Board of Directors

Natasha was born and raised in Dartmouth and grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. Her formative years were spent traveling and later, seeing her father dive deeply into the world of recycling, an industry the family is still involved with 20 years later. Early on, this impacted the way she viewed sustainability and the impact we were having on our beautiful planet. Two children later, the urgency and passion for the outdoors and protecting its beauty continue to grow. Professionally, Natasha has worked at both the provincial and national levels of sport for over 18 years, including working as a full-time snowboard coach for seven of those. Now in the final stretch of her MBA in leadership, she’s passionate about driving positive change in sport, the community she resides in and beyond.

Scott is a sustainability professional currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Scott has been living in Halifax for nearly two decades. While studying at Dalhousie University, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in creative writing and later a master's in resource and environmental management (MREM). Scott’s career grew between Halifax and Toronto, working in business development for CarbonCure Technologies, Marine Renewables Canada, and CanACRE. Scott is currently employed as director of development at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), a Danish-based private equity firm that deploys capital globally across renewable energy assets. His role focuses primarily on a portfolio of onshore wind energy projects in central New York, which he began developing in 2019 while employed with Natural Forces in Halifax. Outside of work, he is an avid cyclist and a musician with an active studio practice. He is a strong advocate for the arts in Halifax – you’ll regularly find him attending concerts, festivals, art openings and theatre performances throughout the city.

Helga Guderley made St. Margaret’s Bay her home since retiring in 2010 from being a professor of comparative physiology at Université Laval for 30 years. She continues to teach graduate students at Dalhousie University because the amazing variety of physiological adaptations of living organisms continues to delight her. Helga became involved with environmental advocacy shortly after arriving in Boutiliers Pt., fighting the clear cutting on nearby Crown lands. The strong support of her petition against the use of biomass for power generation started her collaboration with the Ecology Action Centre, in particular the Wilderness section. The EAC’s work in its various departments has consistently impressed her and she looks forward to working more closely with the organization.

Helga was born in Dayton Ohio, to recently arrived German immigrants. She did her PhD in Zoology at the University of British Columbia where she met her husband, John Himmelman. They have two grown sons and a lovely little grand-daughter. They look after a mix of gardens and forest in Boutiliers Pt. and enjoy being near John’s homelands along the La Have river. She enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, being in natural landscapes and knowing the names of the plants she sees.

Roland Evborokhai was born into a farming family in Nigeria and is an avid amateur gardener himself. Many years working for an oil major including five years in Gabon, a coastal oil producing country that values flora, fauna and environmental conservation increased his sensitivity to local and global climate challenges and the future of our planet. Gardening, fishing and trail walking further increased his zeal to be more personally involved in environment conservation activities. 

He has more than 17 years experience in Accounting & Controlling, Treasury, Joint Venture Accounting & Audit, Management Finance (FitB), Governance, Risk & Assurance and Finance Advisory within the Finance Function of the Shell Group, in Nigeria, Gabon and Saudi Arabia. 

He is now a proud Nova Scotia resident currently working as Manager, Finance Advisory Services with the Finance and Treasury Board, serving the Department of Community Services. He holds an MBA Financial Management, FCA Nigeria, CIMA UK and CPA Canada. 

Virginia started her environmental career in 1989 with a degree in Environmental Science and volunteering with Peterborough GreenUp in Ontario. She has worked in the public sector for most of her career while continuing to support the programs of Environmental Not-for-profits. Virginia has managed environmental programs for school boards and led government consultation projects. While working for Nova Scotia Environment she was involved with developing waste management policy, participated in the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment Waste Reduction Working Group, and led staff training. Virginia served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Clean Foundation. Her capacity to focus on the big picture resulted in outcomes that are environmentally sound and cost effective. Since retiring in 2017, Virginia has volunteered with Canadian international development organizations in Myanmar and Tanzania. Projects included a community waste management plan and an environmental report for a national college. When not overseas, Virginia has volunteered with the Immigrants Services Association of Nova Scotia and Halifax Public Library Immigrants Services.

Dan Rutabingwa Gakire is a passionate and dedicated environmentalist who hails from Rwanda. Growing up on a farmhouse, Dan's early exposure to the outdoors sparked a lifelong fascination with nature and outdoor activities. Hiking and bike riding through parks became his cherished pastimes, solidifying his commitment to protecting the environment for future generations. Dan pursued this passion further by obtaining a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Manitoba, honing his expertise in the field.

