Board of directors

Please note these are currently being edited.

Owen Leggatt Stewart (he/him) – President & Yukon and BC Director

Owen Leggatt Stewart is a practicing lawyer who has been involved in constitutional litigation across Canada. Born and raised on the West Coast of Canada, Owen grew up fishing and camping – which fuelled a growing concern for conservation and environmental protection.

This led Owen to volunteer with environmental issues and organizations; something he has now been doing for over a decade. While Owen has deep roots in British Columbia, he has lived in or travelled to almost every province and territory in Canada, instilling a keen interest in local and national issues.

Owen briefly considered a career as an outdoor guide before questionably deciding that an office life would suit him better. Owen remains an avid backcountry camper and can be found gardening, fishing or cooking in his free time.

 

Sydney Beres (she/her) – Vice President and Sierra Youth Director

Sydney Beres is the Vice President and Youth Director of Sierra Club Canada, a passionate environmental activist focused on environmental policy, community organizing, and intersectional approaches to climate justice. Currently, Sydney is studying Law at the University of New Brunswick, where she has had the opportunity to continue to delve into her passions through pro bono research with East Coast Environmental Law and her role as an executive with the Environmental Law Society.

Before returning to school, Sydney worked in advocacy and research for one of Canada’s leading student associations with a particular passion for work on housing policy. Sydney has been part of the Sierra Youth since March of 2023 and is committed to continuing to fight for climate justice.

Shirley Barnea – Quebec Director

Shirley Barnea is an environmental activist from Montréal. Enchanted by nature since preschool, she gives everything she has to protect it, whether that be leading her high school and CEGEP green teams, convincing her parents to switch to an electric car or talking about climate change to everyone, all the time.

She has also written op-eds for The Globe and Mail and The Montreal Gazette. Since 2020, Shirley has been a core organizer with Fridays for Future Montréal (@pourlefuturmtl), leading student strikes and climate protests (25 so far) with as many as 15,000 participants. As spokesperson for the group, she has given dozens of interviews. She is energetic, hardworking, empathetic and optimistic, and hopes to bring her unique perspective to the Sierra Club Canada team!

 

Samuel Eisner (he/him) – Atlantic Director

Samuel has worked and volunteered at environmental charities such as Ecojustice Canada and East Coast Environmental Law as a law student, and will be called to the Nova Scotia Bar as a new lawyer in June 2025.

He wishes to continue to engage and work within the Environmental NGO space and was made aware of this board position by a former coworker and current board member. He has a law degree with a certificate in Environmental Law from Dalhousie University and a bachelor of arts degree, also from Dalhousie University. As a student, he acted in executive roles with multiple student groups, such as the Dalhousie Undergraduate History Society and the Environmental Law Students Society, and served as Treasurer in both groups.

 

Andrea Fugeman-Millar (she/her) – Director (at Large)

Andrea brings a dedication to conservation and the laws that are needed to protect conservation areas. In addition to being a prosecutor, Andrea has over 20 years of experience in serving on national, provincial, and local Boards, and has a clear understanding of the governance model for Boards of Directors.

She has taken many courses on risk management for Boards and is committed to diversity and inclusion on a Board of Directors and in the staff that work for the Sierra Club. Andrea has attended the Banff School for Aboriginal Leadership, and served on the Board for the Indian Friendship Centre of Calgary. She also founded the hot lunch program at Piitoyis School (a specialized urban indigenous School ) as a charity and ran it for eight years.
She plays the cello in her community orchestra and has received her Master Gardener Certification through the Calgary Horticultural Society. She volunteers at a conservation area near her home in Rocky View, Alberta, and teaches children the ”Web of Life” and how conservation sustains the web of life. She believes we all have to be committed to conservation now, and intends to have this as her focus for the rest of her life.

 

Karen McCallum (she/her) – Director (at Large)

Karen has a lot of experience running programs, and is currently working for Indigenous Services at the Federal Government. She can offer research and policy skills as well as practical restoration support to the work of Sierra Club Canada.

Karen’s strengths include writing and communications, data analysis and research, and building multi-stakeholder partnerships. She is excited to work with a group of caring, passionate people who want to leave this world better than they found it!

Karen is a policy analyst, researcher, and community-minded person dedicated to advancing equity, reconciliation, and social justice. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, she brings over a decade of experience working at the intersection of public policy, interdisciplinary research, and community engagement—particularly in collaboration with Indigenous communities and organizations.

Karen currently serves as a Senior Policy Analyst at Indigenous Services Canada, where she leads national economic reconciliation initiatives in partnership with Indigenous governments and organizations. Her work focuses on developing policy frameworks that promote Indigenous economic self-determination. She has also contributed to Indigenous housing and homelessness policy through her previous role at Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Canada.

Karen holds a Ph.D. in Human Rights from the University of London, where her research explored settler responsibilities in Canadian environmental activism post-Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She also holds an M.A. in Gender Studies from McMaster University and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo. Outside of work, Karen is committed to community service and environmental advocacy. She volunteers with Shelter Movers assisting families fleeing abuse, engaging as a member of my local Hamilton Naturalist Club, and is active in her Union, serving on the Elections and Resolutions Committee.

 

Heather McKinnon – Ontario Director

Heather is passionate about the environment and dedicated to ongoing learning and advocacy in environmental sustainability and justice. Her efforts to protect local parkland and urban forests have deepened her understanding of the critical need to preserve green spaces for future generations.

From an early age, Heather’s passion for nature and wildlife was fostered through camping, hiking, canoeing and kayaking in British Columbia and Ontario. These experiences instilled a deep appreciation for the natural world and a commitment to its protection. She is particularly interested in initiatives that combat climate change, habitat destruction and raise awareness about biodiversity loss, promote environmental justice and healthy communities.

