Staff
Stephanie Weizenbach
Executive Director
Stephanie studied environmental and conservation sciences at the University of Alberta. She brings a wealth of experience in environmental stewardship, community engagement, and fostering connections in the environmental non-profit sector. Steph gained hands-on experience rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife with Wild North, while also growing their education pilot project into a wildly successful, permanent program. She also advanced outreach initiatives for the Edmonton and Area Land Trust while working as part of the team to conserve natural areas in the field. Steph spent her first three years with Nature Alberta leading our Nature Network and Nature Kids programs, building our volunteer team, fostering partnerships, and initiating fundraising strategies before taking on the role of Executive Director in 2023. Steph has contagious enthusiasm, innovative energy, and an eagerness to collaborate that is empowering Nature Alberta’s network to connect our community through a love of nature.
Richard Schneider
Editor-in-Chief of Nature Alberta Magazine
Richard obtained a degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Saskatchewan in 1985 and a PhD in wildlife epidemiology from the University of Guelph in 1992. Over the past three decades he has been actively involved in biodiversity conservation in Alberta, working at the interface between science and policy. From 2002 to 2006 he served as Conservation Director and then Executive Director for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Northern Alberta Chapter. For the next 13 years, he was a senior researcher in the Integrated Landscape Management Lab at the University of Alberta. In 2019, he published Biodiversity Conservation in Canada: From Theory to Practice, which is now being used as a text by conservation students across the country. Taking on the role of Executive Director with Nature Alberta in 2020, Richard has returned to his roots in the conservation community. At the end of 2023, he retired as the Executive Director and continues to serve Nature Alberta's mission as the Editor-in-Chief of the Nature Alberta Magazine and Treasurer of the Board of Directors. If you have an idea or article you would like to contribute to the magazine, please feel free to contact him.
Kethu Mendis
Nature Kids Coordinator
Kethu brings experience designing and leading environmental workshops and events in schools and the community as an Environmental Educator at Langley Environmental Partners Society, while also volunteering as the leader of the Tri-Cities Club with NatureKids BC. She began her professional journey with a Bachelors in Chemistry, working as an analytical chemist, and is currently completing her Masters in Environment and Management. Kethu strongly believes in connecting people, especially the younger generation, with nature and bringing awareness about the importance of conservation to a larger audience. Kethu is honoured to be leading our Nature Kids program and coordinating Nature Alberta's Volunteer Team. Please feel free to reach out to Kethu for Nature Kids resources and/or to support our important work through collaboration or volunteership.
Susan May
Communications Director
Susan May brings over 20 years of communications expertise to our marketing and outreach efforts, including design of Nature Alberta Magazine and our revamped website. Susan obtained a BA with Distinction in Visual Communications Design from the University of Alberta. A firm believer that non-profits deserve creative as good as — or better than — big businesses, Susan has provided print and digital design and marketing services for numerous not-for profit organizations in the environmental education and advocacy sphere. Susan has been taking her daughter to Nature Alberta’s Family Nature Nights for years and is proud to now be part of the team.
Jason Switner
Managing Editor
Jason has been wordsmithing professionally since 2002. He has a BA in English from the University of Alberta and a Broadcasting Diploma from NAIT, supplemented with professional development courses in editing and proofreading. He was a proofreader at the Edmonton Journal for six years, a creative writer at Rogers Broadcasting Alberta North for five, and has worked with Susan as a dedicated copy writer/editor for over 20 years. Jason enjoys applying his skills to the pages of Nature Alberta Magazine to bring you a publication that is as informative and accurate as it is enjoyable. He also pitches in with our other forward-facing communications, including Nature Kids Guidebooks, social media, and e-news, and has been known to emcee the occasional 50th anniversary celebration.
Join our Team!
Nature Alberta is currently hiring a Nature Kids Program Assistant for the summer of 2024. View the details here.
We are always in need of volunteers to help run Nature Kids events, write articles for Nature Alberta Magazine, and other ongoing projects. Email naturekids@naturealberta.ca to join the Nature Alberta Volunteer Team and view our Volunteer & Job Board here.