Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of Ottawa Riverkeeper is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization and provides guidance to the Riverkeeper. Our board members have extensive and diverse expertise, but all share a concern and passion for the Ottawa River.

Colleen Westeinde

Chair

Colleen earned her civil engineering degree at Western University in London, Ontario and practiced in Vancouver. She returned to Ottawa with her family in 2001 and now manages Clearly Solar Energy.

Colleen enjoys swimming in, paddling through, running beside and biking along the Ottawa River to keep her sane and invigorated. Colleen is passionate about environmental stewardship, cross-cultural understanding, building strong communities and youth engagement. Her parents taught her the importance of making a difference in her community, which is a message she hopes to pass on to her five children.

Colleen has been a life-long volunteer, for which she was rewarded the Governor General's Caring Canadian award. Colleen helped sponsor and support a Syrian refugee family in rebuilding their lives in Ottawa. She organizes a fundraising gala for the St. Joe’s Women’s, volunteers with Soup Sisters, and has welcomed two former refugees into her family. She helped launch the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program that brings together pro-bono lawyers and private refugee sponsors across the country.

Her decades of community service include being involved locally and nationally with the global peace organization CISV International, running fun international awareness and fundraising events at her children’s schools, supporting families in crises, managing youth sports teams, participating on many school parent boards and organizing their fundraisers, canvassing for March of Dimes and the Cancer, Arthritis and Diabetes Societies, organizing a Blockwatch group, and – many moons ago - student governance.

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David Coletto

Vice-Chair

David Coletto is CEO and a founding partner of Abacus Data a full-service market research and strategy firm based in Ottawa and Toronto. With over a decade and a half of experience in the industry, David and his partners founded Abacus eleven years ago and since then it has grown into one of Canada's most respected market research firms.

David has worked with many of Canada’s leading associations, corporations, and non-profits including Cooperation Canada, Oxfam, Shaw Communications, the Canadian Medical Association, the Bank of Canada, and the Canadian Real Estate Association.

He earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Calgary in 2010 and is an adjunct professor at Carleton University. He is the host and producer of inFocus with David Coletto a new podcast that explores the intersection of public opinion, politics, public policy, and consumer behaviour.

He’s a Millennial, a foodie, a cyclist, and an avid traveller. He’s been tracking Canadian public opinion and consumer trends on technology, news consumption, and public policy for years and is one of Canada’s leading experts on generational change and Millennials in particular.

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Margot Sunter

Treasurer

Margot is a high energy, innovative and strategic executive, and currently the COO of GGFL LLP, a mid-size Ottawa accounting firm. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant focussed on business strategy and execution.

She is recognized as a driver of change who thrives on developing cultures that embrace innovation to keep pace with change and benefit from the opportunities it creates. She has been on the boards of Causeway Work Centre, SHARE (Shareholders Association for Research and Education) and Dovercourt Recreation Association, as well as a long-time supporter of Ottawa Riverkeeper's work.

Margot can be found near the Ottawa River most days, walking, running or swimming as weather permits and has been participating in the Ottawa Riverkeeper annual 4k swim since its inception.

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Michelle Campbell

Secretary

Michelle is a lawyer with Justice Canada, advising on a variety of public, international and indigenous law files.  Prior to moving to Justice in 2020, Michelle worked in the international law bureau and other policy divisions at Global Affairs Canada.  She has over 15 years experience negotiating bilateral and multilateral treaties, including with the Arctic Council and the United Nations. 

Michelle has been recognized with numerous federal government awards, including for her work as negotiator at the UN Convention on Climate Change, for negotiating an Arctic state oil spill prevention agreement and for contributions to Canada’s Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, Canada’s Arctic continental shelf submission under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the hosting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Montreal.

Prior to receiving her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Michelle received a Bachelor Environmental Science from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Science from the University of Guelph.  She has published a number of papers in academic journals on ecosystem management and policy and legal tools to protect lands, species and parks in Canada. 

Michelle has a passion for environmental protection and believes strongly in supporting the local community.  She was previously a Director at the Ottawa Humane Society and is an avid cyclist, swimmer, runner, hiker, paddler and animal lover. 

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Colleen Mooney

Director

Colleen is the former Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa. She is a dynamic senior manager with strengths in organizational development, strategic planning and operations management. She holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western University as well as Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Queen’s University.

She has a thorough understanding of the charitable and non profit sectors along with experience in strategic planning, governance and human resource management. She previously served as a National Trustee for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), where she oversaw governance as they transitioned to one national organization from many local chapters. As well, Colleen served on the board of Centretown Community Health Centre and is currently a member of Women United East Ontario (United Way).

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David Runnalls, O.C.

Director

David Runnalls is a Fellow of Sustainable Prosperity and Visiting Professor at the Institute for the Environment, University of Ottawa. He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2020.

