Trustees

National Trustees

Sherri Watson, National Board President (Ontario)

Sherri is a committed environmentalist who has worked in the environment field for over 25 years, primarily in Environment Canada, as a senior manager on pollution control and prevention in industry sectors. Now retired, she directs her energies to conservation of wilderness and wildlife protection, goals that are well matched in CPAWS’ vision to protect at least 50%.of Canada’s remaining public wilderness.

She has been a part of CPAWS since 1999 on joining the Ottawa Valley Chapter Board, where she served 2 years as Chapter Chair and 5 years as National trustee chapter representative. In 2006, Sherri was elected as a National trustee at large and became President of CPAWS National Board of Trustees. She is standing for re-election to provide continuity in the implementation of recent governance decisions by the Board that promote a unified pan-Canadian CPAWS with strong chapters for delivery of our programs, and a renewed focus of the Board on conservation

Sherri has degrees in nursing from the University of Western Ontario and in earth and environmental science from York University, a diploma on management development from the Harvard Graduate School for Business, and a certificate as lead environmental auditor. She is an avid hiker and since her association with CPAWS, this city girl has taken up kayaking and camping and looks forward to more wilderness adventures.

Julie Davidson, Vice President (British Columbia)

Julie has a strong passion for the outdoors and wild places, coupled with experience in environmental project funding and board leadership which led her to become a volunteer on the CPAWS-BC board. She has twenty years' experience in the human resources field, most recently board-related in the not-for-profit business sector. Julie worked with Mountain Equipment Coop’s board through ten years of rapid growth. As a recent graduate from Simon Fraser University, she is embarking on a new path in social policy issues.

Julie is experienced in strategic planning and board leadership, and she will bring good communication and dialogue skills to the board. She has a good understanding of CPAWS governance issues, and will be a judicious advocate for a strong CPAWS. She is committed to working towards a unified organization and an integrated national conservation plan, which will be achieved through a strong community-based structure and dynamic board leadership.

Now with adult children, Julie and her husband are exploring a new chapter in their lives; they have recently moved to BC’s Sunshine Coast, where they look forward to pursuing their artistic and outdoor passions.

Oliver Kent, Treasurer (Ontario)

Oliver Kent has recently retired from IBM’s Strategy and Change service line in the Canadian Federal Government market. The practice is responsible for providing strategic advice and implementation assistance to federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations in the fields of business strategy, operations strategy, organization and change strategy, and technology strategy and management. He also has responsibility for the relationship between IBM Global Business Services and Canada Post.

Mr. Kent has 30 years of professional experience in management consulting. His work in recent years has focused on program and resource review, e-government, performance measurement and organizational transformation.

David Wright, Secretary (Manitoba)

Dave is a litigation lawyer in private practice in Winnipeg. As much as he loves his work as a lawyer, he often yearns to be on a river. A member of the board of the CPAWS Manitoba chapter since 2003 and a National Trustee since 2004, Dave has extensive experience with a variety of NGOs, in both board and senior staff positions. With degrees in law and business administration, and a heart for their opposites, he is firmly committed to the work and vision of CPAWS.

Tim Gray, Chair , Conservation Committee of the Board (Ontario)

Tim Gray is the Program Director for the Ivey Foundation, a private environmental and arts granting agency in Toronto. Tim has a MSc. in Botany/Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto. Previous to his work at the Ivey Foundation Tim worked for the national office of CPAWS, both as Director of Boreal Programs and as National Conservation Director. While serving in these roles he developed and implemented cross-organizational conservation campaigns and sat on the Boreal Leadership Council.

Tim got his start in conservation work as the executive director of CPAWS-Wildlands League, where he served from 1990 until 2003. Other current Board commitments include membership on the University of Toronto's Faculty of Forestry Advisory Board, the Minister's Council on Forest Sector Competitiveness (Ontario), the Ontario Provincial Forest Policy Committee, and the Boards of Directors of the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

Evan Sorestad (Saskatchewan)

Evan Sorestad has been a CPAWS supporter and volunteer for 20 years, holding various roles as a volunteer from Chapter Board member to national trustee. Evan holds a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan and is a member of the Saskatchewan and Alberta Law Societies. He is currently employed as an Industrial Relations Director with Federated Co-operatives Ltd. in Saskatoon, SK and has experience in collective bargaining, and has been counsel for both

arbitration and mediation sessions. Evan has extensive experience with Human Resources issues, and has practiced exclusively in the area of employment law for 10 years.

Evan volunteers for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society because he believes that wilderness has an inherent value and deserves to be protected, and wants to contribute to this goal.

Tracey Williams (Northwest Territories)

Tracey’s varied background and career have provided her with skills in conservation and resource management, strategic planning, fund-raising, election campaigning, facilitating leadership and local governance meetings, working with diverse partners (including ENGOs, Aboriginal groups, governments and industry) and facilitating many disparate groups to reach consensus. Much of her recent work has been in the context of northern mineral exploration and mining. All of this expertise will be beneficial to the National Board.

Tracey has extensive experience working with various ENGOs and Aboriginal communities on conservation, land use planning, and protected areas planning initiatives.

Tracey is also an avid whitewater canoeist, has organized numerous canoe expeditions in the NWT and Nunavut, has hiking experience throughout the world, and has extensive on-the-land bush skills. Tracey is a member of the CPAWS-NWT board and lives with her husband and young son in Lutsel K’e, Northwest Territories.