Heather works as an Operations Coordinator at a non-profit in Toronto, is currently the co-chair of the JHSC and has previously served on other workplace Joint Health, Safety and Environment committees. With a creative background working in photography and film production, she enjoys exploring and photographing urban spaces and natural places.

 

Andrea Miller (she/her) – Director (at Large)

Andrea is the editor of Lion’s Roar, the leading Buddhist magazine in the English language. Serving as a staff writer, she has written many feature articles, including a profile of Christiana Figueres who was a key architect of the Paris Agreement, and she’s interviewed prominent figures, such as Jane Goodall, Joanna Macy, and Thich Nhat Hanh. Andrea has also written for The Globe and Mail, Saltscapes, BirdWatching, and other publications. She’s the author of My First Book of Canadian Birds (Nimbus Publishing), Awakening My Heart (Pottersfield Press), and The Day the Buddha Woke Up (Wisdom Publications), as well as the editor of three anthologies, including Buddha’s Daughters: Teachings from Women Who Are Shaping Buddhism in the West (Shambhala Publications). Andrea is now finishing a book for Flatiron/Macmillan called This Is a Very Good Strawberry, which is about using Buddhist teachings and practices to have a deeper, more joyful, and ecologically sustainable relationship with food. It will be published in 2026.

 

Matthew Pottruff (he/him) – Director (at Large)

Matthew is a third year ENBUS (Environment and Business) student at the University of Waterloo, a passionate environmentalist dedicated to nature and the natural world and an avid mountain biker, hiker and outdoor enthusiast. Matthew has worked with multiple conservation non-profits in the past and currently, and finds joy in creating a more sustainable ecosystem and getting to meet all the amazing and passionate people along the way. Matthew is also a volunteer with the Bruce Trail along with his family as land stewards and trail captains for multiple properties in the Toronto section.

 

 

Regan Ratt-Misponas (he/him) – Prairie Director

Regan is from the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, having originally lived in Pinehouse Lake, Saskatchewan, for my upbringing. Currently, Regan lives and works in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where he is employed by the Service Employee’s International Union – West (SEIU-West) as a Community Outreach Worker. He also has had the great pleasure of serving on a number of Executive boards including the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan,and the We Matter Campaign.

Regan is working towards his Bachelor of Education at the University of Saskatchewan, where he was involved and served first as President for the Indigenous Students’ Council (now known as the Indigenous Students’ Union), and later on as President for the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union, simultaneously serving as a member of the Board of Governors for the post-secondary institution.

Since becoming a member of the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, Regan has been interested in serving in some capacity. His interest stems from involvement in the Committee for Future Generations, which was a group of concerned residents in Northern Saskatchewan who wanted to see the lands they lived on preserved for the generations to come.

 

Chloe Sterrett (she/her) – Director (at Large)

Chloe Sterrett is a sustainability professional, climate justice activist, and environmental policy analyst working in Toronto, Ontario.

Before working for Ontario’s circular economy regulator (RPRA) as a bilingual Compliance Officer, she graduated from University of Toronto with an Honours B.A. in Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, and Political Science. Chloe has experience serving as a Board Member at Impact Zero Foundation (an environmental non-profit), and is very eager to contribute to Sierra Club Canada Foundation.

Chloe strongly aligns with SCCF’s core values, and is guided in her work from climate justice-affirmative actions, indigenous knowledge, youth perspectives, and appropriate representation. Each of Chloe’s experiences has afforded her newfound learnings, and believes it’s necessary to keep space for contributions and knowledges from others.

 

Nicole Tomasic (she/her) – Director (at Large)

Nicole Tomasic is a lawyer currently practicing Aboriginal law in beautiful Coast Salish territory. She holds specializations in environmental, marine, Aboriginal and Indigenous law and has worked with several environmental non-profits.

Passionate and curious about environmental, social and Indigenous justice, Indigenous sovereignty, decolonization and sustainability, Nicole is humbled by the continuous (re-)learning and self‐reflection that these concepts provoke. She loves being outdoors, whether hiking, camping, swimming, cycling, canoeing or marveling at the ever-changing garden. Nicole can also be found juggling a book and a mug of tea or taking in the rain, the ocean or the trees.

 

Treasurer & Secretary 

Laëtitia Eyssartel (she/her) – Treasurer

Laëtitia has spent the last 14 years working in the nonprofit sector, mostly in operations and leadership roles both in the environmental and food justice sectors. She was Senior Director at a food justice advocacy organization called FoodShare Toronto, providing strategic leadership to various areas of the organization including people operations (HR), finance, social enterprises, IT, volunteers and facility management.

Most recently, she co-founded a consulting business (Evenings & Weekends Consulting) that primarily works with emerging organizations/leaders, activist groups, charities and community groups in advancing equity, justice and social change in the way they do their work both internally and externally. She also acts as the managing director for the organization and handles all finance & HR, in addition to working directly with clients on recruitment (Board & staff roles) and other people operations. She has managed budgets ranging from $1M to $4M, and developed many financial policies and procedures, supported audit processes, and Canada Revenue Agency reporting.

 

Juliet Rennick (she/her) – Secretary

Juliet Rennick is passionate about environmental policies, environmental law and sustainable development. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Government Relations and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Law.

Her passion for sustainable communities and smart cities has seen her work with environmental not for profits in Kenya, Finland and in Canada. Juliet believes in a multi-disciplinary approach to advancing policies that result in sustainable cities and good governance of natural resources. She likes to swim, is enthusiastic about public transport in cities and enjoys quiet walks in nature trails.