Shira Mulloy
Chair
Shira Mulloy is the Senior Director of Conservation, Alberta with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Shira is responsible for new land securements, and management of the existing land portfolio. She is interested in the intersection of nature, energy, sustainability, and organizational action, and has experience in multiple sectors—NGO, energy, industry associations, and environmental and management consulting.
Naomi Owens-Beek
Vice-Chair
Naomi Owens-Beek comes from the community of Moberly Lake, BC; she is a proud Cree, Dunne-Za, Treaty 8 and Canadian woman from the Saulteau First Nations (SFN) and is the honored mother of Spencer Ron Beek. She belongs to the Napoleon Family of SFN. She graduated from the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and received a diploma in Natural Resources in 1999. She then completed her Bachelor of Science from the University of Victoria, majoring in Biology (2008) and registered to the College of Applied Biology (2009) and is a Registered Professional Biologist as of 2019. Naomi is currently the Treaty Rights and Environmental Protection (TREP) Manager for the Saulteau First Nations. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Twin Sisters Native Plant Nursery, Biodiversity Pathways, is a Society Director for the Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship Society, a Board Member for the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, a Council Member of the Minister’s Wildlife Advisory Council, and is a part of the First Nations-BC Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Forum.
Naomi’s long-term goal is to make connections between biology’s western science and First Nations values of the landscape. She holds high regard for the rights and Spirit and Intent of the Treaty 8 Nations.
John Kolk
Treasurer
John Kolk is married to Laura and operates an irrigation and dry land farm in southern Alberta. They are blessed with four children, four grandchildren and live near Picture Butte, Alberta. Together they built and are living in an energyPlus home (straw bale, adobe flooring, rainwater collection, grey water recycling, solar water heating, wind and solar electric production, habitat project with Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District, Pheasants Forever, DU).
John has served on many boards including the Alberta Water Council (AWC) and Alberta Economic Development Authority (AEDA). He is Founding Chair of the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company (AEFP) and County Councillor for the County of Lethbridge. He currently serves on the Agricultural Products Marketing Council.
Nicola Koper
Director
Dr. Nicola Koper is Dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Northern British Columbia. They are a conservation biologist who has worked on grassland bird conservation and management, impacts of industrial noise on wildlife, and effects of agriculture and its intensification on birds in Canada and the Caribbean. While much of their work has focused on bird conservation and management, they have also had the pleasure of working with woodland caribou, painted turtles, prairie skinks, and a variety of plants and insects. Local communities have been important and valued partners in their research.
Dr. Koper has a BSc in Wildlife Biology and MSc in Zoology from the University of Guelph, and a PhD in Conservation Biology from the University of Alberta. They have won national and international awards in teaching, mentorship, and public awareness of conservation, and have collaborated with many non-governmental organizations, provincial and federal governments, Indigenous communities, and industrial partners to work towards improving our environment and benefiting the species we share our world with. They are currently honoured to be working with First Nation communities in BC on effects of roadside restorations, commercial forestry, and forest thinning practices on wildlife and their habitats and food sources, and on culturally important land-based medicines.
Tara Narwani
Director
Tara Narwani is Executive Director of Strategic Policy for the Environmental Assessment Office, an agency of the Government of British Columbia responsible for the assessment and authorization of proposed major projects. Her current focus is the legislative review of the Environmental Assessment Act to determine, in consultation and cooperation with First Nations, what changes, if any, are needed to the Act. Prior to joining the BC Government, Tara spent nine years at the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute in various roles, including Director of the Information Centre where she led the development of online reporting products and data management platforms. Currently, Tara resides in the Lekwungen Territory, home of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, on southern Vancouver Island, with her husband and two kids, and various animals.
Krista Phillips
Director
Krista Phillips is the Director of Environment at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). Krista joined CAPP in 2007, originally focused on air quality and climate change policy. Her current role as the lead for the industry association on land-use policy and planning and biodiversity conservation offers her a unique perspective on Biodiversity Pathways’ value.
Krista came to CAPP – and Calgary – from Vancouver, where she was studying environment-energy policy and land use planning at Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. Her career started at Imperial in Toronto after having completed a degree in Industrial Engineering at University of Toronto.
Living in Calgary, Krista fills her free time exploring the wilderness with her husband and two young children. She has also participated on local Calgary boards, focusing on building communities, increasing active transportation opportunities and infrastructure, and childcare programming.
Chad Swanson
Director
Chad has been a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) practicing in BC for 19 years. In 2006, he started his career with West Fraser in Quesnel as an Operations Coordinator, where he supervised multiple forest operations contractors to execute forestry plans with high standards and industry-leading practices to achieve safety, production, log quality and environmental performance targets. In 2011, he became the Operations Superintendent in Quesnel, supervising a department of seven forest professionals.
In 2015, Chad became the woodlands manager of the 100 Mile House Division with a team of 20 forest professionals in multi-disciplinary fields, and, in 2020, he led merging the 100 Mile House and Williams Lake woodlands divisions into one team responsible for large-scale forest management operations and guiding strategic initiatives. He played a central lead role in advancing relationships with several First Nations in the areas where West Fraser operated. During his time, the planning team introduced alternate forest management prescriptions based on new local science, incorporating Indigenous traditional knowledge, and community interests to balance the social, economic and environmental values on the land base for long-term sustainable resource stewardship.
Chad recently became the Chief Forester, BC with West Fraser and he is very excited about the challenges and opportunities this new role presents. He is focused on strategic engagement on leading issues related to biodiversity, climate change, and Indigenous relations to discover integrated sustainable forest management solutions for the long-term continuity and resilience of the forest sector in BC.