Heather Beresford

I worked for the Resort Municipality of Whistler for 27 years, the last 16 as the Environmental Stewardship Manager. This was more than a job for me…it allowed me to express my core values of doing what I can to protect the natural environment and contributing to my community. I have a Masters in Environment and Management from Royal Roads University where my thesis topic was methods for improving riparian protection in the RMOW. During my time at the RMOW, I collaborated with AWARE on a number of projects including the Big Moves climate strategy communications, Project Now, and funding school programs. I also funded the Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council’s work in Whistler, plus undertook numerous projects to protect natural areas and understand our ecosystems better. I am a 40 year resident of Whistler and actually was an active member of AWARE in its early days by writing articles for the newspaper. Whistler is my home and I love it here. I want to continue to engage in work to protect the natural environment and AWARE’s mandate and on-the-ground engagement align with my personal goals and approach.

I am particularly interested in the climate action file and how to motivate citizens to take action. I loved working with the Whistler High School students as a mentor for Project Now and would like to continue with that. More broadly, I believe that my time spent working in local government and with provincial agencies has given me insight that will help AWARE lobby more effectively and understand where to most effectively insert itself for change in government processes. For disclosure purposes, I am currently the Executive Director of the Cheakamus Community Forest and will abide by the conflict of interest policy in any matters related to forestry or the CCF.

Chad DeAbreu

My passion for Whistler’s outdoor activities, from snowboarding to biking, fuels my commitment to environmental stewardship.

Driven by a curiosity about the local impacts of climate change, I’m dedicated to learning and educating others about sustainable practices. I feel as though it’s our duty as Whistler locals to ensure future generations can experience more winters with deeper snow. We should do what we can to preserve the natural beauty of this wonderful town, and our planet.

I leverage my enthusiasm for the outdoors to engage the community in making better choices for a greener future. By organizing events and initiatives, I aim to inspire others to contribute to conservation efforts.

Edgar Dearden

Paul Dorland

As a full time Whistler resident who grew up and worked in big cities, I am grateful every day to live in such a special place. The natural environment inspires me daily, and I am passionate about AWARE’s efforts to be Whistler’s voice for the environment.

Policy Statement: Conservation and climate action initiatives are critical to our environmental future. I am hopeful Whistler can be an environmental leader for all those who come here to enjoy the specialness of what we call home.

John Thomas (Tom) English

I am a retired lawyer, a long term Whistler resident, present Chair and founding member of the Whistler Lakes Conservation Association, Chair of the Whistler Lakes Conservation Foundation and the Discovery Foundation and past board member of numerous for profit and not for profit entities such as the YVR Authority and the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The WLCA and the WLCF are concerned with the health and water quality of our 5 Whistler Lakes which compliments the goals of AWARE. THE WLCA has just signed an agreement with Raincoast Conservation Foundation in respect of a 2 to 3 year project that will test the quality of our water from the mountain tops through the watersheds to Howe Sound. I am a retired lawyer, a long term Whistler resident, present Chair and founding member of the Whistler Lakes Conservation Association, Chair of the Whistler Lakes Conservation Foundation and the Discovery Foundation and past board member of numerous for profit and not for profit entities such as the YVR Authority and the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The WLCA and the WLCF are concerned with the health and water quality of our 5 Whistler Lakes which compliments the goals of AWARE. THE WLCA has just signed an agreement with Raincoast Conservation Foundation in respect of a 2 to 3 year project that will test the quality of our water from the mountain tops through the watersheds to Howe Sound.

Coordinating the emphasis of our water quality programs with the goals of AWARE.

Sophie Harrison

I grew up visiting Whistler from the UK with my family on our annual ski trips and decided it would be the perfect place to spend a ‘gap year’ before going to university, little did I know I would never want to leave. I went back to the UK for three years to get a BSc in Psychology from University College London and then returned to Whistler in 2016 and have been here ever since.

After moving to Whistler I worked seasonally in snow school and hospitality roles before pivoting in 2021 to work in administration. I am currently an Executive Assistant in Mountain Operations at Whistler Blackcomb and have proven skills in organization, project management, event planning and financial reporting/analysis. I am grateful for the opportunity to live here in such a beautiful place and am dedicated to preserving the local environment so that generations to come are able to enjoy Whistler and its surroundings as much as I do.

