Our Board

PRESIDENT

Kim has always felt most at home in the boreal forest. She grew up in an off-grid cabin near Yellowknife and migrated to the Yukon after completing a biological sciences degree in Calgary. She works primarily in natural resource stewardship, wildlife research and conservation on behalf of First Nation governments and ENGOs. She is also a devoted grower, with years of homesteading, orcharding and running a tree nursery under her belt. She loves to write and use her creativity to bring her love of the natural world to others. She is grateful to live on the Traditional Territory of the Tr’ondek Hwech’in.

Her large life decisions have been guided by a desire to have a small environmental footprint and rich relationships with human and more than human communities. Being out on the land on skis, snowshoes, canoe or her own two feet is where she recharges.

She has been honoured to serve YCS as a member of the board since 2020 and as president since 2021, particularly in this time of focus on reconciliation with indigenous peoples.

VICE PRESIDENT

Following a varied career in nursing, community development and policy work, Jan is savouring the joys of retirement. Music, cross-country skiing, paddling and hiking in the summer, gardening, reading, solving the Saturday Globe and Mail cryptic crossword puzzle, spending time with family and friends are among those joys. So, too, is considering how to put time and energy into the things that really matter, the things that will continue to matter when the grandkids are retired.

The conclusion from those ponderings is that nothing matters more than the earth we live on. The need to preserve, protect and celebrate this beautiful planet is essential to our survival, as anyone reading this already knows. In recent years, she has developed a growing appreciation of the value of natural spaces, intact river systems, wetlands, forests, the ability of the earth to feed us. It is the right time of her life to engage in personal, political and community activity to ensure that these essential treasures are here for tomorrow's children.

SECRETARY

First and foremost Gerald is an ecologist, having studied aquatic ecology at UBC (towards a B.Sc), and he sees the world through an ecologist’s lens. After several years of work with both DFO and B.C. Fish & Wildlife Branch, he turned to teaching, and was a biology instructor at Yukon College/YukonU for 20+ years. During this time, he was a co-chair of the institution’s Sustainability Committee.

Past board experience includes Whitehorse Minor Soccer Association, with which he served as president for 4 years, and the Yukon Federal Green Party, which he has been with for 13 years. Not surprisingly, Gerald enjoys being outside in natural environments, whether kick-sledding and skiing in winter or via biking, canoeing and kayaking in non-frozen seasons.

These days travel is mostly vicarious, although local travel in the Yukon continues to draw him to new and familiar places. Gerald has travelled enough in earlier days, though, to realize that there are not many wilderness areas left in this world. We have something special here in the Yukon that should be conserved; as a second-year board member, Gerald looks forward to working with the YCS board, staff and members, and with all Yukoners toward this goal.

TREASURER

Practical Philosopher and generalist problem solver.

Yuuri worked a few years as a radio operator on ships. He studied Literature, Linguistics, Music, Environmental Science at UVic. He has been self-employed for most of his life in the areas of planning and problem solving, language teaching and translation, tourism and hospitality, electronics, radio, and IT.

Yuuri spent 17 years in Okinawa (Japan) and Taiwan. He is a founding member, board member and IT support of Anparu no Shizen wo Mamorukai, an environmental protection advocacy organisation in Okinawa, which mainly focuses on protecting sensitive tidal flats registered under the Ramsar agreement.

Yuuri has been living in the Yukon since 2015, working as tour guide (special interests: geology, climate, FN cultures, history), IT support, and consultant. He has been a YCS director since 2021 and is also on the Board of Volunteer Bénévoles Yukon and several other Yukon Societies.

DIRECTOR

Rebecca holds a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Environmental Practice.  Her research focused on wholistic approaches to protected areas management and monitoring in the Yukon.  

She comes from Alberta and has worked in western Canada National Parks as a park warden, fire management team member, and resource management specialist. Rebecca was also a natural areas coordinator with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Her work with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation brought her to the Yukon again where she now happily makes her home and explores with her family.  

A common thread in her pursuits is improving our understanding of our environment and the amazing ecosystems we rely upon. 

