From left to right, top:
John Kristensen, Assistant Deputy Minister, Parks (retired)
Rob Macintosh, Green Planet Communications
Carole Stark, Executive Director, Chinook Institute for Community Stewardship
Sue Hayduk, Stakeholder Specialist, the City of Calgary
Kathy Worobec, Pembina Institute

From left to right, kneeling:
Trina Innes, Section Head, Education and Outreach, Alberta Environment
Lori Gammell, Suncor Energy Foundation
Aliza Weller, Program Coordinator of ACEE
Gareth Thomson, Executive Director of ACEE

Missing:
Paul Bohnert, Lethbridge teacher and founder of Southern Alberta Community of Environmental Educators
Jeff Reading, Environmental Specialist, City of Calgary
Allen Verbeek, Chair, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Lakeland College

About our Board and Staff

John Kristensen is a retired biologist who has been an active natural historian and outdoor enthusiast for his whole life. He started his career as an environmental consultant, and then worked for the Alberta government for 25 years, most recently as Assistant Deputy Minister of Parks, where he oversaw a program consisting of over 500 parks and recreation areas. John has been a member of many provincial and national committees, boards and councils; and has authored many publications, articles and papers on natural history and Aboriginal subject matters. He and his wife Sharon have lived in rural Strathcona County since 1978 and have dedicated most of their land to wildlife conservation under the Buck-for-Wildlife Program.

Kathy Worobec is The Pembina Institute's Director of Alberta GreenLearning. Kathy has over 20 years of experience in developing, implementing, delivering and managing environmental education programs for youth and teachers. Kathy has taught in the classroom, worked in the energy efficiency field with the Alberta Department of Energy and worked as a consultant before joining the non-profit environmental education sector. She received her education degree from the University of Alberta and joined the Pembina Institute's Edmonton office in 2003. Kathy enjoys biking/skiing the trails of Edmonton and numerous activities with her family.

Jeff Reading is Chair of the ACEE Board and Environmental Specialist with the City of Calgary's Ecological Footprint Team.  He has been an environmental and outdoor educator for close to thirty years, working as a teacher, consultant, and director of a high school leadership program.   Jeff is a member of the Alberta EcoTrust Foundation's grant review committee, and has served on numerous Boards including the Global, Environmental and Outdoor Education Council of the Alberta Teachers Association, the Association For Experiential Education, and the safety committee for Outward Bound Canada.   His wife, Shelagh, and their children, David and Meghan, share a love of international travel and exploring natural environments together.

Lori Gammell is Secretary of ACEE and is currently with the Suncor Energy Foundation and Suncor Energy Inc. where she is applying her knowledge of the not-for-profit sector to enhance the company’s community and charitable investments. She worked for 12 years in public relations and communications for educational and environmental organizations including Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School and the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area. She also worked for the Nature Conservancy of Canada – Alberta Region in fund raising and communications. Lori is active as a volunteer and spends much of her free time exploring the natural wonders of Alberta with her partner, Peter.

Rob Macintosh is President of Dejanira Enterprises, and Senior Partner with Green Planet Communications.   He co-founded the Pembina Institute in 1985 and served for 10 years as its first Executive Director. He twice co-chaired the Canadian Environmental Network and has served on numerous Boards including the Alberta Clean Air Strategic Alliance, the Environmental Law Centre, Friends of the Earth, and the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation. While at the Pembina Institute, Rob built a national curriculum development program on climate change and energy-environment issues and then moved on to develop the Institute's corporate consulting service, working in environmental-business strategic planning and operationalizing sustainability for major energy and resource companies across Canada.  He taught Social Studies, Math and Outdoor - Environmental Education for 10 years at the junior high level. He remains active as a volunteer with a number of environmental and outdoor recreation organizations. Rob and his wife Lori live on a farm west of Drayton Valley, Alberta.

Trina Innes joined Alberta Environment as Head of Education and Outreach in 2003. She works with a dynamic team of environmental extension specialists and partners to deliver programs related to air, climate change, water, waste and wetlands. Previously, Trina enjoyed working as an extension specialist with the FORREX – Forest Research Extension Partnership and as a professional forester with the British Columbia Ministry of Forests.  She serves as a vice-president on the board of directors for Inside Education and as a peer reviewer with the Journal of Extension. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Masters in Forestry, and a Masters of Business Administration.  Trina enjoys international work and travel and has volunteered in Kenya with Canadian Crossroads International, and with Rotary International in the Philippines. Her primary areas of interest include extension, knowledge management, international development and corporate social responsibility.

