Meet the Steering Committee

Jennifer Babin-Fenske, with a background in Applied Zoology from McGill and a Ph.D. in Boreal Ecology from Laurentian University, specializes in insects of stressed forests. As the Climate Change Coordinator for the City of Greater Sudbury, she is integral to the city’s regreening efforts and environmental initiatives. A recipient of the Canada Clean50 award, Jennifer is dedicated to promoting sustainable practices and focuses on the impact of climate change on community natural assets

Angela graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa in 2009 and was admitted to the Bar of the Province of Ontario in 2010. Angela summered, articled, and practiced with a large Ottawa firm, in real property and municipal law and now works with Conservation Ontario as General Manager.

Angela has worked with Federal, Provincial, and Municipal governments on a wide range of environmental, development, and water policy issues including: source water protection, flooding, and planning and development approvals.

Frances Delaney has nine years of experience working in climate change adaptation. She currently works at the Canadian Centre for Climate Services, where she focuses on outreach and engagement and climate change. She works to tell compelling stories about climate projections, connecting the human side of climate change to the science. Frances also contributed to the National Adaptation Strategy and has specialized knowledge of the Great Lakes Basin, including leading Annex 9 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Sharon Lam is a Research Scientist with the Ecosystem and Climate Science team at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). Sharon works to advance climate science and adaptation through a range of collaborative, multi-stakeholder projects in the Toronto region and beyond. She supports the delivery of risk-based adaptation services through applied research project implementation, technical advisory, partnership development, and knowledge mobilization.

As a pioneer in the field of municipal climate adaptation, in 2007 he initiated climate change risk assessments for City owned infrastructure and other sectors such as food and electrical supply. David catalyzed consideration of climate risk and interdependencies of infrastructure systems and climate related financial disclosures. Prior to joining the City, for 17 years David was an environmental management consultant and Certified Environmental Auditor working in over a dozen industry sectors across Canada and the northeast USA. David was Adjunct Professor at TMU and U of T, teaching courses at the university Masters level on environmental management systems and urban climate adaptation.

Jeremy Schembri has been a municipal climate change leader for over 15 years. His foresight and innovation has led to the establishment of governance structures, plans, and actions that enabled multiple municipalities to proceed down the path to achieve a low carbon resilient future. Jeremy has honed and advocates for the use of inclusive best in class change management practices to tackle complex crisis like climate change; regularly looking to other industries and sectors to learn how best to catalyze and optimize action.

Erik Sparling is Vice President at the Climate Risk Institute and has held senior leadership roles across government and the private sector. He has contributed to major national initiatives in climate adaptation, risk assessment, and standards development. With over 20 years of experience, Erik supports governments, infrastructure owners, and other practitioners in integrating climate resilience into planning and decision-making, with a focus on climate risk governance, technical guidance, and cross-sectoral capacity building.

Nicole Yardy is a dedicated environmentalist committed to making a positive impact on communities and preserving biodiversity through community mobilization. She is currently working as the Climate Change Specialist with the Town of Collingwood and continues to advance her education through graduate certificates in strategy and climate policy. With a degree in Environmental Science, Nicole plays a pivotal role in developing and implementing comprehensive strategies to address climate change mitigation and adaptation within the community.