In the past 7 years, Jackie has pursued opportunities to enhance coastal resilience to flooding and climate risks from multiple perspectives – from academia to private sector consulting, to federal and municipal governments. In partnership with the City of Vancouver, Jackie developed a new approach to assess the future socio-economic impacts of sea-level rise to help inform the City’s policy and planning. As a Consequence Analyst at Kerr Wood Leidal, a coastal engineering firm, she has worked closely with stakeholders from different sectors within three municipalities, a First Nations community and the Port Authority to conduct an integrated sea-level rise vulnerability assessment for the North Shore in the Lower Mainland. At NRCan, Jackie is working with partners at the National Research Council to develop a National Guideline for Coastal Flood Risk Assessment. To ensure the guideline can be applicable to a wide range of coastal communities in Canada, she is working with three very different communities – Semiahmoo First Nations in BC, Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, and the Acadian Peninsula in NB – to assess their coastal flood risk and identify local opportunities and challenges in the process. As a key component of resilience, Jackie’s research also focuses on developing methods to assess communities’ social vulnerability to impacts of hazard. Incorporating social vulnerability in a community’s risk assessment can help ensure adaptation and mitigation strategies do not result in certain vulnerable population being disproportionately affected and promote equity. During her time as a HQP with MEOPAR, Jackie also led the development of an online platform to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration between coastal communities.

After working for about 20 years at the ARTS – EDUCATION – SUSTAINABILITY interaction in the artistic and the academic environments, as well as in NGOs, private companies and governmental bodies, in 2017 Patricia founded Acqua Mater and places the WATER & the OCEAN at the center of all her activities. Through her Lectures and the various multi-disciplinary projects she coordinates, she promotes: the construction of a New Water Culture; the synergy between SDG 6 and SDG 14; Ocean Literacy in the context of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. She holds a Mater Degree in Performing Arts from the University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and a Bachelor’s degree in “Drama, Arts and Music Studies” from the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Heritage of the University of Bologna (Italy). Since the year 2002, she runs a research on our Marine Memories and on the Memories of the Water. She’s also a Water & Ocean Reconnection Experiences Facilitator, which is the result of her practices with freediving and aquatic dances, meditations and therapies.

Brie has been part of the WaterPortal Society team since 2017. She has been involved in several past projects and currently manages the Alberta Water Nexus project. Brie also coordinates the social media posts and news bulletin, and is part of the website maintenance and security team.

Brie has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Mount Allison University, and later specialized in water through a Master’s degree in Integrated Water Resources Management at McGill University. These degrees provided her with the solid knowledge base and skills to be an effective water researcher and gave her a broad understanding of water governance and legislation in Canada.

Brie also worked for four years in public education as a nature interpreter in several Canadian Provincial and National Parks, which broadened her communications skill set and made her an excellent environmental educator and a comfortable public speaker.

In 2016 Brie was fortunate to undertake a three-month internship in Stockholm, Sweden working at the secretariat for the Global Water Partnership. The experience provided a valuable perspective on international relations as well as insight into global water management efforts, and Brie is pleased to share this perspective on a localized scale for the watersheds in Alberta.

Brie is delighted to work with the WaterPortal Society and with WaterSMART Solutions Ltd. where she is able to play an active role in education and collaborative management of our water  resources wisely. She views water as a resource which we are all profoundly dependent on and sees water management as the most hopeful and urgent opportunity for localized as well as global cooperation.

Ramy Boujawdeh is the Deputy GM of Berytech since 2014, leading the Incubation and Entrepreneurship Business Development arm that supports Innovative Lebanese Startups and SMEs, providing Business Support, Mentorship, Coaching, Fundraising, Hosting, Networking and Internationalization and part of Innovation and Entrepreneurship regional programs. He designed and Leads the A.C.T. Smart Innovation Hub, a first of its kind in MENA focusing on both Agtech and Cleantech.

Between 2000 & 2014, Ramy amassed a diversified knowledge in the fields of change management, quality management, operations, as he filled roles in General and Regional Management in different industries across 3 continents. He is keen on mobilizing his knowledge and connections to the best interest of the stakeholders he supports. He advises startups in Lebanon and is an Angel Investor with SEEDERS.

Since his return to Lebanon Ramy has been active supporting social causes such as education, agriculture, environment, gender equity and economic development. Ramy is also the Vice President of a Lebanese NGO, Rural Entrepreneurs, He is also a member of the council of representatives at the order of Engineers and Architects. Ramy holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Engineering from AUB, and a master’s degree in Business Management and Economics.

Ramy is a Lebanese and Canadian citizen.