Based in Atlantic Canada, on unceded Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik lands, we are a team of passionate staff dedicated to saving forests, innovating positive climate solutions, and empowering more equitable communities at home and abroad.
Daimen Hardie (he/him)
Executive Director
Executive Director
Daimen is a co-founder of Community Forests International and will do anything for the team, working tirelessly alongside colleagues internationally on a shared mission to overcome climate change by unlocking greater social and ecological prosperity in frontline communities. He designs regional climate action strategies for the European Union; establishes regenerative supply partnerships with the world’s leading social enterprises; and champions combined people- and nature-based solutions. Daimen lives off-grid surrounded by his family’s forest in rural New Brunswick.
Zach Melanson (he/him)
Program Director
Program Director
Zach is a co-founder of Community Forests International and works across the organization and its partners in Zanzibar to support his colleagues and create meaningful impact for people and the planet. Zach has over a decade of project management, fundraising, and community engagement experience, and is the founder of Plant 4 Pemba, which brings together hundreds of young tree planters every year in Canada and around the world to plant trees and raise funds in global climate solidarity with communities most affected by the climate crisis. A photographer, filmmaker, and sculptor, Zach enjoys creative approaches that help us make meaning and inspire new perspectives on the beautiful and complex worlds around us.
Anne Herteis (she/her)
Grants and Operations Manager
Grants and Operations Manager
Anne has worked in the non-profit sector for over a decade, focusing on issues of gender, social, and environmental justice. She joined Community Forests International in 2016 as the organization’s grant writer — improving the sustainability of our projects in Canada and Zanzibar through fundraising, project planning, and maintaining partnerships. Most recently, Anne has been managing our Forest Accord and Common Ground projects, helping forestland owners and practitioners access and apply climate smart forestry methods, find community, and improve understanding between settler and Indigenous forestry sectors. Anne has an MA in Immigration and Settlement Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University and a BA in Political Science from Mount Allison University.
Megan de Graaf (she/her | elle/la)
Forest Program Director
Forest Program Director
Megan holds a BSc in Biology from Dalhousie University and an MScF in Forest Ecology from the University of New Brunswick. She worked in a diversity of roles and organizations across the non-profit and natural resource sectors for over a decade before joining Community Forests International in 2015. Megan works to safeguard old forests, restore new forests, and integrate carbon storage and climate change resilience into regional forest management practices. Megan comes from a family of forest workers and farmers, and is a forest and farm owner herself.
Dani Miller (she/her)
Forest Diversity Manager
Forest Diversity Manager
Dani supports forest protection and restoration efforts in the Maritimes, promoting climate-adaptive silviculture and developing our Wabanaki forest ecological database. Dani holds a BSc in Plant Biology from McGill University, which has weaved scientific understanding into her lifelong passion for ecology. She has a diverse professional background that includes research in horticulture and renewable energy, wilderness conservation, energy efficiency education, and sustainable vegetable farming.
Craig Tupper (he/him)
Forest Program Manager
Forest Program Manager
Craig holds a BSc in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick, is a Registered Professional Forester in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He has worked in several roles across government, industry, and private woodlot stewardship for close to two decades, including most recently in forest operations, planning, and landowner engagement. He has been deeply involved in many advocacy, landowner, and professional organizations throughout the forestry sector. Craig, a connoisseur of maple syrup, avid gardener, woodworker, outdoors person, and hunter of edible fungi has joined the Forests Program team to help foster and adapt forestry practices to a changing climate and stewardship paradigm. Craig and his family reside in Southeast New Brunswick and are caretakers of 120 acres of mixed Wabanaki forest in Northern Nova Scotia.
Michelle Evans
Forest Technician
Forest Technician
Michelle is a forestry and wildlife technician who graduated from the Maritime College of Forest Technology. She is part of the forest team supporting 'boots on the ground' collecting data and assisting in operations.
Kirsten Campbell
Forest Technician
Forest Technician
Kirsten is a proud mom of three (four, including her beloved woods!) and the owner of a senior GSP. A Forest Technician by trade and a forest explorer by passion, she was born and raised on the beautiful island of Cape Breton, where she has spent most of her forestry career, with occasional work on the mainland of Nova Scotia. Kirsten is dedicated to sharing her love for woodlands, engaging both the public and her peers in the forestry profession. With a fun, approachable, and informative style, she is the perfect addition to an already passionate team.
Maria Hernandez (she/her)
Nature-Based Solution Project Coordinator
Nature-Based Solution Project Coordinator
Maria is responsible for supporting the team in achieving their community and environmental goals. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Management and a minor in Business, Maria brings a wealth of experience in both business and communications to her role. Her creative talents and unwavering commitment to the environment and social justice inspire and motivate her to work for a brighter future.
Natsuki Kyokane (she/her)
ZanzAdapt Project Coordinator
ZanzAdapt Project Coordinator
As Zanzibar Project Coordinator, Natsuki closely engages with teams in Canada and Zanzibar to promote nature-based climate solutions and gender equality programs in Zanzibar. With an academic background in International Development, Natsuki has extensive experience working with community-led organizations based in Central and Eastern Africa, project development and implementation in climate-smart agriculture, and women's empowerment. She is dedicated to social and environmental equity to enhance climate adaptation and resilience through grassroots efforts.
Sonja Kovacev (she/her)
Development Coordinator
Development Coordinator
Sonja works to support fundraising development and community engagement to grow and strengthen the critical relationships between communities and the environment. With experience working in fundraising campaigns for social initiative charities across Canada, and environmental NGOs abroad, Sonja has a number of years' experience mobilizing communities. She has a passion for the environment and working with communities to rally support for fundraising efforts.
