Hazel Breton is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario with over 40 years of working experience in the Integrated Water Resources field developing policies, guidelines and practices. Hazel has spent 4 years working in the private sector and 36 years working in the Ontario public sector in the environmental and municipal fields. Currently, she is the Manager of Stormwater Management Infrastructure at the City of Toronto and is responsible for the design and construction of stormwater infrastructure, including stream rehabilitation and green infrastructure.

Vernon Brown is a senior water resources engineer and technical lead with over 22 years of experience in the conceptual, preliminary and detailed design of drainage infrastructure and stormwater management works for both private and public sectors. He is a subject matter expert (SME) and has worked on several large-scale projects connecting local regulatory agencies, municipalities and other governmental agencies for the implementation of stormwater management works. His range of expertise includes floodplain hydraulics, surface drainage and storm sewer capacity analyses, flood risk management and stormwater management design using low impact design (LID), green infrastructure (GI) and conventional best management practices (BMPs).

Camilo Ordóñez Barona’s work relates to the social and ecological aspects of urban nature and how people and urban nature influence each other. Camilo helps cities become more resilient through the management of urban nature. He does research on the social and ecological effects of urban nature loss, urban forest ecology and management, community views of urban forests and green infrastructure, climate change adaptation and urban forests, urban development and urban trees, urban forest governance, and engineered technologies to grow better urban trees. Originally from Cali, Colombia, Camilo works and has worked in Canada, Australia, and Latin America.

Andrew Potts has 22 years of experience in green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), stormwater management, water resources, and sustainable site design applications. He focuses on GSI system design and implementation, green streets, innovative stormwater management, LEED, hydrologic analyses/modeling, plan reviews, stormwater manuals, and watershed studies. Andy was a technical co-author for the Michigan Low Impact Development Manual, the Pennsylvania Stormwater Manual, and for chapters in the WEF Green Infrastructure Implementation manual and the ASCE book Permeable Pavements. He has an M.S.C.E. from the University of Virginia, is a professional engineer in several U.S. states, and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Dr. Shira Joudan is an environmental chemist who has been studying the environmental reactions and transport of PFAS for eight years. Her research interests focus on how environmental reactions alter the environmental fate of organic contaminants, and how they ultimately impact what potentially toxic chemicals humans and ecosystems are exposed to. Shira holds a PhD from the University of Toronto and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at York University. She is also an active member of the SETAC community. Starting in January 2023, Shira will be working as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Krista Barfoot is recognized as a contaminated sites specialist with 25 years of industry experience. Her expertise spans from the technical elements of project delivery to program management, risk management, policy development and stakeholder communication. As Stantec’s emerging contaminants program lead, Krista is experienced in investigative and analytical approaches, risk assessment considerations and remediation techniques for PFAS. Her PFAS project experience includes brownfield sites, aqueous film-forming form (AFFF) release sites and landfills. Krista has an established industry presence via engagement in numerous industry and regulator associations, including the Ontario Environmental Industry Association (ONEIA), Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN) and the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC). She currently serves as the chair ONEIA’s PFAS Committee, vice president of CBN and member of ITRC’s PFAS Regs, Tox, and Risk Sub-group and Training Sub-group.

Dr. Robert Letcher is a senior research scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). He is also an adjunct professor in the Departments of Biology and Chemistry at Carleton University and a fellow (Academy of Science) of the Royal Society of Canada. Since 2005, Robert has published more than 65 research papers and reviews on topics related to PFAS, including analytical methods, identification, bioaccumulation, fate and spatiotemporal trends in the context of various wildlife species and their ecosystems. Robert’s innovative research has influenced the risk assessment and management of chemicals (including PFAS) in Canada and around the world. In 2014 and 2015, he was recognized in Thomson-Reuters’ list of the top one per cent most cited scientists globally in the field of Environment/Ecology.

Pedro Gochicoa is a territory manager for Xylem Inc. Pedro’s focus is on providing technical support to water and wastewater utilities, consulting engineers and businesses in applying advanced water treatment and reuse applications. This includes promoting and supporting UV and ozone opportunities in the western United States. Pedro has over 12 years of interdisciplinary experience in the water industry, ranging from construction management to environmental consulting and sales of water treatment technology. He holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University.

