National Board of Directors

Janice Wattis’s love of nature led her to study earth sciences and to work as a park interpreter for the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba. She studied law in Victoria, BC, practising for many years in Vancouver, BC, and Oakville, Ontario. Most recently, Janice served as vice-president, legal with an international engineering firm, providing professional services in the natural resource industry sectors. She has wide experience in risk identification and management, compliance matters and professional management.

Janice has been a long-time supporter of NCC and was thrilled to join the BC Regional Board in 2015. She has also served on the Chimo Community Services Board (Richmond, BC) and the PTA of St. Gabriel’s School (Bridgetown, Barbados). She has participated in Vancouver’s Giving Circle and has raised funds for other charitable organizations, including the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

In her spare time, Janice hikes, swims, kayaks, snowshoes and travels.

Rob Prosper spent his 38-year career at Parks Canada, advancing ecosystem conservation, establishing new National Parks and Marine Conservation Areas and normalizing a culture of Indigenous reconciliation in the Agency.

As vice-president responsible for protected areas establishment, Rob was responsible for establishing and/or bringing under legislative protection Sable Island, Ukkusiksalik, Qausuittuq, Lake Superior, Naats’ihch’oh, Tallurutiup Imanga, Thaidene Nene and Akami-Uapishk-KakKasuak National Parks and Marine Conservation Areas.

As the federal lead for the Pathway to Canada Target 1, Rob has been instrumental in changing the way future conservation is undertaken in Canada and was the driving force behind the Indigenous Conserved Areas element of Canada’s Nature Legacy.

On the international stage, Rob was the Agency lead for the Convention on Biodiversity, the World Conservation Congress, the International Marine Protected Areas Congress and twice represented Canada at the World Protected Areas Leadership Forum.

Rob is the recipient of the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal, a two-time recipient of the Public Service Award of Excellence, was awarded the Canadian Parks Council Award of Excellence and is a two-time fellow of the Salzburg Global Forum.

Rob is a member of the Acadia First Nation and currently sits on the Innu Cooperative Management Board for Mealy Mountains National Park.

Mike Pedersen serves on several boards of directors after a long career in financial services.

Until 2023, he was chair of the board, Business Development Bank of Canada.  Prior to that, Mike was president and CEO, TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, a top-10 bank in the United States. He was also responsible for overseeing TD Bank Group's environmental strategies and activities for 10 years.  Mike has held senior leadership roles managing large businesses around the world, and is also a former chair of the Canadian Bankers Association.

Mike continues his long-standing involvement in not-for-profit work in Canada, including the environment and sustainability.  He and his family are passionate about conservation and Canada’s outdoors, and have canoed, kayaked and hiked all over the country for decades.

Mike is proud to serve on the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s board.

Catherine Grenier joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as its president and CEO on September 28, 2020.

An award-winning leader, Grenier has held executive positions with some of Canada’s foremost nature conservation organizations. Prior to joining NCC, Grenier served as vice president for national parks operations with Sépaq. She was responsible for the management and development of 27 Quebec parks and resorts. Grenier mobilized the Sépaq team to generate an increase of more than 40 per cent in visits to the province’s parks network.

Prior to joining Sépaq, Grenier held senior roles with Parks Canada. Among her achievements there, she led the process to create Canada’s first national urban park, in Toronto’s Rouge Valley.

Grenier holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Carleton University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Ottawa. She received the 2016 Award of Excellence from the Canadian Parks Council in recognition of her community leadership. Her work in protected areas has been recognized with several awards including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Grenier says she is thrilled to be joining the Nature Conservancy of Canada. “I am honoured to have been selected to lead a team which is shaping the future of conservation in Canada,” she said. “This is such a unique opportunity to accelerate the scope and scale of conservation in our country, to connect with Canadians, and to build lasting support for nature. I can’t wait to get started.”

Grenier took over the position from John Lounds, who led the organization through 24 years of exceptional growth and success.

Michael Paskewitz is the chief of staff and corporate secretary in the Office of the President and CEO at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). He brings 10+ years experience in non-profit management, public affairs, governance and communications, and a passion to make Canada a world leader in nature conservation.

