Board of Directors

Our officers and directors are passionate, dedicated and talented volunteers who generously give their time and insight to guide the charity’s conservation efforts.

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Executive

Andre Willi – Chair

Andre resides and works in Vaughan as a self-employed insurance broker specializing in employee benefits. He has an economics degree from the University of Guelph. Andre is a life-long nature enthusiast who enjoys learning about all aspects of the natural environment. Conserving Ontario’s biodiversity and international environmental issues are important to him, and he enjoys working with Ontario Nature in achieving its goals. He tries to get in a weekly hike at the Kortright Centre down the street from his house or find an alternative hiking spot.

Peter Smith – Vice-Chair

Peter is transitioning from a long and fulfilling career in information technology consulting, where he spent years managing complex projects and coaching high-performing teams. To align his professional expertise with his dedication to conservation, he recently completed a certificate in Advanced Environmental Management from the University of Toronto. An avid outdoorsman, Peter is always seeking out the beauty of the natural world, whether he is hiking regional trails across the GTA or backcountry canoeing through Algonquin and Killarney Provincial Parks. He channels this passion into local conservation efforts by volunteering with the Toronto Field Naturalists, where he actively contributes his time and technical skills to their advocacy, digital, and lecture teams.

Muhammad (Moe) Qureshi – Secretary

Moe was a founding member of the Ontario Nature Youth Council in 2010. He has been named one of Starfish Canada’s Top Environmentalists Under 25 in 2014 and 2015, and was recognized by the Lieutenant Governor for his work in conserving Ontario’s natural heritage. Moe has worked extensively in the areas of conservation and the chemistry for renewable energy and has advised the Government of Canada for the 2016–2019 and 2019–2022 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, a PhD in chemistry from KAUST. He has worked at Stanford University’s SLAC facility working on cutting-edge technology to develop clean solar fuels, which uses sunlight and water to generate energy.

Peter Winkley – Treasurer

Peter is a CA, CPA who recently retired from his role as CFO of Algoma Central Corporation, one of Canada’s largest marine shipping companies, and is currently a director of Alectra Inc. As part of the Algoma Executive team, Peter oversaw the Company’s generational investment in new vessels designed to help achieve aggressive carbon reduction goals. Peter has been a supporter of Ontario Nature for over two decades and lives with his wife and a daughter in Port Credit, with a summer home in Wasaga Beach.

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Nature Network Directors

Marilyn Baxter

Marilyn served as both Executive Director of the Bay Area Restoration Council and as Environmental Manager for the Hamilton Port Authority where her passion was the clean-up of Hamilton Harbour and its watershed from the early 1990’s until her retirement in 2018. The Eramosa River East Branch Naturalization Project (upstream of Guelph) was Marilyn’s most proud moment as President of the Eden Mills Eramosa River Conservation Association (EMERCA) in 2020. Canoeing, swimming, and hiking in the Great Lakes West area had prepared her to represent the Region.

Sylvia Bowman

Sylvia grew up in Calgary and spent a great deal of time in the mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, where she developed a deep appreciation for nature inspired by her mother. She is a registered nurse, trained at the Ottawa Civic Hospital School of Nursing, and holds a BScN from the University of Toronto, and worked for many years as a public health nurse. She has been actively involved with the York Simcoe Nature Club since 2004, serving in several capacities on its board, and in 2018 received the George R. Richardson Conservation Award of Honour from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority in recognition of her contributions to conservation. Sylvia rejoins Ontario Nature’s Board of Directors, having previously served from 2011 to 2017.

Carol Burnup

Carol has an academic background in ecology, a deep respect for nature and a thorough understanding of its healing effects with over 20 years of professional communications experience primarily within the environmental and social non-profit sectors. She is a member of the Ottawa Field Naturalists Club and enjoys all outdoor or nature-related activity, with her most recent adventures paddling the Yukon River and hiking the ruggedness of Iceland. When she is not donning her environmental cape, she is a strong supporter of the arts, having also performed across stages in Ottawa, and is an avid explorer, having lived, worked or studied in over 25 countries around the world.