Saif Molla is a chemical engineer with a Master of Science in environmental engineering. He has over 15 years of experience in the One Water industry working in both municipal and industrial sectors. He started his career in research and development with EPCOR and currently leads the long-term planning and related stakeholder engagement functions for the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment facility in Edmonton.

Kim Alcorn has been with EPCOR for over six years as a process safety engineer at the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant. Before joining EPCOR, Kim worked in the anaerobic digestion technology and process safety consulting industries, which prepared her for her current role. She received her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Alberta and has her professional engineering designation with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.

Leslee White-Eye is the former Chief of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and the Nation’s first elected woman chief. She is Anishinaabe Ojibwe from the Great Lakes region and works as the Structural Readiness Coordinator for eight First Nations in Ontario seeking jurisdiction over education. During her term as Chief, Leslee brought local, regional and national attention to the environment, the importance of water and how these important issues go hand-in-hand with First Nation treaties and Aboriginal rights and titles.

Brandon Graham is originally from London, Ontario and can trace his ancestry back to early European settlers in the Longwoods region. He attended Western University and the University of Toronto and holds degrees in philosophy and theology. Brandon is currently working as the Treaty Research Coordinator at Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, where he is investigating the Nation’s Treaty history.

Nick Nesbitt completed an undergraduate degree in political science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2018, he travelled to the United Kingdom to study at Durham University, where he completed a Master of Sustainability, Culture, and Development. He is currently completing a Master of Law (International Law and Governance) and interning for the Earth Law Center, which is focused on advancing the rights of nature in Canada.

Deborah Carlson is a staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law for the Green Communities Program. She works with communities in British Columbia to develop legal frameworks that support low-impact urban areas with healthy connections to nature. At West Coast she has focused on climate change challenges and how communities can adapt and thrive with ecosystem-based responses. This work has developed into supporting new approaches to policy and management at landscape scales in urban regions that include respect for Indigenous laws and authority and constitutionally protected title and rights. Deborah holds civil and common law degrees from McGill University and was called to the B.C. Bar in 1997.

Joanne Nelson is a Ts’msyen woman who grew up in northwestern British Columbia in the communities of Port Edward and Prince Rupert, where she gained a tremendous appreciation for nature and the ocean environment. She is from Lax Kw’alaams on her mother’s side and Kitsumkalum on her father’s side. Her passions include traditional Ts’msyen art forms, as well as the paddle sports of dragon boat and outrigger canoe. Joanne is a third year PhD student at the University of British Columbia with Dr. Leila Harris and Dr. Glen Coulthard, where she is conducting meaningful research with First Nations communities that favour Indigenous ways of knowing and traditional knowledge. Joanne has been an uninvited guest on the unceded land of the Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwu7mesh, and Tsleil-Waututh people on and off for over 30 years.

Peter Duinker is a Professor in the School for Resource and Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Management, and President and Co-Principal in the consulting firm Sylveritas Ltd. He teaches and researches a wide range of topics and is one of Canada’s leading scholars and practitioners on the topic of sustainable forest management. He held Lakehead University’s Chair in Forest Management and Policy from 1988 to 1998, served as Research Area Leader for the Sustainable Forest Management Network of Centres of Excellence from 2000 to 2009, and was member and chair of the CSA Sustainable Forest Management Technical Committee from 2000 to 2015. Peter has worked closely with governments, companies, and NGOs across Canada on issues related to sustainable forest management and policy.

Allie Dusome is the Communications Officer at the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute, and is responsible for strategic communications planning, knowledge dissemination and outreach to the key audiences that the Water Institute seeks to influence. Allie supports communication efforts for research projects at Waterloo, including Global Water Futures and the forWater Network, as well as the University of Waterloo’s Collaborative Water Program. Allie has multiple years of experience working with University of Waterloo professors and graduate students, helping to transfer and share knowledge about their research in an impactful way.

