Our Team

Vicki has been working to protect and promote pollinators with Pollinator Partnership since 2011. As Director she oversees P2 Canada's research and programs, keeping on top of new and emerging pollinator issues and managing programs that includes pollinator habitat conservation and landscape management assessments; understanding and enhancing agroecosystems; landuse and pesticide policy review; support for threatened and critical species; and ecosystem service assessments in Canada. Vicki joined the San Francisco team after completing her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. In 2015 she returned home to Toronto with the expansion of P2 Canada. Vicki’s interest in pollinators was sparked during her undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph and has continued ever since. Her graduate research focused on understanding how native bees use gardens and habitats in cities. This focus on pollinators in human-dominated landscapes has continued throughout her career. Vicki’s contributions to pollinator research and conservation include numerous peer reviewed papers, book chapters, policy pieces, planting guides, and technical manuals. The outdoors has always been calling this city girl who enjoys skiing, sailing, hiking, and any excuse to get out of town.

Lora Morandin has been doing research on bees and pollination since 1997. She started out working on bee pollination of greenhouse tomatoes at Western University in Ontario and that grew into an interest in native pollinator conservation and sustainable agriculture. She then did a PhD at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia studying modern agriculture and pollinators, followed by post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley working on enhancement of native pollinators and natural enemy insects through small-scale farm restoration. Lora has co-authored books and book chapters, created outreach and technical guides, and has about 30 peer-reviewed publications on pollinators and sustainable agriculture, including innovative work on economic benefits of ecosystem services. She has consulted for government and industry on diverse ecological topics such as greenhouse coverings, seabird oiling from offshore oil and gas operations, and honey bee health research gaps. One of her main interests is finding ways that human land-use, production, and conservation can co-exist for a healthy and sustainable environment. Lora lives in Victoria, British Columbia and when she’s not working she spends time on her urban farm, with her family and pets, and enjoying BC’s beautiful natural areas. Lora is excited to be working with P2C to bring more research, outreach, and conservation of pollinators to urban and agricultural areas of Western Canada.

Anthony Colangelo is a biology enthusiast who spends most of his time admiring and taking photographs of local birds and bugs. He received his Bachelor of Science degree at Queen’s University majoring in Biology, and researched interesting life history traits and parental care behaviours seen in many bird species during his undergraduate career. Anthony has worked through multiple field seasons on many study organisms including tree swallows, black-capped chickadees, and carrion beetles, and loves to be outdoors to conduct research. Based in Yellowknife, Anthony is excited to be working toward improving pollinator protection and health!

Kathleen Law is the Integrated Conservation Manager for Pollinator Partnership Canada (P2C). As a pollinator specialist focusing on collaborative approaches to conservation, she has worked with the energy industry, farm organizations, and municipalities to integrate pollinator conservation with other land uses such as energy generation and infrastructure. In her role at P2C, she has worked with Ontario Power Generation, HydroOne, OMAFRA, the City of Toronto, New York Power Authority and businesses to develop practical actions that provide benefits to landowners as well as the environment.

Prior to joining Pollinator Partnership in 2021, Junaid was working towards his PhD in Biology at York University, focusing on decolonizing approaches in conservation practice. Although this work looked to native pollinators as a case study, Junaid's work in the ecological field has ranged from wetland restoration and habitat research, to invasive ant species, to prioritizations in global plastic pollution management to novel population discoveries of an extirpated toad species in Costa Rica to seabird parasites and pathogens, and beyond. Being an educator in the fields of academia, martial arts, community engagement and youth STEM programming, Junaid has taught in three languages (Urdu, Hindi, English), and has helped create learning materials and courses for all types of audiences. A person of color and a visible minority, Junaid has worked tirelessly to balance culture, science, and working in good-relationship with all -- especially those from marginalized groups. With a decade-long work history in the environmental field, Junaid has served as Vice Chair for the Planning Clinic, an urban planning non-profit in Toronto, has published works with global collaborators, and held the Canadian Graduate Student Scholarship as well as the Ontario Graduate Scholarship for his graduate research. His focus in future endeavors looks to restart ecological work from the ground-up, building partnerships and collaborations with communities of color and Indigenous peoples in Ontario around struggles of land sovereignty, food security, and living in good relations. Nahaw, shkwa-dash, miinwaa chi miigwech nijikewenhyig - Okay, finished-now, and thank you very much friends.

