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RICHARD YANK - Chair
Richard Yank has recently relocated from Australia to Ottawa at the end of his career with Alcan Inc. He joined Alcan Inc after graduating with a B.Sc in Chemical Engineering. Yank held a variety of positions within Alcan and retired as the president of its bauxite and alumina operations in the Pacific Region. A former Nature Canada director, he is interested in wilderness and habitat conservation, biological diversity, and climate change.
Born in London, England, Cliff moved to Calgary in 1957 and has lived in Alberta ever since. He graduated from the University of Calgary in 1972 in Botany and Zoology. Professionally, Cliff undertook park system planning with Alberta Parks in the 1970s. Since then he has operated his own Calgary-based environmental consulting firm, Cottonwood Consultants Ltd. Cliff is a Professional Biologist with a diverse background in protected areas, ecotourism, environmental assessment, species at risk protection, significant features identification, interpretive planning, and media production related to environmental topics. As a volunteer, Cliff has worked on environmental projects or served on the boards of NGOs since the early 1970s. His volunteer interests include strengthening NGOs and NGO networks, protected areas, species at risk, effects of trade on environment, and environmental law. He has worked proactively with federal, provincial and regional government agencies, non-profit organizations, indigenous communities, local landowners, and business. Cliff has participated in or organized numerous workshops, conferences and seminars on environmental protection. He has also been involved with precedent-setting legal cases related to species at risk and environmental assessment. Cliff's international experience includes working with an international partner to develop a sustainable community in the Southwest Province, Cameroon in central Africa. He has participated in international meetings on forests and biodiversity, including the UN Intergovernmental Fora on Forests and Intergovernmenal Forum on Forests and the Global Biodiversity Strategy. Cliff has actively participated at Commission for Environmental Cooperation (North American Free Trade Agreement) meetings held in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. since the mid 1990s. He is currently leading a twinning of two Ramsar Wetlands: Dalai Lake Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia and Hay Zama Wildland Park in Alberta and is working on a biodiversity mainstreaming project in the City of Chongqing.
Mark Dorfman was a professional planner in municipal government for 15 years before establishing his own practice in 1981. He is a planner for several private land developers and builders, and an advisor to Ontario municipalities and several community-based organizations in both urban and rural settings. Mark is an Ontario registered professional planner, a fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners, and a member of the American Planning Association. He served as national president of the Canadian Institute of Planners from 1974 to 1976 and as chair of the Region of Waterloo Environmental and Ecological Advisory Committee from 1988 to 1991. Mark received his Master of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Toronto. He has been an adjunct professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo for many years. Mark was president of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists from 2000 to 2002 and served as president of the Ontario Society for Environmental Management. Currently he is a member of Waterloo Region’s Water Efficiency Advisory Committee.
(1st Term Ends 2012)
Ken Thorpe is a long time birder and has served on boards of other environmental and charitable boards. A financial advisor and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) by profession, he has served as president and treasurer of the Social Investment Organization, Canada's national non-profit trade and education group that promotes socially responsible investing. He has an undergraduate degree in accountancy from Concordia University and is married to Janice Linder with two teenage sons Jonathan and Jamie. They all appreciate nature together from backyard birds to exotic species when vacationing.
Carol Scott is a recently retired civil servant with experience in wildlife, parks, aboriginal land claims, communications and administration. She graduated with a B.Sc.(hons. Zoology) supplemented by a later MBA. Combining a longtime interest in natural history and resource management with a keen appreciation of prairie human history, she is an active member of Nature Saskatchewan and the Manitoba Historical Society and a longtime member of the Manitoba Naturalists Society. She is active as well in several courts of the United Church of Canada. Carol has always had a special interest in herpetology, and has been herpetological editor for Nature Saskatchewan’s “Blue Jay” off and on over the years.
