STAFF
Nicholas Scapillati
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Nicholas has over 25 years of experience in environmental non-profit management. He studied Biogeography at McMaster University and began his career working at the David Suzuki Foundation. Nicholas holds a Master’s in Conservation Leadership from the University of Guelph.
Passionate about biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, food sustainability and climate action, Nicholas has led programs and organizations at the national, provincial and community level. He served on the Vancity enviroFund grant committee for over a decade, ran as a candidate in the 2013 BC Provincial election, and has worked closely with First Nation and Indigenous communities for many years.
Taylor Green
OUTREACH & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Taylor studied Environmental Science at McGill University with a specialization in Biodiversity and Conservation. She has worked as an environmental educator, naturalist, and wildlife guide in ecotourism.
With years of experience in bear-viewing, Taylor has developed an intimate knowledge and admiration for grizzly bears. She has a particular passion for wildlife photography, which is a way she connects with her environment and shares her appreciation for the natural world.
Sara Vickruck
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR
Sara is a multi-disciplinary performer living on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, AKA Vancouver. Their artistic practice often advocates for social, political, and environmental awareness. Being an artist, Sara has always worked in the non-for-profit sector, and is excited to have joined the Grizzly Bear Foundation Team in a more administrative capacity.
Maybe one day soon there will be a new Grizzly Bear Foundation jingle….or a new script titled “The Grizzly of the Foundation”.....only time will tell.
Richard Sparrow
DIRECTOR OF INDIGENOUS-LED CONSERVATION
Richard Sparrow has been active in the field of First Nations conservation and restoration management and policy for more than 20 years. He is a member and Councillor of xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band).
Richard has spent his career advocating for the protection and enhancement of the inherent fishing rights and title of local First Nations communities. His work primarily focuses on building and maintaining natural resource relationships with Indigenous communities throughout BC, as well as on collective impact related to First Nation natural resource management and inherent rights.
Prior to his work with GBF, Richard spent more than 6 years providing senior management to the First Nations Fisheries Council of BC (supporting intergovernmental affairs and fisheries management) as well as governance and leadership to the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance and the Musqueam Fisheries Commission.
Lindsay Marie Stewart
CREATIVE & DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER (on maternity leave)
Lindsay is a content creator and communication strategist driven to honour the living world, using storytelling through photography, film, graphic design, and multimedia projects to inspire positive change and ignite community mobilization.
Always curious and an advocate for amplifying diverse voices and stories; she holds a Master of Arts in Intercultural and International Communication, a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication, and a Diploma in Photojournalism.
From the forest to the ocean, Lindsay has received accolades for her work locally and internationally in leading and producing conservation film projects, public awareness and fundraising campaigns.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stuart McLaughlin, Chair
Stuart McLaughlin is a business executive in BC's tourism industry and Chair of the BC Pavilion Corporation. Mr. McLaughlin has served on many public, private and charitable boards. He is known for his ability to combine innovation in business with sustainability measures, including via sustainable energy demonstration projects.
Ken Macquisten
Dr. Ken Macquisten is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, with a special interest in wildlife, who has been involved in various conservation efforts. He is the Director of the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife and was the founder of Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge. Dr. Macquisten was a Director of the Fraser Valley SPCA, and has worked with various wildlife rehabilitation centres.
Douglas Neasloss
Douglas Neasloss is Chief Councillor and Resource Stewardship Director for the Kitasoo/Xai'xais Nation. He has been integral to many grizzly bear initiatives, including Coastal First Nations' ban on trophy hunting in their traditional territories. He is chair of Spirit Bear Research Foundation, and a former guide with Spirit Bear Adventures.
Doria Moodie
Doria Moodie is a full time artist based in Whistler. She is a strong advocate for BC bears and has spent many days observing them in the wild in order to paint large portraits of them. Previously, Mrs Moodie taught in the Vancouver French Immersion program, and was on the board of the Vancouver Chapter of Room to Read, which promotes literacy and gender equality in the developing world.
Ralf Schmidtke, Treasurer
Ralf Schmidtke, CPA, is a retired CFO of a leading BC home builder. He serves on several private and charitable boards that focus on child poverty, housing for the homeless, and the arts.
Laura Grizzlypaws
Laura Grizzlypaws is a dancer, drummer, singer/songwriter, academic, educator, and advocate of language and culture. She was born and raised in Lillooet, BC in the Interior Plateau region. She is of St’át’imc descent. Her St’át’imc name is “Stálhalamcen– Grizzly Paws.” She belongs to the people of Xwisten the Bear Clan.
John E. Marriott
John is one of Canada’s premier professional wildlife photographers known for photographing wilderness scenes and wild, free-roaming animals in their natural habitats. He is an Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, a Canon Ambassador, and the co-founder of the EXPOSED Wildlife Conservancy environmental non-profit. John has worked with grizzly bears since being a naturalist with Parks Canada in Banff National Park from 1993-95. He helped form the initial bear viewing program at Knight Inlet Lodge, where he was the Guide Manager from 1997-99.
