Meet the Host Planning Committee
2010 CIF-IFC Annual General Meeting and Conference
Alex Drummond, Student Program
Alex would like to welcome all the attendees to the 2010 CIF AGM and Conference and as Team Lead for the Student Committee, especially all our student delegates. It’s clear that this will be the highest number of students to attend a CIF AGM and Conference and we’re really pleased to have you. It’s great to have students from across Canada attending. He hopes to see you at conference events and at the Quiz Bowl. Enjoy our Alberta hospitality in our world renowned location! Alex is a long time RMS Councilor and works at the Dept. of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta.
Anand Pandarinath, R.P.F. (AB, BC), CIF-RMS Representative
Anand is currently the RMS Director and is acting to represent the interests of the Rocky Mountain Section in 2010 HAMPCO activities. His professional forestry background includes over 15 years of management and operational consulting in the forest sector in the areas of policy, trade, business development, First Nations, performance improvement, engineering, and inventory. His skills have been applied in multiple provinces across the country in both public and private sectors. He has been active in professional college and CIF activities for over 10 years and is looking to contribute his experience to a successful 2010 CIF AGM and Conference. He also enjoys long walks down the street and throwing rocks at large furry animals.
Aniko Parnell, Program Co-Chair
Aniko Parnell is the Director of the Integrated Land Management Program in the Alberta Department of Sustainable Resource Development. This program, which aims to manage or reduce the human impact, or footprint, on public land, is a cross-ministry effort connected to Alberta’s Land-use Framework. Aniko works with other land-based ministries and a broad range of land-users to identify develop and implement tools that will assist in reducing, or better manage the anthropogenic footprint. Aniko has a Masters of Environmental Design from the University of Calgary and has worked for the Alberta Government for 19 years in a number of roles across a number of ministries, including Alberta Environment; and International and Intergovernmental Relations.
Dan Wilkinson, R.P.F., Executive Liaison
Dan Wilkinson is the Executive Director of the Forest Economics Branch, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. He graduated, with distinction, from the University of Alberta in 1977 with a BSc in Forestry. Dan has worked 32 years with government and is currently responsible for issues related to forest industry competitiveness. Dan is a long time member of the CIF and is a Registered Professional Forester. He currently serves as a member of the PFInnovations Board.
Dave Morgan, R.P.F., Registration
After graduating with a B.Sc.F. degree from University of British Columbia Dave worked in forest management in the NWT and YT. In 1982 Dave received his M.Sc.F. at the University of Alberta, after which he assume the position of Manager, Forest Biometrics Unit (the current name) where he has remained. His work has primarily involved forest inventory and growth-and-yield modelling. Dave is a registered professional forester and has been a member of the Canadian Institute of Forestry since 1965.
Derek Sidders, Logistics
Derek Sidders is the Regional Coordinator for the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre in Edmonton, Alberta and leader of the Silviculture and Afforestation Innovation Group, working out of the NRCan, Canadian Forestry Service, Northern Forestry Centre. He has 33 years of experience in silviculture operational development in central and western Canada developing new techniques and technologies to enhance regeneration and partial harvest systems in Boreal Shield and Plains ecozones. Derek is presently leading the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Boreal Plains Mixedwood Fibre Initiative and National Short-rotation Woody Crop Systems Development project. A major focus and priority of Derek’s work is on practitioner uptake of research and development knowledge through active demonstrations and technical field workshops and tours.
Don Podlubny, Sponsorship & Exhibits
Don has enjoyed a career spanning 40 years in forestry all in the province of Alberta. Don is the past chair of the College of Professionals Forest Technologists, the past chair of the Rocky Mountain Section of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, past Director of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, the Past General Manager of the Foothills Model Forest and has chaired and participated in a number of forest and environment related committees.
Duncan MacDonnell, Communications
Duncan MacDonnell is a Public Affairs Officer with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, responsible for a range of forestry communications including forest industry economics, forest protection and mountain pine beetle. Duncan's 35-plus years of experience as a professional communicator spans careers in journalism and photojournalism, corporate and government communications, public relations, free-lance writing and college-level instruction. He was born and raised on northern Vancouver Island, where he spent several years working in the forest industry before embarking on a communications career.
