Sierra Club Canada Foundation is a democratic organization. Board members are elected by our members at our Annual General Meeting.
Nick Bakish (President) is a multi-award-winning investment professional with a 16-year track record of providing attentive client service tailored to each client's unique financial needs.
Nick earned an Honours B.Com. in Economics & Finance from McGill University with first-class honours. He subsequently earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, recognized as the gold standard for the global investment industry, along with the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Financial Planner (Pl. Fin.) designations. Nick is also a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI).
Nick joined Investors Group in 2002, where he was consistently one of the firm’s top consultants. In 2015 Nick moved to Richardson GMP to provide Bakish Wealth Management clients with a wider universe of investment options, better technology and transparency.
Nick is prominent in the business community as a member of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal, the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Montréal and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. He is a Million Dollar Roundtable participant and has taken part in the prestigious Court of the Table.
During university, Nick competed in Varsity Swimming and was an Academic All-Canadian every year; he also enjoys playing tennis. Nick joined the board of the Sierra Club Canada Foundation in 2013, to help raise awareness of environmental issues that affect us individually and on a global scale.
Dr. Isabelle-Anne Bisson (Quebec Representative) is an expert in environmental impact and community needs assessment, helping communities and organizations achieve sustainability. Dr. Bisson has over 20 years of experience as a scientific consultant, coordinator and manager of science and conservation projects globally. She has lead projects for the United States’ Department of Defense and headed a program in Uganda for a United States Agency for International Development initiative. She completed a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Science at McGill University in Montreal and a Ph.D. at York University in Toronto. She went on to conduct post-doctoral research at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and at Princeton University. In 2014, she co-founded and is now solely running a firm that offers expert services in sustainability. Recently, she worked closely with northern Aboriginal communities and the environmental challenges they face with ongoing development and she presently works with the Mohawk community of Kanesatake QC on various environmental projects. She is fluent in French, English and Spanish.
Emily Boucher (Ontario Representative) brings to the board an environmental consulting background in soil and groundwater investigations for the purpose of environmental site and risk assessment. She has worked in both Ontario and Alberta on remediating and monitoring projects across multiple sectors including commercial, industrial and energy-development sites. Originally from Ontario’s Green Belt region, she developed a strong foundation in environmental issues during her time at Trent University, and later refined this through a research master’s project on ocean acidification at the University of Toronto. Working in Alberta provided Emily with a lens into the issues involved in environmental conservation and enforcement in Canada. She continues to take strong personal and professional interest in environmental standards and their enforcement.
Jake Cole credits his becoming an environmentalist to Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring. He graduated in engineering and has had a longtime personal, professional and political interest in protecting our environment and connecting that to public health issues. His wide-ranging experience includes managing multi-million dollar contracts in environmental protection and renewable energy product commercialization, serving as Canada's representative for renewable energy research and development projects under the International Energy Agency, managing Canada's R-2000 Program to build more energy efficient and healthy homes, introducing health promotion as a priority for a major federal department, directing the Canadian Coast Guard's environmental program, and creating an interdepartmental workplace health and wellness network. Jake ran as a Green Party candidate in two federal elections, becoming one of the Party's top ten vote getters, while also serving for two years as its health critic. He co-chaired the national non-profit organization, Prevention Cancer Now, creating and delivering its cancer prevention public presentation. A key focus of Jake’s is to demonstrate how environmentally responsible sustainable development affects our personal health, the health of our community and the planet.
Leah Fusco is a PhD candidate in geography at the University of Toronto. Her current research examines environmental assessment and review processes related to oil development in NL, including community participation and opposition to project proposals. She has a BA in economics/sociology from St. Thomas University and an MA in sociology from Memorial University. She has been researching and working in the area of oil and energy since 2005, when she started looking at the NL oil industry as part of her MA. This work examined how environmental groups have responded to offshore oil development in the province. She has worked as a research assistant on several projects related to oil development in NL and Canada. Before beginning her PhD, she also spent several years working in energy policy for the Government of Nunavut and as a research assistant at the Leslie Harris Center of Regional Policy and Development at Memorial University.