Alison Jenkins

I’m originally from the UK but British Columbia has been my home for the past 10 years. I was drawn to BC by the mountains and the recreation opportunities that they presented. I have a Masters degree in Renewable Energy Systems Technology from Loughborough University and worked in the wind energy sector in the UK for several years.  Since living in Whistler I have worked as a ski instructor for Whistler Blackcomb and am now the Sustainability Manager for Northwest & Australia for Vail Resorts.

Policy Statement: As residents of Whistler and British Columbia, we need to take action to preserve nature, eliminate waste and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. There are actions that we can take at a personal level such as utilizing transit and cycling instead of driving and being considerate of our food choices. At a community level local government, schools, businesses, and the non-profit sector have a responsibility to protect habitat, educate and engage residents on climate action and waste, and demonstrate leadership. We must tell the Provincial government to protect the remaining old growth forest.

Emily Kane

I am a yoga teacher, author, and outdoor enthusiast who founded Yogacara Whistler, a local yoga studio. Studying Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, owning and operating a local business for over a decade, and releasing my first book, “The Energy and Art of Restorative Yoga” all offered me valuable learning opportunities and experience. I’ve gained strong skills in organization, management, finance (payroll, reporting etc.), staff training and leadership, customer service, communication, marketing, social media, web design, event planning, and more. One of my best assists is learning and adapting, even while under pressure.

Policy Statement: I am very passionate about the outdoors and environmental responsibility. As an avid snowboarder, hiker, climber, vegan, and forager I am dedicated to making a difference when it comes to sustainability efforts, education, biodiversity, climate change prevention, and the preservation of nature, especially in the Whistler area.

Rhonda L. Millikin

I retired to Whistler in 2019 from a 35-year career as an Ecologist with the Federal Government, where I managed teams of 20-40 staff, responsible for the delivery of wildlife and habitat programs across BC and the Yukon. The programs included monitoring, regulations, permitting, enforcement, emergencies, and data management. After my career in government, I went back to UBC and received an ITC level 2 for Landscape Horticulture. I have a PhD in Environmental Studies and an MSc in Applied Ecology.

I am an adjunct professor at SFU, and have graduated a PhD and 3 master’s students, all studying the conservation of endangered species and their habitats – one from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

In 2003, I incorporated EchoTrack Inc., to apply the remote sensing technology I developed in my PhD, to the conservation of habitat for birds and bats. Last year, I formed Nativus under EchoTrack, to combine the principles of landscape horticulture with ecology, to restore native plant communities for wildlife that provide the ecosystem services essential for sustainable agriculture.

I have significant experience in proposal writing, project management, hiring and training of staff, science-based research and education, statistical analysis, and reporting. I have delivered on 68 projects globally totalling $1.9 M for EchoTrack, provided reports (progress, performance, financial and final reports) for each of these projects, and have 16 journal publications from research teams I have led.

I am passionate about wildlands and guiding people to prioritize the protection of “specialist” plant and animal species, that truly need our care. I am now working with vineyards in the Okanagan to encourage them to re-introduce native plants as cover crops and hedgerows, because these plants are resilient to climate change and function as substrates for native wildlife which in turn provide nutrient cycling and pest management services back to the vineyard.

I believe citizen science, with the proper leadership on experimental design, statistics, and reporting, motivates the community to embrace the importance of ecosystem processes and the need to move beyond business sustainability to ecosystem sustainability. This is our avenue to climate change adaptability, including fire management.

In Whistler, this is my 3 rd year as a member of the RMOW Forest and Wildlands Advisory Committee. Becoming concerned about the unintended impacts of fire-thinning in Whistler’s Forest, I led a team of volunteers to research the impact of this approach to fire management on the forest microclimate. We showed the approach is increasing fire risk and are in the process of publishing this in an international journal on Fire.

With AWARE, I hope to work with others on the board to develop government-funded community science projects, that connect people and nature, through curiosity and careful observation. I believe we can do better in Whistler in the way we manage climate change, fire risk, housing development and recreation. I would like to realize that vision as a member of AWARE.

