Executive Director
With over 20 years of experience working in community forestry and community economic development, Jennifer is a passionate advocate for community-based resource management. The granddaughter of a woodsman, Jennifer was born and raised in New Brunswick and moved to British Columbia in 1996 to pursue a Masters in Resource Management from Simon Fraser University, focusing on community forestry. After completing her studies, Jennifer moved to Kaslo, BC where she lived for 15 years with her family on a small farm. Relocating to Victoria in 2014, Jennifer continues to devote her energy to building sustainable local economies and to forest management that benefits local people while creating more resilient ecosystems. One of the co-founders of the BCCFA and long time Executive Director, she has had the pleasure of working with the Board of Directors, staff and membership to help it grow from an organization of just 10 member communities to one of over 50.
Manager of Communication and Extension
With a background in social work, mediation, and six years as a tree planter, in the early 1990s Susan dove into the deep end of land use planning as the assistant mediator with the Commission on Resources and the Environment (CORE) West Kootenay Land Use Planning table. She found the complex, multiparty process compelling and subsequently shifted her career focus from families to forestry and communities.
In 1996 she facilitated the formation of the Kaslo and District Community Forest, and the awarding of a 15-year volume based tenure to a non-profit society, that migrated to a long term CFA in 2008. She participated in the creation of the BCCFA in 2002 and continues to be an enthusiastic student of community forestry. Susan lives in Kaslo, BC.
Administrative Assistant