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
Geneviève Le Blanc, Conservation Director
Raised in St-Lazare (QC), Genevieve moved to Gatineau in 2012 to complete her studies at the University of Ottawa. First drawn to genetics and evolution, she became interested in conservation issues and obtained an MSc in environmental sustainability. Through this degree, she collaborated with the CPAWS national office to investigate the barriers to up-scaling protected areas in Canada. Furthermore, she researched the legalisation of Gatineau Park, learning about more about CPAWS-OV. Prior to her current position, she was an event project manager for Enviro Educ-Action. She particularly enjoys hiking, kayaking, cycling and camping.
You can contact Genevieve at gleblanc@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 madawaska@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
Board of Directors
Monique Boivin, President
Je suis d’abord et avant tout ornithologue amateur! Mon père m’a offert mes premières jumelles alors que j’avais 12 ans. Je pratique le loisir ornithologique dans mes moments perdus et depuis ma retraite, de façon plus intense. C’est aussi mon père qui m’a fait découvrir la pêche, le camping, la raquette, la randonnée. Je m’imaginais être la jeune autochtone Kateri Tekakwitha alors que je le suivais sur les pistes de randonnée du Parc Algonquin ou sur les terres sauvages de mes oncles dans le comté de Renfrew.
So what is a birder doing at CPAWS? You may recall the Canary in the coal mine image. Birds were then used to alert miners of the presence of toxic gases. Today, birds are again delivering an alarming message. If you have seen the 2017 documentary The Messenger, you know that the decline in bird populations is indeed alarming and often attributable to loss of habitat. CPAWS has been and will continue to be a very valuable resource in protecting habitats for birds and other species be they threatened or thriving.
J’ai exploré plusieurs parcs au fil des ans, notamment les parcs nationaux Terra-Nova, Pointe-Pelée et Mont-Revelstoke. Que ce soit le canot-camping dans le Parc provincial Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater ou la randonnée sur l’Île d’Anticosti, notre réseau de parcs recèle de nombreuses occasions de se ressourcer dans des endroits sauvages ou naturels. Il faut les protéger jalousement! Mais il y a aussi des joyaux inconnus comme le Refuge du Mont O’Brien en Outaouais qui mérite peut-être une attention particulière.
CPAWS has been a part of my cultural landscape for a number of years and I feel privileged to be offered an opportunity to contribute actively to its mandate.
Paul Wernick, Vice 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. He loves the outdoors and knows the Greenbelt and Gatineau Park extensively. His favorite trails are Mer Bleue and Luskville Falls. 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
Dana Martin, Director
Doug Michaelides, Director
Doug Michaelides is a board director and business leader with experience leading new ventures, scaling growth and guiding organizations in transition. He is currently Board Chair at EnviroCentre and was formerly Vice-Chair at the Centre for Social Enterprise Development (CSED). As President of Platform Marketing, an Ottawa-based management consulting firm, he has worked with both for-profit and non-profit organizations on a variety of strategy and process improvement projects, drawing upon his 24 years of corporate general management and marketing experience in the technology sector. He holds an MBA from York University, a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from University of Toronto, and has completed the Innovation Governance Program (iGP) for board directors through the Council of Canadian Innovators.
Whenever possible Doug spends his time enjoying the outdoors and is rarely more at peace than when paddling a canoe. As part of his long commitment to conservation and the environment Doug was also a board member at the Wildlife Preservation Trust. His connection to parks and wilderness in Ontario includes years of cycling, hiking and skiing in Gatineau Park, canoeing and camping in Algonquin and Silent Lake Provincial Parks, as well as three decades of cottaging in what is now Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park. The natural environment is precious to Doug and he mourns the gradual erosion of our wild spaces and natural heritage. He feels compelled to take action and looks forward to making a difference as part of the CPAWS OV advisory board and member of the Greenbelt Committee.
Kris Nanda, Director
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
This raccoon is a test, but he would make a great addition to the team.
Raccoon got his BSc at Garbage University in pawject management.
Raccoon joined the board in 2021, and we can’t get him to leave. Please help.