BSG Co-chair & Red List Authority Coordinator

I grew up with deaf parents, and even though the hearing world perceives deafness as a disability, the deaf community considers themselves a cultural and linguistic minority. My unique upbringing at the intersection of two worlds and cultures (deaf and hearing) strongly shaped my personality, leadership style, and the way I connect with others. For the past two decades, I have worked in academia, the not-for-profit sector, and the public service as a wildlife technician, biologist, and ecologist. For my PhD, I studied grizzly bear denning behaviour and ecology in the context of climate change. I have a diverse background in ecology, conservation, and wildlife management, including applied research on grizzly bears, caribou, moose, wolves, recreation ecology, and Asian bear species. Beyond my work in Canada, I am particularly interested in understanding factors influencing the distribution and overlap of Asiatic black bears, sloth bears, and sun bears. I am now a senior biologist / wildlife ecologist for the Skeena region in British-Columbia, Canada, and work with partner First Nations on gathering and co-developing trusted data to inform land-use decisions that affect wildlife habitat. I have previously served as councillor for the International Association on Bear Research and Management (IBA), as the Red List Authority for International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Bear Specialist Groups, and I was part of the 2021 Wilburforce Leader in Conservation Science cohort. I am especially passionate about encouraging people to connect with nature while strengthening and preserving biodiversity and the ecological integrity of wild spaces. I am equally dedicated to bridging the gender gap in STEM and reducing inequities for minoritized groups. Being outdoors has always been an important part of my life, and sharing adventures on foot, with skis, bikes, or tied to ropes on cliffs/frozen waterfalls are my preferred ways to connect with nature and people.