REGENERATION CANADA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Regenerative Transition Manager
Born and raised in Italian-ruled Sardinia to a family of farmers, bakers, doctors and teachers, Alberto holds a M.Sc. in Agricultural Science from the University of Sassari and a M.Sc. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California at Davis.
Prior to his arrival in Canada he has worked as a junior economist in an Italian think-tank, and as the executive director of a Sardinian cheese consortium. After his arrival in Canada he has worked as a food trader and distributor in Quebec, an organic and non-GMO grain trader in Ontario, a director of an organic and veganic farm in Saskatchewan, and has more recently served as facility manager in charge of parks and gardens at the United Nations in Geneva.
Alberto is a published author and commentator in four languages, a keen cyclist and swimmer, a militant conservationist and an advocate for endangered languages and cultures.
Job Titles:
- Administrator Writer and Environmental Leader
- Writer and Environmental Leader
Alice Irene Whittaker is a writer and environmental leader. She is the Executive Director of Ecology Ottawa, and the creator and host of Reseed, a podcast about repairing our relationship to nature. She has been published in national and international publications, and is currently working on a memoir about unraveling perfectionism from environmentalism and finding home. In 2021, she received a literary grant from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and was longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize. Alice Irene is the mother of three beautiful young children, and a keeper of cats, dogs, and chickens. She lives with her family in a cabin in the woods in Québec.
Alix is a first-generation farmer and organizer. With a B.A in Political Science and a Graduate Diploma in Community Economic Development from Concordia University, she is passionate about activating social change through food and regenerative agriculture. She has a background in event organizing, project management, and facilitation. Uncovering the interconnections between climate change, soil health and the health of communities continues to be the underlying motivation for the work she does on and off the farm. Some of her interests include agroecology, land access, seasonal eating, and no-till vegetable and cut-flower production. She has been involved with Regeneration Canada since 2018, and is currently helping with the farm map.
Job Titles:
- Administrator Food Systems Specialist
- Food Systems Specialist
Amanda is a resilient food systems specialist with 10+ years of experience in urban & rural global agri-food value chains. She has worked from seed to palate in value chains and all across different sectors including government, not-for-profit, academia and the private sector experience with the many sides of our food ecosystems. Amanda has lived with and learned from communities around the world. She has supported the development of resilience in livelihood strategies through years of research and work with thousands of smallholder farming families in Cameroon, India, Malaysia, Morocco, Malawi, France and Canada. She is currently pursuing a PhD focusing on the decolonization of food systems. She believes that food has the power to change our common future and she is driven to be part of helping it create a healthier tomorrow.
Job Titles:
- President Co - Founder, Inocucor
Ananda Lynn Fitzsimmons is an out-of-the-box thinker, visionary and environmentalist, with a passion for soil and growing food. She has had lifelong interest in sustainable food production and land management as well as social change and personal empowerment. She spent many years experimenting with microbial potions based on naturally occurring microbes extracted from plants, composts and soil. In 2008, she teamed up with Dr. Margaret Bywater Ekegard and they founded Inocucor Technologies. The company, now called Concentric, commercializes products for agriculture based on consortia of naturally occurring beneficial microorganisms. She now works as a consultant promoting soil health and regenerative land management practices.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Executive Director
Antonious Petro is the Executive Director at Regeneration Canada and a Master's candidate in soil sciences at UQAT. He has an Undergraduate Degree in biology and a Graduate Diploma in community economic development. Antonious is interested in soil carbon sequestration in agricultural soils and in the ecological services of urban soils. He specializes in simplifying and making scientific concepts more accessible, and focuses on ecology, agri-food ecology, sustainability project management, and citizen mobilization around climate change.
