Staff and Board of Directors

Jennifer Lash, Executive Director,
is the founder and Executive Director of Living Oceans Society. Her background is in Public Policy and Administration and she has worked on ocean conservation issues in British Columbia for many years. A life long love of the ocean led Jennifer to Australia where she worked on a prawn trawler. The destruction she witnessed during this experience changed her life completely, and inspired her to work for the sustainable health of B.C.'s ocean and the communities that depend on it.

Jennifer is coordinator of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform and a founding member of the Oil Free Coast Alliance. She also serves on the Board of the Canadian Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In 2002, the Tides Foundation presented Jennifer with the Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Excellence in Public Advocacy. She lives in Sointula with her children Molly and Dexter.

Executive Office

Lori Anderson, Office Administrator,
has lived on the West Coast from California to British Columbia for 40 plus years. Some of that time was spent traveling with all her worldly possessions in a kayak and living off the land in the Broughton Archipelago between the Burdwoods and Eden Island. After her first child was born she moved out of the kayak and on to a float house near Echo Bay. Residing now in Sointula for the past 22 years, she has been a volunteer for various organizations and is active in Sointula’s music community. Lori keeps the office humming, and manages our financial records.

Stephanie Eakle, Grants Administrator,
is a long time resident of Sointula and has worked as musician,performing arts administrator, salmon fisherman, and tree planter. She has also worked for the regional government and for arts and environmental non-profit organizations in a variety of capacities. At Living Oceans Society, Stephanie prepares and administers grant proposals and assists with development of campaign strategies. She has a degree in music education and literally keeps the office humming.Stephanie also leads the community choir, sings, plays the bass and teaches piano to many people on the island.

Geoff Gilliard, Communications Manager,
graduated with a degree in Communications from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. As well as handling communications for Environment Canada and Project Seahorse at UBC, Geoff was a consultant for several years specializing in issues surrounding sustainability. He lives in Vancouver with his wife and two daughters and still finds time to play drums, ride his bike and enjoy the beach.
Mary Lindsay, Managing Director,
joined the Living Oceans team in August 2007. Raised on the B.C. coast, she spent many happy hours of her youth searching for the most bio-diverse tidal pool on the Sunshine Coast and the Gulf Islands.

Her long standing commitment to sustainable community and international development led her to live and work in several different countries around the Pacific Rim. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Geography from the University of British Columbia. An accomplished manager, who has dedicated much of her career to capacity building with non-profit organizations, Mary remains inspired by Margaret Meade:

“Never doubt that a group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

When not hard at work changing the world, Mary continues to enjoy exploring inter-tidal life, running, tennis and field hockey on the B.C. coast with her family and friends.
Dorie Pesicka, Donor Relations Coordinator and Executive Assistant,
has lived on Vancouver Island most of her life. She grew up in a remote area called Jennis Bay. Her family has been a part of the Sointula fishing community for over 15 years.

Dorie has a Diploma in Business Administration and is currently working towards a Degree in Commerce through distance education. She became a resident of Sointula in May 2007, when she and her partner purchased some property there. Dorie loves living by the ocean and breathing the fresh air of Sointula.

Campaign and Outreach Coordinators

Catherine Stewart, Salmon Farming Campaign Manager,
has been an activist for many years. From her involvement in the peace movement to her work to stop bottom trawling in British Columbia, she brings to Living Oceans Society a keen sense of campaign design and implementation. Catherine worked with Greenpeace for seventeen years, holding the positions of Regional Director and oceans and forests campaigner. She has worked on a wide range of issues including aquaculture, pulp mill pollution, and habitat destruction.For the last six years she focused on forest issues and is a founding director of the Rainforest Solutions Project. Catherine loves to spend her rare free minutes hiking, reading, camping and painting.

