Michelle Kanter has held the position of Executive Director of the Carolinian Canada Coalition since 2003 and has been involved with the Coalition since its inception in 1984. With 25 years of conservation experience in wildlife research and land stewardship, she has worked with a broad range of stakeholders around the world. As a consultant, she developed an award-winning community stewardship program and at the Nature Conservancy of Canada, she helped protect some of the best remaining natural areas in the Carolinian Life Zone. She currently sits on the Ontario Species at Risk Policy Advisory Committee.

Jarmo Jalava coordinates CCC"s Ecosystem Recovery Program. Jarmo has worked extensively and collaboratively with many dimensions of the conservation demographic, including: all levels of government, conservation NGOs, First Nations, rural landowners, politicians, land- use planners, developers, resource industry professionals, environmental activists, naturalists and volunteers. His vision is to promote the informed protection and recovery of ecosystems, stewardship of species at risk and their habitats, sustainable land uses and lifestyles, and deep reverence for the natural world, by applying knowledge gained over three decades of professional experience as an ecologist, songwriter, writer, educator and facilitator. Jarmo has authored or co-authored more than 120 reports and articles in the fields of ecology and the environment, including: recovery strategies covering 13 federally and provincially listed species at risk; ecological inventories of more than 200 parks and other significant natural areas in Ontario; the original methodology for "The Big Picture: A Natural Heritage Vision for Carolinian Canada"; and baseline ecological studies of two of Ontario's UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves (Niagara Escarpment and eastern Georgian Bay coast).

Bronwen Buck is the Social Marketing and Outreach Coordinator for the Carolinian Canada Coalition (CCC). She is currently developing pilot projects, such as the Biodiversity Awareness Trail Initiative, that combine nature interpretation with social marketing methods to foster conservation stewardship. Within her outreach capacity, she also enjoys hosting an annual Species at Risk Youth Camp, sharing conservation success stories through the CCC newsletter and strengthening the Coalition's ecosystem recovery efforts through multi-partner collaboration. Bronwen joined CCC in 2008 after completing a master's degree focusing on corporate community engagement. The incentive for her thesis arose from over seven years of experience playing a key role launching and coordinating the Nature Conservancy of Canada's conservation volunteer program and working with the Niagara Escarpment Commission as a Monitoring Ecologist.

As Coastal Stewardship Coordinator with the Carolinian Canada Coalition, Dan Dufour is focused on the development of a coastal trail plan for Lake Erie's north shore. He has recently joined the organization after 15 years experience working as a nature interpreter and visitor experience coordinator with Parks Canada at sites including Point Pelee National Park, the Hamilton Discovery Centre and Georgian Bay Islands National Park. Dan has degrees in both Environmental Resource Management and Education from the University of Windsor. He resides minutes from the Lake Erie coastline just outside of Harrow, Ontario with his wife Kathryn and their three children.

Bernt (Bernie) Solymár is an independent consultant. His company is EarthTramper Consulting Inc., specializing in sustainable land stewardship, habitat conservation, species at risk, and farmer/rural landowner outreach. The company is also involved in development of technical and outreach publications, coordinating workshops and conferences, writing fundraising proposals, and developing fundraising campaigns. The company contracts to provincial, national and international government and non- government organizations.

Bernie is also Biosphere Reserve Co-ordinator for the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation, chair of When Nature Calls Environmental Education, and president of the Norfolk Field Naturalists.

Bernt has a B.Sc. from Brock University (1983), a B.Sc. Honours (Agriculture) from the University of Guelph (1985) and a M.Sc. in Biology from Brock University (1988). He is an avid gardener, naturalist, tramper, eco-traveller, and youth soccer coach, and lives with his family in Pt. Ryerse, Ontario.

Hired in March 2011 as our Network Manager, Sandy has spent the last eight years working in marketing and communications roles in the education and environmental fields. He work previously with 2degreesC Inc., where he managed projects for municipal and federal government agencies and charitable organizations to address climate change. During a five year tenure at the University of Waterloo, Sandy's focus was on expanding the co-op education program with new employers, advising students on career decision-making, and planning for a sold-out conference marking UW's 50th anniversary.

Sandy is an active community volunteer, working to protect native plants at a business park under development and assisting the Bruce Trail's landowner relations team.

In his spare time, Sandy tries to keep up with his preschool daughter, plays volleyball, builds rustic twig furniture, and keeps bees.

Originally from Toronto, Sarah has travelled extensively for school, work, and for fun. A lifelong interest in animals led her to the University of Guelph where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in zoology. She then moved to England and completed a Master of Science at Oxford Brookes University. Since graduating she has had the opportunity to work for a wide range of environmental organizations, including the Toronto Zoo, Ontario Parks, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and most recently The Couchiching Conservancy. She is excited to take on her new role of Program Manager with the Carolinian Canada Coalition.

Lisa Boyce has lived in London, Ontario since the age of eight when her family moved from Hastings, England. After attending Fanshawe College in London for Accounting, Management and Business, Lisa opened her own business, Boyce Business Services, to use her skills and aid other small businesses with their management, bookkeeping and administration needs. Lisa and her husband Warren continue to raise their children Matthew and Alexandria in London and enjoy hiking, camping and bicycling so they can teach their children to enjoy and take care of this fabulous country we live in.

Tristan Bentley is a visual artist, web designer, and teacher. The Internet is synonymous with communication in today's society. As the webmaster and eco-news editor for the Carolinian Canada Coalition since October 2010, Tristan brings his diverse educational background to bare in helping the Coalition move forward technologically. Camping, hiking, and canoeing since childhood, Tristan also feels very at home in the natural settings of the Carolinian Zone, and feels that CCC is the right place to be in order to help protect all of the things in nature that he loves.

Laura Klein is a third year co-op student at the University of Waterloo, and will be working for the summer as the Coastal Program Assistant. Laura is planning to achieve a major in Environment and Resource Studies, minor in Biology, and a specialization in Environment and Economics. Working with the CCC will be Laura's third co-op work term. In past work terms she has worked for the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority and the Ontario Heritage Trust.