Board of Directors

President – Gillian Brennan:

Gillian enjoys being in nature in many different ways including hiking, canoeing, skiing, and spending time at her Whiteshell cabin. She joined Nature Manitoba in 2007 as a participant in the Mantario Summer Program and has regularly returned to Mantario as a participant or leader ever since.  Recently she has been working on the automation of Nature Manitoba’s membership system as well as providing support to the Mantario program.

Gillian holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. She worked in information technology and health care administration/leadership before retiring in 2022. In retirement she is deepening her appreciation of nature, focusing on fitness, travelling, and enjoying family and friends.

 

Executive Vice President – Donald Himbeault:

Don joined Nature Manitoba in 2010, and since then has been active at many of the organization’s indoor and outdoor activities, as well as the board room. He is a Professional Engineer with a passion for the environment, sustainable living, and pursuing an active outdoor lifestyle.

Don’s interests include cycling, canoeing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and also includes an innate curiosity for the scientific and historical aspects of our natural world. Don looks forward to sharing his prior experience with other boards and promoting the mission of Nature Manitoba.

Vice President – James Whitelaw:

James Whitelaw has a B.Sc. (Ecological Sciences) from the University of Edinburgh and a Ph.D. (Zoology) from the University of Liverpool. He was a staff scientist at the Royal Society Aldabra Research Station and worked on urban nature conservation projects in London. He was a member of the management committee of the Scottish Wildlife Trust (Tayside), on the regional committee of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, and was for seven years chairman and secretary of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, Tayside Branch, before fleeing back to Canada in 2004.

James has been a Nature Manitoba member since 2004 and has greatly enjoyed the bird outings, indoor meetings and workshops. James is a keen birder and is interested in all aspects of natural history and environmental issues. He enjoys his family, his dogs, and his birding trips. He has been moved on by the military in Venezuela, detained by the army in Ecuador, and robbed at knifepoint in Gambia, and is looking forward to more birding adventures.

Treasurer – André Laberge:

André joined Nature Manitoba in 1991 and has been involved in the Outdoor Committee, trip leader workshops, Victoria Beach cabin, and has previously served as treasurer. He has also been involved with the Mantario program as a committee member, trip leader, and contributed extensively in the rebuilding of the cabin. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, travelling, and has passed his love of canoeing onto his family. André attended St. Boniface College and is a certified financial planner who has been practicing for 20 years.

Secretary – Katrina Froese:

Katrina is an environmental educator. She has worked with K-12 students at FortWhyte Alive since 2009, but prior to that, completed a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and worked as a field assistant in insect biodiversity and environmental impact research.

Katrina became connected with Nature Manitoba through a guided winter trip to the Mantario Cabin in 2011, and has since enjoyed guiding winter and summer trips to the cabin, and serving on the Mantario Cabin Committee coordinating cabin maintenance, bookings and the Summer Program. She loves cross-country skiing, canoeing, bird-watching, and volunteering to ensure more people can access special places and experiences in nature.

Past President – Sandy HayGlass:

Sandy is passionate about spending time in nature with family and friends.  She joined Nature Manitoba in 2014 as the Discovery Evening Committee Coordinator.  Sandy has over 30 years diverse business, management and leadership experience.  She has an Honours B.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry from Queen’s University.

Sandy loves working with people and teams to get things done. Her favorite activities are time with family and friends, walking, enjoying nature, bicycling, traveling and growing plants.

Director – Marika Olynyk:

Marika is an environmental educator and ecologist. She holds a Masters in Natural Resources Management, and has worked as an ecologist in the areas of pollination, avian, and prairie ecology. Marika currently works with Parks Canada and is a co-founder of Urban Ecology Winnipeg. She has a background in community engagement and is passionate about developing meaningful ways for people to interact with the natural world. In her spare time, Marika loves hiking, camping, and canoeing, and enjoys exploring new places across the province.

Director – John Schulz:

John joined Nature Manitoba in 2014 and initially connected to the organization through the Discovery Evenings.  He currently volunteers to support office and event technology while learning about the many facets of Nature Manitoba.   John grew up farming in rural Manitoba, and completed a B.Sc. in Computer Science at the U of M, followed by a 30-year career in IT management.

John retired in 2021, trading in his desk to take advantage of Gray Hares outdoor activities and trips to the Mantario cabin.  He is the proud co-owner of an “experienced” canoe and enjoys canoeing, hiking and urban biking. John looks forward to advancing the strategic use of technology to help Nature Manitoba grow and continue to connect people with nature.

Director – Meredith Stoesz:

Meredith is a birder and naturalist with almost a decade of experience educating the public about the natural world. She worked as a Nature Interpreter for 6 years and works at a bird feeding hobby shop where she connects people to nature everyday. Her passion is getting people excited about nature and conservation!

Director – George Derwin:

George has practiced law in Manitoba for nearly 40 years. George served as Deputy Public Trustee for the Province of Manitoba, managing more than 3,300 estates for Manitobans with physical and mental disabilities. George was legal counsel for Manitoba Hydro International, handling numerous environmentally sensitive management and construction projects in 70 countries.

George was retained by the Province of Manitoba as legal counsel for the two year long Phoenix Sinclair Inquiry, representing the interests of the deceased child at the inquiry. For the past 17 years, George has served as a Manitoba bar admission course instructor in the areas of legal writing, litigation, business and negotiation. George is past-president of Community Legal Education Association and a frequent speaker on wills, estates, trusts, probate, committeeship and estate litigation.

When not in the office, George enjoys backcountry hiking in such places as the Inca Trail, West Coast Trail, Grand Canyon and Mantario. On weekends, George is usually in Lake of the Woods, kayaking, fishing and paddle boarding.

Director – Nelson Chubey:

Nelson is a Professional Agrologist and agriculture researcher. He first connected with Nature Manitoba through the Discovery Evenings and Workshops, but as birding has become a passion of his he has really enjoyed the birding trips and outings; his binoculars are never far as you never know what you might come across! With his background in agriculture Nelson is keenly interested in food systems and enjoys gardening, foraging, hunting, and exploring the many natural places our province has to offer.

Director – Jack Dubois:

Jack was born and raised in Winnipeg, graduating from the University of Manitoba with a B.Sc. (Zoology/Botany) in 1972. He is retired from his position of Director of the Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch, Manitoba Conservation, where he worked for ten years. Previous employers have been the Manitoba Museum and Parks Canada.

Jack has been active for many years in community issues in Manitoba and has taken active roles on many boards including the Manitoba Eco-Network Inc., Wapusk National Park, Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation, Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre, Churchill Northern Studies Centre, The Fur Institute of Canada, and the Manitoba Naturalists Society, as Nature Manitoba was known then. Jack and his family like to canoe and otherwise spend time in remote areas of Manitoba. He is also known to do a little hunting, fishing, spelunking and bird watching in his spare time, when not at their cabin on Hecla Island.