Currently, Dan serves as a climate change campaigner with Ecology Ottawa. His journey towards becoming a prominent figure in the fight against climate change and sustainability issues began as an enthusiastic volunteer, lending his time and skills to various environmental causes. He is determined to use his extensive experience, knowledge, and unwavering dedication to make a significant impact in shaping a greener and more sustainable future for all.

To the age of nineteen, Alyda lived on a dairy farm in Ontario which fostered her abiding gratitude for nature’s beauty. These early years also influenced her commitment to support local farmers, and, through the community created by farmers’ markets, getting to know the people who grow our food. She’s a year round commuter cyclist, backyard composter, and funnel spiders live in her basement. As a Professor at Atlantic School of Theology (AST), she teaches and researches in the areas of Christian Theology and Ethics with a focus on the poetics of ethics and theology. She regularly teaches courses in Sexual Ethics, Mystical Theology, and Theological Ethics & the Climate Crisis. She has been the President of AST’s faculty union since it certified in 2009, serves as Chair of the Research Ethics Board (AST), and as an Associate Editor (poetry) at the Dalhousie Review. Her most recent publications are works of poetry, Dust or Fire (2016) and Poisonous If Eaten Raw (2021, winner of the J. M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Prize).

Curtis Whiley, a sixth-generation African Nova Scotian from Upper Hammonds Plains, is a dedicated public servant and social entrepreneur committed to advancing and liberating Black communities in Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA specializing in Social Enterprise Leadership. In 2022, he founded the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Trust to preserve historical lands, create affordable housing solutions, and empower his community through collective action. Curtis's leadership aims to preserve his heritage's integrity and history through innovation and community-led transformation.

Dawn was born and has lived most of her life in Halifax. Her early career was in the field of nutrition where she worked as a clinical dietitian in both Alberta and Nova Scotia. Having completed a Master in Health Administration, and training as a leadership coach Dawn enjoyed several roles in the NS health system in the areas of staff wellness, leadership development and coaching, and change management. Throughout her career Dawn fostered a systems view of how living-systems like teams, organizations, forests and oceans actually behave as a means to achieve lasting change. An eco-system view of life continues to be Dawn’s sweet spot in retirement as she engages in volunteer opportunities that contribute to enhancing the health of the planet. Dawn is a life-long nature enthusiast and is most happy on her bike, on a seaside hike or on the golf course.  She can also be found on her yoga mat as the sun comes up.

Grant has been a supporter of EAC since its early days and has served on the board in the past.

He retired in 2016 as a professor of public policy, conflict resolution and organizational behaviour at Dalhousie University. He had a long career as a university-based adult educator helping Nova Scotia non-profits on matters of leadership and governance. He now writes on this subject and occasionally advises groups.

Grant was born and went to school in Saint John, N.B. He and his spouse Susan have two grown daughters, and four young grandchildren, who, with their partners, are all living in Nova Scotia. Adding to the mix there is a sweet but complicated 9-year old, border collie named Gracie. He keeps busy exploring as many nearby trails as he can find (dog in the lead), cooking and baking, binge watching TV mystery series, reading children's books and putting shoes on little feet. 

He is also involved as chair of a local resident-business community group, the Pleasant-Woodside Neighbourhood Association in Dartmouth.

Laurette Geldenhuys was trained as a physician and a pathologist in South Africa and has master’s degrees in Anatomical Pathology and Medical Education. She is a Professor at Dalhousie University and specializes in her medical practice in the pathology of medical diseases of the kidney, including transplantation. She also has interests in Medical Education, the Medical Humanities, including Medical History, and most recently and most passionately, Planetary Health.

She served as Division Head and Service Chief of Anatomical Pathology at the QEII Health Sciences Centre for 10 years; and is a Past President of the Canadian Association of Pathologists (CAP-ACP); Vice Chair of the CAP- ACP Section on the Humanities and International Health; Chair of the CAP- ACP National Specialty Network on the Environment; Board Member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE); Chair of the CAPE Nova Scotian Regional Committee (CAPE NS); and member of the Department of Pathology Green Team, and St. Matthew’s United Church Earth Spirit Action Team.

She is particularly interested in the greening of health care; the health effects of the climate emergency; and the beneficial health effects of spending time in nature.

Her three lovely daughters, her two adorable grandsons, and her love of nature inspire her in her planetary health advocacy.

