The 2024 CPAWS Annual General Meeting will be held by video conference on Monday, September 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
To confirm your attendance, please contact Celina Bernal, CPAWS’ National Office and Operations Manager 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 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 2024
The Board Development Committee is proposing eight candidates for election as national trustees this year. The board will continue to seek candidates to fill any additional vacancies, which, under our bylaws, may be appointed Trustee to serve in an interim capacity until the subsequent AGM.
- Peter Labor, Nova Scotia (standing for a first term)
Peter has worked and volunteered in the conservation and outdoor recreation field for more than 30 years, most recently retiring in 2023 after 23 years with Nova Scotia’s protected areas program where he served as Director for more than a decade. Educated in Parks & Outdoor Recreation and Natural Sciences at Lakehead University, and Canadian Heritage Studies at Trent University, Peter has worked as an outdoor leader and educator, consultant, and conservation planner. Peter’s diverse leadership experiences include 4 years co-leading the Canada-Sea-to-Sea student canoe expeditions, and 6 months at sea on a tall ship with Class Afloat’s educational sailing program. Peter has proudly served as an active member of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System national Board, the Lake Superior Binational Forum, North American Watertrails Board, and Pathway To Canada Target One (Conservation 2020) National Steering Committee, and was part of the training team for the Canadian Parks Council’s national leadership development program. Peter is keen to share the vision for effective and equitable land and water conservation in Canada, and lives in his home province in Hubbards, Nova Scotia where he and his wife have raised two daughters and continue to value and explore the natural world.
- Catarina Moreno, British Columbia (standing for a first term)
Based in Vancouver, Catarina Moreno (she/her/hers) supports non-profit organizations during strategic and operational challenges, provides coaching and consulting around change leadership and serves as Interim Executive Director during leadership transitions. She grew up in Berlin (Germany) and since then has lived and worked in the UK, Ecuador, and Colombia before arriving in Canada. She has been calling Canada home for the past 15 years and is deeply grateful to now live, work and play on the ancestral and unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She served six years on the board of CPAWS BC, four of these as chair of the board.
- Nigel Bankes, Alberta (standing for a first term)
Nigel is an emeritus professor of law, having retired from the University of Calgary in 2021. Nigel spent much of his 37-year career working in the areas of energy and natural resources law, as well as international environmental law. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) and has provided consulting advice to federal, provincial, and territorial governments as well as businesses, NGOs, and Indigenous governments and organization. He has served on the boards of several charitable organizations and is currently on the board of CPAWS, Southern Alberta. Nigel enjoys spending time in the mountains, cross country skiing, hiking, and backpacking, and is proud to have raised, with his wife Jane, two young adults with a similar love of the outdoors. - Barbara Buyck, Yukon (standing for a first term)
Born and raised in Mayo, Yukon, she belongs to the Wolf Clan of the Na’cho Nyäk Dun First Nation, (FNNND), one of three Northern Tutchone communities in central Yukon. Having completed 25 yrs in her chosen career with Transport Canada/Nav Canada as Flight Service Specialist, she took early retirement. Wanting to become more engaged with her First Nation, she got involved n completed several elected leadership roles with NND. Her mother was a Knowledge-Keeper, teaching the ways of their people through stories and language. They were fortunate to practice and live these teachings out on the land. Following in her mother’s footsteps, she is a Knowledge-Keeper and becoming part of the CPAWS team aligns with her vision of tomorrow and generating long-term wealth and health to ensure the ongoing stewardship of our lands, animals, and waters. She has been treasurer of the Board of CPAWS Yukon and has participated in many outreach and conservation activities with the chapter. - Cinthia Nemoto, Ontario (standing for a second 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. - Lana Mezquita, Alberta (standing for a second term)
Based in Calgary, Lana is a finance leader with over 15 years of experience in strategy and financial planning and analysis. She has spent the last several years successfully delivering projects spanning profitability improvement, commercial and supply chain 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. - Richard Paisley, British Columbia (standing for a third term)
Based in Vancouver, BC, Richard Paisley is a practicing lawyer and the Director of the Global Transboundary International Waters Governance Initiative at UBC. His current research, teaching, graduate supervision, and advisory interests include domestic and international water and energy law and policy, international business transactions, international negotiations, and environmental mediation/conflict resolution. Richard served as a board member of CPAWS BC for 7 years. - Donald McMurtry, Ontario (standing for a third term)
Don McMurtry is a retired sales executive, a seed-stage investor, management consultant and general manager of a small medical imaging software company. His sales and marketing career included eight years as Vice President of Sales at Research In Motion from where he retired in 2006. Don McMurtry was educated at Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontario and has a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Don lives in Waterloo, Ontario and is also a board director with Engineers Without Borders Canada and Ridley College.
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 21st, 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 2024 AGM.