Lisa Dryden

Kaleigh's Bio

Kaleigh Watson | Program Manager, Alberta WaterPortal Society 
Round Tables (Friday afternoon)

Kaleigh has a background in marketing and media, including photography, graphic design, web design, and video production. She joined the Alberta WaterPortal in 2021 and has been able to apply her mixed background by doing strategic business development activities, as well as leading the creation of articles, graphics, and videos on water management topics. In her spare time she enjoys reading and enjoying the natural environment by hiking or skiing.

Alberta WaterPortal Society

Erinn's Bio

Erinn Drage | Programme Officer, International Union for Conservation of Nature - World Commission on Protected Areas
Youth Environmental Action Panel (Saturday Morning)

Erinn Drage is an environmentalist, filmmaker, protected areas enthusiast and outdoor adventure guide. In recent years Erinn has worked as an expedition guide in the Arctic and Antarctica, directed, shot, and edited digital media series’ for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and conducted research on nature-based tourism economies in the Denali region of Alaska.

Her first feature-length documentary, In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors, follows the story of the Sahtú Dene and the Canol Trail in the Northwest Territories. She currently works full-time in international conservation policy with Parks Canada and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), while pursuing her other passions by writing and editing film projects on the side. 

World Commission on Protected Areas

Ceilidh's Bio

Ceilidh Welch | MSc Student, University of Alberta
Projects in Action Workshops (Saturday morning)

Ceilidh Welch an MSc student in the University of Alberta School of Public Health, specializing in Environmental Health Sciences. Her research is focused on investigating the reliability of a community-based approach to qPCR monitoring for biological hazards in recreational waters and means of expanding the use DNA-based testing in monitoring programs.

University of Alberta

Kate's Bio

Kate Rich | Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas
Water Futures Panel (Friday 10:30-11:30)

Kate Rich, P.Geo., has led various strategies for the public and private sectors related to energy, climate change, water and land management – all with a focus on sustainable development. She has lived and worked in several cities across Canada and internationally. Her current role is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy in Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and the Stewardship Commissioner in Alberta’s Land Use Secretariat.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas