Board of directors

Sierra Club Canada Foundation is a democratic organization. Board members are elected by our members at our Annual General Meeting.

Ole Hendrickson (President) (he/him) 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.

 

Photo of Shirley Barnea of Sierra Club Canada at a protestShirley Barnea (Quebec Director) is a 19-year-old 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!

 

Emily Heinrich (Treasurer) (she/her) is an accounting and tax professional with over 16 years of progressive experience working in public accounting, serving clients in a multitude of industries. She holds a Canadian CPA designation as well as a U.S. CPA license, and has a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Florida. She is a people leader and has been recognized for her excellence in mentorship and coaching. Emily can trace her roots as an environmental activist back to her childhood in the Florida Keys where she grew up with a self-sustained water system, a composting toilet, and an appreciation for her impact on the environment. She has lived on the west coast since 2006 and enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, kayaking, and biking. She cares deeply about fostering kindness and consideration for each other and the environment and stands up for social justice and environmental protection.

 

Juliet Rennick (Secretary) (she/her) 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.

 

Photo of Chloe SterrettChloe Sterrett (Director at Large) (she/her) 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.

 

Jessica Murray (Ontario Director) (she/her) is Canadian-born Chinese and has lived in Toronto, ON her whole life. She is a mother to twin toddlers and currently lives in Toronto east end with her family. She works in Markham, ON with her father as a real estate sales manager. She is passionate about housing as a fundamental right (for all species!), home affordability, and the intersection it often comes up against in urban planning and building a sustainable city. Prior to her role in sales, she was a yoga teacher, ceramicist, and artist. She went to Queen’s law school where she had intended a career in animal/environmental law, but life had other plans. She is most proud of her tomatoes that thrive even in her shady city lot, and raising her kids to respect, love, and wonder at nature. She is a rock climber, and loves climbing in Beaver Valley among the cedar, cooing rock doves, and soaring turkey vultures. She brings active listening, an openness to learn, and values kindness in relationship with all of creation.

 

Owen Leggatt Stewart (British Columbia Director) (he/him) is an Aboriginal rights lawyer who was born and raised on the West Coast of Canada, where a love of fishing and camping has fuelled a growing concern for protection of the environment. Owen has been involved with environmental issues and organizations for over a decade. He has been a streamkeeper, worked for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and volunteered with the Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation. 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 the diversity of the country.

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.

Photo of Nicole TomasicNicole Tomasic (Director at Large) (she/her) is from Powell River British Columbia in the traditional and present territory of the Tla’amin Nation. She will soon return to the west coast after several years in Halifax Nova Scotia (Mi’kma’ki) to begin a new career as a lawyer. Nicole holds specializations in environmental, Aboriginal, Indigenous and marine law and has worked with several environmental non‐profits. Passionate and curious about environmental and social justice, Indigenous sovereignty, decolonization and sustainability, Nicole is humbled by the continuous learning, re‐learning and self‐reflection that these concepts provoke. She loves being outdoors, whether hiking, camping, swimming, wandering, reading, cycling, canoeing, watching the garden grow or taking in the rain, the ocean or the trees.

 

Autumn Trainor (Sierra Youth Director) (they/them) is a mental wellbeing and climate justice advocate, researcher, and activist from Mi’kma’ki and residing in Tiohtià:ke. They have been active in the climate and social justice movements for over a decade. Autumn has taken the knowledge they have gained from their studies and activism, and are working to raise awareness of the effects of the climate crisis on mental wellbeing. They hope to help foster a better understanding and expression of our emotions and enable a healthy progression to regenerative cultures through art-making and care.

 

Brynna Kagawa-Visentin (Director At Large) (she/her) is an interdisciplinary environmental justice researcher, with experience as a coordinator and manager in climate and fashion justice, and conservation non-profits. She is passionate about investigating different core perspectives and concepts from the arts, humanities and social sciences to better design solutions that address the root causes of current challenges to just and sustainable futures. She holds a HBSc in Kinesiology at McMaster University, a BSc in Environmental Practice with distinction at Royal Roads University, and will be pursuing a MSc in Environment, Culture and Society at the University of Edinburgh in the Fall 2022. She has served as Chairman of the Board of the Sierra Youth Executive Committee (Sierra Youth Podcast) for the past two years and is committed to helping young people build the skills, knowledge and tools necessary to meaningfully engage in and catalyze environmental and social change.

 

Bo Simango (Director At large) (he/him) is the CEO and co-founder of Aquafort, a startup developing a predictive data analytics platform for the finfish aquaculture industry. He entered the world of land-based aquaculture, to explore solutions related to fish health & welfare management issues that threaten global food security, ecosystem health and sustainable fish production. Having cofounded two previous ventures including a multi-award winning startup, he is deeply passionate about value-generating emerging technologies, the environment, and technological contributions to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He has won a number of environment-related national and international awards and was recently made a finalist of the 2021 Clean50 Emerging Leaders award, an award recognizing Canada’s top 50 clean tech leaders. Having initially worked in extractive industries and informed by those experiences, he is deeply passionate about eco-conservation and vitality. Bo possesses multi-cultural fluency and holds a B. Engineering and MSc.

 

Barry Stemshorn (Director at Large) (he/ him) Barry’s interests span environmental, animal, and human health. He served as Assistant Deputy Minister for the Environmental Protection Service of Environment Canada (2000-2006) following executive positions with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Privy Council Office.

He led development of a network of veterinary laboratories in Latin America and the Caribbean Animal and Plant Health Information Network. He has been a consultant for the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Pan American Health Organization, the World Bank and Canada’s Auditor General. In 2011 he served as Co-Chair for a study on mercury pollution for the People’s Republic of China

Barry has been a Board member for the Ottawa Riverkeeper, Veterinarians without Borders, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the Pembina Institute, and is a volunteer land steward for the Nature Conservancy of Canada to which he and Charlotte Rigby donated the Litchfield Lake Wetlands Reserve.

He enjoys cross-country and telemark skiing and cycling. His photos of The Fishing Bears of Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest and other wildlife can be viewed at his website.

Barry was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee (2002) and Diamond Jubilee (2012) Medals for his contributions to Canada.

FAQ

Below is a video of our 2022 Annual General Meeting.