About Us
We are committed to being a youth-led, youth-serving organization. This means all of our staff are 30 and under, and we maintain that 50% of our board members are youth.
Our team acts as a support system for the youth-led climate movement and is here to scale, amplify, and empower our network.
Our Values
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![Two youth outdoors]()
We are youth-led, youth-serving - always.
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![Youth individual looking across at view of large mountain]()
We are working towards an equitable and accessible future.
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![Youth person in colourful outfit, smiling]()
We are committed to building relationships of trust and mutual respect.
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![Group of 4 youth walking on a sunny path by a body of water]()
We strengthen the movement through responsibility and reciprocity.
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![BIPOC youth individual with eyes closed, laughing]()
We are in a climate crisis, and we act like it.
Our Team
Kat Cadungog
Executive Director
(she/her)
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Kat is in charge of overall strategy and direction of The Youth Harbour, and supports the overall network with scaling and implementing solutions.
Kat (28 years old) has been acting as the Executive Director for FES since late 2020 and officially came into the position in mid-2021. Kat has had her hand in everything FES. She has collaborated with youth across Canada in over 50 Action Projects in remote, rural, and Indigenous communities when she was Sustainability Project Consultant for FES’ 3% Project. She has also worked in FES’ SDGs portfolio, managing the SDGs Launch Program. Despite the hardships brought by COVID-19, she successfully expanded the SDGs Launch program not only in Canada, but to higher education institutions in the USA and now the UK.
Prior to joining FES, Kat has worked on diverse consulting projects from working with an engineering firm to advising local start-up social enterprises wanting to align their strategies with B-Corp principles. She graduated with distinction from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce. Kat is passionate about empowering youth to take impactful action on sustainable development, strengthening and amplifying the youth *force* in the Canadian climate movement, and in essence, “getting the sh*t done” for a more inclusive, fair, prosperous, and sustainable future.
Kat grew up and lives in territories of The Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
Julie Dunleavy
Program Manager, The Youth Harbour
(she/her)
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Julie is responsible for all things granting, and leads the general oversight of The Youth Harbour program. Julie provides coaching to applicants, progress meetings with grantees, and manages the Youth Steering Committee.
Julie comes to FES with years of connection, care, and experience in environmental and youth spaces. In Guelph, ON*, she was able to partake in experiential learning programs in the environment as well as business leadership.
In Ottawa, ON*, Julie studied an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Development and Globalization, Minor in Geography. She studied in French Immersion, graduating with a Second Language Certification.
The year 2020 allowed her to take on leadership positions in online workspaces, managing a team of 25 youth conducting nationwide urban research. In 2021, she decided to get her hands in the dirt and plant over 60,000 trees throughout Manitoba and Northern Ontario. She is elated to be coming into this management position while starting a new chapter living in Montréal, QC*.
*Haudenosaunee, Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Attiwonderonk (Neutral), Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and Mississauga territories
*Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin), Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) and Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ territories
*Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) and Haudenosaunee territories
Nogieru Eghobamien
Project Coordinator, N:OW for Net-Zero
(she/her)
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Nogieru is a recent graduate of McGill University, holding a BEng in Bioresource Engineering with a focus on energy and natural resource management. Her upbringing in Nigeria fostered a deep appreciation for nature and a concern for environmental issues and she is now on a mission to engineer a more environmentally responsible world.
During her time at McGill, Nogieru actively engaged in climate-focused incubators and excelled in business consulting competitions, refining her business acumen and project delivery skills. Simultaneously, her role as a Fellow with Student Energy and her position as Vice President External at the Student Energy McGill Chapter provided a platform for her to inspire and empower young minds eager to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable energy future.
With a professional background that spans startups and corporate sustainability, Nogieru’s skillset encompasses research, nonprofit fundraising, engineering and project management. In her leisure time, she finds joy in playing tennis and sharing her STEM knowledge with children. She firmly believes that, with dedication and equipping ourselves with the necessary tools for change, we can all serve as responsible stewards of our environment.
Kathryn Hoffart
Creative Director
(she/they)
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Kathryn is our “creator extraordinaire,” managing external communications through our social media platforms, website, and newsletter. Kathryn also manages Branding Buddy for The Youth Harbour.
Kathryn Hoffart is a Digital Designer who has a passion for sustainability and systems change. As a graduate from Mount Royal University with a major in Information Design and a minor in Psychology, Kathryn fuses her creative skills and empathy with human-centered design to create user-friendly and innovative solutions.
Kathryn strives to work on projects that create an equitable future and cultivate health and wellness. She has previously used her design skills to improve patient-focused systems and solve complex problems in the health and care sector. Additionally, she takes a role in her community by volunteering for Plastic-Free YYC, a local organization that focuses on inspiring actions that create positive change.
Kathryn believes that through cooperation, passion, and empathy, we all have the power to design a sustainable and equitable future.
