Staff and Board
Riverkeeper and Executive Director
Meredith Brown
Meredith Brown is a strong science-based voice for the Ottawa River, acting as its full-time “watchdog”. Since 2004, Meredith has significantly raised the profile of the Ottawa River and brought important issues such as sewage dumping and radioactive waste to the attention of the public and decision-makers. The Riverkeeper is regularly called on to comment on issues that impact the river and to provide insightful solutions and recommendations to improve the health and future of the Ottawa River.
Meredith holds biology and environmental engineering degrees from Queen’s University and the University of Guelph. She also earned a Masters in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University where she studied with Robert Newbury, a world-renowned river engineer and stream restoration specialist.
Meredith’s compelling leadership and collaborative approach has brought excellent results and Meredith is networked with key players throughout the watershed. Meredith sits on several advisory committees including an Environmental Stewardship Committee with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the Fisheries Management Advisory Committee for the Ottawa River with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the City of Ottawa’s Stormwater Management Advisory Committee. Meredith was recently named a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Communications Director
Alexandra Brett
Alex Brett comes to Ottawa Riverkeeper with a firm grounding in aquatic biology, over 20 years of work in science communications, and a broad range of experience producing exhibitions, articles, print and audio products, and educational material, all with a focus on making science relevant and engaging to a wide range of people. After years of working in and around the federal government, she is delighted to finally have a job where asking questions and demanding change are part of the job description. Alex holds a BSc (Hons) from Dalhousie University and spent several years in graduate school in fish biology. In addition to working in science communications she has done time as a park naturalist and a fisheries technician. She has also published two crime novels, both revolving around science fraud.
Office Manager
Mary Halliwell-Cyr
Mary Halliwell-Cyr is a Jack-of-all-trades and a master of some. She has a BA in History in Art from the University of Victoria, a diploma in Museum Technology from Algonquin College, and she holds certification as a website designer. She is also a skilled renovator, painter and builder. With museums, Mary classified and photographed artifacts, and built specialized mounts for their display. From there, her career took her into various positions with both provincial and federal governments. Mary has worked as a senior policy analyst shepherding legislation through the legislative process, and as a records analyst and manager, developing record systems and training staff in their use. She came to Ottawa Riverkeeper as a volunteer photo archivist in 2008. Mary was born on Lake of the Woods in Kenora, Ontario, and was raised at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers in Winnipeg, and in Victoria surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. She is an outdoors person with a profound respect for water, and its ability to nuture and sustain communities. She brings to Riverkeeper outstanding skills, incredible efficiency and organization, and an indomitable spirit.
Executive Officers and Directors
The Board of Directors of Ottawa Riverkeeper is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization and provides guidance to the Riverkeeper and Executive Director. The board is elected at the annual general meeting by the members and acts in accordance with the by-laws of Ottawa Riverkeeper Inc. Our board members have extensive and diverse organizational, business, community, and technical expertise with a common concern and passion for the ecological welfare of the Ottawa River.
Geoff Green – Chair: Geoff is the founder and director of the Canadian-based organization Students on Ice, a pioneering program dedicated to taking high school students from around the world on learning expeditions to both the Arctic and the Antarctic. Geoff has been leading expeditions and adventures from pole to pole for the past decade and organizations such as the Discovery Channel, World Wildlife Fund, National Audubon and the Smithsonian Institution have enlisted him to lead their groups into the world’s most remote and exciting regions. He has taken dignitaries such as F.W. de Klerk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his expeditions, as well as some of the world’s leading scientists, explorers, and celebrities. When not leading expeditions, Geoff enjoys sharing his unique experiences by speaking at schools, corporate meetings, conferences, and special events across North America. Geoff lives in Chelsea, Québec on the Gatineau River. To learn more about Geoff, visit http://www.geoffgreen.ca
Barry Stemshorn – Vice Chair: Barry has over 34 years of experience in public service with various departments. In 1999 Barry joined the Privy Council office as Director of Operations, Economic and Regional Development Policy. He moved to Environment Canada in 2000 as Assistant Deputy Minister for the Environmental Protection Service responsible for federal legislation to prevent and reduce pollution. He oversaw the creation of the Environmental Stewardship Branch in November 2005, drawing together the Department’s regulatory work on environmental conservation and protection. Currently he is Senior Fellow with the Jarislowsky Chair in Public Service Management at the University of Ottawa. His hobbies include sustainable management of a private woodlot in West Quebec, of which 60 acres of wetland was donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He and his wife, Charlotte Rigby, are completing construction of an R-2000 home on the Ottawa River near Portage du Fort, Quebec. Barry also enjoys telemark skiing, water skiing, canoeing and fly fishing.