Jordan Phelps is the Bee City Program Coordinator for Pollinator Partnership Canada. His passion for pollinators was sparked as an undergraduate at Western University where he studied animal cognition and learned about the incredible feats of learning and memory that bees and other small-brained but mentally mighty pollinators are capable of. He went on to complete an MSc at Western in neuroscience where he studied how exposure to common pesticides impacts the ability of bumblebees to learn about and gather food from flowers. This experience launched a lifelong interest in pollinators – not only for the good of our food crops and the ecosystem, but also because they are fascinating creatures to watch and learn from. Jordan is delighted to bring this passion to Bee City Canada, where he works with municipalities, Indigenous communities, campuses, schools and businesses to make meaningful change for pollinators.

Carrie B. Dohe (Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2012) currently has a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto School of the Environment to implement Bees for Peace in Ontario. Working in collaboration with P2C's local efforts and networks she brings together leaders in the faith community to support bees and other pollinators. Before relocating to Toronto, Carrie was a project research associate at the University of Marburg. With funding from the German Research Foundation, Carrie investigated how faith-based environmentalism and climate protection are transforming religious teachings and practices. She is especially interested in furthering interfaith cooperation for nature conservation, assisting conservationists develop more effective communication with non-experts, and supporting faith communities’ efforts to become more sustainable.

Bob has been saving seeds and teaching about garden biodiversity for over 25 years. He mixes science and storytelling to reveal the secret lives of seeds, plants, and pollinators. Bob has been a member of Seeds of Diversity since 1988, and became our first Executive Director in 2002, after a career in software engineering. He teaches food history at the Waterloo Region Museum, and as a steering committee member of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, helps build the movement to preserve pollinators. He is a past President of the Culinary Historians of Canada, and delights in explaining how we can learn about future food sustainability by remembering past lessons.

Terry Witzel’s career has focused on agriculture, food processing and food distribution. He is also interested in promoting sustainable food systems and serves as a member of the San Mateo County Food System Alliance. Additionally, Terry serves on the Agricultural Advisory Council for the California State Fair. He joined the Pollinator Project because of its emphasis on the global and economic importance of pollinators in food crop production. Most recently, Terry managed food solicitation and procurement for both a regional and a local food bank until his retirement in 2011. Previously, he managed the California office of American Farmland Trust, working to protect productive farmland for future generations. He began his career with Tri Valley Growers, the largest U.S. farmer-owned cooperative processor of private label canned fruits and vegetables and rose to the position of Vice President of Corporate Relations. Terry earned a B.S. in Agricultural Education from the University of California at Davis and an M.B.A. in Business Management from San Jose State University.

Lora Morandin has been doing research on bees and pollination since 1997. She started out working on bee pollination of greenhouse tomatoes at Western University in Ontario and that grew into an interest in native pollinator conservation and sustainable agriculture. She then did a PhD at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia studying modern agriculture and pollinators, followed by post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley working on enhancement of native pollinators and natural enemy insects through small-scale farm restoration. Lora has co-authored books and book chapters, created outreach and technical guides, and has about 30 peer-reviewed publications on pollinators and sustainable agriculture, including innovative work on economic benefits of ecosystem services. She has consulted for government and industry on diverse ecological topics such as greenhouse coverings, seabird oiling from offshore oil and gas operations, and honey bee health research gaps. One of her main interests is finding ways that human land-use, production, and conservation can co-exist for a healthy and sustainable environment. Lora lives in Victoria, British Columbia and when she’s not working she spends time on her urban farm, with her family and pets, and enjoying BC’s beautiful natural areas.

