Jennifer Toews,
board member
Liz
Benneian
Ken
Kawall, treasurer
Throughout her career, Jackie Oblak has worked on projects in climate change adaptation, source water protection, environmental land use planning and species at risk protection, and was involved in initiating the Hastings Prince Edward Land Trust. Jackie was also an environmental educator for the Ottawa Carleton District School Board’s Bill Mason Centre (BMC), working with thousands of children in the BMC’s ‘natural classroom. Her extensive volunteer and committee experience includes previous roles as Vice-Chair of the Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee and Chair of the Torbolton Forest Advisory Committee. In recent years, Jackie served as the chair of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s Public Advisory Committee. She is currently chair of Pelham's Environmental Advisory Committee.
Ken Kawall is the retired Chief Information Officer at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Over his 40-year career, Ken has held senior executive positions in both the public and private sectors.
He has an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant who has significant board experience. A former member of the Niagara Health System board, Ken currently is a board member of the Provincial Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council and the CAA Niagara. He volunteers his time with our organization as treasurer.
Our Educator
Annette Gibbons is a founding member of the Grimsby Environmental Alliance. Long concerned about the degrading quality of the environment in her community and around the world, Annette is volunteering her time to bring attention to important issues like combatting biodiversity loss and to doing hands-on work in her own community to restore natural spaces.
Donna has always had a keen interest in the natural world. Her interests have been in the artistic fields and she is a graduate of Graphic Design and Advertising programs, working for various companies in their Art Departments. Now retired, she is an avid birder and photographer, being an active member of her local naturalist group, serving on their Board of Directors for many years and leading outings encompassing all aspects of nature.
Donna
Sheppard, board member
Annette Gibbons,
Chair of the Board
Jackie Oblak, board member
Our Board
Our Treasurer
Jennifer has a background in Corporate HR and Administration and the Performing Arts. Now retired, her passion surrounding the Arts and the Environment have resulted in a distinct increase in her local volunteerism. As a member of the Ontariogreen Board, the Rotary Club of Lincoln and her various local theatre groups and productions, she hopes to share her enthusiasm for, and participation in these efforts across disciplines. An avid networker, Jennifer hopes to create and promote ongoing awareness of these good works throughout the community.e your paragraph here.
Call us anytime to learn about our programs at 905-562-3819 or email us at ontariogreenca@gmail.com
Liz is a former journalist and newspaper editor who has worked in Europe and Canada. Since 2004, she has led environmental groups and been engaged in environmental policy at the local, Provincial and Federal level.
With a degree in Science from the University of Toronto and her background in journalism, Liz is able to combine excellent communication skills with the ability to thoroughly research issues to make her an effective environmental educator. The environmental education presentations and programs she has developed, based on the Ontario Science, Social Studies and Geography curricula, have been delivered to over 90,000 students.
Liz has received local, Provincial and National awards for her environmental work. In 2007, Liz was awarded both Oakville's Individual Community Spirit Award and the Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellowship Award for outstanding contributions to her community. In 2009, she was chosen as Earth Day Canada's National Hometown Hero and in February of 2010 she received an award from the Ontario Heritage Trust in recognition for her success in conserving the Province’s natural heritage. In 2013, Carolinian Canada presented Liz with a Group Award for the work of Ontariogreen, which Liz had been the president of for 7 years. In 2020 and 2023, she received a Good Citizen's Awards from the Town of Lincoln for her environmental work and in 2024 she was the recipient of Niagara Region's inaugural Environment Impact Award.