Mark Patry – Treasurer: Mark is a chartered accountant and is currently a principal with Welch & Company, an Ottawa-based public accounting firm. Fishing has always been Mark’s passion and he gets out on the river regularly. Mark is a member of the Ottawa Fishing Club and Muskies Canada. Over the years, Mark has witnessed many changes in the river that affect fish and their habitat including invasive species, shoreline development and increased boat traffic.
Regan Morris – Secretary: Regan is a legal counsel to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Regan brings to the Board a strong interest in environmental law and policy. He was a member of Environmental Law McGill and has worked at Environment Canada and the Environmental Law Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. Rivers have always been a part of Regan’s life: he grew up near the beautiful St. John River in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and he has fond memories of swimming in the Gatineau River as a child. Regan is optimistic that the law, backed by sound decision-making and active community participation, can be an effective way to protect the Ottawa River watershed.
David Spence – Past President: David is co-founder of the Wetland Preservation Group; founder and current director of the Friends of the Carp River; past chair of the West Carleton Environmental Advisory Committee; past chair and current member of the Ottawa Stewardship Council; and current director of the Ottawa Wild Bird Care Centre as well as sitting on boards for the Ottawa Rural Clean Water Program, Ottawa Deer Management Committee and numerous public advisory committees relating to development within the Carp River watershed. David’s commitment to the Ottawa River comes from having cherished a speck of shoreline near Arnprior where his family has enjoyed a cottage since the year he was born.
John G. Booth: John is a partner with Conservation Finance International. He holds an Honours B.Sc. in Freshwater Biology and Environmental Science (Guelph), LLB (Windsor), JD (Detroit), and LLM in International Environmental, Tax and Finance Law (London). He is a member of the Bar in Ontario, New York, and Washington DC. Throughout his career John has looked for capital market solutions to environmental issues. Following a stint as a lawyer on Bay Street, he moved to London to join Merrill Lynch International. He has worked in the capital markets for the past 18 years and has been employed by or consulted to ICAP, ABN AMRO Bank (now RBS), the World Bank, Climate Change Capital, and the board of CIBC. He is the Chairman of BuyFX Ltd. and sits on the boards of three public companies: H2O Innovation Limited, Laramide Resources, and Maya Gold and Silver. He is an avid white water paddler and wilderness tripper who spends his summer holidays on a different northern river system each year. He is married to Riina and together they have a young son whose middle name, Jogi, means “river” in the Estonian language. They own a farm near White Lake in the Madawaska River watershed.
Marc Smith: Marc is a Director of Product Management at Canada Post. He has 18+ years of experience in Marketing, Communications, Product Management, Business Strategy and Strategic Governance in numerous private and public sector organizations. Marc’s greatest strength has been and remains the development of business strategies that align rigorously with organizational goals. Marc is specifically interested in the execution of strategic plans that optimize available resources to deliver the greatest measurable results in line with strategic objectives. Born in Ottawa, Marc grew up spending his summers on National Capital Area beaches and today can often be seen fly fishing on the Ottawa River and its tributaries.
Evan Solomon: Award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Evan Solomon is the host of the most watched national political affairs TV show in the country, CBC News Network’s Power and Politics and CBC Radio’s weekly political affairs series The House. Evan is known for his insightful exploration of innovation and technology and finding creative approaches to managing and solving the complex challenges of sustainability in the 21st century. Solomon was the co-founder and editor-in-chief, of Shift magazine, an award-winning international award-winning magazine about technology and culture. He is co-author of two books: Feeding the Future: From Fat to Famine and Fueling the Future: How the Battle Over Energy Is Changing Everything, which was nominated of the National Business Book of the Year in 2004 and the National Science Award in 2004. Evan also speaks regularly around the country on issues of culture, media and technology. MacLean’s magazine has identified Evan Solomon as “one of the top 100 people to watch”.
Carrie Wallace: Carrie has a long history of marrying her passion for the outdoors with a love of business and community development. Carrie joins us with 20+ years of experience developing enterprises that encourage enjoyment of and appreciation for the natural world. Carrie earned an MBA from the University of Ottawa and is a managing partner in Common Ground, a community driven development located in Chelsea, Quebec. Carrie is leading this development of a conservation community based on preserving greenspace and the agricultural heritage of the farm on which it is located.
Lara Van Loon: Lara dutifully served as Ottawa Riverkeeper’s first “Riverkeeper”. After a handful of years working with a Nova Scotia based land trust, we’re excited and honored to welcome Lara back to the organization as a member of the Board of Directors.