Paul Dorland

I moved here over five years ago with a love for life in the mountains. The natural environment inspires me daily, and I am passionate about AWARE’s efforts to protect the natural environment.

Diana Boone

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: – MBA in Strategic Planning combined with 20 years of experience in marketing, communications – Expertise in developing content marketing, communications and engagement strategies – Strong facilitation and interpersonal skills with ability to coach leaders and staff at all levels – Proven track record for managing projects efficiently, delivering measurable results

Marketing and communications solutions to reach and engage conscious consumers. I advise organizations that are ready to grow.

SPECIALITIES: PLANNING FOR OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE: Strategic Planning Facilitation, Impact and Purpose Assessment, Policy Development

MARKETING TO CONNECT POSITIVELY: Brand Audit, Content Marketing Plans, Marketing Campaigns

COMMUNICATING TO ENGAGE AUTHENTICALLY: Core Messaging and Communications Plans, Brand Advocate Program Development, Impact Reports

Melanie Tardif

Melanie has been volunteering with AWARE since 2011. Originally from the Laurentians north of Montréal, Québec, she studied Applied Ecology at Vanier College. Additionally, Melanie completed an internship at the Redpath Museum on the McGill University campus.  After deciding to move out west to pursue career goals, Melanie soon fell in love with the rainforest ecosystem in the coastal mountains and eventually achieved her dream job as a park ranger with Alberta Parks. However, her biggest passion, snowboarding, was indeed the real reason she came to Whistler 8 years ago. As an avid snowboard instructor for WB, you can see Mel up in the alpine shredding the gnarliest powder lines! As an accomplished naturalist, Melanie has an extensive knowledge of our local flora and fauna, which she is able to passionately share with visitors of Whistler through her role as an outdoor tour guide with Canadian Wilderness Adventures.The ability she has to inspire people to appreciate the different aspects of the outdoors enables her to provide an outstanding guest experience. She has genuine interpersonal skills with an exceptional talent developing strong relationships with the community. In addition, she also serves on the Board of Directors for the Whistler Naturalists. One interesting and fun fact about Mel is that she once lived in a cabin in the woods without plumbing and with minimal electricity, where she had to build a fire to stay warm every night!

Melanie can be seen representing AWARE at many local events and has also led our monthly Nature Kids Club for 2013. Furthermore, Melanie has been hosting Green Drinks for the last 5 years, come find her at Black’s Pub every first Wednesday of the month!

Rowena Diggle

I arrived in Whistler in 2007 and fell in love with the mountains, wilderness and community. My time here inspired me to go back to school, where I completed a marine science & management degree plus an honours research year in Squamish. Originally from Australia, I’m now a Canadian resident and call Whistler home. I currently work at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory as a cook.

Kim Maitland

I believe in AWARE’s mission and their efforts to advocate for our natural world. I can bring my marketing experience, digital design skills, non-profit experience, and community-building enthusiasm to their board. I moved to Whistler for its unique properties; access to amazing amenities while being so close to wilderness, not pretty parks, but real wilderness. Nothing hurts more than hiking for hours, and feeling so completely immersed in the natural environment to be brought rudely back to reality by finding garbage littering our trails by a careless hiker.

Jeremy Valeriote

I am a professional engineer who has worked on numerous environmental assessment, restoration and reclamation projects. I have also managed solid waste reduction programs and projects as local government staff, and been an elected councillor and regional district director on the Sunshine Coast. I am currently the chair of the BC Green party, and dedicated to continuing environmental advocacy and stewardship in the Whistler valley and throughout the Sea-to-Sky.

Policy Statement:

As a father of 7-year old twin daughters, I believe strongly in efforts aimed at valuing our natural assets, stabilizing climate, reducing waste and prioritizing education and awareness to promote behaviour change. I truly believe we can balance human development with environmental stewardship if we accurately value the importance of environmental health, promote science & innovation, and stay at the forefront of the new green economy.

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. Living in Whistler gave me an opportunity to become a ski instructor and work in the local snow school. In 2020 I completed a Certificate in Community Energy Management from BCIT and now work as a Community Energy Analyst for the Community Energy Association. In this role I work with local governments across the Province on climate action.

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. Living in Whistler gave me an opportunity to become a ski instructor and work in the local snow school. In 2020 I completed a Certificate in Community Energy Management from BCIT and now work as a Community Energy Analyst for the Community Energy Association. In this role I work with local governments across the Province on climate action.

