Staff & Board
Staff
John McDonnell, Executive Director – Ottawa Valley Chapter
Born and raised in rural west Quebec, John joined CPAWS Ottawa Valley as Executive Director in the spring of 2007. He holds a degree in forestry as well as in Canadian History and in political science from the University of Ottawa. He has a passion for the outdoors, having visited many of our national and provincial parks. In his spare time, he is restoring an 1840′s vintage log cabin located in the forests of his farm and he is developing a network of hiking and snowshoe trails on his property. Before joining CPAWS Ottawa Valley, John was Director of the Forêt-la-Blanche Ecological Reserve, a rare old-growth forest north of Buckingham, in the municipality of Mayo, Quebec. He serves on the board of several local organizations and has a passion for connecting people to nature.
You can contact John at jmcdonnell@cpaws.org
Julia Clarke, Education manager
Julia completed her undergraduate degree in zoology at the University of Calgary and just completed her master’s degree at Carleton University in biology. She has always been passionate about nature and all living things and dreamed of working to protect our beautiful natural places and spaces. When an opening at CPAWS-OV opened up, Julia jumped at the opportunity and has now been working with us since September 2022. In her free time Julia loves hiking and cross country skiing in the Gatineau hills and spending time with her family.
You can contact Julia at jclarke@cpaws.org
Sasha Huybregts, Conservation Project Manager for Eastern Ontario
Sasha grew up in Ottawa and recently moved back to the region after completing her Bachelor of Environmental Sciences from the University of Guelph. She is very passionate about ecology and conservation and is excited to be working on creating protected areas in the Madawaska Highlands. Sasha enjoys hiking, camping, or sitting down with a good book in her spare time.
You can contact Sasha at shuybregts@cpaws.org
Yanny Ritchot, Biologist and Conservation Project Manager for Western Quebec
With a master’s degree in evolutionary ecology and nearly 10 years of experience in conservation, Yanny Ritchot works at CPAWS-OV to protect the biodiversity and ecosystems of Western Quebec. He leads innovative conservation projects in collaboration with organizations and local groups, aiming to act as a leader in achieving the goal of protecting 30% of the territory by 2030. Outside of his professional work, Yanny explores mountains and forests through hiking, climbing, and birdwatching.
You can contact Yanny at yritchot@cpaws.org
Melinda Gilhen-Baker, Communications Manager
Having grown up in the Ottawa region, Melinda has just returned to the area after living in the UK where she worked looking after nature in the Lake District. With a degree in English literature and a love for the environment, she has travelled the world honing her communication skills to help get people involved in looking after nature at their doorstep and beyond. She is excited to be back in her childhood playground in the Gatineau Park to share the important work CPAWS-OV is doing and ways people can help care for the green spaces here.
You can contact Melinda at: mgilhenbaker@cpaws.org
Maggie Hanna, National Capital Greenbelt Campaign Coordinator
Maggie is a master’s student studying Biology at Carleton University and is set to graduate in Spring 2026. At CPAWS, she serves as the National Capital Greenbelt Campaign Coordinator. Maggie has always had a passion for environmental science and conservation, and she hopes to use her knowledge and experience to make a meaningful difference in her community. In her spare time, she is an avid reader, enjoys hiking, and loves spending time with her cats.
You can contact Maggie at: greenbelt@cpaws.org
Andrew Gibson, Conservation Manager for Western Quebec
With a background spanning outdoor recreation, environmentalism, and public policy, Andrew brings a unique perspective to sustainability. His journey began with a BA in outdoor recreation and natural sciences and summers planting trees in Western Canada. Following a doctorate exploring the intersection of social democracy and environmentalism, he transitioned to the federal public service, working in foreign affairs, labour and sustainable development policy. Driven by the climate and biodiversity crises, he returned to academia to complete a professional Master’s in sustainable forest ecosystem management. This led him to an internship at CPAWS-OV, focusing on black ash restoration and the 30×30 protected areas initiative in the Ottawa valley watershed.
Board of Directors
Paul Wernick, President
Born and raised in Ottawa Paul joined CPAWS Ottawa Valley in the Spring of 2022. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Carleton and loves getting out into the many beautiful green spaces we have in the region. The Greenbelt and Gatineau Park are some of his favorite haunts and he knows them well, with Mer Bleue and Luskville Falls being some of his choice trails. Paul is a public servant and has experience working for a Member of Parliament.
Varvara Lobonova, Treasurer
Lauren Whyte, Secretary
Lauren Whyte is the current CPAWS-OV Board Secretary. While living in Whitehorse, Yukon, she served as Secretary for the Athletics Yukon Board and as a CPAWS Yukon Board member. Lauren currently lives in Québec beside Gatineau Park and is passionate about ensuring that the Park receives legal protection. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys trail running, cross-country skiing, hiking, and biking.
Alison Sidney, Director
Soren Antosz, Director
Kris Nanda, Director
Kris retired in 2022, after nearly 22 years with the federal government, where he served in several different organizations, frequently in capacities related to environmental and sustainable development issues. His last substantive position was as manager of environmental petitions for the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, helping Canadians convey their environmental concerns to federal cabinet ministers. Born and raised in the United States, Kris holds degrees in History and Law from the University of Virginia. He originally came to Canada as a U.S. diplomat in Toronto in the 1980s and was also posted to Panama and Ottawa, before moving.
He has been a Board Member of his Community Association (for over 15 years, including 4 years as its President and joined the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-Ottawa Valley (CPAWS-OV) Board in 2024. Kris also served on the City of Ottawa Environmental Stewardship Advisory Council (ESAC) for 10 years, the last 8 as ESAC Chair. He was awarded the Canada 150 Constituency Award for Community Service and Leadership in Environmental Stewardship in 2018.
Kris worked fluently in three languages during his career (English, French and Spanish).
He is active in his local church and continues to enjoy cycling, hiking and being outdoors in nature. He is a big fan of watching baseball in person and playing trivia.
Michael Wong, Director
Michael has over 30 years of experience with the federal public service of Canada, as a scientist and senior executive at Environment Canada and Parks Canada. For over 15 years, he directed the development and implementation of natural resource conservation programs in Canada’s national parks, marine conservation areas and other protected areas, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as the Executive Director for Ecological Integrity at Parks Canada. As the Regional Chair for North America for the IUCN World Commission on Protected Area (2012-2023), he provided leadership in the Inspiring a New Generation theme at the 2014 World Parks Congress and co-chaired the IUCN Task Force for #Nature for All. Michael is a recipient of the 125th Anniversary Confederation of Canada Medal (1992) as well as the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) honouring Canadians who have made significant contributions to fellow citizens, to their community or to the country.
Fiona Anthes, Director