He has a BA in political studies and media from Queen’s University and is completing the master of Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership program at Carleton University. Prior to his time at NCC, he worked to enhance the public affairs and organizational capacity of international non-profits, including the Canadian Executive Service Organization and as a board member with the Ontario Council for International Cooperation. This also provided him the opportunity to work internationally, including in Guyana and the Philippines. He has also spent time in Ottawa working as a political staffer in the Leader’s Office of a federal political party. His public affairs work has led to positive public policy outcomes for environmental and international development efforts.

Michael developed his passion for nature during his upbringing in Hong Kong and Manitoba, where he regularly hiked Hong Kong’s many mountains and spent summers by Lake Winnipeg.

Ann Worth brings a broad range of professional experience as Chair of the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Atlantic Regional Board. Ann is a PEI-based international business consultant who first joined the Atlantic Regional Board of directors in the fall of 2019. She has over 35 years of business experience and her professional background includes tourism, real estate, consumer products, agriculture, fisheries, sustainable development and international trade. Ann has served in various leadership positions, including Meetings and Conventions Prince Edward Island, PEI Aquaculture Alliance and Atlantic Canada Food Export Partnership. Most recently, Ann has been actively engaged as a commercial real estate advisor for Cushman and Wakefield Atlantic.

An outdoor enthusiast, Ann lives in Bonshaw, a small PEI community celebrated for its natural beauty and commitment to conservation.

Robert J. Sutton is a managing partner in Calgary for Korn Ferry. He is also a member of the Firm’s Global Industrial Market’s Energy Sector, as well as the Firm’s Board & CEO Services group.

Bob has been involved in an extensive number of pan-North America and international assignments, with functional emphasis on board directors, CEOs, corporate directors, general management, financial management, corporate finance, engineering, exploration and operations management.

Bob entered the executive recruitment business over 25 years ago with a search firm in Toronto. During his tenure, he was a partner in their Calgary office and led the firm’s energy practice for 10 years. He has conducted more than 500 senior-level searches for clients in a variety of industries, with a primary focus on the energy sector, and has specific expertise in the upstream, midstream, downstream and energy services industries.

Prior to his executive search career, Bob was a divisional vice-president with Madison Chemical Industries, a chemical manufacturer specializing in advanced polyurethane products. Previously, he was a sales representative for Procter and Gamble in Ottawa and co-managed Regional Drilling, a seismic drilling contractor that operated in Alberta and Oklahoma.

Bob served on the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Board for several years and is a past member of the Campaign Cabinet of the United Way. He currently sits on the Board of West Island College.

He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Western Ontario, as well as a bachelor’s in general studies from the University of Michigan.

He is an avid cyclist, skier and fly fisher, and enjoys spending time in the backcountry with friends and family.

Bruce Cooper is CEO of TD Asset Management (TDAM) as well as senior vice president of TD Bank Group. He is responsible for all TDAM business, including investment management, TD Greystone, mutual funds, operations, risk management and distribution. He has been with TDAM for more than 25 years and has worked in both Toronto and the U.K., managing Canadian, U.S. and global equities across a variety of mandates. Bruce holds a bachelor of commerce degree from Queen’s University, an MA in political science from McGill University and is a CFA charterholder.

Bruce Wright is a significant philanthropist in Vancouver, a partner at the law firm MLT Aikins and a former managing director at Goodmans LLC. He is a past-chair of the Vancouver Opera Foundation and the Vancouver Art Gallery. In addition to a deep love of the arts, Bruce is passionate about nature and animals.

Dave Phillips enjoyed a 40-year career in natural resource management with various agencies and ministries in Saskatchewan. His early work focused on managing Ducks Unlimited Canada's Cumberland Marshes Project between 1979 and 1985, developing a long-term project operating plan to optimize fur and waterfowl production within this 150,000-hectare (370,658-acre) marsh complex.

He served as assistant deputy minister with Saskatchewan Environment between 1998 and 2008, and as director general responsible for environmental adaptation and practice change with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada between 2008 and 2013. Over the course of his career in natural resource management, he has developed extensive experience in Indigenous relations, operational planning and policy development.

David Blair is a partner with the law firm of McCarthy Tétrault. He is recognized for his expertise in transportation and logistics law. He is committed to his community in the Quebec region and acts as a director or administrator of numerous sociocultural organizations. He is a graduate of the faculty of law at Laval University in Quebec City in 1979. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1980. He is also a certified company director (Administrateur de sociétés certifié). In May 2017, he was appointed Honorary British Consul for Quebec City. He was awarded the Order of Canada in December 2013 and Avocat Émérite in 2019. He is also president of the Lac Gravel Fishing Club in Charlevoix, Quebec.