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 long-term Whistler resident who is a yoga teacher and entrepreneur (owner/founder of Yogacara Whistler, a local yoga studio, and Juice Nation Organic Cafe–an organic plant-based food truck). My educational background is a degree in Kinesiology from the University of British Columbia. With the experience and education I have gained strong skills in organization, management, finance (payroll, reporting, etc.), staff training, customer service, communication, marketing, social media, and more. One of my best assets is my ability to learn and adapt, even under pressure. Recently over the past year I built an entire membership program online which involved filming videos, editing, web design, coding, and more.

Policy Statement:

I am very passionate about the outdoors and environmental responsibility. As an avid snowboarder, hiker, 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 recently retired to Whistler 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. I was successful in building a vision and mandate for my team, following two reorganizations of the department. 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, currently supervising a PhD student, and have graduated 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 and later patented (omnidirectional radar-acoustics), 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 grateful to have received 3 awards for leadership; an award for a significant contribution to National cohesiveness amongst staff in Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service; and two awards for “Community awareness through science” from Partners in Flight International and the Federation of B.C. Naturalists. I was featured in Suncor’s 2005 Report on Sustainability, and featured in Vancouver’s Georgia Straight magazine, in an article about efforts in the plight of songbirds, entitled “On a Wing and a Prayer”. Most importantly, this article led to the formation of a non-government alliance, the Songbird Project, and public donations to Canadian Wildlife Service’s landbird program.

In Whistler, this is my second year as a member of the RMOW Forest and Wildlands Advisory Committee. I have only missed one meeting and that was due to poor reception while returning from field work.

Policy Statement:

I am passionate about wildlands and guiding people to prioritize the protection of “specialist” plant and animal species, that truly need our care. For example, I gave a talk 2 weeks ago, to a Vancouver garden club, on gardening for the “underdog” i.e., the uncommon native species that require native plant cover and protection from our pets and windows, not feeders and nest boxes. 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 am now leading other volunteers in the sea to sky community in a research project to measure how fire thinning affects the microclimate of a forest and thus, the fire risk.

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.

With AWARE, I would 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.

Claire Ruddy

Originally from the UK, Claire followed a Masters in Environment and Business by working with small and medium sized businesses to reduce environmental impacts through improved processes, training and creating cultural shifts. Upon moving to Canada in 2006, she joined Whistler’s environmental charity, AWARE and switched focus to the natural environment and habitat protection. In 2013, She became AWARE’s Executive Director and is well networked in the Sea to Sky Region. Familiar with working with different stakeholder groups and vested interests, Claire believes in finding the common ground amongst stakeholders as a path to moving forwards. On her days off Claire can be found outside with her rescue dog Sula (which translates to ‘Little Bear By The Water’).

Charlotte Reid

Charlotte moved to Whistler from the UK in 2018 to follow her dream of living close to the mountains. She has a Masters degree in Environmental Geology from the University of Birmingham. Since living in Whistler, Charlotte has become a Ski Instructor, and worked across numerous hospitality industries. She is passionate about educating the youth of today in order to inspire the change needed to help combat current climate issues. Charlotte has spent the summer working at our Zero Waste Station at the Farmers Market, helping to spread waste segregation awareness amongst the local community and its visitors. In her free time, you’ll find Charlotte outdoors paddling the lakes, mountain biking the trails, or jumping off things on her skis.

Christi Willis

I’m a plant person. I love to be in the garden and the forest, growing and learning with the natural landscape. In 2018 I studied Herbalism at Pacific Rim College and have been making herbal medicine for my friends and family ever since. I’m excited to be part of the AWARE team and work with the community to protect, steward and celebrate the incredible landscapes of Whistler and the Sea to Sky Corridor. Deep gratitude to the Líl̓wat and Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Nations for their wisdom and stewardship of this territory since the beginning. I am committed to building relationships that foster the land, water and animals who exist here.

Kristina Schrage

I, like many others in the Sea to Sky, am a lucky transplant and settler in this place we call home.  The journey here was not straight, I received a BA in linguistics in California then spent 14 years teaching outdoor education in California, Colorado, Utah, Alaska, and Australia before I finally landed in BC in 2018.  I came up here to complete an MA in environmental education and communication at Royal Roads University; I stayed for the people, the community, and the nature!  I now live on a farm I call Nurture in Nature Community Farm out Pemberton Meadows Road, and this place is taking me on a new road of learning to homestead as a part of minimizing my own environmental footprint.