Our Staff at The Nature Trust of British Columbia

	Marian Adair, Acting CEO/Habitat Ecologist Marian Adair has over 30 years of experience in environmental management. From her technical roots as a terrestrial biologist, she has developed expertise in integrated resource management, water and land use planning, and environmental impact assessment processes. Aside from five years working with the Fraser River Estuary Management Program and Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Program as Program Director, Marian has worked as a consultant specializing in environmental planning and assessment throughout western and northern Canada. She was a consultant for The Nature Trust from 1999 to 2001, and became a staff member in January 2002. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Botany from the University of Calgary and is a Registered Professional Biologist and member of the College of Applied Biology. Marian joined The Nature Trust in 2002.
	Tim Clermont, Crown Land Securement Coordinator Tim Clermont has 29 years of experience in conservation and fisheries and wildlife management. He has spent 21 years of his career promoting the values of The Nature Trust and has lead two partnership programs. For 15 years Tim coordinated the Vancouver Island Wetlands Management Program and was responsible for the management of over 50 conservation areas – mostly coastal wetlands and estuaries owned by The Nature Trust and managed by the BC Ministry of Environment. In the past 6 years, Tim has focussed on the securement of Crown and private land containing high biodiversity throughout BC. Some of his accomplishments include assisting The Nature Trust and conservation partners to secure 24 private land properties and leading the consultation process required for the Province to designate 10 Wildlife Management Areas throughout BC. In total over 22,500 hectares (56,250 acres) of biologically diverse estuary, intertidal foreshore, beach, salt marsh, wetlands, stream, mature forest and riparian habitats have benefited by his efforts. Tim joined The Nature Trust in 1990.
	Laurie Desrosiers, Finance Manager Laurie Desrosiers is a Certified Management Accountant (2001) who has 18 years of financial experience. After working for a national non-profit conservation organization for 10 years, she joined The Nature Trust so she could continue to expand her experience and stay in the non-profit field which she enjoyed. Since moving from Saskatchewan to BC in 2001 she has become a huge Vancouver Canucks fan and loves to golf whenever the sun is shining. Laurie joined The Nature Trust in 2005.
	Janice Dixon, Database Manager Janice Dale Dixon brings years of public relations and administration experience to the front lines of The Nature Trust. Janice’s organizational history includes administration and management for non-profits in healthcare and conservation. She holds diplomas in business administration and computer technology. One of her special interests is database management. Janice attended Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and Capilano University in North Vancouver as well as other institutions. She has lived for many years in the Lower Mainland. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, sailing, surfing and many other eco-friendly activities. Janice’s curiosity opens many paths to learning and adventure. Her newest pursuit is studying Latin. Janice joined The Nature Trust in 2004.
	John Keller, Major Gifts John Keller is responsible for major gifts development at The Nature Trust and works with our many donors and supporters to ensure funds are available for land acquisition and stewardship, and for general operations. John has been in the conservation fundraising field both as a professional and as a volunteer for over five years. Prior to that he spent over 20 years in sales and marketing in the software sector, consulting, manufactured products, and wholesale and retail sales. John earned a BA in political economy, post-graduate degree in Asian studies, and is a Certified Financial Planner. When not protecting habitat throughout BC, John enjoys coaching his children’s sports and playing rugby, as well as pursuing his passion for the great outdoors. John joined The Nature Trust in 2011.
	Deb Kennedy, Development and Communication Manager Deb Kennedy brings 30 years of business experience to the Development and Communications Department of The Nature Trust. A diversified background in marketing, administration and fundraising, she has enjoyed contributing to the successful operation of a leading national household paper company and Vancouver newspaper, along with volunteering for a number of business organizations and non-profits. She has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia. Deb joined The Nature Trust in 2003.
	Tracy Loewen, Fundraising and Special Events Coordinator Tracy comes to The Nature Trust with experience in marketing and sales, management and special events planning. She was attracted to The Nature Trust because of her desire to work in the non-profit sector and her avid interest in conservation. Tracy was born in BC, but grew up in southern Alberta. She returned to BC after living abroad and is very proud to call this province her home. She has a BBA – Marketing from Vancouver Island University. Tracy joined The Nature Trust in 2007.
	Carleton MacNaughton, South Okanagan Conservation Land Manager Carleton MacNaughton brings a wealth of experience to his position, including Wildlife Research Assistant with the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, and Wildlife Technician with the BC Environment. He has a Master of Science from Royal Roads University in Victoria. Carl joined The Nature Trust in 1998.
	Rob Neil, Kootenay Conservation Land Manager Rob Neil, R.P. Bio, is a habitat conservation biologist with 28 years of operational experience in fish, wildlife, wildlife habitat, forestry and range management. He brings extensive experience in the areas of Forest Ecosystem, Regional Habitat, Fisheries, Planning and Habitat Conservation. Rob’s duties encompass being The Nature Trust local representative in the Kootenays, coordinating all aspects of site management including preparation and execution of ecologically based Management Plans, and supporting local community and outreach activities. Rob joined The Nature Trust in 2003.
	Patrick Oswald Born in England, Patrick Oswald came to Canada to study at McGill University. He moved to Vancouver in 1960 and helped amalgamate 15 deaf groups into the Western Institute for the Deaf. In 1973 he joined the United Way and became the first Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving. There he encouraged leadership donors to perpetuate their annual gifts and he took the endowment from under $1 million to over $25 million. He would like to see this example flourish at The Nature Trust. He was drawn to The Nature Trust because of his love of birding. Patrick joined The Nature Trust in 2002.
	Sunipa Rassameeuthai, Finance and Office Assistant Nipa volunteered at The Nature Trust before becoming a full-time Finance and Office Assistant. Educated at Bangkok University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, she worked for Singapore Airlines and Thai Sakura Securities Company before immigrating to Canada in 2001. Nipa joined The Nature Trust in 2002.
	Tom Reid, Vancouver Island Conservation Land Manager Tom Reid is an avid outdoorsman and Gulf Islander. He started as a contractor on Vancouver Island, BC Conservation Crew Coordinator and now as the Vancouver Island Conservation Land Manager. Prior to The Nature Trust he worked with the Ministry of Environment conducting fish habitat and water quality assessments. He holds a degree in Geography and History from Simon Fraser University as well as an applied science diploma in Fish and Wildlife Management from BC Institute of Technology. Tom joined The Nature Trust in 2000.
	Robin Rivers, Communications Manager Robin Rivers has 25 years of experience in communications, mainly in non-fiction book publishing in Toronto and Vancouver. She joined The Nature Trust because she wanted to work for an organization where her communication skills could make a difference. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria. Robin joined The Nature Trust in 2004.
	Leanna Warman, Ecosystem Specialist Leanna Warman has over 15 years of education and experience in ecology and conservation, and has developed expertise in wildlife habitat modeling and conservation planning. She has worked on various projects in the South Okanagan related to the ecology of species as a wildlife technician with the Ministry of Environment and ecological consultant. Her graduate research focused on the process of using systematic conservation planning techniques to identify areas in the South Okanagan that have a high potential for biodiversity conservation. She continued with this research as an Ecosystem Analyst with the BC Conservation Foundation and the University of British Columbia–Okanagan by conducting a field based assessment of the habitat quality of the potential conservation areas. As a Science Researcher in the Biodiversity Research Centre at the University of British Columbia, her work expanded to a provincial scale focusing on projects related to mapping and analyzing patterns of biodiversity in BC. She received her Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Master of Science in Zoology from the University of British Columbia. She joined The Nature Trust in 2006.