About CIELAP: Staff
Matt Binstock, Policy Researcher
Matt recently joined the CIELAP research team after completing a 2008-2009 Water Policy Fellowship supported by the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. The fellowship project centered on an investigation of water issues related to urban growth in Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe Region, focusing specifically on the efforts of Guelph, Ontario to develop and implement an aggressive water conservation and efficiency strategy. Matt’s current research interests include land use planning, water policy and aggregate resources management. Matt holds a MES degree in planning from York University and a bachelors degree in environmental studies from Trent University.
Maureen Carter-Whitney, Research Director
Maureen Carter-Whitney is an environmental lawyer with a background in legal research and environmental public policy analysis, and a strong interest in sustainable land use planning and in public engagement in environmental decision-making. Prior to joining CIELAP in September 2005, Maureen worked as a legal analyst with the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. She also teaches courses in environmental law. Maureen has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia and Master of Laws in administrative law from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. She is the author of LexisNexis Butterworths’ looseleaf publication, Environmental Regulation in Canada.
Thomas Esakin, Executive Director
Tom arrived at his passion for sustainable development from two distinct career paths: the Canadian political arena and now the NGO sector. Thomas thrives in sustainable development, for he appreciates the field’s breadth in that it identifies interconnexions and solutions amongst the social, environmental and economic parts of our human societies. In sustainable development, Tom’s specialties are Educating for Sustainability, Leading for Sustainability, and Sustainability Strategies (Local Agenda 21s / LA21s).
From 2007 to 2009, Tom worked as a Professor at the Universidad del Caribe. He taught bi-lingual (English) courses in Paradigms in Sustainable Development and Topics in Sustainable Development, as well as conducted research in sustainability issues.He is also engaged with Ryerson University and its Certificate in Sustainability programme teaching one of the programme’s courses. Additionally, Tom is engaged with George Brown College, where he designed the curriculum for the College’s new course in Sustainability and he is also the designated instructor for the course. In addition to his research undertaken at CIELAP, Tom is published on sustainable forestry (published in English through the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation), and on sustainable tourism (published in Spanish through El Colegio Mexiquense). Tom completed an MA in Sustainable Development from Staffordshire University, UK.
Susan Holtz, Senior Policy Analyst
Susan Holtz joined CIELAP in 2004 and works on sustainable development research and emergent issues, such as pharmaceuticals contamination of water. She is a policy consultant on issues related to sustainable development, water and energy. She also works on related issues as a mediator, facilitator, and editor. Ms Holtz was the founding Vice Chair of both the Canadian and Nova Scotia Round Tables on the Environment and the Economy. Ms Holtz was also instrumental in setting up the Canadian Environmental Network (CEN). She has served on many advisory bodies and boards, including the Auditor General of Canada's Panel of Senior Advisors and the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development's External Advisory Panel.
Praan Misir, Youth Engagement Programme Co-ordinator
A recent addition to CIELAP, Praan is responsible for coordinating CIELAP’s youth programme, and he is responsible for CIELAP’s foray into the social media world. Praan has had extensive experience with community engagement at the university level, having been significantly involved with orientation planning and other student leadership activities during his time at university. He holds a Bachelors degree in Ecology and Environmental Chemistry from the University of Toronto.
Anne Mitchell, Senior Advisor, Sustainability
Anne is currently clerk of the Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Anne has served on various boards, committees, advisory bodies and multi-stakeholder processes, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Quaker Institute for the Future and the Biotechnology Reference Group of the Canadian Council of Churches. Anne was Executive Director of CIELAP from 1992 – 2009. She has led other non profit organizations, with a focus on community development and dismantling apartheid, at the international and national levels. She has a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, Ottawa, and is a recognized leader and change agent.
Dr. Satya P. Mohapatra, Senior Research Scientist
Satya has been a Research Consultant with CIELAP since January 2003, and holds a Doctoral degree in Environmental Chemistry. He has extensive experience in environmental policy and applied environmental research, and has been able to successfully combine his scientific expertise with national and global environmental policy perspectives. Satya has worked on many environmental projects in Canada, India and the Netherlands and has published several research papers in international scientific journals. Satya has also presented papers at conferences in North America, Asia and Europe. He was a member of the Environment Canada Consultation Committee on Risk Management Instruments for Mercury-Containing Products.
Dr. Raul Pacheco-Vega, Regional Director, Western Canada and Lead Researcher, Climate Change and Water
Dr. Raul Pacheco-Vega joined the CIELAP team in January 2010 both to undertake research and as CIELAP's Regional Director for Western Canada. A specialist in comparative environmental policy with a focus on North America, Raul has investigated a broad variety of issues, including the patterns of urban/industrial restructuring under multiple stressors, the adoption of information-dissemination environmental policy instruments and new models of water and wastewater governance. As CIELAP's Lead Researcher on Water and Climate Change, Raul plans to investigate the state of water policy and its adaptability to climate change in Canada. Raul is also spearheading CIELAP's expansion efforts to the Western Provinces as formulated in our Strategic Plan. Raul holds a PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Studies from The University of British Columbia, a MBA/MEng in Technology Management (UBC) and a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering (Universidad de Guanajuato).
Kate Skipton, National and International Relationships Co-ordinator
Kate joined CIELAP in January 2010 to co-ordinate CIELAP’s outreach efforts. As a 2007 summer research intern, Kate learned how CIELAP’s research fills an important gap by influencing law and policy for a more sustainable future. Kate recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a J.D. and has a Master of Arts in History from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Dr. Romila Verma, Research Associate, Watershed Management and Climate Change
Carolyn Webb, Programmes Manager
Carolyn is responsible for communications and programme coordination at CIELAP. She provides research support, particularly on issues relating to waste and Extended Producer Responsibility, and is responsible for recruiting and supervising CIELAP's volunteers and interns. She has worked at CIELAP since 2005. Outside of CIELAP Carolyn helps coordinate InterChange: the Institute for Community-Based Peacebuilding, an organization that she helped co-found in 2004 and that now has active local chapters in Kenya, Uganda, and other regions of the world. She completed her Masters in Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, and has a Bachelors degree in Environmental Sciences and Statistics from the University of Guelph.