Job Titles:
- Administrator Founder of Nada
Brianne is a marine biologist turned social entrepreneur with a passion for driving positive change through inspiring collective climate action. Having seen firsthand the impacts of our current food system on the oceans, Brianne is committed to revolutionizing the food system across the supply chain so that future generations can continue to enjoy and benefit from the world's oceans. Brianne is the founder of Nada, a certified B-Corporation and carbon-negative package-free grocery store & delivery service on a mission to connect people to a more equitable, just, and regenerative food system. Brianne is a United Nations #notwasting food ambassador, a 2018 SheEO Venture, UBC Land & Food Systems mentor, and a former member of Vancouver Food Policy Council. Her food systems work has been featured widely in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes and Nada was most recently recognized as 1% for the Planet's Business Changemaker of the Year.
Job Titles:
- Administrator Research Coordinator at PCBFA
Over the last few years, Buthaina has been deeply involved in applied agricultural research in Alberta, with a particular focus on forage and soil health. Her collaborative efforts with local farmers in implementing Best Management Practices have allowed her to witness the tangible benefits of regenerative approaches firsthand. Having grown up in the Middle East, Buthaina possesses a profound understanding of the power of food sovereignty and the harmony that can be achieved by working with the land.
She deeply resonates with Regeneration Canada's advocacy for regenerative farm practices and recognizes the pivotal role of connecting farmers, scientists, and consumers. Buthaina holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Statistics and continues to expand her knowledge by pursuing a soil science certificate with the University of Alberta. Beyond her professional pursuits, Buthaina indulges her passion for the outdoors through activities such as hunting, fishing, camping and wildlife photography.
Regeneration Canada's main office is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien'kehá:ka are recognized as the custodians of these lands and waters. Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal is known as a historic gathering place for many Indigenous peoples.
Regeneration Canada is committed to taking action to regenerate land and water while acknowledging and respecting Indigenous knowledge that ensures thriving for all beings.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager - Regenerative Dairy
Though born on an organic dairy farm, Caroline was not necessarily headed for a career in agriculture. She completed a multidisciplinary Bachelor's degree in public communication and political science at Laval University. During her ten-year stay in Australia, she worked in socio-professional reintegration, which allowed her to develop skills in coaching and human relations. It is during this stay that she developed a strong interest in gardening, food autonomy, biodiversity preservation and permaculture. Today, living in the Rimouski region, she is developing several diversified agricultural production projects on the property she acquired with her husband and two children. For the past two years, she has worked for the MAPAQ regional office in Bas-St-Laurent as a program management and succession advisor, in addition to participating in the drafting and implementation of the regional action plan for sustainable agriculture. And for more than a year, she has been back to her roots by getting involved on the family dairy farm with her brother and mother. She is developing agri-environmental projects, as well as performing herd management tasks.
Caroline is passionate about dairy production as well as soil regeneration through improved animal production management techniques. She is particularly interested in the human aspect of changing agricultural practices. She joined the Regeneration Canada team to contribute to the Regenerative Dairy project.
Chadwick Lewis runs Urban Fresh Produce, a small urban farm at Just Food Community Farm. Originally from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, his interest in farming sparked when he began caring for his late uncle's estate and cultivating over 25 diverse crops. Chadwick was used to visiting Canada often to spend time with his dad, and during one of his travels, he enrolled in the horticulture program at Algonquin College. During the course, he was exposed to various farming practices that led him to join Just Food. Chadwick is passionate about providing healthy food options to others.
Chef Resa Solomon-St. Lewis is an award-winning chef based in Ottawa and the Founder of Baccanalle - Taste the Caribbean Lifestyle. She completed Chef School at Algonquin College and holds a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Ottawa. Resa grew her company Baccanalle in farmer's markets and community fairs, and they remain a core part of her business today. Baccanalle offers catering, specialty foods, takeout and meal prep and is named among Canada's top woman-led food businesses by the Food Network. Chef Resa is delighted to be part of Ottawa's food scene, local economy and Caribbean culture.
Job Titles:
- Digital Communications Manager
Geneviève Leblanc is the Digital Communications Manager at Regeneration Canada. She completed an undergraduate degree in Biology at McGill University with a focus in Neuroscience, then studied Sexology at UQÀM where she specialized in gender studies. In past years, she has worked as a research assistant, a project coordinator in textbook editing, and a communications manager in the video games industry.