Dani Lindamood is the Knowledge Mobilization Manager at forWater Network, working to maximize research impacts and support network partners. She has engaged in sustainability-related work around the world, and holds a Masters of Environmental Management from the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development at the University of Waterloo. Her other credentials include a certificate in collaborative water resource management, experience working with academic and social enterprises in the water sector, facilitation training and a science communications background. Dani is passionate about the water sector is the co-founder of “Girls Gone Water,” a platform that helps people cultivate a connection to the natural world using water and storytelling.

Rachel Arsenault is completing a master’s degree in Indigenous Relations at Laurentian University in Sudbury. She is fish clan from the Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation on Manitoulin Island (Mnidoo Mnising). Rachel also works as a research assistant for the Community-Based Research and Indigenous Research Methods working groups of the Decolonizing Water Partnership Project, and is a Policy Analyst for the Chiefs of Ontario. For her thesis, she is studying water insecurity in First Nations and the impacts on communities across the province. She recently collaborated with four colleagues on an article discussing the First Nation water crisis and potential best practices for working with Indigenous peoples, which was published online in the MDPI Water Journal: mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/1/49

Deborah McGregor joined York University’s Osgoode Hall law faculty in 2015 as a cross-appointee with the Faculty of Environmental Studies. Her research has focused on Indigenous knowledge systems and their various applications in diverse contexts, including water and environmental governance, environmental justice and sustainable development. Professor McGregor’s research has been published in a variety of national and international journals and she has delivered numerous public and academic presentations relating to Indigenous knowledge systems, governance and sustainability. She remains actively involved in a variety of Indigenous communities, serving as an advisor and engaging in community-based research. She recently launched a website on Indigenous environmental justice: iejproject.info.yorku.ca.

Nicole J. Wilson is a scholar of settler origin whose work examines Indigenous peoples’ relationships to water and water governance in the context of settler-colonialism and environmental change. She is committed to conducting Community-Based Research and has done so in partnership with a number of Indigenous governments and organizations in Alaska and Yukon. She is a post-doctoral fellow at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. She is currently collaborating with Carcross/Tagish First Nation to develop strategies to implement their land claim and self-government agreements in a way that fulfills their sacred responsibility to respect and protect the waters within their traditional territory. Nicole holds an MS in Natural Resources from Cornell University and a PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Studies from UBC.

Marina Steffensen is a Policy Analyst with Environment and Climate Change Canada. She is also a representative on CWN’s Student and Young Professional Committee. Marina recently finished a master’s degree in resource management and is passionate about bridging the gap between science and solutions.

Oliver Dumville is also a Policy Analyst with Environment and Climate Change Canada, and was a representative of CWN’s Student and Young Professional Committee from 2015 to 2017. He holds a degree in Ecology, a graduate diploma in integrated coastal and ocean management and a master’s degree in public administration.

Anna Scheili possède plus de dix ans d’expérience professionnelle et académique en sciences de l’eau. Elle a terminé un doctorat à l’Université Laval portant sur la variabilité spatiotemporelle de la qualité de l’eau potable dans les petits réseaux. Aujourd’hui, Anna met à profit ses connaissances et sa grande expérience dans la réalisation de ses mandats à titre d’experte-conseil au sein de WaterShed Monitoring. Son travail consiste en l’élaboration des solutions innovatrices pour répondre à des besoins de stockage et d’analyse des données sur la qualité de l’eau, tout en optimisant l’acquisition de connaissances dans les domaines de gestion de l’eau, d’aménagement urbain et de recherche scientifique.

Camille Leung is the manager of safety, process and compliance at the Ontario Clean Water Agency. She holds a bachelor’s degree in process engineering with a minor in bioengineering, and a master’s degree in environmental science and engineering. She has worked in food, quality assurance and control, research and asset management, but her true calling is water and wastewater.

Camille is passionate about youth education. She has facilitated workshops for Engineers Without Borders’ Water for the World program. She also promotes the “I don’t flush” campaign at local events and is on the Grey Bruce Children’s Water Education Council. Camille is currently an ambassador for OneWater and is designing a water and wastewater mobile education centre.