When she is not designing, you can likely find her getting creative with plant-based recipes, thrifting unique finds, or getting her rambunctious pet rabbits out of trouble.
Kathryn lives in Calgary, AB | Mohkinstsis | The Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and Treaty 7 Nations.
Jessica LeBlanc
Program Director, N:OW for Net-Zero
(she/her)
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Jess mainly works on the N:OW 4 Net-Zero team and provides some secondary support to The Youth Harbour team. She supports the development of strategy and overall direction of the program.
Jess wears many hats at FES, channeling her passion for youth empowerment, sustainability, and climate action into every endeavor. In managing the SDGs LAB program since 2020, she’s delivered 80+ sustainability training workshops to 4000+ students and educators across Canada, the US, and the UK. She’s been a pivotal figure in expanding the program’s reach and curriculum and raised over $300,000 that has been injected into FES programming to support youth climate action. Currently, she’s building the new N:OW for Net-Zero program from the ground up, to provide educators and students with the resources and funding needed to improve net-zero literacy and reduce GHG emissions in Canadian schools.
Jess studied International Development and Social Entrepreneurship at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). Before FES, Jess lived in Costa Rica working in cross-cultural, experiential education programs for youth, underscoring her dedication to creating and facilitating unconventional learning opportunities that empower young changemakers.
Jess lives in Vancouver, BC | xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations
Sophia Lindfield
Project Coordinator, N:OW for Net-Zero
(she/her)
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Sophia Lindfield is a climate activist from Halifax, Nova Scotia, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq. She is currently working on finishing her BA with a double-major in Environmental Sustainability and Political Science at Dalhousie University. Outside of her studies, Sophia has a background in provincial and federal politics and the environmental non-profit sector. Her passions are climate policy and working to make political and economic systems more accessible and responsive to everyday citizens, especially young people.
These issues were a core part of her last role working as a staffer for the offices of Green MPs Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice through GreenPAC’s Parliamentary Internship for the Environment Program. Through this role, Sophia drafted legislation and led campaigns on ending fossil fuel subsidies, implementing a fossil fuel windfall profit tax, and calling for electoral reform. This experience in federal politics has also helped inform her current position as a member of Nova Scotia’s first provincial Youth Climate Council and their work to bridge the gap between young people and the government.
When she isn’t fighting for the climate, Sophia loves curling up with a good book, cooking delicious vegan food, and writing poetry.
Moïse Mbarga-Abega
Resource Coordinator, The Youth Harbour
(he/him)
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Moïse is responsible for supporting external partners and internal partners with developing resources and fostering connections across the sector for the success of The Youth Harbour’s various projects.
Moïse Mbarga-Abega is an MSc Candidate in Environment and Sustainability at the University of Montreal. His research focuses on climate justice issues and international law. Holding a BA in European and Social Studies, Moïse also completed an Erasmus at the faculty of law of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). He is passionate about supporting youth and sustainability as well as helping youth movements build capacity to reach their goals.
Moïse lives in Montréal, QC | Tiohtià:ke | Mooniyang.
Alyssa Obrand
Finance and Operations Manager
(she/her)
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Alyssa supports the team with financial management and administration tasks, and is in charge of everything from payroll, to invoices, and receipts.
Alyssa joined FES in 2021, after finishing her Bachelor of Commerce at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, where she majored in Managing for Sustainability. Now, upon finishing a Masters of Science in Environment, Politics and Society at the University College London in the United Kingdom, she is fulfilling her passion for environmental activism and reimagining the philanthropic sector for youth with FES.
Alyssa has experience working in environmental consulting, green startups, the UK climate politics sector, and is passionate about working in advocacy. From years of working with youth, she has seen first-hand the power and strength of young minds, and believes that her own generation is the greatest force for change. When not plugging away at her spreadsheets, Alyssa is most likely enjoying time outside on her bike, training for a marathon, or swimming.
Alyssa lives in London, UK and Montréal, QC | Tiohtià:ke | Mooniyang
Abby Pelaez
Internal Governance and Policy Lead
(she/her)
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Abby is supporting the team with the development of internal governance and compliance policy and procedures, and will eventually support our youth network with developing similar policies and resources.
She is an expert in all sorts of writing: internal policies and procedural instructions, clear and succinct business emails, memoir essays, and novel manuscripts. After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, she gained experiences in a variety of her fields of interest: banking administration for a values-based institution, electoral campaign management for a BIPOC young woman candidate, data analytics and front-end web development for a tech startup, and occasionally running self-employed side hustles making hair scrunchies and doing website copywriting. She is an advocate for good communication, strong structures, and efficient systems to facilitate how teams work and maximize their deliver impact to climate action and environmental sustainability causes.