John Rasmussen

I am Australian by birth and came to settle in Whistler in 2018 with my wife Alexandra and our twin boys, Nicolas and Thomas, both now 18, and attending university here in Canada. Our aim was to experience the natural wonder of this mountain environment, the myriad opportunities to be in nature and the appeal of living in a small community. The family all became Canadian citizens in 2021. I am currently co-founder, CFO and senior consultant of Nexial Logic, a systems mapping and strategy consulting company aimed at helping organizations all over the world through the complexity of issues relating to sustainability, climate change, environmental protection and social equity. Prior to coming to Whistler I lived in London, UK, for over 20 years, enjoying the latter part of a 35 year career with a large multinational company, retiring in 2016 as a senior executive with responsibility for a division with a budget of over USD 500m, profits of over USD700m and a staff of over 1000. I have a long and successful track record of multicultural business management ranging from operations, strategy, change management and people development. I have a well honed leadership style suited to diversity, excellent communications skills and a strong bias for seeking systemic solutioning for problems that pass tests of ethics, sustainability, longevity and concern for neighbors and communities.

Living in Whistler for the past 5 years and in my work with Nexial, I am acutely conscious of the need for strong and forceful leadership in environmental protection and social justice in the face of continued and relentless focus on growth and development. Whistler and the Sea to Sky stand at a crossroads with a need for considered and effective balance between the needs of the community and the protection of the immense wonder of the natural environment in which we live. AWARE is a critical and necessary vehicle to guide our community towards this balance. I feel a strong urge to give back to Whistler. If elected I would focus on helping to increase awareness and education regarding the impacts of decision making throughout the community on the natural environment with particular emphasis on how social movement, especially among our youth, is key to meeting the challenges of climate change, protection of biodiversity and social equity which in turn can positively impact leadership choices in relation to these matters. I have time and energy to assist AWARE with existing programs and to help develop a more forceful systemic consideration and then execution of how Whistler can become a model for other communities in meeting a challenging, yet exciting future where nature and people are balanced and prioritized alongside growth and profit.

Kim Tindal

I grew up on a farm in Central Alberta, where I learned about growing grain, raising cattle, and driving tractors. In university, I achieved two Bachelor’s degrees, one in Recreation Management and the other in Communications. Most recently, I have opened Vessel Refillery; it’s my way of making it easier for Sea to Sky residents to reduce the plastic in their lives.

Deciding what to do about climate change can be overwhelming for individuals, but I believe that empowering people to make small, incremental, and achievable changes is the best way to get and keep people engaged.

Alexandra Cuschieri

I am excited to join the AWARE team as a Zero Waste Campaigner, bringing over eight years of experience in waste strategy and circular economy programs across the UK, Malta, and the EU.

My sustainability journey began with a Master’s in Environmental Governance from the University of Manchester, where I developed a strong commitment to creating meaningful change through outreach and collaboration. Since then, I have worked across both public and private sectors, championing waste prevention initiatives and empowering communities to make a positive impact.

I was drawn to the Sea-to-Sky region by its breathtaking landscapes and vibrant community, and I am eager to contribute to its sustainability efforts. On weekends, you can often find me exploring the trails, experimenting with plant-based recipes, or practicing yoga to stay grounded and inspired.

Natalie Griffiths

Captivated by the mountains and lakes of British Columbia, I made the leap from Winnipeg to Whistler in 2007, following my graduation with a Bachelor of Commerce focusing on Marketing. I found myself gravitating towards AWARE, seeking to expand my knowledge of environmental conservation and to actively participate in ensuring the long-term health and beauty of Whistler for future generations.

Pegah Pourkarimi

Kiki (Kirsten) Reddaway

As an enthusiastic GROWer and ambassador of the program for 8 years I am excited to become an integral part of the GROW team.

Another Can-Alian for the books, I moved to Whistler from Melbourne back in 2006. A long career in hospitality and a penchant for outdoor adventures have made this mountain town the perfect place for filling my cup. I am grateful to AWARE for the opportunity to give back to a community that has given me so much.

Charlotte Reid

I moved to Whistler from the UK in 2018 to follow my dream of living close to the mountains. I have a Masters degree in Environmental Geology from the University of Birmingham. Since living here, I’ve become a ski instructor and worked across various hospitality industries. I’m passionate about educating today’s youth to inspire the change needed to combat current climate issues. This summer, I’ve been working at our Zero Waste Station at the Farmers’ Market, helping to raise awareness about waste segregation among the local community and visitors. In my free time, you’ll find me outdoors paddling the lakes, mountain biking the trails, or skiing and jumping off things.