Louis Joe Bernard began his career in economic development at Yellowquill College, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, and graduated with an academic excellence award in 1993. Louis Joe has since then gone on to become a Professional Aboriginal Economic Developer (Paed); and a Technical Aboriginal Economic Developer (Taed), certification with the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO), and now a member of the National Certification Committee for CANDO. In 2008, in Montreal, Quebec at the National CANDO Conference, Louis Joe was voted among his peers of over 260 First Nations across Canada with the Economic Developer of the Year Award from CANDO. He was a Member of the Institute of Business Consultants (MIBC) in the United Kingdom for the past 8 years. Louis Joe also received a Certified Advanced Small Business Counselor designation from Confederation College, Thunder Bay, Ontario. He is a Certified Aboriginal Lands Officer through Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.  Louis Joe sat as a board member for the Labour and Advanced Education Apprenticeship Division for the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia for 2 x 3-year terms. Louis Joe also sat on the Tripartite Economic Development Working Committee, Maritimes and Northeast Pipelines Economic Benefits Committee, and sat on the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, Ottawa, Canada. He was a member of the Michelin Aboriginal Employment Partnership Advisory Council, since 2003. In 2009, when Dr. Pamela Sloan and Dr. David Oliver from the University of Montreal (HEC) won first prize in World Competition in the 2009 oikos Foundation Global Case Writing Competition in the Corporate Sustainability Track, they wrote, “Louis Joe played an active role in enabling this case to be written, he was intimately involved in setting the direction for partnership as well as in implementing it. … this allowed us to convey the challenges and complexity of the partnership – a feature of the case that was recognized in the adjudication of the oikos competition.”

Louis Joe also sat as a Chairperson on the Centre of Excellence on Matrimonial and Real Property Law as a representative of the National Aboriginal Land Management Association (NALMA) of which he has sat on the Board of Directors. As a chairperson for the Atlantic Region Aboriginal Lands Association (ARALA) which has a membership of eighteen (18) First Nations in Atlantic Canada.  Louis Joe has been with the Union of Nova Scotia Indians-Tribal Council under the title of Community Capacity Development Officer- Economic Development as his last position before retiring from the organization in 2015. Louis Joe now sits on the Board of Directors for Whycocomagh Coop as a volunteer Vice President.
 

Originally from Finland, Milka moved to Halifax in 2020 with her family after three decades of studying and working in Europe and Asia. Most of her professional career she has worked in and advised multinational companies on corporate responsibility and sustainability. In 2018, Milka co-founded her own ESG (environment, social and governance) consultancy firm, specializing on business and human rights; helping companies identify and manage diverse human rights risks, including human rights implications of net zero strategies and the transition towards a low carbon economy. 

Milka is passionate about building better dialogue and finding new and innovative models of collaboration between the private and non-profit sectors. She has previously served on the board of the Global Network Initiative, a multistakeholder organization promoting and advancing freedom of expression and privacy rights across the technology ecosystem. She currently acts as a technical expert to Safe Online, a UNICEF-managed global partnership fund that finances and helps scale up technology solutions, research and awareness programs to fight online child sexual exploitation and abuse. 

When not working, Milka is mostly likely found outdoors in nature, her true happy place.

Zahra's (she/her) journey has taken her across the globe, having lived and worked or studied in Barbados, the United Kingdom, New York and Baltimore, USA, and throughout Atlantic Canada. She holds degrees from Mount Allison University, Dalhousie University, and Morgan State University.

Zahra is an architect, and principal of zzap, as well as a sessional instructor at Dalhousie University in the Faculty of Architecture and Planning. Based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Zahra brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for the built environment to her work. Her research delves into the implications of climate and social justice on the built environment, with a strong focus on housing and community, social inclusion, poverty disruption, architecture and colonialism, and the challenges of post-industrial cities.
Beyond her professional life, Zahra is deeply committed to her community. She actively volunteers with the Nova Scotia Association of Architects (NSAA), is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Passionate about fostering diversity within architecture and related fields, Zahra has developed a youth job shadow program to introduce African Nova Scotians and indigenous youth to architectural practice. She also hopes to establish a NOMA student chapter at Dalhousie University.

In her free time, Zahra enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her beloved dog, Junie Jabarkus. Whether she's hiking, being near the water, listening to live music, making art or reading, Zahra is always looking for opportunities to be engaged and build community.

Ben grew up in the Annapolis Valley but now calls Dartmouth his home. Ben used to work as an Energy Coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre but has recently claimed the title of “Captain Energy” for various EAC fundraising events. Ben’s professional experience has been in environmental advocacy, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emission accounting and policy analysis over the last 10 years. Ben is passionate about energy efficiency and renewable energy, and how these concepts are incorporated into existing buildings. Ben is also a regular bicycle commuter, with a keen interest in how municipalities can move people (not just cars) safely and efficiently. Ben is an avid gardener, hiker and beach enthusiast, and he is excited to share his energy, enthusiasm and hope for an environmentally sustainable future