Our Team

With years of experience in protecting and restoring the Ottawa River, Meredith works to establish responsible and accountable monitoring, assessment, enforcement, and long-term planning for the river.
She holds degrees in biology and environmental engineering from Queen’s University and the University of Guelph. Additionally, she holds a Masters in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University where she studied with Robert Newbury, a world-renowned river engineer and stream restoration specialist.
Meredith enjoys many river activities, but she especially adores swimming down rapids on the Gatineau River with her son, Charlie.
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As the Executive Director, Patrick is responsible for leading the team and managing the organization according to the strategic direction set by the Board of Directors.
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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Bringing together Conservation Authorities, Organismes de bassin versant, First Nations, municipalities, river trip outfitters, research institutes, and other groups of river enthusiasts from across our watershed is essential to ensuring the responsible management and healthy future of the Ottawa River. MJ's role is to facilitate collaboration among these stakeholders as they share information and tackle the challenges facing our watershed.
MJ has many years of experience leading collaborative initiatives and managing strategic communications both in the humanitarian sector and in federal departments. She has also lived and worked in Chicago (U.S.), Manchester (UK), and Freetown (Sierra Leone). She holds a master in Journalism from Carleton University and a Certificate in Project Leadership from Cornell University. MJ's favourite water activities are touring and racing on her paddleboard.
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Chloe is passionate about inspiring donors to be more engaged with the causes they believe in and works to steward Ottawa Riverkeeper supporters so they feel closely connected to the projects we do and can see the impact of their gifts.
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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For Dave, his role in the organizational support and development of Ottawa Riverkeeper is an opportunity to serve the river community, protect a critical watershed and work alongside some fantastic people. Previously, he held numerous positions with MEC, most recently as Ottawa store manager. Dave thrives being outside with friends and family and the swimmable, fishable (and canoe-able, and sail-able, and windsurf-able!) Ottawa River has always been a source of adventure.
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Larissa works with riverwatchers throughout the Ottawa River watershed, learning first-hand from the people invested in caring for this river and finding ways to support their efforts.
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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Katie is responsible for planning and managing Ottawa Riverkeeper's events, which raise essential funds and help bring the Ottawa River into the community spotlight. She also coordinates Ottawa Riverkeeper's fantastic team of volunteers whose collective efforts and skills help make Ottawa Riverkeeper's work possible.
With a B.A. in Rhetoric and Professional Writing and a Graduate Certificate in event management, Katie is committed to bringing people and communities together in support and celebration of the River.
Katie loves being on the water, from whitewater canoeing to a good old lazy river float, and has rarely met a body of water she won't jump into.
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Julie is the Communications Associate at the Ottawa Riverkeeper. She is passionate about finding creative ways to reach and engage with the many audiences that have a stake in ensuring that our watershed can provide drinkable, fishable and swimmable water for generations to come.
She brings a wealth of experience to our organization, having worked for over 15 years to move our communities towards sustainability. She also holds a M.A. in Communication from the University of Ottawa, a Certificate in Renewable Energy from the University of Toronto, and a B.Sc. concentration in ecosystems science from Cornell University.
Having grown up on the Ottawa River, Julie loves to swim, canoe, and sail, and is super driven to protect the river she loves.
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Matthew loves to engage with the public about environmental issues and the science surrounding them. As Digital Communications Coordinator, he gets to connect with the online community and spread information about Ottawa Riverkeeper’s mission and activities.
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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Caroline has a passion for all wildlife and is motivated to protect the river and all that lives within it! As the Biologist at Ottawa Riverkeeper she will be working on our American eel initiative, building up our Citizen Science Hub, and helping to keep an eye on the health of the river.
Caroline holds a B.Sc.H in Environmental Science from Queen’s University and has prior experience working with stakeholders on various initiatives along the St. Lawrence River as well as running environmental education programs for elementary and high school students. She also has several years experience in the private sector performing environmental monitoring and remediation. Caroline is game for any activity on the water, especially kayaking, and has even tried Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga!
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