From city builders to creatives, educators to artists, this passionate group of leaders works to ensure that our programs and services support transforming public spaces for the health of people and our planet.
Experts in their fields, they work with talented teams, community leaders and corporate and government partners to leave places better than they found them, planting seeds for a healthier, greener world tomorrow.
“Leadership is not about taking or owning; it’s about giving – in service of something bigger than yourself. I think the real leaders are the ones working to convene, nurture and inspire teams to solve the complex and urgent challenges before us. Leadership is service.”
Jennifer Angel is a builder of community, momentum and places people love. Together with partners, Jen builds inclusive, sustainable places that attract people and investment, enhance resilience and contribute to well-being for all. She works with public and private sector interests to find a common purpose and support thriving communities. She has contributed to creating some of Nova Scotia’s best-loved places by land and sea. Her professional portfolio includes real estate, infrastructure and program development, participatory planning and design.
Jen was recognized in Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada in 2021 and the Most Powerful Women in Atlantic Canada in 2022, she recently received the Inaugural Wije’winen Allyship Award 2022 – Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre; and her team has received multiple project awards, most recently achieving Rick Hansen Gold Certification for Peggy’s Cove, 2022. She is a co-founder of the annual Art of City Building conference, bringing placemaking through leaders from around the world to Halifax.
She holds an MBA (Marketing) from Saint Mary’s University, a BA (Philosophy) from Dalhousie University and the ICD.D from ICD-Rotman.
June joined Evergreen in April 2015 and provides operational and strategic leadership for the finance department, including oversight of Evergreen’s accounting operations, financial analysis, reporting and budgeting processes. June served progressive positions in the areas of finance and accounting in the private sector prior to joining the non-profit space. June is grateful to be part of an organization that allows her to partner with colleagues to enable Evergreen’s mission of making cities more livable, green and prosperous. June is a CPA, CMA and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Fun Fact: June’s morning ritual always includes a hot beverage and multiple daily puzzles (eg., NYT mini crossword).
Meghan is our Director of Events & Hospitality. She is a seasoned professional with a unique background in leading events, sales and business development initiatives that align with the distinct needs of each client, as well as organizational values and ethical standards. Highly organized with a proven strength in building, managing, and polishing multiple competing projects while simultaneously executing 200+ events annually within demanding deadlines.
Prior to joining Evergreen, Meghan led the Events Team at the Toronto Public Library and is passionate about bringing events to life that enhance our public spaces and our city.
Overall, Meghan has a passion for continuous learning, which has directly influenced personal and professional growth and development. Meghan holds a Diploma in Event Management from George Brown College and is pursuing an International Bachelors in Business Administration from Memorial University.
Matthew Breen serves as Evergreen’s Director of Facility Operations at the Brickworks site. He brings over a decade of facility maintenance, operations, and capital project experience from commercial, hospital, and recreational facilities. His background includes facilities maintenance program development and implementation, where he has successfully implemented best-practice maintenance programs for facilities with a wide range of service needs.
Matthew has brought sustainability and utility management into the fold with his preventative maintenance programs to allow facilities to drive down operational costs and be proud of the energy savings impact.
Kathleen oversees Evergreen’s finances and fiscal responsibilities. She manages Evergreen’s internal and external financial reporting and designs the systems and solutions to ensure the organization is financially resilient. Kathleen’s work allows Evergreen to be adaptable and flexible, so it’s free to take innovative approaches to pursuing its mission of creating flourishing cities. Kathleen is a Chartered Professional Accountant with over a decade of experience in the not-for-profit sector. She holds a BBA from Wilfred Laurier University.
Martin oversees Evergreen’s local and national programs that put into action our vision for flourishing cities. He makes sure that Evergreen adapts to the needs of the communities it serves and that programs evolve and grow to take advantage of new opportunities. Martin works to keep Evergreen nimble by building the partnerships and collaborations that we need to thrive and pursue our mission.
Martin has a lengthy background as a government policy advisor, in not-for-profit governance, and sustainability policy. He holds a BA from Memorial University.
Joyce is a senior leader who has been working in the non-profit environmental sector since 2005. She joined Evergreen in 2020 and, as a Program Director, leads Evergreen’s national programs to support communities in improving their cities through multiple approaches (e.g., increasing canopy cover, affordable housing supply and inclusive public spaces). Prior to that, Joyce was the executive director of an environmental charity for eight years. Joyce’s expertise includes leading multi-partner collaboratives, community-based monitoring and engagement, policy and governance, environmental education and fundraising. She currently serves on the boards of the Small Change Fund and the Ontario Land Trust Alliance. With a degree in biology, Joyce loves plants and animals, and her favourite tree is the tulip tree.
Mike is a kind and dedicated leader who has been working in the environmental sector for over 20 years. He joined Evergreen in 2020 and has been leading programs with local, provincial, and national impact ever since. As the Program Director for Nature Play & Learning, Mike currently works with an incredible team of programmers and educators to connect children, youth and the young-at-heart to nature and the outdoors.
Prior to Evergreen, Mike directed projects and programs connected to environmental education, energy conservation, environmental sustainability, and environmental health.
He has a BA in Environmental Studies with a Sociology Stream and a post-graduate certificate in Environmental Management and Assessment.
Throughout life, Mike is an enthusiastic cyclist and a strong proponent of active transportation and accessibility issues. He’s married, has a mischievous cat, and loves exploring the sights, sounds, and tastes within cities near and far.
Melanie leads a talented team of People & Culture professionals, working together to make Evergreen the best possible place to work and volunteer. In addition to ensuring a people-first approach is applied to workplace policies and practices, Melanie provides strategic advice on legal matters and oversees the organization’s Board governance program. Before joining Evergreen, Melanie was the Executive Director of Human Resources and Labour Relations in the Office of the Premier of Ontario and a lawyer who practiced in the areas of employment, labour and election law.
Melanie is a graduate of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law and of Wilfrid Laurier University. At home, she hits the hiking and biking trails with her family and actively instills a love of two important things in her two young children – popcorn and the Toronto Maple Leafs!
An 22-year ‘veteran’ of Evergreen, Lois brings deep institutional memory to her work, as well as a breadth of experience in program design and management, strategic planning, and fundraising.
She holds a Master’s degree in Geography as well as a BA from the University of Guelph and lives in Toronto, on the traditional homelands of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishnaabek Confederacies, with her spouse and two children.
Sunali leads Evergreen’s Marketing and Communications team and has the joy of helping to bring good ideas to life. She works to tell the story of how public spaces help solve some of the most pressing issues of our time while helping reconnect us to the things that matter most to our communities and nature . She loves building community and believes that everyone has a role to play in ensuring that our cities are bursting with life. Sunali has worked in branding, communications, sales and mass fundraising in the non-profit and education sectors and holds a business degree from the Ivey Business School at Western University.
