BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2026 – 2027
President – John Martin
John’s professional career includes helping to build an international high school and then teaching. He spent over 22 years at IBM Canada in a range of roles supporting clients around the globe. His final years were spent working in the healthcare sector in British Columbia where he helped to revitalize the molecular labs at Children’s and Women Hospital, introducing the 811 services in BC and the Yukon. At Fraser Health he modernized the hospital communications centers and introduced advanced systems management processes including architectural systems services, security and privacy services.
John has volunteered in many roles across Canada including: running the Toronto Field naturalists’ children program out of the Royal Ontario Museum, introducing the first national vegetarian congress, initiating a Sierra Club chapter, photographer for North Shore Scouting groups, instructor in the Marine Power Squadron program in BC and more.
Now retired, he enjoys travelling with about 18 countries visited so far. He also enjoys hiking and taking wildlife photographs in support of Citizen Science with a strong emphasis with iNaturalist. He is currently a board member of Nature Vancouver, enjoying many aspects of natural history while focusing on strategic initiatives.
Vice President – Donna Underhill
Donna Underhill was born and raised in Vancouver, with lots of early exposure to the natural history of our area and British Columbia. Her family (the Stace-Smiths) were involved with what was then Vancouver Natural History Society, so she attended summer camps most years during the 1960s. Donna attended UBC and graduated with a BSc in Zoology, worked as a research assistant at UBC,then Park Naturalist, and Coordinator of the Richmond Nature Park. After 10 years, she headed to SFU to do her Masters in Natural Resource Management.
During this time Donna and her husband, Brian, had a couple of sons and after graduating from SFU, she operated a small ecological consulting firm, mostly doing contracts for all levels of government.
She has become more active with Nature Vancouver since retirement, and joined the Board in 2018. She is interested in all natural history subjects – geology, soil, plants, animals and astronomy and enjoys sharing her love of nature with everyone else.
Treasurer – Elisa Kreller
A Chartered Accountant since 1986, Elisa has held finance leadership roles with profit and not-for-profit organizations as well as in commercial banking.
Elisa’s move from Ontario to British Columbia in 2000 was prompted by a desire to spend more time hiking, skiing, kayaking and backpacking. From 2008 to 2015 Elisa served as Treasurer of both BC Nature and BC Naturalists’ Foundation of BC.
Retirement gave Elisa the opportunity to fall down the rabbit hole of birding and after stepping down as Treasurer of Stanley Park Ecology Society, she welcomed the opportunity to support Nature Vancouver by joining its Board in 2025.
Recording Secretary – Sheila Sakich
Sheila developed a passion for camping, hiking and exploring outdoors as a Pixie in the 3rd North Burnaby Brownie pack, and flew up to join the 4th North Burnaby Girl Guide Co. Summer vacations as a teenager were fondly spent pitching canvas tents and cooking over open fires at Camp Olive in Wilson’s Creek, Sechelt. Those were the days!
She found her way to Nature Vancouver in 2014 by invitation to a summer camp at Manning Park. That was the start of her journey with Nature Vancouver. It led her to wanting to ‘give back’ to a wonderful organization by volunteering as Recording Secretary.
Sheila grew up in a large family in North Burnaby. She attended BCIT and UVIC in her nursing career. She keeps busy with family, hiking, and playing violin with the WestCoast Fiddleheads.
Director at Large –Sunny Sun
Sunny is deeply passionate about nature, wildlife, and outdoor activities. An avid traveler, he enjoys exploring diverse natural landscapes around the world and believes that firsthand experiences in nature are essential to fostering appreciation, stewardship, and long-term conservation.
Through his involvement with Nature Vancouver, Sunny is motivated by the organization’s mission to connect people with nature and inspire environmental awareness within the community.
With a strong interest in technology and innovation, Sunny is currently involved in a project developing smart binoculars designed to enhance birdwatching by seamlessly combining observation and photography. He is particularly interested in how thoughtful technology can lower barriers to entry and enrich the experience for both new and experienced birders.
In his free time, Sunny is also a certified CSIA Level 2 Ski instructor, well recognized for his patient and engaging teaching style.
Director at Large – Melissa Cusack Striepe
Melissa is a nature lover and dedicated environmental advocate, passionate about building people’s connection with the natural world as a means to inspiring environmental protection.
As a Policy Analyst at Natural Resources Canada she analyzes options and builds policies and programs to support clean energy development. Melissa holds a Master of Applied Science and has published work in the areas of passenger vehicles emissions and clean fuel regulations.
In her free time Melissa loves getting out into nature, canoeing, snowshoeing, hiking, birdwatching, tree bathing, etc. and encourages those around her to do the same.
Director at Large – Karolina Pol
Karolina is a strategic leader and policy expert with over ten years of experience in sustainable resource management, economic development and government relations. She currently serves as Senior Advisor, Strategic Policy and Cabinet Affairs at Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan).
