Our Staff
The organization is non-hierarchical. A team approach ensures individuals take responsibility for their work and interact collaboratively with others. This model requires trust between the Board and the CEO, and between the CEO and the rest of the Team. The Board supports the staff; however, staff work autonomously from the Board. The Team has established a positive and healthy culture within the organization by working with respect, trust and responsibility.
Kamloops - Head Office
Suite 400, 235 1st Avenue
Kamloops, BC
Canada, V2C-3J4
Phone: (250) 371-3746 Fax: (250) 314-0360
Burnaby
Ajit provides extension services to help clients access research related to the human dimensions of natural resource management, including public participation, cultural diversity, community capacity-building, climate-change, socio-economic and cultural indicators, non-timber resources and valuation, and certification. Ajit has published several papers on community forestry, land use planning, and international forestry. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Resource and Environmental Management. Prior to joining FORREX in 2006, Ajit was the Director of the National Community Forestry Center at the US-based National Network of Forest Practitioners. Ajit also was the Senior Researcher of the Institute for Culture and Ecology located at Portland, Oregon, and the Project Manager of the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development at the International Institute of Sustainable Development in Winnipeg. Ajit worked for the Indian Forest Service in Bihar state for several years. He has a PhD in Forest Resources (Social Sciences) from the College of Forest Resources, University of Washington at Seattle.
Kamloops
Chris is the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of FORREX – a British Columbia based charitable organization dedicated to the development and application of knowledge to support sustainable ecosystems, economies, and communities. With over 25 years of experience, Ms. Hollstedt is passionate about working with resource sector partners to develop strategies that integrate knowledge into sound policies and practical applications. Throughout a career in forest resource management, technology development and research extension leadership she has established a foundation in extension and knowledge management. Ms. Hollstedt is author of several provincial research and extension strategies, the Sustainable Forest Management Network knowledge exchange strategy, and the British Columbia Extension Program strategic and plans. She is editor in chief of the BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management and leads several think tanks on resource management issues. She is past director of the Forestry Continuing Studies Network, the BC Coalition for the Implementation of the National Forest Strategy, and the Coalition of Forest Research Organizations and the British Columbia Forest Science Board. She is a current director of the Canada Land Resources Institute, the Resources North Association, and participates on the member council of Sustainable Development Technology Canada. She is a member of the Association of BC Forest Professionals, the Canadian Society for Association Executives, the Institute for Society and Natural Resources, and the Canadian Institute of Forestry. Ms. Hollstedt holds an Honour’s BSc Forestry from Lakehead University. In addition to her commitment to FORREX, she is actively involved as a mentor and volunteers for local community associations while enjoying quality time with her husband and three adult children.
Karyn, a Registered Professional Biologist, brings a strong background in research gained from her work at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Research Station and Pacific Forestry Centre. Karyn has also developed and implemented extension programs in the Prince George School District for BC Parks. In her role as Extensionist, she is an active member of the Ecosystem Management and Conservation Biology team.
Maria is the Administrative and Finance Assistant at FORREX. Maria was born in Portugal and moved to the lower mainland at a young age. She has been living in Kamloops for 5 years with her family and is actively involved in Kamloops Minor Hockey. Maria graduated from BCIT in Administrative Management and brings 14 years experience in both Marketing and Accounting.
Matt's primary role is to maintain the public website and internal infrastructure as well provide general IT Support to all FORREX staff and plan for future technology requirements. Matt has over 10 years experience in Customer Service, IT Technical Support and Website Development. Along with his passion for technology and gadgets, Matt enjoys spending time with friends and family, snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking.
Kelowna
Kathie is one of the founding extension specialists of the Partnership and continues to provide extension services in the area of forest resources dynamics. She brings to the Partnership a diversity of experiences in her over 20-year involvement in forestry – everything from conducting research to running forestry education programs in her local school district. With an avid interest in problem-solving, Kathie strives to put context around forest management issues so that the solutions developed are practical and effective in their application. One of the practical solutions developed from her extension program include the Stand Establishment Decision Aids, a series of brief practical summaries for practitioners designed to help them address various ecological limiting factors through the use of the latest science and innovations. Kathie also strives to build collaborations with forest management professionals, technical experts, and other members of the FORREX extension team so that forest dynamics issues are addressed in a team approach. Ms. Swift is currently registered with the Association of BC Professional Foresters and holds an Honour’s BSc Forestry from Lakehead University and an MSc from the University of British Columbia.
Rob Scherer is a Registered Forest Professional and Engineer in BC and has twenty years of experience working in British Columbia forests. His background includes forestry, forest engineering, forest hydrology and watershed management on both the BC coast and interior. Currently, Rob is working part-time with FORREX as a Watershed Management Extension Projects Specialist and is also a college professor in the Civil Engineering Technology Program at Okanagan College, Kelowna campus.
Suzan holds and MSc in Environmental Science, from the University of Lethbridge, and is completing her PhD in Geography, at the University of Regina, focused on the pre-instrumental and future hydroclimatic variability of western North America. Before joining the FORREX team, she taught Geography courses at the University of Lethbridge and was involved in various water quantity and water quality projects throughout Alberta, including the Oil Sands and southern agricultural region. Suzan was also involved in a collaborative research project, between Chilean and Canadian research institutions, assessing the future climate scenarios and their potential impact to the vulnerabilities identified by local stakeholders. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, cycling and travelling to warm destinations.
Penticton
Ellen is based in Penticton at the En’owkin Center, an Indigenous cultural, educational, and creative arts institution. Prior to joining FORREX, her work experience included ecosystem restoration in the Northwest Territories and ongoing working relationships with members of the Dene Nation. Ellen holds a Bachelor of Science in forest management from the University of British Columbia and is a Forester-in-Training with the Association of BC Forest Professionals. She has recently started instructing biology at the En’owkin Centre with a strong emphasis on Indigenous Knowledge and Native Science. Ellen also represents the En’owkin Center on the Board of the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance.
Prince George
Alan has been with FORREX for over 9 years and brings a blend of research, extension, and operational experience to his program area. He has a Masters of Science degree in Silviculture from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario and is a Registered Professional Forester in BC. His most recent project has focussed on synthesis and extension of information on the mountain pine beetle infestation. This initiative culminated in a conference in Prince George in June 2008 to discuss key lessons learned about MPB. He is also involved with extension in the areas of silvicultural systems, growth and yield, and vegetation management. Among Alan’s other interests are ecosystem management concepts and application, remote sensing technology, and literature database development and management.
Summerland
Don Gayton is the FORREX extension specialist for dry forest and grassland ecology, and is based in Summerland. His work experience includes long-term vegetation monitoring, fire ecology, range management, and conservation biology. Don received an undergraduate degree in Agronomy from Washington State University, and an MSc in Plant Ecology from the University of Saskatchewan. He is a member of the BC Institute of Agrologists. Don is recognized as an accomplished writer, winning the Canadian Science Writing Award and twice being shortlisted for the BC Book Awards. He is also the recipient of the Roberts-Pichette Award for excellence in ecological monitoring and research. He has been with FORREX since 1999. Don was previously Regional Range Agrologist for the Ministry of Forests in Nelson and prior to that was a Range Management Specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture.