Abdullah Ahmed Elashy (he/him)
Fundraising Officer
Fundraising Officer
Abdullah Elashy is a dedicated individual currently pursuing a degree in Commerce with a minor in Computer Science at Mount Allison University. With a primary focus on supporting fundraising and community engagement efforts, Abdullah is particularly passionate about donor stewardship and gratitude.
Katheryn Martin
Financial & Data Controller
Financial & Data Controller
With over a decade of accounting experience, Katheryn supports the Community Forests' team by managing the organizational accounting and performance data operations. She is helping to grow the operations and organizational capacity, all while completing a Masters program in Sustainability and Environmental Management.
Sara Savino (she/her)
Climate Project Administrator
Climate Project Administrator
Sara works closely with the Canadian team to provide cross-cutting reporting, data management and analysis, and Monitoring & Evaluation support. She previously worked in the International Development sector and has supported project management for a range of organizations, including the United Nations and other International NGOs in Nepal, Myanmar and Central Asia. Sara recently completed her Master of Science at the University of British Columbia, where she researched the impact of infrastructure-led deforestation on Human-Elephant Conflict.
Eric Smith
Senior Program Manager
Senior Program Manager
As part of Community Forests, Eric will work alongside the Community Forests Pemba team in Zanzibar. He will play a role in maintaining and strengthening Community Forests international programming, performance evaluation, and developing and nurturing relationships with new partners and funders. When not in the office, Eric can be found cycling the backroads of Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Zanzibar.
Lilian Simule
International Partnerships Manager
International Partnerships Manager
Lilian is an accomplished development practitioner experienced in projects and grant management, quality assurance, and partner capacity development. She holds a Masters in International Development from National University Ireland and her passion for local community empowerment includes 10 years of work experience with global entities such as Oxfam, Global Affairs Canada, and UNOPS. Currently she supports ZanzAdapt’s partners in delivering the project nature-based climate solutions in Zanzibar.
Board of Directors
Community Forests International is governed by a Board of Directors made up of talented and generous volunteers. The board oversees finances, provides strategic oversight, and helps expand our network.
Jeff Schnurr
Chair
Chair
Jeff Schnurr believes that entrepreneurship and innovation can solve our planet’s biggest challenges. As a social entrepreneur who helps rural communities achieve economic prosperity through sustainable innovation, Jeff co-founded and acted as Executive Director of Community Forests International for 9 years. He is the co-founder and CEO of Jaza Energy, a solar energy start-up working to provide electricity to the 1.2 billion people currently living without it. Jeff was named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year™ 2015 Special Citation for Social Entrepreneurship, one of Canada’s top ten volunteers by the CBC and Manulife, and one of Explore Magazine’s Top 30 under 30.
Vinod Parmeshwar
Board Member
Board Member
Vinod is the current CFO-CHRO at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. He has worked in private and social sectors, including positions at Citibank, Catholic Relief Services, and SEWA Bank. Vinod helped launch Saving for Change, a microfinance program that helped over 500,000 people save more than $13 million. He taught microfinance at Brandeis University for 10 years and mentored startups such as Hult Prize, Our Generation Speaks, MIT IDEAS Challenge, and Heller Startup Challenge.
Niamh Leonard
Board Member
Board Member
Niamh Leonard is a lawyer committed to social impact and systems change. She has worked on systems-change initiatives at the McConnell Foundation and civil litigation matters at Trudel Johnston & Lespérance. She is now clerking at the Constitutional Court of South Africa in Johannesburg. Passionate about governance, she is currently vice-chair of Welcome Collective, an organization that supports refugee claimants in Montréal, and was previously chair of Apathy is Boring, Canada’s largest non-partisan youth civic engagement organization. She is proud to be a board member of Community Forests International, an organization that approaches its work with creativity, humility, and rigour.
James Lane
Board Member
Board Member
James is a father, lawyer, and one of the founding members of Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Canada. He more recently completed 10 years of service to MSF's Board of Directors and has considerable direct experience in all the chapters of their growth. James is a litigation partner at Thomson Blackburn Lane Lefebvre LLP, Toronto, and has acted for accountants, engineers and other professionals for over 25 years.
Melissa Labrador
Board Member
Board Member
Visual Artist, birch bark canoe builder and Indigenous Guardian are just a few of the titles that Melissa Sue Labrador holds dear to her. Coming from the Wildcat Community in the Mi’kma’ki district of Kespukwitk, Nova Scotia, her family is well-respected across the Mi’kmaw communities and world-wide because of the knowledge they hold and share. From the Mi’kmaq art of basketry and birch bark canoe building to the more traditional knowledge of plant medicine as well as ecological knowledge.
Shyla O'Donnell
Board Member
Board Member
Shyla O’Donnell has a Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree. She is a Wolastoqey woman from the Sitansisk First Nation in New Brunswick. Shyla is an experienced leader who has many years’ experience reporting to a board, managing teams/budgets. She has experience working for industry in British Columbia, government in British Columbia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, Indigenous NGOs in New Brunswick and for her First Nation in New Brunswick. Shyla has worked on many large scale Environmental Assessment Projects, worked as a Indigenous Land and Resource Use study co-researcher, and as a Wolastoqey negotiator for complex agreements. She is an expert in the field of the duty to consult and accommodate and an advocate for that process to transition to a process that follows the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People principles of free, prior and informed consent. She is passionate about intensive community engagement and linking all interactions with community members to solving social issues that they are concerned with. Shyla currently works at the Operations Lead for SOAR Professional Services and works from the SOAR office on unceded, unsurrendered lands of the Coast Salish people on the Malahat First Nation.