Board of directors
Chair: Hugh Notman Ph.D., Professor of Biological Anthropology
Vice-Chair: Paul McKendrick, Author and local business owner
Treasurer: Chris Joy, ENMAX Energy Corporation
Secretary: Jessica Klaric, Executive Director, Homelessness Society of the Bow Valley
Ted Christensen, Councillor, Town of Banff
Lisa Rosvold, Reeve, Municipal District of Bighorn
Wade Graham, Councillor, Town of Canmore
Carine Salvy, Executive Director, Alpine Club of Canada
Justin Fisch, lawyer and guide
Audrey Pring, legal assistant and community organizer
John Paczkowski, Biologist
Biosphere Institute staff on the banks of the Bow River. L to R: Trevor Anderson, Nick de Ruyter, Heidi Widmer, Jackie Kinney, Tanya Pacholok and Gareth Thomson
staff
Gareth Thomson (he/him)
executive director
Gareth Thomson has been a resident of the Bow Valley since 1989, and served on Canmore Town Council from 1992-1995. He brings over thirty years’ experience in community engagement and environmental education: he founded and led the Alberta Council for Environmental Education as Executive Director for fifteen years, founded the education office of a conservation NGO before that, and began his career an environmental educator with Kananaskis Country.
Gareth has taught high school, been a judge for the Alberta Emerald Awards, and volunteered with Alberta Ecotrust Foundation on their grant review committee. He has an engineering degree, an M.Sc. in Environmental Geology, is a certified teacher, and has received awards for outstanding service in environmental education from provincial, national, and international associations.
Gareth lives in Canmore, where he divides his free time between parenting three exceptional young people, birdwatching, trail running and biking, and walking hand in hand with his wife Kelly.
nick de ruyter (he/him)
wildsmart program director
Nick manages all aspects of the WildSmart program and enjoys delivering educational programming to diverse groups of residents and visitors, including students from daycare to university, new Canadians, local businesses and staff, youth and seniors’ groups, professional associations, national/international tour groups and the general public.
Nick loves to teach and worked for many years as a downhill ski racing coach, university lecturer in human physiology and biomechanics, and math and physics tutor. Prior to joining the Biosphere Institute, Nick spent eight years working as a commercial pilot in the Arctic and enjoying the vast beauty of Canada's North. After hanging up his "wings," he continued to work up north managing remote mining camps. It was here where he first became involved in human-wildlife conflict issues, as a part of the Wildlife Response Teams responding to interactions between workers and wildlife (mostly grizzly and polar bears). Nick also designed and implemented orientation and training programs to teach new staff and visitors how to coexist with wildlife while working and living at mining camps.
In his free time, Nick likes to be outdoors playing golf, skiing, mountain biking and hiking, although these days he gets most of his exercise chasing after his two young children. Nick graduated with an Honours bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Calgary and was a fully certified Commercial Pilot.
Originally from the Netherlands, Nick grew up living in different countries and was able to see some amazing places. His goal for the Bow Valley is for humans and wildlife to successfully share this unique landscape.
Tanya iryna pacholok (she/her)
Community engagement lead
Tanya (she/her) is thrilled to join the team at the Biosphere Institute and recently returned to the beautiful Bow Valley on traditional Treaty 7 territory as the Community Engagement Lead. Tanya is a multidisciplinary researcher, artist and community worker with a Master of Arts in Community Engagement from the University of Alberta. Most recent projects include: queer(y)ing ecologies through art, Indigenous-settler collaborations in prairie food system reform (kwayēskastasowin wâhkôhtowin), and her SSHRC funded Master’s thesis on community-based degrowth.
Tanya also holds a Bachelor of Science in Honors Psychology and a Theatre Arts Diploma, which initially brought her to the Valley in 2016 to perform in live theatre with Carter Ryan Productions!
Tanya is particularly passionate about intersection of climate justice, slowness, gender/sexuality inclusion and socially engaged art in order to explore how we can organize systems and relate differently. Her vision for the Bow Valley is a sustainable and just future for all through empowerment, creative engagement and dialogue of all community members.
Jackie kinney (she/her)
Environmental Educator
Coming out of her previous role with the BIBV as Community Engagement Intern, Jackie is excited take on her new position with Future Leaders as Environmental Educator. In collaboration with teachers, local knowledge holders, and community members, Jackie delivers K-12 environmental education to students of the Bow Valley. She also oversees the Future Leaders Youth Council, which has much to look forward to under Jackie’s supervision, including the second annual Not the End of the World Event (see you there!).
Having called the Bow Valley home for two years, Jackie moved here following her graduation from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies. Her academic journey reflects her dual interests in resource sustainability and youth engagement, complemented by a specialization in Equity and Diversity. Jackie is also the co-founder of Nurture, an environmental education program aimed to connect youth to nature and community through gardening.
Jackie loves hiking and camping and will find any excuse to be in or on the water, no matter the temperature. With a strong belief in equitable access to nature, Jackie champions community engagement and youth involvement as pivotal elements for shaping a sustainable future.
Heidi Widmer (she/her)
Environmental Educator
Raised by the Bow River and the surrounding summits within Treaty 7 territory, Heidi is deeply committed to educating on behalf of this place that shaped her. As the Environmental Educator for the Future Leaders program, Heidi both coordinates and delivers K-12 curriculum-connected programs throughout the Bow Corridor.
Her energetic and creative approach to education is informed by her work with Forest Play, a local outdoor nature connection program. In 2020, Heidi completed her BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a research focus on communicating early childhood outdoor education. Upon experiencing and studying the value of connecting curriculum to place, Heidi completed a MA in Environmental Education and Communication from Royal Roads University. She is a federal research grant recipient (SSHRC) and her graduate studies focused on supporting teacher well-being through nature-responsive practices.
Although she left an Olympic career as a cross-country ski racer in 2018, she makes time for snow and dirt trails whenever possible. She is the youngest of four children in a Swiss-Canadian family. Through curriculum-linked programs and FUN outdoor learning, Heidi is passionate about educating about, for and with this place in a responsive way.
Heidi is currently away on maternity leave. Jackie Kinney is the passionate staff who will step into this role!
Please reach out to Jackie at education@biosphereinstitute.org
jodi conuel (she/her)
shift program coordinator
Jodi leads the Shift Program. In this role, she uses a variety of community engagement tools to empower Bow Valley residents to take meaningful action on climate change. Her responsibilities span from evaluation of local renewable energy potential, to organization of participatory workshops, to authoring a monthly newsletter with tips about how to reduce your carbon footprint. Jodi is motivated by a long-standing interest in climate change issues, sustainable living and human-wildlife conflict resolution.
Prior to joining the Biosphere Institute, Jodi’s career focused on human-wildlife conflict, mitigating the environmental impacts of development projects, and habitat enhancement. Jodi has also worked in education, providing onsite wildlife education and supporting science and technology departments within schools. She has several years of experience working in management in both the environmental and hospitality sectors.
Outside of her work at the Biosphere Institute, Jodi serves on the Board of Bow Valley Climate Action, promoting individual and collective action on climate in the Bow Valley. Jodi graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology with an emphasis in Marine Zoology from The University of Wales, Bangor. She has also received her Red Seal Cook Qualification and enjoys cooking up a storm when she is not in her garden or exploring the great outdoors with her favourite pets and people.
Jodi envisions a Bow Valley with solar panels on every rooftop!