Megan Baker, Secretary
Megan is a grizzly bear guide and Operations Manager of Khutzeymateen Wilderness Lodge. Through her guiding she has developed a catalogue looking at the behaviours, site fidelity, mating patterns and family relationships of the grizzlies in the Khutzeymateen, including an opportunistic study looking at the paw bias of grizzlies in the inlet. Originally from New Zealand, Megan has also worked in marine conservation on the BC coast.
Marg Leehane
Originally from Australia, Marg has traveled extensively and now calls British Columbia home. Working in the corporate world as a software developer for a decade, before deciding to follow her true passion of connecting people with nature, and now is one of the owners of Great Bear Lodge. Marg has a Master’s in Tourism Management from Royal Roads University and loves to adventure and hike in the mountains.
Mike Willie
Mike Willie is a member of the Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation and founder of Sea Wolf Adventures, offering grizzly bear tours, whale watching, and cultural experiences for a truly unique Aboriginal adventure in Western Canada.
Wes Larson
Wes is a bear biologist who has worked with polar bears, black bears, grizzly bears, and sloth bears. He has assisted on wildlife research and management projects for species ranging from golden eagles to African wild dogs. A strong believer in effective outreach and wildlife communication, Wes has done a lot of education work through tv series, social media, and his Tooth and Claw podcast.
Mary Granskou
Mary is a leadership coach with 30+ years in senior roles as a partnership builder and conservation strategist. She has a long history as an ally supporting Indigenous communities working to protect their lands and cultures. Runs the leadership growth stream of the University of Guelph’s Master of Conservation Leadership program. Loves everything wild.
Ross Dixon
Ross works as Director of Development for Coast Funds, supporting First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii with securing finance for conservation and stewardship. Previously, Ross worked with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation amplifying conservation science and helping to secure protections for grizzly bears through the acquisition of trophy hunting rights, in collaboration with coastal First Nations. Ross is also a registered therapeutic counsellor.
RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Our Research Advisory Committee advises on current data gaps and research needs. The Board of Directors then uses this information to establish our research priorities. To ensure good communication between the two bodies, this Committee is chaired by a member of our board.
Dr. Kyle Artelle
Kyle Artelle is a Raincoast Conservation Foundation Biologist and an adjunct assistant professor in the University of Victoria Geography Department. His work is at the interface of science and policy, including ecology and conservation of black and grizzly bears in the territories of the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Nuxalk, and Wuikinuxv First Nations, wildlife management in BC and beyond, and questions regarding the role of science and values in environmental interactions.
Dr. Kristen Walker
Kristen Walker is a faculty member in the Applied Animal Biology Program at the University of British Columbia. Her background as a wildlife welfare scientist includes the development of pain management protocols, studies of behavioral ecology, and projects focused on humane treatment and co-existence with wildlife. Kristen has used camera traps to measure the efficacy of humane deterrent devices for urban coyotes, to monitor urban beaver activity, and to monitor vertebrate species present at UBC Farm.
Dr. Courtney Hughes
Courtney Hughes is a conservation social science, or human dimensions of wildlife, researcher and practitioner in Alberta. Her work focuses on policy and planning, applied research, and educational outreach, with an emphasis on bears in Alberta. She currently works for Alberta Environment and Parks - Peace Region, is a visiting lecturer for Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, and is a collaborator with Korup Rainforest Conservation Society's girls conservation scholarship, Southwest Cameroon. Courtney is near completion of her PhD at the University of Alberta, addressing the cultural context of grizzly bear recovery in the province.
Dr. Chris Servheen
Chris Servheen is the President and Board Chair of the Montana Wildlife Federation and was U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for 35 years. He was on the front lines of saving grizzly bear populations in the Lower 48 states, playing an integral role in the conservation success story of grizzly bear recovery in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Dr. Garth Mowat
Garth Mowat is the Large Carnivore Specialist for the Province of British Columbia and an Adjunct Professor at UBC in Kelowna. His job involves research on wildlife ecology, particularly population dynamics, of mammals, mostly terrestrial carnivores. Current research includes diet and population dynamics for grizzly bears, wolves and cougars.
OUR FOUNDER
Widely known for his passion and support for the visual arts, Michael Audain is a home builder and art collector from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the Chairman of Polygon Homes Ltd., and Chairs the Board of the Audain Foundation, which was established in 1997 to support the visual arts in British Columbia. The Audain Foundation expanded their scope of support from art to wildlife when they provided start-up funding for the Grizzly Bear Foundation in 2016.
Through his leadership and unbounding generosity and support for the Grizzly Bear Foundation, Michael has become known and respected as a devoted advocate for grizzly bear conservation. He has worked passionately to ensure grizzly bears have a voice in our communities, governments, and in the public’s hearts and minds. Sparked by the fight to end the hunting of grizzly bears in British Columbia, Michael’s vision to ensure a safe and healthy future for grizzly bears all across North America continues to fuel the Grizzly Bear Foundation’s important work many years later. .