In the face of the intensifying global climate emergency, Geneviève was drawn to Regeneration Canada's mission as a way to be part of the solution and to live according to her personal values of mindful collaboration with one another and with nature. A strong believer in the power of communities to enact transformative change, she's driven to help connect actors in the regenerative agriculture movement, with an eye toward diversity and inclusion.
Jade is a mom, aspiring homesteader, self-title data-geek, and Master's candidate in Environmental Impact Assessment at Concordia University who previously studied Neuroscience at McGill and Design at Concordia. Her passion for soil health sprouted while attaining a permaculture design certificate where she was inspired by role models such as Doniga Markegaard and Ed Tunheim who opened her eyes to land stewardship as a real, tangible, and timely solution to climate change.
Job Titles:
- Administrator Farmer, Banker and Collaborator
James and his family practice regenerative agriculture through their farm working with 50 beef cow calf pairs, 80 acres of pasture, and 300 acres of cropland in Ontario. James is fascinated in the regenerative powers of cattle, humans and pasture. Outside of farming, James works as an Account Manager for TD Bank's Agriculture Services looking after the financing for 100 industry diverse farmers. James is also the Co-initiator for the Perspectives Potluck which is a symposium style event that brings together decision makers with vastly different perspectives to find commonality and build a more resilient food system.
Joel Williams is an independent plant and soil health educator providing lectures, workshops and consultation on soil management, plant health and integrated approaches of sustainable food production. Joel has worked extensively in Australia, UK and Canada (where he's currently based) and has been fortunate enough to lecture to farming audiences internationally. Joel has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (AUS) specialised in plant and soil dynamics and an MSc in Food Policy (UK) which focussed on food systems, intercropping and agroecological transitions.
Job Titles:
- Project Officer - Regenerative Dairy
Meagan is a regenerative grazier who produces and direct-markets grass-fed beef, pastured pork, chicken and eggs on land that her family has called home for generations, in Brome QC. She studied education and has been teaching since 2008 and has been growing the farm business since 2013.
In 2017, Meagan teamed up with 8 other ecological farmers in the Brome-Missisquoi area to found la Cooperative le Terroir Solidaire, an organization that aims to help small-scale farmers and food transformers reach a common market and coordinate their activities together under a banner of ecology and transparency. The coop currently sells its members' products via an online platform and has now reached a membership of nearly 30 entrepreneurs.
Meagan believes in life-long learning and hones her skills and abilities through self-directed learning, courses and exchanges with peers and mentors. She now leads the first peer-directed grazing group in her area, where participating farmers host regular meetings throughout the growing season to discuss and exchange with each other.
Olivier is a full-stack developer with more than 15 years of experience, an entrepreneur and web 3.0 strategist who is passionate about green techs and agricultural solutions.
By creating tailor-made web platforms, he helps in responding efficiently to some of the challenges of our era with innovative digital solutions which have a tangible impact powered by the latest technologies and an artistic eye. Complex big data analytics and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms are at the core of his current work.
Since the first Living Soils Symposium in 2017, Olivier is responsible for all web programming and internet infrastructure for Regeneration Canada.
Job Titles:
- Education and Research Manager
Paige is originally from rural Ontario and now lives near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her passion for agriculture and community-building through food goes back as long as she can remember. She chose to pursue a career with Regeneration Canada because she appreciates the way that all stakeholders are considered and included in the organization's approach to soil regeneration.
Paige obtained her B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Guelph and completed her MSc. in Soil Science at the University of Saskatchewan. She also holds an Agronomy Certificate from Olds College and is an Articling Agrologist with the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists. In the past, she has worked on dairy cattle operations, pursued agronomic internships, and worked in an academic research position. Paige and her fiancé are involved with the family beef operation and, in her free time, Paige enjoys fishing, camping, and hiking with her dog, Angus.