Allen G. Verbeek is the Chair of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alberta and a Partner in Risk Management Associates. Allen spent 10 years as an Environmental Consultant and Toxicology Lab Manager on water quality and contaminated sites throughout Alberta and British Columbia. Allen’s research field is in Environmental Toxicology and contaminated sites, and he continues to work with industry through both project work and applied research at Lakeland College. Allen has a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Zoology. Allen’s interest in lifelong learning has led him to become a certified Master Scuba Diver Trainer, and he’s currently working towards teaching First Aid, CPR and AED.  Allen enjoys coaching soccer in the community or teaching SCUBA  Allen and his wife Marilyn, an elementary teacher, and two children live in Vermilion, Alberta.

Sue Hayduk works with the City of Calgary’s Ecological Footprint team to educate and engage stakeholders in the reduction of their ecological footprint.   She is a nature enthusiast who has worked in the field of environmental education and protection for over 17 years.  She has a diploma in Resource Management and an undergraduate degree in Parks and Protected Area Management.   Her passion for environmental education grew while working at the Cross Conservation Area where she developed and delivered conservation education programs and worked as a Development Officer.   Sue is committed to community environmental initiatives and is currently initiating an environmental best practices program to promote sustainable options with condominium management companies in Calgary.

Paul Bohnert and his wife Sherri, are the co-founders of the Southern Alberta Community of Environmental Educators (SACEE) and the Southern Alberta Youth for Environmental Education (SAYEE).  Together they work to provide community environmental education to the southern Alberta region.  Paul's community work has assisted him in completing his M.Ed. which focuses on community engagement, education and stewardship.  He is actively involved in a variety of regional environmental groups and is the chief editor of the SAYEE Envirozine.  Paul, Sherri and their three children enjoy learning about where they live.  Whether it is the native grasses of the Alberta prairies, or the headwaters and wildflowers of the Rockies, they focus on 'knowing their place' so that they can better care for it.

Carole Stark is the Executive Director of the Chinook Institute for Community Stewardship, an organization that assists mountain communities in Alberta and British Columbia to plan for and manage growth while protecting their natural and cultural assets.  She is an adult and community educator and a community development practitioner, and has worked as an environmental education consultant, organized professional development in environmental management, and has led outdoor and development education programs for youth.  She  holds a M.Ed. in Adult Education from the University of Calgary, and a B.A. in Recreation Administration. She is a long-time resident of Canmore, Alberta where she pursues her passions of skiing, horses, music and traveling with family and friends.

Gareth Thomson is Executive Director of ACEE and has twenty years experience in environmental education, working first for the government of Alberta and subsequently as the first Education Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). Gareth currently serves as a judge for the Alberta Emerald Awards, and is a Board member of both the Global Environmental and Outdoor Education Council (GEOEC) of the Alberta Teachers Association, and the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM).  He has been a board member of several grantmaking foundations, including Alberta Ecotrust, served on Canmore's municipal Town Council, and taught at an International Baccalaureate high school.  Gareth has an engineering degree, an M.Sc. in Environmental Geology, and is a certified teacher. A proud father of two exceptional children, Gareth can still occasionally be sighted on the hiking trails around Canmore.

Aliza Weller is the Program Coordinator of ACEE, and has been an environmental educator for over ten years, both in experiential and mainstream classroom settings.  She has worked for non-profits such as the Ecology Action Centre and Amnesty International, and for provincial, state and national parks, including a position as the Assistant Park Manager of Emerald Lake State Park. She has used her conflict resolution and mediation training both as a youth restorative justice healing circle mediator and as a labour relations union shop steward. Aliza has participated in and led cross-country cycling trips all over the world. She has a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Dalhousie Uiversity, where she focused on the role of volunteering in peace and conflict studies and environmental education.

You can contact ACEE or its Board members c/o Gareth Thomson:
Phone: 403-678-0079
E-mail: gareth@abcee.org
Mail: 911 Larch Place, Canmore, AB. Canada T1W 1S5