Raymond J. Plourde (Nova Scotia)

Ray’s career in the ENGO and the private sector has primarily been in the areas of wilderness conservation advocacy, government and stakeholder relations, media and marketing. In particular, he has been active, both professionally and as a volunteer in ENGO work in the area of wilderness conservation in Nova Scotia.

As the Wilderness Coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre for the last six years and a Director of the Nova Scotia Salmon Association for over a dozen, he has had the opportunity to play a leading role in a number of successful conservation campaigns in Nova Scotia. As the leader of the Nova Scotia Public Lands Coalition (www.publicland.ca) he developed significant experience in grassroots conservation campaign planning and execution. He acted, in turn, as strategist, organizer, advocate, spokesman, fundraiser and lobbyist regarding wilderness conservation and inland fisheries issues.

In his professional career prior to joining the Ecology Action Centre, Ray worked in the communications field, including creative concept development, production management in various media, and broadcasting.

He is very familiar with CPAWS, having worked over the last six years with local CPAWS staff, board members and volunteers on a number of successful campaigns. His organization and CPAWS are currently planning a Big Wild trip together into their latest wilderness area target – Ship Harbour Long Lake.

Joshua Wolfe (Québec)

Joshua Wolfe is currently the sustainable development coordinator for the City of Westmount. Until recently he was a commissioner with the City of Montreal's public consultation board, the Office de Consultation Publique, and a free-lance translator.

An urban planner by training, he has worked on Official Plans, sustainability planning and environmental impact assessments. His previous clients have included the municipalities of Calistoga, Chico, Corte Madera and Fairfax (California), the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre and the International Institute for the Management of Major Metropolises.

He also has decades of experience as a Board member for a variety of non-profit groups. Joshua has been a member of the SNAP Quebec Board since 2004, and the CPAWS National Board since October 2005. He was on CPAWS Executive Committee from 2005 to 2006, and has chaired the Audit Committee since 2006.

Stephen Mayor (Northern Alberta)

Stephen Mayor is currently a board director for CPAWS NAB. He previously served as a board member and vice-chair for CPAWS NL. Stephen is also currently a PhD student at the University of Alberta, studying ecology. His research investigates large scale biodiversity changes in response to human impacts (oil/gas, forestry/agriculture) across boreal Alberta, and to a lesser extent, across all of boreal Canada. His MSc research focused on caribou habitat selection in Newfoundland. He has been awarded numerous research grants and scholarships, and has published in top ecological journals.

Stephen’s love for wilderness began with canoeing and backcountry travel. He has paddled multi-week trips in Yukon, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland, previously leading expeditions for vulnerable youth.

Stephen began his ENGO work with student organizations at Trent University and Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he served as vice-president and president, respectively. He also helped found the Northeast Avalon group of the Sierra Club of Canada, and was a member of the Trout Pond Habitat Caucus, working to prevent dumping of mine tailings into fish bearing waters.

Wayne Sawchuk (Northern BC)

A lifelong resident of northern British Columbia, Wayne Sawchuk has worked as a logger, trapper, sawmill worker and wilderness guide, and has become renowned for his work as a conservationist, author and photographer who has fought to protect the country he once logged. He owns and operates a trap line in the remote wilderness of Canada’s northern Rockies, and is a sought after speaker on issues of conservation and wilderness protection.

In January 2009, Sawchuk was made a Fellow of the Explorers Club, a prestigious honour given to a very few individuals around the world who promote new field science and discovery. Sawchuk’s appointment recognizes the many expeditions of scientists and artists he has led into what is now known as the Muskwa-Kechika area of the Rockies.

Sawchuk began working on environmental issues in 1990 and was a key player in the land use planning process that brought resource industry, environmental, outfitting, trapping and First

Nations interests together with government to develop policies that led to the creation of the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area. This innovative land use planning and management model has attracted the attention of conservationists and governments around the world.

David Lang (Ontario)

David Lang ,BA,BEd, MEd, lives on a farm an hour north of the city of Toronto with his wife of 32 years. He is currently retired after careers in agriculture and education. He maintains many contacts in the business community through his involvement in various investments. David is a life long canoeist and cruising sailor with a passion for wilderness adventure and preservation. He became a director of the Wildlands League in 1991, a position he has proudly maintained to the present. He has served as secretary for many years, and as president since 2004. For the past two years he has been the WL rep on the national board, as well as serving on the executive committee. While not terribly clever, he has a great deal of patience, a fine record of attendance at meetings, and a wicked sense of humour!

Susan Ellis (Calgary, Alberta)

A Human and Organizational Effectiveness Professional who offers about twenty years of working with people to enhance themselves, their working relationships and their organizations’ capacity. This work has involved numerous democratic processes, creation or enhancement of various organizational plans, structures, processes and environments. Elements of these initiatives often include to learning processes, conflict resolution; change; and organizational evolution, effective leadership, building trust, clarifying policies or procedures and more. Susan’s record of identifying and meeting challenges is due, to a unique background combination of organization development, adult education, business, process and applied behavioural science capabilities.

Lorne Johnson (Ontario)

Lorne is a recognized leader in the environmental community who has spent much of his career forging collaborative solutions to longstanding sustainability challenges. He is known and respected across government, natural resource industries and the ENGO community as an energetic, personable and innovative problem solver who gets things done.

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