Kitty retired in 2020 from the Capital Regional District where she coordinated community stewardship initiatives on the Gorge Waterway, Esquimalt Lagoon and Bowker Creek. Prior to that she was a kelp farmer, marine biologist and educator in Bamfield where she lived for 20 years. Kitty also worked for several years as a naturalist doing multi-day sailing trips along the BC and southeast Alaska coasts. All of these experiences have fed her love and appreciation for this beautiful coastline and the many ecosystems above and below the tide line that sustain us all, and that need our help in the face of climate change, sea level rise and growing human population. Other passions include native plants, ecological restoration, gardening and basketry.

From the Richmond Nature Park to Science World British Columbia, I have been working with schools, science centres, nature centres, museums and aquaria for more than 25 years.

In my current role as the Executive Director for the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, The dedicated crew of staff and volunteers and I have navigated six challenging and rewarding years of revitalizing the organization. This work has included digging deep to rethink, reset, rebuild and reimagine the Centre’s viability and role in the community.

Born and raised in Sydney, Nova Scotia “Canada’s Ocean Playground” I participated in community service activities at an early age through Girl Guides and Key Club and developed my love for the outdoors and passion for the environment. My career pathway to experiential learning and community engagement was inspired by experiences at the Marine Ecology Station, the Vancouver Aquarium and the SeaChange Marine Conservation Society.

I have studied science and education from coast to coast through Cape Breton University, UBC, SFU and Langara College and am a Fellow of the Noyce Leadership Institute (NLI) along with over 100 senior-level leaders from science centres, children’s museums and other science-intensive institutions from around the world.

I am passionate about collaborating on creative projects that connect people and energize communities.

Biography to come…

Elizabeth May served as Leader of the Green Party of Canada from 2006 – 2019 and returned as leader in November 2022. She is the Green Party of Canada’s first elected Member of Parliament representing Saanich-Gulf Islands in 2011. She continues as the Member of Parliament.

In 2005, Elizabeth May was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of her decades of leadership in the Canadian environmental movement. She graduated from Dalhousie Law School and was admitted to the Bar in both Nova Scotia and Ontario. She practiced law in Ottawa with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre prior to becoming Senior Policy Advisor to the federal minister of the Environment (1986- 1988). For seventeen years Elizabeth served as Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada.

A proud mother and grandmother, she lives in Sidney, British Columbia, with her husband John Kidder. Elizabeth is the author of nine books, including her most recent revised book, Climate Change for Dummies.