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Hello

I am a curious innovator, leader  & mentor who cares deeply about the future of the planet. I'm a collaborator who loves to support folks doing the work that is needed at this moment in time. I love working with teams and supporting leaders to move the work forward. I am a divergent thinker and love putting big ideas into practice on the ground. I spent my career implementing ideas and helping folks get clear about creating change on the ground.

 

I am currently open to leadership opportunities that align with my values. Since making the decision to leave my teaching role at SFU Semester in Dialogue,  I have spent time working with the following organizations: Hey Neighbour Collective, Georgia Strait Alliance and UBC Farm - Centre for Sustainable Food Systems.  My favourite workday includes mentoring leaders (walking meetings), imagining possibilities on a whiteboard and practicing organizational acupuncture. 

I spent the last 20 years imagining, designing and facilitating intensive, interdisciplinary programs that focus on dialogue, social innovation, group process, divergent thinking and urban sustainability. I co -created, co-designed and co-taught for 16 years in the SFU Semester in Dialogue program.

 

I spent 9 years co-founding and co-directing CityStudio Vancouver – an innovation hub that connects students with City Hall to co-create, design and launch experiments.

 

I spend a lot of time reading, learning, fumbling and re-learning on the topics of leadership, mindfulness, strategy, conflict resolution, social innovation, urban sustainability & climate. 

 

My Story

I currently live on unceded traditional lands of the Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw), Tsleil-Waututh (səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ) and Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) Nations –also called Vancouver. I came to the west coast 25 years ago from Oakville, Ontario lands of the Anishnabewaki (ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ),  Haudenosaunee and Mississauga.  I spend a lot of time walking in the rainforest, the coastal mountains and finding ways to explore The Salish Sea. I spent the last 16 years at Simon Fraser University teaching in an amazing program called “The Semester in Dialogue” and co-founding CityStudio Vancouver. My family recently developed a net zero duplex as one small act of learning towards climate adaptation. 

 

Education

I have a BSc in Marine Biology from McGill (I love whales and intertidal zones) an MSc in Ecology from UBC (where I fell in love with teaching, hummingbirds & the west coast). My PhD at UBC combined lessons from the School of Community and Regional Planning (urban sustainability, systems and feminist methodology) and the Faculty of Education (transformative learning & participatory methods).

Interests

I am passionate about new possibilities in cities and thrive when co-creating imaginative solutions to complex problems.  My interests include transdisciplinary higher education, transformative learning, social entrepreneurship, social innovation and organizational change in higher education. I am learning to reconcile what it means to be a settler on the west coast of Canada. In my time away from collaborating you can find me riding my bike, digging in the garden, hanging out with my family and walking my dog Magic in the rainforest.

Projects & Roles

Advisor - Hey Neighbour Collective 

Interim Executive Director- Georgia Strait Alliance (May-October 2024)

Innovation and Research Curator - 1 year supporting UBC Farm (Centre for Sustainable Food Systems)

Faculty member - 16 years as Professor of Professional Practice at SFU Semester in Dialogue

Fellow- Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue

University Teaching Fellow - SFU Faculty of Environment

Board Chair - CityStudio Vancouver Society

Co-Founder and Co-Director- CityStudio Vancouver

Director - BC Working Group on Sustainability Education (Walkingthetalk)

Post Doctoral Fellow- Learning City Research Collaborative 

Research Assistant - Georgia Basin Futures Project 

Lab Faculty - First Year Biology Program University of British Columbia

My Google Scholar Publications

My LinkedIn Profile

Contact

Let's connect.

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