MABRRI has an amazing team of Project Coordinators, Full-time Research Assistants, and Student Research Assistants. We value our team members as they help with ongoing projects and daily operational tasks.
The Coordinator team helps to manage MABRRI's daily operations. From coming up with new projects, to creating new partnerships, to finding funding that allows MABRRI to hire so many students, the Coordinators help with it all. In addition to the Coordinator Team, MABRRI's full-time staff help with ongoing projects and daily operational tasks.
Dr. Pam Shaw, Research Director
Pam is MABRRI's Research Director as well as the Director of the Master of Community Planning Program at Vancouver Island University. Pam has more than 35 years of experience in land use planning and facilitation, and is currently researching human/nature connections. She brings ideas, connections, and experience to the research team.
Graham Sakaki, Regional Research Institute Manager
Graham has been involved with MABRRI since it was established in August of 2014. Graham oversees the coordination of all ongoing research projects. His educational background includes a Master of Community Planning, a Bachelor's Degree in Natural Resources Geography and a diploma in Forest Resource Technology from VIU. Graham's professional experience in organizational management has transferred seamlessly to MABRRI.
Haley Tomlin, Assistant Research and Community Engagement Coordinator
Haley's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Biology with a focus in ecology and minoring in Natural Resource Geography. She is responsible for coordinating multiple projects and the students associated with each of those. Haley's background in biology and natural resources, as well as enthusiasm for promoting environmental preservation and conservation of biodiversity makes her a great suit for MABRRI.
Jessica Pyett, Environmental Project Coordinator
Courtney Vaugeois, Sustainability Project Coordinator
Courtney holds a BA in Sociology and Psychology from Vancouver Island University. Courtney has been working with MABRRI since 2017 when she started in a student position. Since then she has transitioned into her current Project Coordinator position in the winter of 2018. Courtney’s recent and current projects have focused on promoting and advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With her degree and experience at MABRRI, Courtney has developed a passion for sustainability and she hopes to continue in this field with further education in the future.
Sonal Deshmukh, Planning Project Coordinator
Sonal is a graduate of the Master of Community Planning program from Vancouver Island University. She holds an undergraduate degree in Architecture and has developed a set of skills as a practicing architect for almost a decade. Hailing from the central parts of India and relatively new to Canada, Sonal has acquired a keen interest in Canada's Indigenous history. She was inspired by and impressed with the resilience of Indigenous people and believes there are valuable lessons learned from Indigenous ways of living. She is an ambitious designer with hopes of improving urban issues through responsive community-led designs. Sonal brings her passion, entrepreneurial spirit, and fresh perspective to further the goals of MABRRI's diverse array of initiatives.
Jenica Ng-Cornish, Environmental Project Coordinator
Mandy Hobkirk, MABR Coordinator
Mandy had been a student employee with MABRRI since the fall of 2017. After graduating from Vancouver Island University from the Bachelor of Science Degree Program in 2019, she transitioned into the role of MABR Coordinator. Mandy manages the MABR’s internal and external communications, coordinates community engagement events, manages the MABR’s youth program, and facilitates meetings and community forums for the MABR. Mandy has a passion for the environment, and is very excited to work within the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region.
Becky Thiessen, Planning Project Coordinator
Becky is a graduate from the Master of Community Planning Program from VIU. She has compiled a unique set of leadership, project management, facilitation, art and design skills in her twenty years of community development work. This work has ranged from women’s advocacy, family and community outreach and child and youth arts education. Her work has taken her across Canada to the high Arctic and in various rural, coastal, northern and inner city communities. With her master’s in Community Planning she hopes to encompass all that she has learned to help create and design places that inspire creativity, connect people to nature and to build community. She is excited to assist and lead co-op students at MABRRI with various planning projects that will essentially lead to healthy communities in the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region.
Ariel Verhoeks, GIS & Remote Sensing Specialist
Ariel is a graduate from VIU’s GIS Diploma program and is MABRRI’s GIS Specialist and Financial Assistant. After graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies and Geography, she decided to further her education and enroll in the diploma program. Alongside MABRRI, she is excited to be working on the spatial analysis components of MABRRI’s projects. Having lived in Nanaimo her whole life, she believes that working with the MABR and with the MABRRI team is a wonderful opportunity for her to do hands-on work in her home region.
Alanna Vivani, Environmental Project Coordinator
Alanna has graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from VIU in 2018. Her passion for marine biology was the driving factor to move from Ontario. Since then, she’s fallen in love with Vancouver Island and the ecosystems surrounding coastal British Columbia. During her time at VIU, she studied sea otter foraging behaviour and occupation time. This research solidified her interest in marine mammals and conservation. She is working with MABRRI as a Project Coordinator, involved in the Forage Fish Spawning Habitat Monitoring Project and Timing Windows in the RDN. She’s excited to be a part of the MABRRI team and contribute to their work on conservation.