SNAP Canada

2022 CPAWS AGM Notice and Nominations for the National Board

The CPAWS Annual General Meeting will be held by video conference on Monday, September 26, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

To confirm your attendance, please contact Andrée Charlebois at [email protected]. She will provide the virtual meeting login information and circulate the AGM agenda and other corresponding materials in advance of the meeting.

Nominations for the CPAWS National Board

Under CPAWS’ bylaws, members of the Board of Trustees are elected for three-year terms. Trustees can be re-elected for a maximum of nine years. All trustees are volunteers.

Each year, the CPAWS Board Development Committee recommends candidates to fill vacancies arising from Trustees reaching their term limits or deciding to resign. The Committee follows policies which are intended to ensure that the Board has a combination of relevant skills, experience at the chapter level, and geographic balance. It seeks suggestions through the CPAWS website and from current and past Trustees, Chapter Directors, and friends of CPAWS.

Proposed Nominees for Election to the CPAWS Board of Trustees, September 2022

The Board Development Committee is proposing four candidates for election as national Trustees this year. The Board will continue to seek candidates to fill vacancies who meet gaps in the Board’s current composition, and under its bylaws may appoint Trustees to serve in an interim capacity until the subsequent AGM.

  • Lana Mezquita, Alberta (standing for a first term)
    Based in Calgary, Lana is a finance leader with over 12 years of experience in strategic planning, forecasting, and project management. She has spent the last several years successfully delivering projects spanning profitability improvement, commercial strategy, and financial systems integration. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and has a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University. Lana has non-profit Board experience serving on the boards of CPAWS Southern Alberta and the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation
  • Cinthia Nemoto, Ontario (standing for a first term)
    Cinthia Nemoto is a strategic marketing, engagement and growth professional with over 18 years of experience in Latin and North America. She has been managing the expansion, rebranding and international positioning of companies in Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific for 10 years. Cinthia has been assisting numerous for-profit and non-profit organizations with their domestic and international marketing strategies to grow their business. Originally from Brazil, Cinthia has been in Canada for 15 years and has served on the board of CPAWS Southern Alberta chapter from 2017 to 2021. Based in Huntsville, ON, Cinthia loves nature and wildlife. She also enjoys paddling and exploring the backcountry with her husband.
  • Ina Lucila, Alberta (standing for a second term)
    Ina is a communications professional who currently works as a Communications Advisor for the Government of Alberta, Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General. She has previously worked for the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton Police Service, and in media with CityTV. Ina served on the board of the CPAWS Northern Alberta chapter from 2013-16. She immigrated to Canada from the Philippines and links her interest in working on nature conservation to growing up in a country where it is not a priority.
  • Kathy Scalzo, British Columbia (standing for a second term)
    Kathy recently retired from her role as President of K. Scalzo & Associates, a Vancouver-based consulting group. For over 25 years, she provided expertise in strategic planning, organizational development, change and transitional planning, and facilitation. Much of her work was conducted in the health care and non-profit sectors. Kathy currently is in her second term as a trustee of the  CPAWS British Columbia chapter. Her previous board experience includes serving as Vice-Chair of the Board and Chair of the Governance Committee for the Alzheimer Society of BC, President of the Board of the BC Rehabilitation Society, and President of HOPE House Cancer Society.

Other Candidates

While the Board Development Committee makes every effort to put together the best slate, our bylaws allow any member who feels that the slate falls short of the needs of CPAWS to submit alternative candidates. Any such nominations should be submitted no later than August 22 to Sandra Schwartz, National Executive Director, at [email protected]. Nominations must include the name of the nominee, their written consent, address, phone number, email, a brief biography, and the signatures/support of 25 members of CPAWS.

Thank you for your support. On behalf of the National Board of Trustees and the CPAWS team, we look forward to your participation in the CPAWS 2022 AGM.