David loves the wilderness and participates in many outdoor activities, including backcountry skiing, river canoeing, ice canoeing, hiking and fishing. He is passionate about the conservation of the Saint-Lawrence Estuary and is a proud member of the regional council for the past four years.

Jonathon Giller is the CEO and co-founder of Smack Pet Food Inc., a leading Canadian manufacturer of raw dehydrated food for dogs and cats. Prior to Smack Pet Food, Jonathon was managing director, investments for James A. Richardson Family Office, where he managed public equity, private equity and venture capital investments for 13 years. He holds a B.A. (honours) from the University of Manitoba, the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and the Chartered Business Valuation (CBV) designation. 

Jonathon is a board member of Smack Pet Food Inc., Western Canadian Aerial group of companies, Avalon Oil & Gas Ltd., and PSI Peripheral Solutions Inc. He is a regional board member of the Manitoba chapter of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), and past board member of numerous not-for-profit organizations in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

Jonathon enjoys the outdoors and going for long walks with his wife, Tara, their two kids, and their canine adventurer, Waffles.

Judith May has 11 years of experience in executive decision making and board and government briefing. She worked with SaskPower for more than 30 years and her last role was vice-president, special projects and acting vice-president, human resources, safety and environment. Judith achieved her bachelor of administration from the University of Regina. She served on the Board of Directors for United Way Regina from 2010-2020, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant Corporation.

Judith joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Saskatchewan Regional Board in 2018.

Karly Healey is the chief financial officer and head of operations at Cormark Securities Inc., a leading independent investment dealer. Karly is a graduate of the honours in Business Administration program from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.

Karly holds a Chartered Professional Accountant designation and started her career with Ernst & Young LLP. She has been involved with the Nature Conservancy of Canada since 2017 when she joined the organization’s audit & risk committee. 

Maureen McCaw is the former executive president of Léger Marketing (AB) and president and founder of Criterion Research. She is currently chair of the CBC Pension Fund and board member with Suncor Energy and CBC Radio-Canada. She is also the co-chair of Women United, United Way. Maureen is a past chair of Edmonton Airports and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. She completed Columbia Business School’s executive program in management and finance and holds an ICD.D.

Paul Genest has been senior vice-president of Power Corporation since 2016. He was senior vice-president of Power Financial from 2016 until 2020. His background includes government, academia and business. He served in a number of portfolios as a Deputy Minister in the Ontario Government. He also served in the federal government as Director of Policy and Research for Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Paul is on the board of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation and is a board member of Business for the Arts and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He also volunteers with the Pine River Institute, which provides residential treatment for youth with mental health and substance issues.

Paul joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Ontario Regional Board in 2016.

Sanjay Dhawan joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Board of Directors in October 2023.

Tamar Pichette has law degrees from Oxford University, England, and Osgoode Hall, Toronto, and a B.A. in political science and psychology from Vassar College, NY. Tamar practised commercial litigation and contract law in Toronto, and has served on several Boards, both in Canada and the United States, including the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, where she chaired the Compliance Committee, as well as teaching at the Ontario Bar Admission course. She was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Vassar College in 2015, and was most recently Chairperson of the Board of Directors of JobTrain, a California Bay Area organization dedicated to helping the disadvantaged rebuild their lives through vocational training.

In her time at JobTrain, Tamar worked closely with committee chairs to reformulate board governance toward more effective use of board members’ skill sets across organizational requirements and worked closely with the CEO to recapitalize the organization to deliver on its strategic plan and on strategic planning. Over the past six years, she has been involved with the establishment of Kenauk Nature, in Montebello, QC, as a conservation territory, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Tamar now lives in London, UK, with her husband, Patrick.

Wayne King is a 35-year veteran of the high-tech industry and is the president and founder of InfoMedia Systems Group in Ottawa, Ontario. InfoMedia Systems Group is a cloud solutions and consulting firm with expertise in Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Google and Amazon cloud-based applications and services. it provides end-to-end virtual office and hybrid business solutions for any size organization.

Wayne has an honour’s bachelor of mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo, and a master’s of business administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.

He lives in rural Ottawa, where he and his family enjoy many outdoor activities, including camping, kayaking, scuba diving, skiing and motorcycling.