Job Titles:
- Finance and Administration Manager
Pamela Fillion completed a Bachelors of Arts in Cultural Studies and Anthropology at McGill University with a focus on settler colonialism and Indigenous realities. She holds a Masters of Arts in Anthropology from Concordia University for which she received a Sustainability Research Award. Pamela has a diversified work background which includes teaching, management, coordination, and administration of food justice and gender advocacy collectives, educational non profits, arts & media productions, higher education institutions, and national foundations.
As part of a deep commitment to environmental and social justice, Pamela was drawn to Regeneration Canada's solution-based focus anchored in transforming food systems and relationships with human and non-human beings, including the microscopic. In her non work hours, Pamela is a community herbalist who teaches radical home economics including urban gardening. She is roommates with two small parrots and four tarantulas.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer Rancher, MSc., P.Ag.
Ross Macdonald is a student of improved stockmanship, horsemanship, grazing management, of selection for low maintenance cattle and long-term resilience whose practice is rooted in grassland ecology. He owns and operates 98 Ranch Inc in Saskatchewan, located on Treaty 4 Territory, with his wife, Christine Peters. The ranch is a cow/calf/yearling and grassfed operation built on a foundation of rangeland health and low-input cattle selection. The cattle generate profit through grazing and converting forages into beef while facilitating grassland ecological function including soil health, increasing effective precipitation, grassland resilience, wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Ross is an advocate for conservation-based land use, regenerative agricultural production system and always strives to be better!
Sara has always been curious, creative and driven by the search for meaning. It is this awareness of transformative possibilities that led her to study international development and cultural studies at McGill. Sara completed internships in social economy and urban agriculture in Peru, and then worked in community housing and early childhood education. Sara's interest in the food system and its environmental and social impacts blossomed after attending Concordia University's City Farm School, which allowed her to combine her interest in pedagogy and vegetable gardening. This experience led her to co-found the organization On sème, which develops local seasonal markets and an urban ecological gardening program. From the first Living Soils Symposium, Sara was inspired by Regeneration Canada's interdisciplinary and multistakeholder approach to regenerative agriculture as a means to climate change mitigation and sustainability. Outside of the professional sphere, Sara likes to garden with her partner while their dog protects the tomatoes from squirrels and groundhogs; and when not gardening, she likes to escape into the Boreal forest wonderland to connect with nature and contemplate its beauty.
Sun Shan was born in Beijing, China, and now lives in Ottawa, where she is an urban farmer and educator with a vast biology and ecology background. In 2015, Sun Shan founded Chi Garden along with her partner, where she combined over 20 years of experience working as a biomedical researcher, conservation biologist, non-profit leader, sustainability educator, and cultural/community interpreter. Her small ecological farm is cultivated as a place for diverse vegetables and herbs, community conversations around food, and connected traditions. Sun Shan is a member of the National Farmers Union (NFU) and its BIPOC group, and is an organizer for the East Asia Earth Village, where a diaspora of producers and creators from East Asia connect and co-create.
Job Titles:
- Administrator Farmer, Axten Farms
Tannis grew up on a farm in Southern Saskatchewan. She attended the University of Regina and received her Bachelor of Education majoring in Biology. After a short teaching career, Tannis married and moved to Minton to farm with her husband. As third-generation farmers on Axten Farms, Tannis and her husband, Derek, soon realized that their most valuable resource is their soil. With regenerative farming methods such as increased crop diversity, cover crops, controlled traffic farming, and composting, the family farm works to improve the health of their soil. These innovative practices have revived their optimism for farming and made farming a lot more fun. Her two children, Kate (17) and Brock (15), help with marketing and day-to-day operations.
Tannis enjoys using the microscope to study microbiology in the soil and has made it Axten Farms'focus to be "Loyal to the Soil". Every action taken on the farm considers the impact it will have on the microorganism living in the soil. Every year has new obstacles, and Tannis enjoys sharing their farm's journey.
Tannis and Derek were honoured to be named Saskatchewan and Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers