Tim Patterson

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

Michael's Bio

Michael Wagner is a Registered Professional Forester and Forest Hydrologist with the Government of Alberta - Ministry of Forestry and Parks. He has over 20 years of experience in research hydrology, forestry, and land and watershed management issues. The position he has with the Forestry Division is focused on developing policy and decision support tools related to sustainable forest management and cumulative effects for addressing water and watershed management issues across Alberta’s forested regions.

Alberta Ministry of Forestry, Parks & Tourism

Jeremy's Bio

Jeremy is a professional biologist, soccer coach and awesome Gran Turismo driver who has worked in the Alberta Oil and Natural Gas sector for 20 years.

Professionally, Jeremy has driven amphibious ATVs in the middle of the night looking for toads, jumped out of helicopters to search for rare plants, and had a few too many close calls with bears. Personally, Jeremy is a father of three kids, enjoys computer coding in his spare time and is always training for the next marathon.

Canadian Natural

Bri's Bio

Bri Huot is the dynamic Communications and Engagement Specialist at the Alberta Emerald Foundation, a registered charity that accelerates environmental excellence by recognizing Alberta’s leaders and driving the adoption of best practices through educational storytelling. With a Bachelor of Commerce, Bri specializes in digital marketing, content creation, and public outreach.

In addition to spearheading the AEF’s social media and website management, Bri manages the Foundation’s four programs, including the What On EARTH Can We Do? Podcast. With over eight episodes per season, she engages in impactful conversations with environmental leaders to explore actionable solutions against climate change and environmental challenges.

Alberta Emerald Foundation