field. She is the Society’s Ottawa-based specialist on national park and northern conservation issues, and has led CPAWS’ campaigns to protect the South Nahanni Watershed, and to secure federal funding for national parks and northern protected areas.
Alison started her career working for Parks Canada on the beautiful Bay of Fundy, where she developed a passion for the idea of national parks as places that protect nature and inspire people about the importance of safeguarding Canada’s wilderness.
Alison holds a Masters degree in Geography from the University of Waterloo, specializing in parks and protected areas and community based tourism, and a BSc in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick.
She is President of Action Chelsea for the Respect of the Environment, an award-winning local environmental group in her home-town of Chelsea, Quebec, where she lives with her husband and two teenage daughters.
When she is not working to protect wild places, she is out with her family, exploring these areas by canoe, on cross country skis, or by foot.