Ole Hendrickson was employed by the Canadian Forest Service as a forest ecologist and by Environment Canada as a biodiversity science advisor prior to his retirement in 2012. While working at the now-closed Petawawa National Forest Institute in Chalk River, Ontario he became involved with nuclear waste clean-up issues at the nearby Chalk River Laboratories, and continues as researcher for the group Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area. He has served on the board of Ottawa Riverkeeper; co-chaired the City of Ottawa’s Urban Forest Citizens Committee; served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biodiversity; written occasional columns for rabble.ca; and is currently president of the Ottawa River Institute, a small non-profit environmental group in the upper Ottawa Valley. His involvement in Sierra Club activities began in graduate school in the U.S. when he worked to oppose nuclear fuel reprocessing and advocated for increased land area in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Ole enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, bicycling, canoeing, camping, birdwatching and cross-country skiing.
Graham May (British Columbia Representative) hails from the coastal B.C. rainforest, where his interest in environmental issues was established during a childhood of cold, wet hikes. He has founded multiple environmental education initiatives, including an eco-pledge program that engaged more than 15,000 international youth, and bike-powered workshop tours across Canada and Turkey, and a circumpolar forum for Arctic education, culture, and policy initiatives. Graham studies law in Victoria. He loves to sing, sail, and swing dance, though usually not all at the same time.
Bianca Salive (Sierra Youth Representative) holds an Environment and Business degree from the University of Waterloo and is currently a law student at the University of Ottawa.She currently sits on the executive council for the school's Women and the Law group, as well as their Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights chapter. Bianca is a dedicated and enthusiastic advocate, with an innate passion for connecting people with the natural environment surrounding them. Outside of her professional and academic life, Bianca enjoys hiking, kayaking, travelling, and spending time with her dogs Stitch and Tug. She is also an avid foodie, who loves experimenting with new and local ingredients. In the future, Bianca is looking to pursue a career in international and environmental law, and continue working to defend the rights of those being displaced by the effects of climate change.
Lauren Scott (Vice President) specializes in communications, with a focus on translating climate initiatives into strong action to deliver on commitments to the building and renewables sectors. Her marketing and communications background is leveraged to promote social and environmental responsibility as an approachable, yet critical part of business operations.
While completing her undergraduate at the John Molson School of Business in Montreal, she founded and implemented the institution's first association for commerce undergrad and MBA students focused on sustainability. Since that time, she established roots in the non-profit sector, having served as campaigner and spokesperson for an international animal welfare organization. She also managed the communications for two of Canada's largest cancer fundraising events.
In 2013, Lauren returned to the private sector, where she was the communications and public relations manager for a market innovator in the building automation and energy management solutions industry. She was then brought on as the Canadian communications advisor for one of the world's leading companies in the wind energy industry, where she was tasked with implementing critical internal and external communications tools. At the end of 2016, Lauren returned to the building automation and energy management sector to lead the brand’s global demand generation strategy, working to transform the performance and livability of the built environment.
David Snider is a strong believer in ecological wisdom, respect for diversity and sustainability. His education, B.Sc. Honours Physical Geography, and LL.B., both from McGill University, has provided him with a broad-based understanding of environmental issues. In 2013, David retired from the Canada Revenue Agency after 30 years of service. While at the Agency, he was the founding chair of the OECD Sub-group on Tax Crimes and Money Laundering from 2003 to 2006. He co-chaired the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Underground Economy Working Group from 2008 to 2013. He also led an OECD Task Group from 2010 to 2012 that surveyed over 30 countries and produced the report: Reducing Opportunities for Tax Non-compliance in the Underground Economy. David is a life member of the Canadian Kennel Club, a lure coursing judge, and a director on the board of Cantley 1889, Cantley’s historical society.
Bo Wang-Frape (Treasurer) is a financial specialist with a wide range of experience encompassing public practice, several corporate organizations, an established not for profit entity, and a large government agency. Bo earned her MBA at Laurentian University, and holds a CPA, CGA designation. Although Bo's primary expertise is in financial management, she has a particular interest in change management, specifically in the area of systems design and implementation through upgrading and streamlining information technology systems. Bo has been actively involved in a variety of volunteer activities over the years, and strongly supports a wide range of social justice and environmental protection causes. In addition to her recent participation with the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, she is currently a board member, and treasurer, for a regional heath support organization.