Meet the HAT Team

Based on Vancouver Island, on the traditional and unceded territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ, SC’IȺNEW, and T'Sou-ke Nations, lək̓ʷəŋən peoples (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations) and the many other Coast Salish peoples who have lived in relationship with and stewarded these lands since time immemorial and continue to live in relationship with the Land today. We are a driven team of individuals who are passionate about protecting, preserving, and restoring the incredible ecosystems in our region.

A settler of predominantly European ancestry raised mostly in Kanienʼkehá꞉ka territory, Kikila has worked in conservation fundraising for 6 years having spent three years with Nature Conservancy of Canada before joining HAT. Kikila sits on the board for the Alliance for Intergenerational Resilience (AIR) and is studying settler/environmental interactions and decolonization for his PhD at UVic. As the Community & Development Coordinator, Kikila’s roles include working with HAT’s amazing members, supporters, and partner organizations to strengthen the HAT conservation community while also cultivating long-lasting relationships with funders.

Paige is of Icelandic and Irish descent raised near Showe’luqun (Shawnigan Lake) in Quw’utsun territory. In 2011, Paige first became involved with HAT through a turtle. Since then she was hooked, joining HAT as the Conservation Intern in 2012. After holding various roles at HAT, Paige settled into the Stewardship Coordinator role in 2015. Now Paige manages HAT’s growing Stewardship programs. In her spare time, Paige can be found in her garden or coordinating talks as co-chair of the Native Plant Study Group.

Julianna is of Hungarian, German and Polish descent and is currently living in the unceded territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən W̱SÁNEĆ Nations. She is a recent University of Victoria graduate with a BSc. in Biology and a minor in Environmental Studies and has recently joined HAT as the Office Administrator. In her free time, Julianna loves spending her time outdoors hiking with her dog, exploring beaches and forests, and practicing yoga.

Josh is of Scottish, Hawaiian, French, English, and Songhees First Nation descent. As a member of the Songhees Nation, Josh was born and raised on Vancouver Island, where he grew up on Lekwungen territory. Growing up, he was taught the knowledge and understanding of his culture and has spent much of his time working on traditional land. After graduating high school, he started working to help rebuild the Lekwungen food/plant ecosystem and learning the traditional ways of removing non-native plant species and harvesting native plant species for traditional use. Josh’s goal is to help preserve the land and water of Songhees Nation just like his ancestors did before.

Max was born and raised on traditional Mi’kmaq territory in area known as the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia; famous for its apple blossoms and high tides. After many years spent crisscrossing the country to plant trees during the summers in the remote corners of northern British Columbia, Max finally made the full-time move to the West Coast in 2019. He has a BA Honours degree in Development Studies and Political Science from St. Francis Xavier University, having written his undergraduate thesis on the role of Participatory Community Radio in natural resource-based social movements in rural Ghana. Max’s first became involved with HAT as a member of the Restoration Crew in 2021, working in the field to restore Garry Oak habitat throughout the region. He is now the coordinator of the Habitat Restoration Program.

Emily is of Italian and Scottish descent and was born and raised on Mississaugas of the Credit territory near Toronto, Ontario. She has an honours BA in English from Laurier University and a diploma in Ecosystem Management from Fleming College. She has gained experience in environmental education and community stewardship working with the High Park Nature Centre, helping to restore rare Black Oak Savannah Ecosystem in an urban space. She is passionate about helping people connect with nature, and enthusiastic about continuing stewardship work as a part of the HAT team!

Nina is of Polish Jewish and Danish descent, and grew up on the territories of the Patwin and Miwok peoples in California. She has worked in conservation, restoration, and community education for the past five years after studying biology and environmental engineering. When not working, you can find her spending time with her animals, camping, or canoeing.

Vanessa is of German and Irish descent and grew up on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Tsleil-Waututh territory. She moved to Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ territory in 2015 to pursue a BA in Environmental Studies and Sociology from the University of Victoria. She then moved on to complete a Diploma in Restoration of Natural Systems. Vanessa became involved with HAT working on the restoration crew in 2022 and is now the Office Administrator. When she isn't working, Vanessa enjoys gardening on her apartment deck.

HAT Field Crew

More of the Team - Principal Contractors

Michael Brinsmead, Bookkeeper

Michael has managed HAT’s bookkeeping since 2007 through his bookkeeping business, Farhill Accounting.
Peter Ord (he/him), MHIPA Project Manager

As a Project & Program Manager in International Development, Peter has over 30 years of experience in strategic leadership, project development, and business advancement roles within the culture, heritage and conservation sectors. Peter has 6 years of Executive Director experience with the Bateman Foundation, and joined HAT in 2022 as the Mary Hill IPA Project Manager.