He served as President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development for eleven years before retiring in 2010.

He was Chair of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, and of the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development . He was a member of the Advisory Council for Export Development Canada; a former member of the Council for Sustainable Development Technology Canada and former Chair of the Trade and Investment Task Force of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development.

He has served as Co-Chair of the China Council Task Force on WTO and Environment. Runnalls was the Leopold Fellow at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a member of the federal External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation (EACSR). He served as Chair of the Adjudication Panel for the ALCAN Prize for Sustainability. He was the Canadian representative to IUCN, the World Conservation Union.

Runnalls has served as Senior Advisor to the President of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa, Canada, and to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. He was Director of the Environment and Sustainable Development Programme at the Institute for Research on Public Policy in Ottawa. He worked with Barbara Ward to found the International Institute for Environment and Development and directed both its London and Washington offices.

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Annie Bérubé

Director

Annie spent most of her career as a policy advisor and economist in the federal government, including in the office of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Environment Canada and Health Canada. After volunteering in Rwanda for two years,  Annie then switched to the not-for-profit sector, working at Smart Prosperity at the University of Ottawa and Équiterre as Director of government relations in Ottawa. 

Annie holds a degree in economics from McGill University, a MES (ecological economics) from York University and a post-graduate diploma in environmental epidemiology from McMaster University. Annie is currently Program Director with the McConnell Foundation. She currently works to advance Canadian philanthropy’s contribution to an equitable transition to a net zero carbon economy. Annie is also a Board member for the Ottawa Climate Action Fund.

Annie can be found walking, cycling, skiing along the Ottawa river and whitewater paddling all over the watershed with her family.

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Gilbert W. Whiteduck

Director

Gilbert W. Whiteduck is (Anishinabe) Algonquin from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation community. He was elected Chief of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community and served from June 2008 to April 2015. He had previously been elected to the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Band Council at different intervals, for 20 years + over the past 5 decades.

Mr. Whiteduck holds a BSW(Honours), a B.Ed., an M.Ed., and an Honorary Doctorate which he received from the University of Ottawa in 1999 for his work in the field of education. He recently (2024) completed an Indigenous Law Certificate (Civil Law Faculty) at the University of Ottawa. Mr. Whiteduck was engaged in the field of First Nations education for over 33 years. He has held numerous positions during this period, including guidance counsellor, teacher, school principal, and director of education. He subsequently served for 2 years as Senior Education Advisor with the First Nations Education Council which represents 22 First Nation communities in the Province of Quebec. Mr. Whiteduck has also served on local, regional, and national boards, committees, and working groups addressing an array of First Nations program issues. He served for 7 years as President of the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centers which represents 50 First Nation Cultural Education Centres in Canada. He has worked as a Clinical Coordinator, Residential Counsellor and most recently Program and Services Team Lead for the past 9 years at the Wanaki Treatment Center (for substance use disorders) located in the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation community. The Wanaki Centre serves all First Nations people residing in the Province of Quebec as well as Inuit from northern Quebec. The Wanaki Centre also serves other First Nations people from across Canada and Inuit from Nunavut. He is involved with the Common Law section at the uOttawa as a Knowledge Keeper as well as an Indigenous collaborator with the School of Social Work. He also sits as a member of the County of Carleton Law Association’s Reconciliation Committee. He further sits on the Odawa/Ottawa Indigenous Peoples Court Strategic Development Committee. He is the lead co-founder of the Tenàgàdino Alliance which is working to protect the rights of the Gatineau River.

Mr. Whiteduck remains active in his efforts to ensure that First Nations voices are not only truly heard by everyone but also understood. He continues to seek balance through ceremony and connection to elders. He walks with an understanding of the historical past that guides him in respecting the present moments with humbleness and love. He believes that there remains important groundwork to be completed for some measure of reconciliation to be achieved but he remains hopeful for the present and future generations of youth that such will be achieved in their lifetime.

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Melissa Hammell

Director

Melissa Hammell is a professional facilitator, community connector and mother of three, who is passionate about addressing intricate global challenges one cup of tea at a time. Being from a mixed family with strong Anishinabe roots, Melissa is dedicated to bringing different wordviews together through deep listening and relationship building. As co-founder of Bridge Building Group, Melissa designs and leads strategic planning retreats and other meaningful gatherings and initiatives across the country. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from the University of Waterloo and an Integral Facilitator® certificate from Ten Directions.

Living close to the Kichi Zibi, Melissa and her family love spending time at the NCC Riverhouse and along its paths all year around.

