Staff and Board

Will Horter Executive Director	Eric Swanson No Tankers Director	Matt Takach Operations Director	Emma Gilchrist Communications Director
Celine Trojand Organizer	Don Gordon Development Manager	Ian Birch Bookkeeper	Maggie Gilbert Development Coord. On Maternity Leave
Lyndsey Easton Communications Coordinator	Karl Hardin Digital Strategist	Ben Porcher Northern Vancouver Island Organizer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jennie Milligan - Board President

Jennie has been actively involved in the environmental movement in BC for over ten years.  While attending the University of British Columbia in the late 90s, she was president of the Student Environment Centre.  While attending the University of Victoria, she was on the executive of the Environmental Law Centre throughout her three-year law degree.  She also conducted research on a volunteer basis for The Land Conservancy.  Jennie has worked for the Environmental Youth Alliance and Sierra Legal Defence Fund, first in donor relations and then as a legal researcher.  She is currently a practicing lawyer in Vancouver.

Frank Arnold - Treasurer

Frank heads The Pinch Group, a Victoria-based investment advisory practice that focuses on socially and environmentally responsible investment solutions for both individuals and institutions. A graduate of the University of Victoria's School of Environmental Studies, Frank also studied mathematics prior to entering the investment profession. In addition to serving on the board of Dogwood Initiative, Frank currently serves on the board of Living Carbon Investments and the Land Trust Alliance of BC, on the fundraising and communications committee of Habitat Acquisition Trust, as an external advisor to the Sierra Club of BC Foundation, and on the external advisory board of UVic's School of Environmental Studies. Frank's passions in life are protecting biodiversity and promoting green philanthropy. When he's not enjoying his time with his two children, you may find Frank on the ski slopes (if so, make sure you ski behind him).

Shannon McPhail - Director

Shannon is the Executive Director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition.  She grew up on a working ranch, spending much of her youth fishing and hunting in the Skeena mountains with her family. She has worked as a white-water rafting guide, a big game hunting guide, a welder and a nutritionist at a women’s health center after her education in the field of chemical technology. Shannon’s diverse background allows her to understand and relate to people within the watershed that have a variety of opinions and concerns. It is important to Shannon that all voices are heard when decisions are being made regarding the future of this unique place. Her commitment is so strong that she has spent the last 4 years working for the SWCC as a volunteer. Shannon is a mother of two, with her oldest at only 3 years of age. While motherhood certainly keeps her busy, it hasn’t slowed her down or prevented her from working to keep our Sacred Headwaters free of coalbed methane.

Geoff Mann - Director

Geoff is a professor in the Department of Geography at Simon Fraser University, having previously taught at the University of California and at UBC. He received a PhD in Environmental Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.Sc. in Environmental Planning from the University of Guelph. For the past decade, his research and teaching have focused on the intersection of environmental and labour politics, with a special emphasis on the political economy of natural resources in western North America. Prior to university life, Geoff worked for several years with “at risk” youth. He and his partner Michelle and their two boys live in Vancouver.

ADVISORY ROUND TABLE

In addition to its Board of Directors, Dogwood Initiative works closely with an Advisory Round Table of experts in sustainable land reform issues.

These people are:

David Boyd - Environmental Lawyer, former Executive Director Sierra Legal

Anita Burke - Corporate Research Consultant

Jessica Clogg - Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law

Helga Knote - Labour and environmental activist

Anne Levesque - former Executive Director,CPAWS & East Kootenay Enviro Society

James MacKinnon - writer, former Senior Editor, Adbusters

Michael M'Gonigle - Eco-Research Chair, Environmental Law & Policy, University of Victoria, Founder, Greenpeace International