Geoff Clarke, MBA, MF, R.P.F. (AB, SK), Finance
Geoff graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1998, where he obtained his B.Sc.(Forestry) under the Atlantic Cooperative Wildlife Ecology Research Network program with a minor in Computer Applications. He was awarded the Canadian Institute of Forestry Gold Medal in 1998 and the James M. Kitz Award in 2004. He received both MBA and Master of Forestry degrees from the University of Alberta in 2005, earning both while employed full-time at Timberline Natural Resource Group. Geoff is a huge advocate for community involvement and as such, is currently President of the Resource Industry Suppliers Association, delivers the Renewable Resources 439/602 (Advanced Forest Management) course at the UofA, and coaches minor hockey and soccer programs.
John F. Pineau, National Program and Liaison
John Pineau has been the Executive Director of the Canadian Institute of Forestry since September 2006. Prior to that time, he worked as a full-time consultant to the Canadian Ecology Centre - Forestry Research Partnership as Extension Manager, and with the Lake Abitibi Model Forest on a variety of initiatives including four years as Chair of the Education and Public Awareness committee. He has also worked for Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. in Alberta, and with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Keith McClain, Ph.D., R.P.F., Chair, HAMPCO
Keith is a long time member of the CIF having been a member of four Sections across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Keith’s work been primarily focused on forest science and its application to sustainable forest management, and is now directed toward science policy in his present position as Director, Science Policy and Strategy with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. Keith has degrees from the University of Toronto and Oregon State University.
Mark Kube, R.P.F., CIF-IFC 2nd Vice-President & Vice-Chair, HAMPCO
Mark Kube is a Tenure Specialist with the Forest Economics Branch, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. Prior to joining ASRD in 2000, Mark spent the first decade of his career in the forest industry as a Contract Supervisor, responsible for harvesting and silviculture operations in Fox Creek, AB. He joined the Canadian Institute of Forestry as a University of Alberta student in 1988, and attended his first CIF-IFC National AGM and Conference in 1989 in Kananaskis, AB. It was this conference that sparked the idea of hosting another CIF National AGM and Conference when Mark was CIF Rocky Mountain Section Chair in 2008-09. Mark is a Registered Professional Forester who volunteers on the Professional Exam Committee and serves as a Board member on the Agro-Forestry and Woodlot Extension Society. Mark is married to Denise with twin girls, and in his spare time enjoys cycling, skiing and researching Canadian history.
Marty O’Byrne, R.P.F. Social & Companion Programs
Marty was born and raised in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. He graduated in 1978 with a B.Sc. in Forestry from the University of Alberta. He started work with the Alberta government in 1979 and has held a number of professional positions as an agrologist, land use specialist, timber management forester, forest planner and silviculture forester. Marty presently serves as Senior Forester, Silviculture Practices, for Reforestation Section, Forest Management Branch, SRD, as a provincial silviculture specialist.
Teresa Stokes, R.P.F., Program Co-Chair
Teresa has been a member of the CIF-IFC since her days as a student at Lakehead University (early '80s). She has been a long time member of the Canadian Institute of Forestry and what she enjoys most about being a member are the opportunities of networking with likeminded folks through events such as, the Annual General Meeting and Conference. Teresa was part of the Rocky Mountain Section Planning Committee for the 1998 and 2004 (joint meeting with the SAF) conferences and bring that excellent experience in planning for the 2010 event. In 1989, Teresa moved to Edmonton to work for the Alberta Government and is currently Strategic Policy Advisor with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. Teresa is married with two teenagers and has a cat named Lifesaver.
Tom Archibald, Field Tours
Tom in his 3rd year as General Manager of the Foothills Research Institute in Hinton, Alberta. Previously, Tom worked for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development for 27 years and spent the grater part of his career in north-western Alberta most recently as Manager of the Forestry Division in the Peace Area. During his time with ASRD Tom gained extensive experience in the fire and forest management programs. Tom is a member of the Canadian Institute of Forestry and enjoys his spare time with his wife down hill skiing and motorcycle touring.
Rory Thompson, R.P.F., Sponsorship & Exhibits
Rory’s early forestry career began in 1972 in Peace River working as a member of a timber management crew, after which he completed his degree at the University of Montana. Rory’s career spans forestry work in Slave Lake, High Level, Lac La Biche, and Rocky Mountain House as the Forest Area Manager. After his time in the field Rory moved to Edmonton where he was appointed the Center Manager of Forest Management Planning, Genetics and Grazing. He later transferred to the policy Secretariat as the Senior Forestry Adviser to the Deputy Minister before moving into a secondment position with FPInnovations. Rory currently works in the Forest Economics Branch as a Senior Manager for the Bioeconomy Initiatives. Rory remains actively involved as a volunteer with Duck Unlimited Canada and has been for the past 26 years and the Wild Elk Federation of Canada for the past 15 years.