Shauna MacKinnon, Markets Campaigner,
is happy to be back in B.C. after spending the last two years completing her Masters in Geography at the University of Guelph. Before earning her Masters, she worked on salmon farming issues for a New York City foundation, which later led to work developing funding strategies for small B.C. NGOs. Other life experiences along the way included internships in Indonesia and New Zealand. Her research and work interests have focused on the economic development opportunities that are being created through more local and organic food systems. In her current position Shauna works with retailers and the public to bring attention to how our food choices really can make a difference. The rest of the time, she can be found outside; playing in the dirt in her garden and enjoying B.C's mountains.
Will Soltau, Salmon Farm Campaign Local Coordinator,
lives in Sointula, B.C. and is actively involved in local wild salmon enhancement projects around northern Vancouver Island. Will worked as a commercial fisherman for more than 30 years all over the coast of B.C.and Southeast Alaska.

Will has been involved in local politics and many government-led processes on salmon farming and fishing, and has represented commercial trollers at various fisheries management tables.

Lara Renehan, Local Marine Planner,
can be found at northern Vancouver Island community events, docks, and beaches listening to what people in coastal communities have to say about the issues affecting their lives, as she helps to build a sustainable vision for the place she calls home.

Lara has worked as the manager at the Whale Interpretive Centre in Telegraph Cove and coordinator of the Community Mapping Project with the University of Victoria, where she received her B.Sc. in Geography.Lara spent six months with an NGO in Uganda assessing an environmental awareness training program that facilitated the reduction of fossil fuel and pesticide use. Her hobbies include playing the piano, feeding her coffee addiction by roasting her own coffee, and going to the beach with her daughter who loves looking for crabs.

Karin Bodtker, Marine Analyst,
is the nerd behind LOS’s mapping and analysis work. She enjoys the challenges of ecological modeling and analysis work and is passionate about the conservation of our natural resources. Karin holds a Masters Degree in Resource and Environmental Management, a Diploma in Engineering and a Liberal Arts degree. Some of her previous modeling projects include work on marine habitat, the effects of climate change on species at risk, and fisheries stock assessments.

From time to time, fear of stagnation has led Karin to travel throughout Africa and from Southeast Asia overland to Northern Europe.Although Vancouver is her long-time home, Karin escapes into the outdoors whenever possible to camp, hike or ski with her son and husband.

Carrie Robb, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist,
supports LOS campaigns by creating maps and analyzing data from coastal ecosystems. Born and raised in Vancouver, Carrie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in animal biology from the University of British Columbia and an Advanced Diploma (honours) in GIS from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. In between contracts with both non-profit and governmental organizations, Carrie has managed to sneak off to travel through Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe. Her most recent stop was Stockholm, Sweden, where she spent a year working with Swedish natural history museums and herbaria as a part of a global effort to make biodiversity information freely available over the Internet.
John Driscoll, Sustainable Fisheries Campaign Manager,
came to the Sointula office from Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he earned his Master's degree at Dalhousie University. He's been a fisheries observer in Alaska and Maine, a teacher at a school for at-risk youth, and, for shorter periods, a biologist, a construction worker, and a salmon fisherman. A desire to understand why we humans do things in an unsustainable manner, and what can be done to change this, has driven John throughout his various work and academic experiences.  

When not working, John loves hiking, general outdoors wandering, guitar, playing basketball and ultimate, eating great food, philosophizing about anything at hand, home-brewing beer and wine, and telling stories. 
Kim Wright, Marine Planning and Protected Areas Campaign Manager,
has worked as a facilitator of multi-stakeholder consultations for a number of environmental and land use planning initiatives in B.C. She holds a BSc in Biology from Simon Fraser University and an MA in Environmental Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads. Since 2003 Kim has worked with Dovetail Consulting and Round River Canada coordinating and managing a number of environmental projects. Prior to that, she worked with the David Suzuki Foundation on their Marine and Salmon Forests campaigns. Originally from Prince Rupert and a lifelong West Coaster, Kim's passion is marine conservation. She has had extensive experience with B.C. First Nations government, scientists, industry and community organizations.
Tavi Parusel, Videographer,
is passionate about creating films that inspire, motivate and move people. Since a young age Tavi has had strong interest in film which led him to become an actor for many years. But he was keen on telling real life stories. This interest led him to a degree in the Capilano University Documentary Program.

