Board of Directors
We are very happy to have such an involved, talented and committed Board of Directors. Read more about them in the bios below.
Board Executive 2010-2011 Term
- Mary Jane Patterson. Waterloo, ON.(Chair)
- Dr. E. Melanie Watt, Canmore, AB. (Vice Chair)
- Pete Wobschall, Hamilton, ON. (Treasurer)
- Paul Antoine Troxler, Montreal, QC.(Secretary)
- Bruce Pearce. Saint John's, NF.
Directors
- Joy Kennedy. Toronto, ON.
- David Poch. Perth, ON.
- Keith Collins. Winnipeg, MB.
- Paula Steele. Victoria, BC.
- Terry McNeil. Saint John's, NL.
- Ellen Mortfield. Thunder Bay, ON.
- Lea Ann Mallett. Mississauga, ON.
Mary Jane Patterson.Waterloo, Ontario. Prior to joining the world of Green Communities, Mary Jane had a career in media, including work with TVOntario in educational television, as well as documentary research. She returned to study a Masters in Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo in 1999 and became one of the first employees of the Residential Energy Efficiency Project, the forerunner to Waterloo Region Green Solutions, the green community organization that she now manages. Mary Jane is a co-founder of CREW, Community Renewable Energy Waterloo, a local citizens group that promotes renewable energy. She also sits on the Board of Directors for CTx Green, a non-profit organization that is implementing biodiesel as a renewable energy solution for pumping water in remote villages in Orissa, India. (Appointed 2007)
Dr. E. Melanie Watt. Canmore, Alberta. Melanie completed both her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in ecology, then helped establish the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley in 1997. She has remained with the organization, which focuses on ecological integrity, ever since. She is an accomplished communicator, having written six books, and had articles published in peer reviewed scientific journals, numerous magazines and newspapers. For 14 years she has taught two ecology courses at the University of Calgary.
As part of her work with the Biosphere Institute, Melanie developed an award winning community monitoring methodology which included bringing together diverse stakeholders to discuss social, demographic, economic and ecological indicators. She has also managed a variety of sustainability programs including an Eco-Idea Centre and outreach programs for the public, businesses and schools, The Natural Step to a Sustainable Canmore the Bow Valley Save-A-Watt Campaign the Bow Valley One-Tonne Challenge Community Challenge (achieving the highest per capita on-line participation of all Canadian communities). Melanie is currently a board member of Canmore Economic Development Authority and a steering committee member of the Bow Valley WildSmart Community Program. (appointed 2008)
Pete Wobschall. Hamilton, Ontario. Executive Director, Green Venture, joined the organization 2001 beginning as Water Coordinator, progressing to EcoHouse Manager in 2004, and Executive Director since 2007. He is responsible for all aspects of administration, planning, leadership, staffing, daily operation and financial management. The experience gained through his employment at Green Venture is complemented by a Terrain and Water Resource Management diploma from Fleming College, eight years of landscape construction experience, and a passion for the outdoors.
Bruce Pearce.St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Bruce supports Affordable Energy Canada, a national network convened by Green Communities Canada to share solutions to energy poverty. He is President of the Canadian Housing & Renewal Association (CHRA), a national, member-based organization dedicated to addressing housing and homelessness in Canada. CHRA works with Green Communities Canada to promote green housing and green pathways out of poverty through low-income energy efficiency. He is a founding member of the NL Housing & Homelessness Network and, since 2002, has served as the community development worker for the St. John’s Community Advisory Committee on Homelessness, which guides local investments and projects under Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy. He is also a member of a national learning community on youth homelessness convened by Eva’s Initiatives. Bruce founded the EcoTeam home energy efficiency program of the Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador (CCNL), and helped establish CCNL’s Climate Change Education Centre between 1999-2001. During this time he helped lead the successful Atlantic Coastal Action Program effort to clean up St. John's harbour. During the 1980s-90s, Bruce was an executive assistant to Toronto city councillors, and a policy advisor to Ontario’s premier. (Appointed 2002; Reappointed 2006, 2009)
Paul-Antoine Troxler. Montreal, Québec. Paul-Antoine Troxler has been general co-ordinator of Éco-quartier Peter-McGill, in Downtown Montreal since its creation in 1997, obtaining the Phénix de l'environnement in 2001, a Quebec-wide environmental award.
A graduate in Urban Planning and Public Law from the Université de Montréal, he has also studied Territorial Planning at the Centre détudes supérieures d'aménagement de l'Université de Tours, in France. In addition, he has spent several years at the Public and Educational Programs department of the Canadian Centre for Architecture. He is a founding member of the Peter-McGill Community Council and acted as its vice-president until 2007. As a resident of the Plateau Mont Royal Borough of the City of Montreal, he is a member of its Commission sur l'aménagement urbain et le développement durable, a citizen advisory board on urban and sustainable development issues.
Since becoming president of the Regroupement des éco-quartiers in 2006, Mr. Troxler has been busy promoting this unique program: a network of neighbourhood-based, city-mandated, environmental education and civic involvement organisations. (appointed 2009)
Joy Kennedy. Toronto, Ontario. Joy Kennedy is the Program Coordinator, Poverty, Wealth and Ecological Justice, for The United Church of Canada. With an priority focus on nurturing ecotheology and ecospirituality, she works against the ecological destruction and pollution of the atmosphere, and land and water sources, and for the development of sustainable communities. She has a long history of working on social, women's and peace issues, and through multi-sectoral dialogues on ethics for business, government and civil society. She has actively participated in policy development and implementation of campaigns on climate change, water, energy and biotechnology, Jubilee, and issues involving the global commons. With members of faith communities in Canada and internationally, she has worked ecumenically to bring an ethical and moral analysis to economic and business activities through education, advocacy and shareholder activism. She is an Advisor to the Canadian Business Ethics Research Network (CBERN), and with the former Taskforce on the Churches and Corporate Responsibility, she helped to develop Bench Marks for Global Corporate Responsibility.