Yusuf lives in Ottawa with his wife, Lori Della Malva, a Neuropsychologist at the Ottawa Hospital. They have 3 children and 2 brand-new grandsons, so plenty of good reasons to worry about the future of our planet. Though he started his education in Biology with a particular interest in the effects of DDT on Peregrine Falcons, he ended up doing an MBA at Queen's. The end result - Yusuf now runs a Dynamic Wealth Program for Women. Though he has no direct experience with the field, he is an avid gardener, and worries about our beautiful planet. Yusuf is honoured to have been invited to serve Pollinator Partnership and hopes he can make a meaningful contribution to the wonderful (and challenging) work they do.

My name is Shawna Riley from Lillooet B.C., I reside on the beyond beautiful land of my community of T’it’q’et within the St’at’imc Territory. This picture was taken on my Birthday in 2018, where Shelly Candel came to bless our community with a visit. We were very proud to show her our Bee Hotel made and decorated by T’it’q’et community members.

I work in Social Development, I volunteer throughout my community, and I am passionate about the importance of pollinators. I became familiar with Bee City through my work with Amlec garlic and took over our local Bee City functions in 2018.We are very proud to be the first Indigenous Bee City in Canada.

My daughter Sasha and I do presentations where we share information about the importance of pollinators, we are invited to functions throughout the year to share our knowledge, and we create spaces so that we can help youth to understand the importance of pollinators with materials that are youth appropriate.

Traditionally, we believe that Earth is our Mother and we must care for her. We treat all beings with respect, and we only take from the earth what is needed and not more, we give thanks to the earth, and a tobacco offering when we do harvest. We believe people should leave no permanent tracks, we want the earth to remain sustainable and balanced for future generations.

Kelly Rourke has been dedicated to pollinator conservation for over 7 years. Her focus is on large-scale habitat projects, plant-pollinator interactions, and agricultural and industry engagement. Kelly holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Anthropology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She has also received a Master’s of Science in Environmental Management (Ecology Concentration) from the University of San Francisco. Her background in ecology, conservation, and culture has propelled her career in the non-profit sector. Prior to Pollinator Partnership (P2), Kelly worked at another bay area-based environmental non-profit called Conservacion Patagonica (CP). Kelly manages the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), National Pollinator Week, www.pollinator.org, and pollinator grants and scholarships. Kelly serves on the Board of Directors of Pollinator Partnership Canada, the Advisory Committee of the Monarch Joint Venture, and the Steering Committee for PlantAgents.

Prior to joining the Canadian Honey Council as the Executive Director in January of 2011, Rod Scarlett was the Executive Director of Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, Alberta’s general farm organization, for fourteen years and concurrently, the General Manager of the Canadian Young Farmers Forum for six years. After obtaining his MA in Canadian Studies from Carleton University, Rod worked for eight years with the Government of Alberta where he was Executive Assistant to three different Cabinet Ministers.

He has served on the executive of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and the Pest Management Advisory Council. He currently sits on the Board of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, is Co-Chair of AAFC’s Canadian Bee Health Roundtable and is a member of the international Apimondia Honey Fraud working group.

Vicki has been working to protect and promote pollinators with Pollinator Partnership since 2011. As Director she oversees P2 Canada's research and programs, keeping on top of new and emerging pollinator issues and managing programs that includes pollinator habitat conservation and landscape management assessments; understanding and enhancing agroecosystems; landuse and pesticide policy review; support for threatened and critical species; and ecosystem service assessments in Canada. Vicki joined the San Francisco team after completing her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. In 2015 she returned home to Toronto with the expansion of P2 Canada. Vicki’s interest in pollinators was sparked during her undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph and has continued ever since. Her graduate research focused on understanding how native bees use gardens and habitats in cities. This focus on pollinators in human-dominated landscapes has continued throughout her career. Vicki’s contributions to pollinator research and conservation include numerous peer reviewed papers, book chapters, policy pieces, planting guides, and technical manuals. The outdoors has always been calling this city girl who enjoys skiing, sailing, hiking, and any excuse to get out of town.