Our Team

Get to know the small team of dedicated staff that work hard every day to promote, protect and improve the health of our beloved Ottawa River.

Elizabeth Logue
RiverkeeperRead Elizabeth's Bio
We thank the Leacross Foundation and other partners who are patrons of the Riverkeeper position.
Elizabeth has close to 20 years experience within the federal government and her community, working on partnerships and community development which bring together federal, provincial and Indigenous collaborators toward common goals linked to sustainable development.
Her favourite water activities are canoeing, swimming and collecting rocks along the shoreline of the Tenagàdinozìbi (Gatineau) river, McGregor Lake in Val-des-Monts, as well as other rivers, lakes and streams!
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Patrick Nadeau
Executive DirectorRead Patrick's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
Patrick holds a B.Sc in Biology from the University of Ottawa as a Loran Scholar and a M.Sc. in Forest Science from the University of British Columbia. Patrick has prior experience with working on provincial, national, and international environmental files while serving as an Executive Director for CPAWS Quebec.
His favourite river activities are paddling along the Dumoine River and swimming.
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Chloe Hillier
Director of PhilanthropyRead Chloe's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
She holds a B.A. from Concordia University in History and has worked in fundraising for over a decade. Chloe enjoys lazy, sunny beach days on the Ottawa River with her kids. Playing and swimming in the water and occasionally scuba diving and checking out old wrecks in the St. Lawrence River.
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Larissa Holman
Director of Science and PolicyRead Larissa's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
Larissa has a B.Sc. in Environmental Science from Concordia and a Masters in Resource and Environmental Management from Dalhousie University. She has worked with communities to advocate for renaturalisation projects along urban waterways and has encouraged the adoption of practices that protect freshwater lakes and rivers. Larissa's favourite river activity is to explore the tributaries and see how these smaller streams have shaped the land around them.
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Dave Rayner
Director of Operations and CultureRead Dave's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
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Matthew Brocklehurst
Communications ManagerRead Matthew's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
He has a B.Sc. in Biology from U of T, and a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Visual Communications from Fleming College. He loves spending time reading outside by the water.
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Katy Alambo
BiologistRead Katy's Bio
We would like to acknowledge and thank the Government of Canada under the Habitat Stewardship Program and the Ontario Trillium Foundation for providing funding for this position.
Katy loves all activities around the water, be it canoeing or kayaking, exploring the natural flora and fauna, or just relaxing by the shore.
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Mark Bernards
Digital Content Creator and Graphic DesignerRead Mark's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
With an H.B.Sc. in Zoology and M.Sc. in Integrative Biology from the University of Guelph, and a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Visual Communications from Fleming College, he is committed to sharing his love of science, animals, and the environment with anyone and everyone, particularly through visual mediums like graphics and photography.
Mark’s favourite watershed activities include taking the (electric) motorized floating dock out on Lac Barnes in Val-des-Monts, and hiking river-side trails with his wife, dog, and camera.
The Ottawa River also holds an extra special place in Mark’s heart, because he proposed to his wife along its banks in Orléans!
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Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo
Community Outreach CoordinatorRead Alejandro's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
Alejandro has prior experience working for research institutions such as the European Commission, the University of Toronto, and the Ministry of Education in Spain, and has spoken in the United Kingdom about his ongoing projects in wildlife conservation.
He holds a Master of Science in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Portuguese Literature from the University of Toronto.
Furthermore, Alejandro is passionate about sharing his love for environmental conservation through his nature photography with which he aims to demonstrate the inextricable connection between nature and humanity in the 21st century. In fact, he held the photographic exhibition “Nature and Culture: Italian alpine reflections” in 2019 in Italy.
One of Alejandro’s favourite pastimes is laying in the ice and snow along the Ottawa River in -35°C weather to photograph the diversity of birds, especially ducks, that overwinter in the region.
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Pier-Antoine Lacombe
TranslatorRead Pier-Antoine's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
Pier-Antoine is born in Rouyn-Noranda, a mining town located in the northern part of the Ottawa River watershed, where he currently lives. In the winter months, he enjoys ice skating on lakes. In summer, he likes swimming and canoeing, as well as harvesting wild plants and going fossil hunting on the shores of Lake Temiscaming.
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Martin Lipman
Digital Storyteller and Partnership DevelopmentRead Martin's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
Pivoting from a long-time supplier to a part-team member, Martin will be helping the Ottawa Riverkeeper team with communicating its on-going initiatives and events. Having spent so many summers in the North, Martin is eager to explore the incredible watershed we have in our own backyard and help make it accessible to more of the public.
Martin is a graduate of Ryerson University and holds an MA in Journalism from Indiana University. He is a former academic advisor and teacher for the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa. You’ll see him on the water with his kayak and his camera.
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Ian Atwell
Database and Fundraising CoordinatorRead Ian's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
He is an Oracle Certified Professional with an Information Systems Developer diploma from Willis College, and has over 20 years of experience working in local community-based charities.
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Melinda Gilhen-Baker
Executive AssistantRead Melinda's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
She knows the cultural importance of identification to place in bringing about change and hopes to grow the sense of pride locals have for our watershed. Having travelled the world, volunteering for WWF and other environmental organizations, she is so grateful for the opportunity to be helping watch over the waters she grew up in. Being dubbed a “water baby” from birth, she loves swimming, canoeing and has recently fallen in love with Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP).
Melinda has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.
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Jorge Negrin Dastis
Research ScientistRead Jorge's Bio
We would like to acknowledge and thank RBC Foundation and ECHO Foundation for providing funding for this position.
More recently, Jorge was a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University, conducting and coordinating research on the influence of multiple stressors on aquatic communities. Since moving to Ottawa in 2019, Jorge has worked as an environmental consultant with Environment and Climate Change Canada by reviewing the validity of various indicators used to assess the ecological status of natural protected areas at the landscape level.
Jorge loves to go for adventure walks, bike rides and canoe trips along the Rideau and Ottawa rivers with his family and friends! Jorge is also an enthusiastic all-season nature photographer!
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Meghan Jolley
Intern - Watershed ResearchRead Meghan's Bio
We would like to thank Mitacs and Evolugen for helping to fund this position.
Meghan has a B.A. in Geography and Geomatics from Carleton University and is currently working on her M.Sc. in Geography at Carleton. Her thesis will investigate and model how land use and climate changes impact stream temperatures. She has had experience in environmental fields with conservation authorities as well as federal and provincial government.
Meghan enjoys spending much of her free time rowing, skiing, and having picnics around the Ottawa River.
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Jeffrey Hamilton
Intern - CommunicationsRead Jeffrey's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
Some of Jeffrey’s favourite activities include biking, skiing, skating, and hiking. Moving to Ottawa less than two years ago is allowing Jeffrey to experience the trails, landmarks, and the Ottawa River watershed for what feels like the first time. He looks forward to all the opportunities and experiences to come.
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Rebecca Darwent
Intern - Fundraising and CommunicationsRead Rebecca's Bio
We would like to thank our many donors and supporters who help fund this position.
As Fundraising and Communications Intern, she has the opportunity to learn and communicate the ways in which donors have assisted in moving forward the mission of Ottawa Riverkeeper. She believes in the power of storytelling, and looks forward to having opportunities to learn the stories of those she encounters. Rebecca enjoys a good cup of tea (usually accompanied by a book), board games, playing beach volleyball, and walking in nature.
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