Tavi is also very passionate about music. He began playing the piano at the age of eight. By the time he was 10 he had composed a full musical piece. Tavi also enjoys activities such as sailing, surfing, rock climbing, soccer and hiking.
Katie Terhune, Energy and Climate Change Campaigner,
is a Vancouver Island local and West Coaster through and through. She has spent much of her life in, on, or just nearby the ocean. Katie holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Geography and a minor in Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria. She has spent much of her time working in the field on various projects including: wetland conservation, plant and wildlife surveys, fish habitat restoration, geological mapping, and as a Park Ranger.

Katie’s passion of ocean ecosystems, and her drive to change the way people think and feel about environmental conservation, has led her to LOS. When not working, Katie can be found traveling the world or hiking, camping, or simply playing in B.C.’s great outdoors.

Board of Directors

Karen Wristen
Executive Director, Society Promoting Environmental Conservation
Director, Living Oceans Society
Karen has been an environmental lawyer for over 15 years. She has worked on issues such as fish farms, pesticide use, sewage dumping, mining issues, and First Nations rights. Karen has a broad understanding of the conservation issues facing our marine environment and her understanding of how to use the law to protect our environment is an asset to the Living Oceans Society.

Jody Holmes, Ph.D.
Sierra Club of BC
Director, Living Oceans Society
Dr. Jody Holmes has a doctorate in botany from the University of British Columbia and worked for BC Wild from 1995-1998. Dr. Holmes has a long-standing interest in conservation biology and ecology as well as having strong management and organizational skills. In the past Dr. Holmes sat on the executive committee of the Canadian Rainforest Network, the BC Grasslands Conservation Council, the BC Endangered Species Coalition, the Hollyhock Leadership Initiative and the Leadership Initiative for Earth. Dr. Holmes currently lives in Smithers BC.

Astrid Scholz, Ph.D.
Vice President, Knowledge Systems, Ecotrust
Director, Living Oceans Society
Astrid Scholz is Vice President for Knowledge Systems at Ecotrust, a Portland, Oregon, based conservation organization committed to building a future that strengthens communities and the environment from Alaska to California--the lands and waters of Salmon Nation. Responsible for managing Ecotrust's analytical, technical and cartographic capacities, she oversees a staff of 12 and a variety of projects that link the social, economic and ecological systems of the bioregion. Astrid is an affiliate faculty member of Oregon State University's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, and is the co-editor of a book on integrated marine geographic information systems, Place Matters, published by OSU Press in spring 2005. She serves on the boards of the Pacific Marine Conservation Council, Habitat Media and Living Oceans Society, and is a member of the Science Advisory Team to the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative in California. She received her M.A. in Economics and Philosophy from the University of St. Andrews, her M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Bristol, and her Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.

Tundi Spring Agardy, Ph.D.
Director, Living Oceans Society
Tundi Agardy feels fortunate to have had extensive field and policy experience in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, North America and the Pacific. She specializes in coastal planning and assessment, marine protected areas, fisheries management, and ocean zoning, and has published widely in these fields. Tundi founded Sound Seas in 2001 as an independent group working at the nexus of policy and science to promote marine conservation. At Forest Trends, she heads up the MARES initiative – a program looking to protect Marine Ecosystem Services through payments for ecosystem services markets. She is also Science and Policy Director for the World Ocean Observatory, and is Editor of MEAM, the quarterly newsletter on Marine Ecosystems and Management published by the University of Washington.

Advisor

Dr. Elliott Norse, President, Marine Conservation Biology Institute
Founding Member and Advisor, Living Oceans Society
Dr. Norse developed the concept of biological diversity in 1980 and is he president and founder of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute. After receiving his Ph.D. in Marine Ecology at the University of Southern California (1975) and his Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Iowa (1978), he spent 12 years in Washington DC as Marine Biologist with the US Environmental Protection Agency, Staff Ecologist of the Presidents Council on Environmental Quality, Public Policy Director of the Ecological Society of America, Senior Ecologist of the Wilderness Society and Chief Scientist of the Center for Marine Conservation, before founding MCBI in 1996. His 90+ publications include three influential books: Conserving Biological Diversity in Our National Forest (1986), Ancient Forests of the Pacific Northwest (1990) and Global Marine Biological Diversity: A Strategy for Building Conservation into Decision Making (199). He was given an Evergreen Award in 1996 and a Pew Fellows Award in Conservation and Environment in 1997.