Formerly with KAIROS - Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, and currently with The United Church of Canada, partnering with civil society actors and social movements, she is involved in efforts to articulate a faith, justice and spirituality perspective on major ecological challenges of the day, providing analysis, strategies for action, education and advocacy. With colleagues she has pioneered Initiatives like Greening the Church and Energy Efficiency for Religious Buildings. Currently she is on the Climate Change Working Group and the Poverty, Wealth and Ecology Reference Group of the World Council of Churches, which is raising the concept and framework for action on ecological debt.
She is on the Board Executive of the Climate Action Network-Canada, is the Chair of the Commission on Justice and Peace of the Canadian Council of Churches, and actively participates in various NGO networks on ecological issues, both in Canada and globally. And as a mother and grandmother, she is working to influence the next generation toward abundant and sustainable living. (appointed 2009)
David Poch. Perth, Ontario. David practices law in Ontario, with a focus on environmental law and energy policy and regulation. He represents environmental and community groups before the Ontario Energy Board, the Environmental Review Tribunal, and in dealings with all levels of government. He chairs the Green Energy Act Alliance Management Committee, is a past member City of Toronto Environmental Advisory Committee and the board of the Canadian Environmental Law Association. David works closely with ecoPerth on their solar power projects. (Appointed 2002)
Keith Collins. Toronto, Ontario. In the early 1990s at the Ontario Government, Keith was on one of the teams which launched the first Green Communities Initiative, supporting Peterborough, Toronto, Elora, Guelph and others. From 1996 to 2002, he worked in London, England, on Climate Change, recycling and as an Associate in the think-tank Demos. At Demos, he published on education and work life, including the Graduate Tax, a "Qualities-focussed" education, and adding National Holidays. His work there is cited by Wikipedia as bringing terms such as Green Collar Worker and Green Jobs into wider public circulation. From 2001 he has consulted for Manitoba on Climate Change and Clean Energy, helping lead it to be named by Business Week as the #1 state/province/region in the world for action on Climate Change. From having no residential efficiency programs in 2001, Manitoba became a national leader, it quadrupled heat pump installations and developed the country's then-largest wind project. In Manitoba, he also helped create the idea to eliminate all Small Business Taxes, an initiative which was recently brought to fulfillment. He is an international leader on plug-in hybrids and EVs, and has spearheaded pilot conversions in Canada, briefed the UK and London's political leaders, spoken at MIT and so on. He is originally from an apple farm in Nova Scotia, and has an MA from Oxford. He is a published poet and short-story writer, a blogger and was Great Britain hockey's penalty minutes leader from 1983-86. He is also, presently, in the Top 1000 Angry Birds players, although he recently suffered a potentially career-threatening finger injury. (Appointed 2007)
Paula Steele. Victoria, British Columbia. Communications Director, City Green Solutions. Paula has a Bachelor of Education, Masters in Professional Communications and five years experience in the field of building energy efficiency. Paula began working for City Green in 2004, coordinating the EnerGuide turned ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program, completing many special projects such as energy efficiency curriculum for realtors, community outreach program for the District of Saanich and managing websites. LEED AP accreditation (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design); BOMA (Building Operators and Managers Association) Go Green Certification.
Terry McNeil. St. John's, Newfoundland. Executive Director, Conservation Corps of Newfoundland and Labrador, has worked in forest management, wildlife conservation biology, watershed and fisheries management, and energy conservation. Terry joined Conservation Corps in 2000 and has since worked on the EcoTeam Program, EnerGuide for Houses, Climate Change Education Centre and became Executive Director in 2007. Terry is married and has two daughters.
Ellen Mortfield. Thunder Bay, Ontario. Executive Director, EcoSuperior Environmental Programs, since 2008. Ellen has played a key role in developing the partnerships and programs that have made EcoSuperior a respected leader in motivating public involvement in the environmental issues facing northwestern Ontario and the Lake Superior Basin. A graduate of St. Lawrence College, Ellen’s background as an advertising writer, and prior work in media, publishing and marketing have been central to EcoSuperior’s success. She is especially proud of her Environmental Lifetime Achievement award from Green Communities Canada in 2011. Originally a resident of Kingston, Ontario, Ellen has been a part of the Thunder Bay community since 1989. Ellen balances the more stressful aspects of work with a rural lifestyle as a hobby farmer and gardener on 25 acres in Lappe with her two children.
Lea Ann Mallett. Mississauga, ON. Lea Ann has been an environmental activist for the last 22 years. This is her ninth year as Executive Director of EcoSource, an Ontario-based innovative environmental education organization with a special focus on youth.
Lea Ann has worked as a secondary school science teacher in Mississauga and as a health promoter with street-involved youth. Her environmental work began in volunteer-based groups working on wilderness conservation issues. Lea Ann was Director of Earthroots’ wilderness conservation campaigns from 1995-2000. She has also worked as a campaign and media consultant to number of environmental organizations. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Education in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Windsor. (appointed 2011)