DIRECTOR

Tom was raised primarily on the land in the Columbia River Valley in Southeastern BC near Golden, and from an early age saw the effects of large-scale development on the environment.

At UVic he began a lengthy multidisciplinary exploration of the physical sciences, eventually obtaining a BSc in Chemistry. After a quick BEd and work as an environmental analyst he began his career as an educator at Yukon College, deriving a great deal of satisfaction following the careers of former students.

Tom has spent much of his time on the land travelling, fishing, or more recently mountain biking and river tripping remote areas of Yukon, BC, NWT and Alaska.

Tom has witnessed the effects of climate change and population growth on the north’s delicately balanced environment and would like to use some of his new-found time to contribute.

DIRECTOR

Amna Bhatti is a human rights lawyer currently working at the Yukon Human Rights Commission, as well as practicing remotely with Alberta based immigration and refugee law firm Fisher Law.

Amna moved to Canada in 2016 after finishing her BA-LL.B. in Pakistan. She completed her LL.M. at Osgoode Hall Law School. After getting licensed in Ontario, Amna worked as a Legal Advisor with Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa. In that position Amna undertook large-scale research projects for their Penal Reform as well as Gender Equality Programmes.

She then moved to Yukon to work at the Human Rights Commission as Legal Counsel and Human Rights Officer leading reviews to policies, programs, and legislation and investigating cases of discrimination and harassment under the Yukon Human Rights Act.

Whereas professionally, Amna has worked to protect human rights, particularly in relation to migrants and women, personally Amna is also very passionate about conservation work and animal rights. Amna has been a vegetarian for 7 years and tries to live an environmentally conscious life. Amna also runs a photography blog where she shares landscape and wildlife photographs, and discusses environmental, human, and animal rights issues.

DIRECTOR

Lee is a Policy Analyst currently working with the Divisional Supports Branch at Health and Social Services, Yukon Government.

Lee received his education in Canada, Kuwait, and the Netherlands, and volunteered in both Kuwait and Jordan. Lee received his Bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies, Political Science, and a minor in Law from Dalhousie University in 2018, and completed his Masters in Public Policy from the University of Calgary in 2019.

After graduating, Lee worked as a Program Analyst with the Ontario Ministry of Health. In that position, Lee participated in large-scale program evaluation and review for the Commitment to the Future of Medicare program, the Ontario Fertility Program, and abortion access. Lee moved to the Yukon a year ago to assist Family and Children Services, and Youth Justice with updating program level policy.

Lee is passionate about improving programs and services for children and youth, reproductive rights and access, and global affairs. Lee also became personally devoted to conservation work and preserving Canada’s natural beauty when he spent the summer of 2014 planting trees across northern Ontario and Alberta.

DIRECTOR

Simon is a long-time Dawson City resident who has a lot of experience being out in the bush, hiking and surviving and camping. He knows the Dempster area especially well, and is a member of the Friends of Dempster Country.

He is interested in joining the board to help plan YCS activities and sees a major role of YCS as a community education place where people can come and learn about the environment in the Yukon and what it means to protect certain endangered areas around our communities.

DIRECTOR

Toshibaa Govindaraj, a dedicated ecologist, brings a unique perspective to the board. After experiencing a diverse array of life experiences, she established roots in the Yukon at the age of nine, following two years in Toronto, six years in the Middle East subsequent to her birth in India.

Recently, Toshibaa completed her BSc in Biology with Honours, specializing in landscape genetics and population dynamics of black and grizzly bears in the Yukon. Her research underscores a deep commitment to understanding and preserving the region's biodiversity. During her tenure as a conservation intern for YCS, she delved into caribou and cumulative effects research, further solidifying her passion for environmental stewardship.

Central to her approach is a belief in holistic conservation, where marginalized voices are not only heard but empowered given space to lead. She advocates for a paradigm shift where all communities play pivotal roles in shaping sustainable conservation efforts. With her multifaceted background and unwavering dedication to inclusive conservation, Toshibaa stands poised to contribute meaningfully to the board's initiatives.