Karolina holds a Master of Arts from the School of Community and Regional Planning at UBC. Her graduate research on net-zero building policy was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada(SSHRC) and subsequently used by the B.C. government to implement the Step Code, an innovative performance-based energy policy currently considered best practice in North America. In 2019, Karolina was recruited into the Policy Analyst and Recruitment Development Program (PARDP) by Natural Resources Canada. Since joining the federal public service, she has advanced corporate transformation initiatives at Natural Resources Canada, the Geological Survey of Canada, BC Hydro and PacifiCan.
Karolina is committed to fostering governance structures that are forward-thinking, fiscally responsible and help to sustain natural assets for future generations.
Director at Large – Nicholas Johnstone
Nicki is an environmentalist who is passionate about conservation, climate change mitigation, and sustainability. Born and raised in Vancouver and on Bowen Island, he fell in love with local biology and ecology through building strong relationships with nature. Graduating from UBC in 2023 with a degree in Environment and Sustainability (Geography), his outlook on life was shaped by his education. Most importantly, he learned that the wonderful flora and fauna that we are so intrinsically connected to (and depend on!) need strong advocates to fight for their rights and protection; protecting ecosystems and their services is paramount to our own health as a species; and humans have a responsibility to rewrite our history and relationship with nature in a substantially more positive light. With this in mind, joining the Nature Vancouver Board and becoming the Conservation Section Lead has been a natural fit and wonderful experience for him overall.
While currently enjoying his work as a mechanical technician for a deep sea vehicle engineering company called Nuytco Research, Nicki is excited to continue working on building a professional career in the environmental sector.
He enjoys connecting with like minded people and collaborating to accomplish meaningful work. He encourages reaching out to him for a chat anytime. You can find him farming and gardening on Bowen Island, playing with beloved animal friends, fishing in the Strait of Georgia, or exploring our beautiful city and province!
Director at Large – Laura Cottle
Director at Large – Nick Terris
Nick Terris is a passionate advocate for environmental conservation, stewardship, and community engagement. He is a graduate of the University of Victoria, where he earned a Bachelor degree in Environmental Studies and Political Science. During his studies, Nick participated in a field course with the Galiano Conservancy Association, gaining hands-on experience in ecological monitoring and restoration.
Committed to expanding his knowledge of environmental governance and protected areas management, Nick recently completed BCIT’s BC Parks Law and Administration course. He is passionate about supporting local conservation initiatives and volunteer-led environmental projects that connect people with nature and help protect British Columbia’s unique ecosystems.
Nick’s love of nature began from an early age, as a child he took yearly trips to Gabriola Island, where he spent countless hours exploring the tidal pools and the rich marine life of the Salish Sea. These experiences fostered a lifelong curiosity about the natural world and a deep appreciation for the importance of protecting local ecosystems.
As an active member of the local environmental community, Nick enjoys contributing to habitat restoration and stewardship efforts throughout Metro Vancouver. In his spare time, he can often be found hiking, backpacking, camping, beachcombing, and exploring British Columbia’s diverse landscapes. He is also an enthusiastic citizen scientist and avid user of Merlin Bird ID and iNaturalist, using these tools to document biodiversity and deepen his understanding of the natural world.
Director at Large – Claire Messenger
Claire is passionate about environmental stewardship and advocacy, with a particular focus on marine conservation, biodiversity, community engagement and education, and climate change mitigation.
She graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and has built her career at the intersection of business and sustainability. Her experience spans advancing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) best practices and regulatory compliance, conducting climate risk assessments and scenario analysis, and, in her current role, engaging with Boards of Directors to provide recommendations on strengthening ESG performance.
Claire has volunteered with several environmental organizations, including National Geographic, where she worked on a project interviewing Canadian ocean advocates about Canada’s role in protecting marine ecosystems, as well as Surfrider Foundation and Parley for the Oceans. She is excited to contribute to Nature Vancouver from a board governance and conservation perspective.
Outside of work, Claire enjoys hiking, camping, gardening, going to concerts, volunteering with the Kitsilano Girl Guides district, and counting Dungeness crabs in Horseshoe Bay as part of a light trap monitoring initiative with the Hakai Institute.
Note: Please click on a name to contact any Director by e-mail.
The Nature Vancouver Board of Directors meets on the first Tuesday of every month, except July and August. Minutes of the meetings are published once they are approved, which typically happens at the following board meeting, e.g. the minutes for September are published shortly after the October meeting. Click below to access the minutes of the past meetings and the Bylaws.
If you would like to serve as a Director, please contact the President. Details of job description and responsibilities are available from the link below.
Minutes of Meetings
Nature Vancouver Bylaws
Directors’ Job Description
Past Presidents