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Tim Carmack

Director

Tim is Regional Operating Officer for RBC’s Personal and Commercial Banking Ontario North & East Region, one of eight regions in the country. He oversees the operations of a network of over 100 branches and 1800 advisors across Eastern Ontario, and parts of Ontario’s North. Before relocating to Ottawa in 2019, Tim was Regional Vice President for RBC for the Interior and North in British Columbia. In his over 20-year career in financial services at RBC, he has held several leadership roles during his tenure with RBC in branches, operations, and sales.

Tim gives back by volunteering in the community. An alumni of the University of Northern British Columbia where he earned a BComm in Finance as well as an MBA he served as a Governor on the Board of Governors for University Of Northern British Columbia.

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Jessica Ferguson

Director

Jessica is an energetic and enthusiastic Senior HR Leader with over 20 years of corporate experience managing human resource operations and talent solutions, implementing strategic change and advising on business and management solutions. As an independent HR Consultant, Jessica has been facilitating the growth and development of individuals and teams in a variety of environments. As a leadership coach and mentor, she has guided strategic planning, team building and skill building workshops with intact teams and across large organizations.

Jessica has been living, playing and raising her family in and around the Ottawa River and its watershed for more than 20 years.

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Angelique Ngulungu

Director

Angelique Ngulungu is a Tax professional and community leader based in Ottawa. She works in accounting and is currently pursuing her CPA designation. Angelique holds academic degrees in Economics and Accounting and brings strong expertise in financial governance, compliance, and strategic planning.

Beyond her professional career, Angelique is deeply engaged in community development and newcomer integration. She serves in leadership and advisory roles across several non-profit and youth-focused initiatives, with a particular interest in equity, sustainability, and inclusive economic growth.

Angelique is passionate about environmental stewardship and effective governance. As a member of the Board of Directors at Ottawa Riverkeeper, she is committed to supporting the organization’s mission to protect, restore, and inspire stewardship of the Ottawa River for the benefit of current and future generations.

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Ashley Graham

Director

Ashley is a passionate sustainability professional with over 15 years of experience advancing conservation ecology, Indigenous engagement, and impact measurement on large and complex projects. She currently serves as Director of Sustainability at Theia Partners, where she leads the sustainability and Indigenous engagement program on an award‑winning redevelopment project.

Ashley holds a Master’s degree in Resource and Environmental Management from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Carleton University. She is known for her ability to translate complex technical issues into actionable strategies, foster a culture of sustainability, and deliver measurable environmental and social outcomes.

Born and raised on the banks of the Ottawa River, Ashley has always been passionate about the conservation of the river and connecting people to it. When not at work, Ashley can be found on a bike, skis or in a canoe and reexperiencing the joys of nature through the eyes of her young daughter.

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Susan Murray

Director

Susan Murray is an experienced leader with more than thirty years experience in both the public and private sectors including most recently as Vice-President Government Relations and Policy with the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA).

Ms. Murray’s federal government experience includes senior positions within the federal government with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada and with Finance Canada where she served as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Financial Literacy. The Task Force report: Canadians and Their Money: Building a brighter financial future, was published in 2010.

Ms. Murray’s experience also includes senior management positions with Credit Union Central of Canada (CUCC), the Desjardins Group and the Canadian Association of Direct Relationship Insurers (CADRI). She worked an as independent consultant for several years providing services to financial institutions, associations and regulatory organizations.

She has an Honours Degree in Political Science and History from Carleton University and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from Queen’s University.

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Jenna Robar

Director

Jenna Robar is a community leader and public policy professional with experience spanning multilevel government, nonprofit leadership, and grassroots organizing. She currently serves as the Senior Advisor in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Library of Parliament, where she works to integrate inclusive practices and equitable frameworks across organizational culture and policy. She previously held roles within charities and within the public sector, focusing on Indigenous relationships, community engagement, and systems change. Jenna also serves as a board director with the Ontario Nonprofit Network and Impact Hub Ottawa. Jenna also co-directs Civic Circles, a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening civic engagement and dialogue in communities.

Originally from Cape Breton, Jenna brings a perspective shaped by island life and a deep respect for waterways as sources of life, connection, and shared responsibility. Her roots inform her understanding of stewardship, including the traditional roles of women as water protectors and the importance of maintaining healthy relationships between communities and the lands and waters they depend on. Now based in Ottawa, Jenna was drawn to Ottawa Riverkeeper as a way to contribute to local water protection efforts and to connect with others working to safeguard the Kichi Zibi. She believes strongly in the principle that water is life and that protecting waterways is essential to the health of communities and ecosystems alike.

She holds a BA from York University and is currently completing a Masters of Law from University College London. She was named to York University’s Top 30 Under 30 and received the Mental Health Advocate of the Year award from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.

Jenna enjoys spending time outdoors, connecting with community, and continuing to learn from the lands and waters that sustain life.

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