Outside of work, Abby is an avid traveler, having once spent two months travelling around Europe and having lived for short seasons in Indonesia, Trois-Rivières (Québec), San Diego (California), and Barbados. She dreams of publishing at least 3 of her nearly-finished manuscripts and her album of indie pop songs. At a potluck, Abby brings either vegan mac and cheese or cinnamon rolls.
Abby Pelaez is from Vancouver, BC, the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples.
Miranda Podolinsky
Partnerships and Program Coordinator, SDGs LAB & The Youth Harbour
(she/her)
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Miranda is responsible for supporting the team with overall event coordination and partnership development. Miranda is the go-to person for all Climate ShareSpace locations.
Miranda is a purpose-driven development professional committed to using the power of education to build an inclusive, just, and resilient world. Completing a Bachelor of Environmental Studies with an Honours in International Development at the University of Waterloo, Miranda brings an intersectional and holistic lens to all of her sustainability work, ensuring those most vulnerable are represented and placed at the center of change-making conversations.
With a constant desire to go beyond and connect globally, Miranda has collaborated with hundreds of diverse individuals, communities, and non-profit organizations around the world. By taking her knowledge to new heights, she successfully coordinated skill development for vulnerable youth in Ukraine, developed gender equality training for women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka, and most recently supported a team in Tanzania to promote gender-transformative programming. Motivated by her passions for youth empowerment, gender equality, and climate action, she is eager to inspire and activate post-secondary students to make choices that reflect a sustainable future.
Outside of work, you can find Miranda exploring “off the beaten path” places, experimenting with new recipes, or practicing yoga.
Miranda lives in Vancouver, BC | xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Salma Tihani
Partnerships and Development Manager
(she/her)
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Salma is responsible for ensuring that programs run smoothly and meet project deadlines as per the agreement between FES and its partners, as well as maintaining partnerships, and monitoring project budgets and timelines.
Salma (she/her) is an advocate for climate justice and passionate community builder. She has completed a graduate thesis and degree in Education and Society at McGill University, laying the foundation for a commitment to supporting youth activists in climate spaces. Her academic journey culminated in a thesis focused on understanding the identities of a group of youth activists of color and exploring ways to support them within the realm of climate activism. She also earned a BA in International Development from the University of Ottawa.
With a diverse professional background in program design and management, Salma has contributed her skills and dedication to various institutions and NGOs, including McGill, the UNAC, the Canadian Space Agency, and Youth Fusion, among others. This extensive experience has honed their ability to navigate complex organizational landscapes and design impactful initiatives for youth.
Salma finds joy in community building around climate justice action and in incorporating arts and crafts into these endeavors. A firm believer in the power of art to tell stories and explore intersections of the environment, identities, and social issues, Salma employs creative methods to help others navigate the intricate web of climate-related challenges.
Salma resides on the unceded land of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk), the Anishinaabeg (Algonquin), the Abenaki, the Huron-Wendat, and all Indigenous Peoples who have historically called Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) home.
Board of Directors
Anthony Boright
Director
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Anthony has 30+ years of marketing and sales experience in the technology, financial services and consumer packaged goods industries, spending the last 15 years launching and operating start-up companies that helped financial services firms meet their communication and regulatory requirements through digital technologies.
Kyle Boutilier
Director
(he/him)
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Kyle is a recent graduate of the global economics program at the University of Western Ontario with a strong interest in environmental economics and public policy. He currently chairs FES’ Vetting Committee and has served as a director since 2017. Outside of FES, Kyle is heavily involved with Lions Clubs International, a global service organization. From 2018-2019, Kyle was appointed to serve as one of two Leo Lion Board Liaisons, a newly created position to represent young people on the Lions Clubs’ International Board of Directors. He also co-founded the West London Lions Club and the Canadian Young Lions Retreat. In his free time, Kyle enjoys reading, hiking, and serving his local community. He grew up and lives in the unceded traditional territories of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Kwantlen, Musqueam, Qayqayt, Tsleil Waututh and Tsawwassen First Nations.
Kathy Falconi
Director
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Kathy Falconi, CPA, is an executive with over 30 years experience in the financial services industry. She has held executive roles in finance, operations and most recently technology at both large and medium-sized organizations. In her most recent roles she has an extensive track record executing successful transformation initiatives, optimizing operational and business performance within the Financial Services sector.
Kathy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Economics from the University of Toronto and is a Chartered Professional Accountants designation from CPA Ontario. She lives in Toronto, is an active volunteer in her neighbourhood and serves as an executive board member for the resident’s association.
Anita Lazurko
Director
(she/her)
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Anita Lazurko is a PhD Candidate in Social and Ecological Sustainability at the University of Waterloo. Her research addresses the use of participatory scenarios and imagination to navigate transformations to sustainability, focusing on adaptation to climate change in river basins. After her B.Sc. in Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary, Anita completed a joint Erasmus Mundus MSc in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management at the Central European University (Hungary), Lund University (Sweden), and the University of the Aegean (Greece). She has experience in transboundary strategic planning, decision making under uncertainty, and natural infrastructure for climate adaptation with various institutions in Sri Lanka, Canada, the Netherlands and across southern Africa. She is a Donella Meadows Fellow and a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar and sits on the board of WaterAid Canada.
