Stephanie Leonard

James's Bio

James Agate has 25 years of environmental management experience, both in consulting and industry. He graduated from the University of Calgary, majoring in geography, and has been with Canadian Natural Resources Limited since 2002. James has held several roles in the environmental and reclamation space, engaging with internal and external stakeholders to improve reclamation practices and accelerate the pace of site closure.

In addition, James represents Canadian Natural at the COSIA Land Steering Committee collaborating with peers and academics on innovations to address oil sands reclamation priorities.

Canadian Natural

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

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

Colin's Bio

Colin Angus is a leading adventurer, filmmaker and bestselling author of Amazon Extreme, Lost in Mongolia, Beyond the Horizon and Rowed Trip.

He was awarded National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year award for being the first to circle the world exclusively by human power, was listed by Outside Magazine as one of the world’s top 25 bold visionaries and is a Canadian Geographic Fellow.

Colin’s human-powered circumnavigation of the world included travelling 43,000 km in 720 days, rowing across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, trekking and cycling through 16 countries, enduring winter in Siberia and searing heat in the tropics. He is also the first to raft the world’s fifth longest river, the Yenisey, and is one of a handful of teams to successfully raft the Amazon river from source to sea.  Colin’s spent years offshore sailing and has rowed thousands of kilometers in waterways around the world.

Colin is also an award-winning filmmaker whose films have aired around the world on National Geographic television and in film festivals. Some of his awards include Best Adventure Film at Taos Mountain Film Festival for Beyond the Horizon and Best Adventure Film at the Telluride Mountain Film festival for The Yenisey River Expedition.

Angus Adventures