Raised in rural Nova Scotia, Joan Czapalay is an avid naturalist, educator and conservationist. She is a committed member and representative of Nature Canada and Nature Nova Scotia. She was President of Nature Nova Scotia (2000-2005), a former Director of the Nova Scotia Bird Society and former Provincial Coordinator of the Ducks Unlimited Greenwings program. Joan is also an active participant of the Regional Affiliates Meetings for Atlantic Canada and is one of the original board members of the Young Naturalist Club of Nova Scotia. She holds an M.Ed in Education Administration and post graduate courses in Language Acquisition and Communication, and continues to enrich her understanding of biological sciences through university courses. She is presently a supervisor of student teachers for the Mount St. Vincent University and to this day continues to engage youth with the natural world while instilling conservation ethic.
Diane Griffin is the PEI Manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Previously she served as Deputy Minister in the PEI Department of Environment and Energy; Executive Director of the Island Nature Trust; and Natural Areas Coordinator for the Province of Alberta. She was a partner in The IRIS Group, a PEI consulting business. Diane is Past-chair of the Board of Directors of Bird Studies Canada, and Past-chair of the Atlantic Board of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. She has been President of the Canadian Nature Federation, Vice-chair of the Wildlife Habitat Canada Foundation, and President of the Natural History Society of P.E.I. She and Kevin live in Stratford where Diane is a member on the Town Council. In 1985 she was selected as the Canadian Outsdoorsman of the Year; in 1990 she received the Governor General's Conservation Award and in 1992 the Nature Canada Douglas Pimlott Conservation Award. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty. Mrs. Griffin has published numerous articles about nature and is the author of Atlantic Wildflowers, a book published by Oxford University Press.
William Roy MacKenzie is a Chartered Accountant and retired as a partner with Price Waterhouse & Co. In 2008, William was awarded the Distinguished Community Service Award by the Saskatchewan Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is the Past President and current Treasurer of Nature Saskatchewan. William is also a former President of the Saskatoon Nature Society and co-chaired the 2001 Nature Canada Annual Conference in Saskatoon. He is an active member of the Golden Eagles' nature group in Saskatoon. Recently William served a five year term as a Director of the Waskesiu Foundation Inc. located in Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan.
Chuck studied bird movements using radio telemetry, stable isotopes and DNA analyses for his M.Sc. degree which he attained at the University of Alberta. His B.Sc. was obtained from the same institution in Environmental and Conservation Sciences. He has worked closely with the NGO and industry sectors. As the chair of the Beaverhill Bird Observatory for the past seven years, Chuck has helped manage and operate the longest running bird observatory in western Canada. Other volunteer time has been spent working with Alberta Conservation Association, Bird Studies Canada, Federation of Alberta Naturalists and university of Alberta as an environmental educator, grant review committee member, biologist and public event speaker. Chuck's efforts were recently recognized by the Edmonton Nature Club when he, and his wife Lisa, were awarded the 2008 Conservation Award. Chuck co-owns and operates STRIX Environmental Consulting Ltd. which specializes in wildlife monitoring and management programs. Chuck also recently became the coordinator of the Alberta Foothills Network, a group that works closely with ENGOs, industry and government to ensure that the natural values of the Foothills are maintained. Professionally, Chuck's main area of interest involves finding tangible solutions to conservation and land-use challenges. During off hours, Chuck enjoys running, backcountry skiing, backpacking, caving and exploring the outdoors with his wife and two children.
(1st Term Ends 2012)
Jon Snipper holds a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Toronto. He was a lawyer and a mediator for over thirty-five years and served on the board of directors of several professional organizations. Recently retired, Jon has a strong interest in the natural world and wishes to put forth his energy and skill towards nature conservation and enhancement. Jon is a long time supporter of Nature Canada; he is task-oriented with excellent organizational skills and brings extensive experience in negotiation and governance. Some of his work in those areas have become the accepted industry standard.
Slated to Leave the Board 2012
Carol Scott (3rd Term Ends 2012)
Mark Dorfman (2012)
Richard Yank (2012)
Term ending 2013
Diane Griffin (2nd Term Ends 2013)
Chuck Priestley (2nd Term Ends 2013)
Cliff Wallis (Term Ends 2013)
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