Sarah Hanson
Director
(she/her/kwe)
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Sarah Hanson is Anishinaabe from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, currently living and working on the traditional lands of the Fort William First Nation, currently referred to as Thunder Bay. She graduated from Queen’s University with a degree in Biology, which combined with her held Indigenous Knowledge informs her work in climate action, sustainability, and reconciliation.
Prior to finishing her degree at Queen’s University, Sarah participated in an international internship for Indigenous youth where she lived and worked in Guyana, setting up robotics programs in 5 high schools. After returning to Canada, Sarah finished her Biology degree, spent 8 months working as a Junior Environmental Policy Analyst and then transitioned to the non-profit sector working with both educational and climate action organizations.
Sarah currently dedicates her time to organizing the Virtual Youth Leadership Forum on Reconciliation for Experiences Canada, leading capacity building and knowledge sharing efforts for the North American region for Youth4Nature and teaching a policy class for Canadian Roots Exchange. When she gets the chance she spends time reconnecting to her ancestry through beading, ribbon skirt making and learning Anishinaabemowin.
Cyrielle Noël
Director
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Cyrielle Noël is a spatial planner, with an expertise in marine and coastal environments. Being born and raised on the river island of Tiohtiá:ke (Montréal), Cyrielle is described as a soulful thalassophile, who moonlights as a social entrepreneur while also working as a Program Specialist for Ocean Wise. Cyrielle is the founder of Eau-Dacité: a planning studio focused on rehabilitating and reconnecting people to sustainable blue spaces. Cyrielle is a volunteer with Montréal Global Shapers and, in her free time, she enjoys connecting with nature by snowboarding, caving, and fishing.
Tim Ross
Chair
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Tim is a senior lawyer and business advisor with a 25-year track record of building tier-one legal services businesses, as well as helping clients navigate complex corporate finance, restructuring and regulatory matters. His practice is focused on domestic and cross-border M&A, financing and restructuring transactions, as well as the establishment, governance and investment activities of private investment funds.
Prior to joining the team at SkyLaw, Tim spent 14 years as an expat based in London and then Dubai. He served as partner, and in progressive leadership roles at Linklaters, Latham & Watkins, and Bennett Jones. He also spent a year seconded to Credit Suisse in London with its Financial Sponsors Coverage Group. Tim was General Editor of Oxford University Press publication Financial Services Regulation in the Middle East.
Tim can often be found in the great outdoors. He is an enthusiastic hiker and camper, occasional sailor, keen skier, and half-decent golfer and tennis player. Pickleball is a new favourite.
These issues were a core part of her last role working as a staffer for the offices of Green MPs Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice through GreenPAC’s Parliamentary Internship for the Environment Program. Through this role, Sophia drafted legislation and led campaigns on ending fossil fuel subsidies, implementing a fossil fuel windfall profit tax, and calling for electoral reform. This experience in federal politics has also helped inform her current position as a member of Nova Scotia’s first provincial Youth Climate Council and their work to bridge the gap between young people and the government.
When she isn’t fighting for the climate, Sophia loves curling up with a good book, cooking delicious vegan food, and writing poetry.
Dominique Souris
Director
(she/her)
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Dominique Souris is co-founder and Executive Director of Youth Climate Lab, a youth-for-youth organization focused on transformative climate action. She leads YCL’s partnerships, strategy, and design of projects that enable young people to build just, climate-resilient futures.
Dominique holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and Master of Arts in Global Governance from the University of Waterloo, and nerds out on all things climate finance, social innovation and international policy. She’s also a Board Member with the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices and Foundation for Environmental Stewardship, and a member of WEF Global Shapers and Smart Prosperity’s Leaders Initiative.
Austin Zacharko
Director
(he/him)
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Austin grew up in Alberta and is a registered E.I.T. with APEGA. He has completed a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta as well as an M.Eng in Sustainable Energy Engineering at Carleton University. With these programs, he has developed a strong understanding for a broad range of topics related to sustainability and climate change.
Austin has gained experience from working in government, academia, consulting, industry, and with NGOs. He currently works with Capital Power as an Energy Management Engineer.
Austin is a member of the Metis Nation of Alberta and holds his heritage in high regard. He strives to ensure indigenous ideas and cultures have been represented in all projects he works on. He is an active member of his community where he volunteers for numerous organizations such as the Edmonton Food Bank.
In his free time, Austin enjoys spending time outdoors. This often includes rock climbing, backcountry hiking, multi-day canoe trips, and snowboarding.
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