Mike Fisher

Mike graduated from the University of Windsor with a masters degree in business administration and is a chartered professional accountant (CPA, CMA). He is a committed board member with The Friends of Ojibway Prairie and a member of the Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club. Mike is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys hiking, kayaking and cycling.

Paul Toffoletti

Paul is a retired Urban Planning Technician from the City of Hamilton and is an honorary member of the Canadian Association of Certified Planning Technicians. Active in environmental and heritage conservation since the 1990s, he volunteers with the Hamilton Naturalists Club, Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club, and Conservation Halton. He has also contributed to environmental advisory committees for the City of Burlington and Halton Region and sat on the multi-agency Cootes to Escarpment Management Committee for over a decade. Passionate about land use and conservation, Paul is also a Hike Ontario Certified Hike Leader who enjoys hiking, cross country skiing, curling, cycling, gardening, travelling, and history.

* Read about the Regional Council.

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Directors at Large

Adam De Luca

Adam has an Honours B.A. from the University of Toronto and J.D. from the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law. His studies and experiences have focused on urban ecology, renewable energy, nature conservation and environmental advocacy. Adam has been a member of the University of Toronto Food Policy Council and was the president of the Lakehead University Environmental Law Students Association. He has worked on the Bloor Street Bike Lane Pilot Project, which resulted in permanent bike lanes along Toronto’s Bloor Street, and studied renewable energy systems implementation at the University of Reykjavik. His aim is to leverage his experience to advocate for environmental justice.

Belinda Bain

Belinda is a partner in the litigation group of a large Toronto law firm, focusing her practice on insurance law. She is happiest when out of doors, whether cycling, hiking, swimming or paddling. Belinda has long been inspired by her mother’s involvement in various naturalist organizations, and is a huge believer in the positive impact taking joy in nature has on well-being. She seeks to enable as many others as possible to gain access to and become passionate about Ontario’s beautiful natural spaces.

 

Laverne Barretto

Laverne Barretto has been a Canadian Diplomat in an international development and the environment capacity. Throughout her career, she has managed complex programs in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa focusing on environmental governance, community-based natural resource management, food security, desertification, disaster response, and education. Laverne holds a Master’s degree in Environment and Development from the University of Sussex, UK, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Toronto. She dreams of a planet with immense biodiversity, harmony, social justice, and decolonization.

Marketa Evans

Leveraging her experience inside business and government, Marketa now provides advisory services for non-profit leaders. A former corporate banker with CIBC, Marketa was the first Executive Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. She has held senior leadership roles in the public and private sectors, including with Global Affairs Canada, WoodGreen Community Services, Colleges and Institutes Canada and Colleges Ontario. Marketa is currently the Vice Chair of Magnet at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and is a member of the Innovation Council of Dress for Success Toronto and the Canadian Advisory Board for Bridging Divides, a major TMU research project. She recently joined the board of the Algonquin to Adirondack Collaborative. Marketa received her PhD from the University of Toronto. She loves running, hiking, camping, travel and holds an open water scuba diving certificate.

Tiffany Lee

Tiffany is a University of Toronto BSc graduate, founder of Deo Tutoring, and currently a Go-to-Market Lead at Microsoft. As a youth, being an Ontario Nature Youth Council member and Duke of Edinburgh International Award recipient has shaped and inspired her to pursue a life of giving-back and protecting nature. In the past decade, she has mentored 47 high school students to achieve distinguishable academic performances and volunteering. She participated as a Canadian diplomat at the 2021 WBG-IMF Annual Meeting and wrote about green investments in Canada. In 2024, she participated in the UN Summit of the Future, where she voiced her perspective on sustainable development goals, focusing on Goals 13–15, which covers climate action and the protection of marine and terrestrial life.