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The Board of Directors
The Stanley Park Ecology Society Board of Directors consists of volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds. Each Board Member draws on their expertise to assist the Society in areas such as: Newsletter production, public education and fundraising. The Board of Directors is instrumental in helping the Society achieve our goals, as well as developing our vision for the new millennium.
- Patricia Stevens, President
- Brett Horton, Past President
- Fred Cuzner, Vice President
- Judy Chui, Treasurer
- Brian Herrin, Secretary
- Don Enright
- Mike Mackintosh
- Danny Catt
- Judith MacPherson
- John Gray
- Jude Grass
- Denise Pritchard
Inaugural Two-year Terms October 2009 AGM
Fred Cuzner (appointed June, 2009 to complete vacancy) Inaugural term AGM 09
Fred Cuzner has over thirty years of experience in management, analysis, and consulting, largely in the non-profit sector. Fred holds the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University, and Master of Science in Health Administration (specialized MBA) from the Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Colorado, Denver. He has been a Certified General Accountant for over twenty-five years. Fred is a newly certified ski instructor at Whistler. He's a scuba diver and can be found roller-blading around Stanley Park in the early AM in the late spring and summer months.
Don Enright (inaugural term AGM 2009)
Don Enright's passion for wildlife has led him through an unforgettable twenty-five-year career as a professional naturalist, writer and presenter. He is an avid birder and wildlife photographer, and was principal researcher, writer and music composer of For The Birds, a three-part documentary series on migratory birds and eco-tourism, filmed in Costa Rica and Canada. He also is the co-founder of Evergreen Theatre, a touring company that uses theatre to educate young students about the natural world. Don was the on-camera host of Think Big, a documentary featuring efforts to coordinate wildlife corridors at an international level.
Don's interest in astronomy led him to a fascinating position as Coordinator of Programs at the Centre of the Universe, an astronomy centre in Victoria, BC, where he introduced guests from around the world to the beauty of the night sky. In addition to his work in the great outdoors, Don's experience as an educator and presenter in zoos and aquariums has allowed him to learn (and write) about creatures as diverse as sharks, corals, beluga whales, dolphins, parrots, hippos, lions, tigers and bears. Don is currently an Interpretation Specialist with Parks Canada.
Mike Mackintosh (inaugural term AGM 2009)
Mike recently retired from the Vancouver Park Board as a Supervisor of Operations for the Queen Elizabeth District. He was also responsible for wildlife management with the Park Board and still contracts for this work. He has a degree in Microbiology from UBC and trained in Wildlife Management at BCIT. He has extensive experience with species management and urban wildlife issues. He has worked in Vancouver city with Canada Goose management since 1980. He has established good working relationships with other levels of government and wildlife organizations in putting together an effective civic control program. Mike has worked extensively with planning groups related to wildlife projects including zoological parks, interpretive centres, and creating strategies for endangered species. He has also dealt with some urban wildlife issues that have been connected to public health and veterinary medicine. He was instrumental in the development of an innovative program for coyote management in the Vancouver. The wildlife control programs instituted have been recognized for their effectiveness. He has been a director with the Stanley Park Ecology Society, responsible for their Conservation Committee programs. He is currently on the Advisory Committee for the BCIT Fish Wildlife and Recreation Program.
Mike has also worked on programs for several rare and endangered species including the Humboldt Penguin Species Survival Plan, Barn Owl management in BC. Additionally, he worked with several primate species during his time as manager for Stanley Park Zoo.
Currently, Mike's primary area of interest is Burrowing Owls and BC grassland habitats. He is Executive Director of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC, and has worked with the Provincial and National Burrowing Owl Teams since 1990. He directs a volunteer group responsible for the Port Kells breeding center for the owls, coordinates their field activities and delivers education/interpretive programs on behalf of the society. Mike has expertise in personnel and budget management, report preparation, public relations and direct work with several species at risk.
Two-year Terms, October 2007 AGM
Renewal Date AGM 2009
Danny Catt (inaugural term began October 2003)
A professional biologist, photographer, educator and naturalist with over 20 years of experience in the field of environmental education, Danny was raised on the west side of Vancouver spending countless hours exploring parks and reserves throughout western North America and when at home, Stanley Park. His career with Parks Canada, Canada's National Park service, spanned 13 years. He has a broad range of international experience ranging from studying wildlife management in Africa to teaching for the Canadian International Development Agency in Asia. He is currently a faculty member at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) teaching Applied Ecology and Recreational Land Management in the Institute's highly regarded Fish, Wildlife and Recreation program. When not teaching, Danny works in the adventure travel industry as a photographer and naturalist on the coast of British Columbia, Alaska and the high Arctic.
