Bri Huot

Colin's Bio

Colin Harris has been immersed in the field of outdoor learning for nearly 15 years. He has been the Director of Outdoor Education at an Ontario-based centre, has instructed canoe trips for Outward Bound Canada and has worked with Indigenous students in the Northwest Territories.

He has been a classroom teacher, has completed a Master’s of Environmental Education and Communication through Royal Roads University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Education Research through the University of Calgary. He is the founder and Executive Director of Take Me Outside and initiated the organization by running across Canada, going into 80 schools across the country and engaging 20,000 students in the conversation of their time spent in front of screens compared to their time spent outside.

Take Me Outside

Louis's Bio

As a Forest Health and Air Attack Officer in the Calgary Forest Area for Alberta Forestry and Parks, Louis Price originally hails from Newfoundland. Louis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from the University of New Brunswick and went on to spent six years in various forestry roles with Alberta Parks in Cypress Hills.

After obtaining a Master of Environmental Management degree from UNB in 2010, Louis contributed to creating forest management plans with a consulting firm in Edmonton. In 2012, he returned to the Government of Alberta, starting as a Wildfire Ranger and eventually becoming a certified Wildfire Air Attack Officer out of Slave Lake.

Alberta Forestry and Parks

Michael's Bio

Michael leads a team that enables Cenovus’ upstream and downstream hydrocarbon business in Western Canada with up-front project approvals as well as after approval environmental monitoring and special issue support. Michael has an MSc. in Agroforestry (1999) as well as a BSc. in Forestry (1992) and is a Registered Professional Forester in Alberta.

Michael has 30 years of experience spanning the forest industry, applied science and consulting, as well as the energy industry in BC and Alberta. Michael pioneered the first forest habitat restoration trials in oilsands and led the establishment of the Cenovus Caribou Habitat Restoration Project, which is believed to be the largest and most comprehensive project of its kind in the world. Michael is a co-author on ~ 8 restoration-related publications, which support evidence-based continual improvement of restoration outcomes for carbon and caribou in the boreal.

Cenovus Energy

Jessica's Bio

Jess is passionate about creating connections between people and forests. A graduate from University of Toronto’s Master of Forest Conservation program, Jessica (Jess) Kaknevicius has spent over 15 years in the non-profit sector including nearly nine years with Forests Ontario in a range of management and director roles between 2009 and 2018, focusing on growing education and awareness programming, fundraising, and supporting strategic development for the organization.

She also acted as the Vice-President of Education for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), where she played a critical senior leadership role overseeing philanthropic efforts and government agreements, governance, and supporting strategic planning and communications. She is a well-known advocate for the forest sector and co-founded Women in Wood, a networking group for women in the forest and wood-related sectors to share advice, information, and encouragement.

Forests Ontario

Women in Wood