Dawn Smith joined the Town of Okotoks as the Environment and Sustainability Coordinator in the fall of 2008. Her responsibilities include developing, monitoring and reporting sustainable initiatives, both within the corporation and throughout the entire community. Her work includes short and long-range planning for community development, infrastructure, energy management, water management, waste management, sustainable procurement and climate change adaptation.

Scott Jasechko is an assistant professor of water resources at the University of Calgary. He completed his master’s at the University of Waterloo and his doctorate at the University of New Mexico before joining the University of Calgary in January of 2015. Scott’s research pieces together big diverse datasets to try to better understand how water moves around planet Earth.

Émilie Lagacé holds a BSc in Environmental Sciences from McGill University and an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from the University of Oxford. Her paper on the WFD was awarded the Area Prize by the British Geographical Society. In 2009, she won a Water Policy Fellowship from the Gordon Foundation to study what Canada can learn from the European Union on collaborating for water management. Émilie conducted this research while living and working in the UK. Her findings were published in a briefing note of the Forum for Leadership on Water, in the Hill Times and in Water Canada Magazine.

Émilie’s professional experience spans the federal public service, the private sector overseas and environmental non-profits for whom she designed and facilitated innovation labs. She currently works at Environment and Climate Change Canada on environmental assessment policy.

Guillermo Cuevas joined ECO Canada in 2013 as a Research Specialist. His primary responsibility is to augment the knowledge that ECO Canada has regarding the environmental labour market, including numbers of environmental workers, the types of activities they engage in, and what challenges they face.

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Pablo Pina is a hydrologist with Integrated Environments. He holds an MSc in watershed management and environmental biology, and a PhD in water and land resources. His professional journey across diverse and fascinating environments showed him the intimate link between culture and nature, and sparked a passion for sustainability.

Pablo’s technical expertise is in the design and analysis of water monitoring programs for industry, government and nonprofits. He’s led and collaborated in cross-sectoral projects related to environmental planning and management in both Canada and abroad. Pablo is interested in understanding the critical drivers that contribute to resilience, including innovation, teamwork, leadership, engagement and communication.

Dana McDonald is a Project Manager with Evergreen where she leads stewardship and restoration initiatives. She comes from an earth science background, with additional training in stream restoration design and a certificate in watershed management from the University of British Columbia. Dana has worked on watershed restoration and management projects in Alberta and British Columbia. Previously, she was also a hub manager with Waterlution.

Amy Greenwood has been a member of the Fraser Basin Council’s Watersheds and Water Resources team since 2006. As Assistant Manager, she leads sustainability initiatives, including watershed health assessments, indicator reporting and the Salmon-Safe Communities initiative. Amy also works with stakeholders and urban planning professionals throughout Metro Vancouver to implement green stormwater infrastructure. She holds a master’s degree in environmental science and a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

Tessa Terbasket is a member of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band of the Okanagan Nation, located in the southern interior of British Columbia. She works as the Fisheries Harvest Coordinator at Okanagan Nation Alliance, and as a Youth Reconciliation Leader with Canadian Roots. Tessa is also Coordinator of Waterlution’s Aboriginal Youth Water Leaders program.

Tania DeSa helps professionals to ‘kick up their communication style’ to add value and achieve results. She holds an MBA from ESADE Business School in Spain and an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada.

J. Carl Ganter is co-founder and director of Circle of Blue. He is an award-winning photojournalist, reporter and broadcaster whose work has appeared in most major magazines, newspapers, and television and radio networks. Carl received the Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Award 2012. He is the Vice-Chairman of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Water Security, and is on the advisory board of the US Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories and the University of Alberta Water Initiative.

Michael E. Campana is a Professor of Hydrogeology and Water Resources Management in the Geography Program of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) at Oregon State University and an Emeritus Professor of Hydrogeology at the University of New Mexico. He engages with students and the scientific community through LinkedIn, Twitter, and his blog WaterWired.

Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux
Vice Provost of Aboriginal Initiatives at Lakehead University

Gemma Boag
Policy Advisor at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Hanneke Van Lavieren
Coastal Ecosystems Programme Officer at UNU-INWEH

Karen Kun
Director and Co-Founder of Waterlution