Judith MacPherson, Educator (inaugural term began October 2001), Past President
Shortly after moving to Vancouver while on a teaching sabbatical, Judith volunteered as a Stanley Park Ecology Society educator with school programs in 2000-2001 before joining the board. Presently she is a Grade 3/4 teacher with the Vancouver School Board at False Creek Elementary School. Judith has extensive experience in environmental education initiatives and curriculum development through her collaboration with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS), as a founding member of the Hebert Arboretum, and with the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She was also the inaugural recipient of the Excellence in Environmental Education Award given by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education. In BC, her students have been active participants in the Fraser River Sturgeon Education Program for the past four years.
John TW Gray, City of Vancouver (founding member of SPES since 1994)
A native of BC, born in North Vancouver, John began his career working with the Orphan Seal Recovery team and later moved to the Stanley Park Zoological Society where he coordinated the education programs with the Stanley Park Zoo. John joined the City of Vancouver in 1992, where he began his city career as a zookeeper. He later worked in Special Events and Filming facilitating the use of more than 200 plus parks, and coordinating sport field bookings and picnics. John then took an active role in on site supervision, which led to the creation of the Vancouver Park Board's Ranger Program, a program he designed and evolved into a team of more than 37 park rangers. John has also co-led the Vancouver Park Board's Wildlife department looking after both habitat and conservation incentives, coordinating park partner involvement, and developing best management practices for species at risk, as well as overseeing Canada Goose, Starling, Great Blue Heron and Beaver Management programs. John has recently moved to the community services division of the City of Vancouver as the assistant manger in the Animal Control, supervising 17 Animal Control officers and overseeing the very busy Vancouver shelter. He is currently a director of the City of Vancouver's Emergency Social Services program and a team captain on DAT (Disaster Assistance Team). He is also involved with the Burrowing Owl Recovery Team of BC, a captive breeding program with 3 breeding facilities, responsible for bringing Burrowing Owls back to their native grassland habitats. John has also been showcased on several natural history productions including Discovery, and Suzuki's Nature of Things for his work with Canada Geese. When John has a free moment, he also manages and works at a small neighbourhood pub on the North Shore, The Black Bear, and enjoys hiking in the North Shore Mountains.
Board Candidate October 2008 AGM
Renewal 2010 AGM
Jude Grass (inaugural term began October 2008)
Jude has had a lifelong interest in all aspects of natural history and has worked as a Senior Naturalist for both BC Parks and the Greater Vancouver Regional District, where she retired from four years ago. She is actively involved in Nature Vancouver (Vancouver Natural History Society) as Board member and Chair of the Birding Section Committee; Nature BC (Federation of BC Naturalists) as Coordinator for the Lower Mainland Region, as well a the Wildlife Trees Stewardship program (WITS) and representative to Invasive Plant Council of BC. Other groups include BC Field Ornithologists, Biodiversity Centre for Wildlife Studies and the BC Breeding Bird Atlas. She is the Program Coordinator for the Birds on the Bay and Beyond Program which promotes various nature related activities in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, (including SPES programs). She also sits on both the BC Oregon Spotted Frog and the Western Painted Turtle Recovery Teams. She feels very strongly about the role of nature education and the need for providing programs that will involve youth and adults so that they will appreciate and protect the natural environment around them for the future.
Judy Chui (appointed November 2005, inaugural two year term October 2006), Treasurer
Judy is a chartered accountant currently working at Deloitte and Touche. She works both with private and public clients in various industries including clients in the not-for-profit sector. Judy holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia. She is experienced in event planning and fundraising and is excited to apply her insights to SPES.
Patricia Stevens (inaugural term began October 2006), President
Currently a director in the Office of the President at UBC, Patricia holds a B.Sc. from UBC and an MBA from SFU. She has a demonstrated record of achievement, management and responsibility in fast paced, complex environments and is known as an innovative results oriented problem solver with a solid reputation for high ethical standards, reliability, motivation and realizing corporate goals and objectives. With previous board experience, helping organizations with strategic planning and goal setting, Patricia is enthusiastic about working with SPES.
Denise Pritchard (inaugural term began October 2006)
Currently embarking on a new career, Denise is in Law School at UBC. Previously, she worked for over 10 years with non-profit groups including the International Centre for Sustainable Cities, Katimavik and CARE International UK. She has lived and traveled overseas to places such as East Africa, the Middle East and Europe. She holds two degrees in Geography, is a keen cyclist and skier, and speaks French.
Brian Herrin, Environmental Educator (founding member since 1994), Secretary and Past President
Brian Herrin, a part-time faculty associate at Simon Fraser University (SFU), is often an engaging, lively teacher/presenter at local, provincial, national and international science conferences and has been for over 30 years. He has taught at both SFU and University of British Columbia and was a guest lecturer at both University of Victoria and TRU in Kamloops. His teaching career was mainly spent with upper intermediate and middle school students and, although he began as a senior high school teacher in the southern Okanagan, his final position was a four month assignment leading a pre-school in Whistler! He is the only Canadian to receive the North American Catalyst Award for Middle School Science Teaching presented by the Chemical Manufacturers Association. He has also received a Prime Minister's Award for Science and Mathematics Teaching and was the first recipient of the BC Science Teachers' Association Exemplary Elementary Science Teacher award.
