Meet our Board of Directors
Geoff Vogt, President
Superintendent of Facilities, Capital and Planning with the Thames Valley District School Board
Prior to starting with TVDSB Geoff has been a senior leader with the YMCA working in communities from Guelph to Windsor and locally has led numerous projects for the Y including the Stoney Creek YMCA, Bostwick YMCA, Wortley Village YMCA and the rebuild of Camp Queen Elizabeth. He is passionate about community and community building, and has been involved with many local charities and not for profits since arriving in London in 2005. Geoff is also passionate about the environment and is a regular participant with the Antler River clean up group. Geoff is active and often seen on the trails around London skiing, running or cycling.
Jordan Banninga, Vice President
Manager, Program Planning and Evaluation, Middlesex-London Health Unit
Jordan is an experienced public servant with a history of working in Public Health. He is skilled in Program Evaluation, Public Speaking, Health Promotion, Strategic Planning, and People, Program and Project Management. Jordan has a Master of Science in Public Health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London. He is looking forward to joining the TTLT board.
Kaitlin Richardson, Past President
Program Director with the Nature Conservancy of Canada
Kaitlin is currently a Program Director with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the chair of TTLT's Governance Committee. She holds a Bachelor's and Master's of Environmental Studies and diplomas in Ecological Restoration and Rehabilitation as well as Environmental Assessment. Kaitlin is passionate about protecting, stewarding and restoring land for Ontario's biodiversity and species at risk. Kaitlin's passion for conservation goes beyond the workplace. She spends her spare time tending to her native plant garden, volunteering in the environmental sector and hiking to admire local plants, birds and turtles.
Adrienne James, Treasurer
Chartered Professional Accountant, Wilkinson Rogers, LLP
Adrienne is a Chartered Professional Accountant who has worked in public accounting since 2006. Adrienne has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University and obtained her CPA, CA designation in 2008. Adrienne’s practice consists of all aspects of personal taxation and providing assurance, accounting and taxation services to owner managed business and not for profit organizations. A resident of London since 2007, Adrienne served on the Board of Directors of the London and District Distress Centre and was appointed to the board of TTLT in 2017. In her spare time, Adrienne enjoys travelling and camping and she also loves to cycle and run along the many trails that we are lucky to enjoy in the Forest City.
Stephen Jarrett, Secretary
Retired Lawyer
Stephen spent the last 16 years of his career as in-house legal counsel at Western University, overseeing a myriad of legal issues ranging from governance to student discipline to corporate finance. He is a former board member of the Canadian University Insurance Exchange and currently sits on the board of LARGnet, a not for profit providing internet bandwidth to municipal, educational and health care institutions in the London Region. He enjoys hiking, biking, cross country skiing and canoeing. He is a member of Nature London and an enthusiastic participant in the Swift Monitoring Program.
Vicki Hammond
Elementary Teacher, Thames Valley District School Board
Vicki holds a M.A. in Resources Geography from Western, as well as a Diploma in Outdoor Recreation & Education. Experience working for various parks and conservation organizations such as UTRCA, Cities of London and Burlington, Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has provided an understanding of ecosystems and habitats, as well as conservation tools and policies. Vicki is accustomed to working on large scale, community consultation projects with diverse stakeholders. As the Environmental Coordinator at her teaching position, Vicki organizes programs and activities that encourage greater awareness and stewardship in youth. Vicki grew up in a rural community in Oxford County and now lives in London where she has volunteered her time to coaching soccer and playing an active role in community organizations, such as TD Friends of the Environment. Vicki enjoys birding, nature photography, hiking and canoeing.
Bruce Farnell
Planning Specialist - BMO Private Wealth
Bruce Farnell is an Estate Planning Specialist at BMO Private Wealth in London, where he provides estate planning advisory services to high-net-worth clients. He lives in Aylmer with his wife, Sharon, who recently retired from a career as an administrator at Western. Their children, Ingrid and Derek, are both working toward accreditation as professionals. Prior to his current position, Bruce practiced law in Elgin County, providing legal services that included real estate conveyancing, family law, business law, wills, and estates. He is a Commissioner of Oaths and a Notary Public. In his leisure time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, cycling, woodworking, carpentry, and reading.
Lenore Patterson
Farmer
Lenore Patterson is a graduate of Fanshawe College in Accounting. She is a certified CPA / CGA and has over 30 years of practicing in the public and private sector. Lenore grew up in the Glencoe area and spent her married life outside of Wardsville on the farm with her late husband Scott. The mother of four daughters became a full time farmer in 2013. She works with her daughter and they manage more than 1,100 acres. She has been an active member of her community and served on several local initiatives.
David Henderson
Manager - London InterCommunity Health Centre
David Henderson studied Environmental Science and Biology at Western University and Community Based Natural Resource Management at the African College of Wildlife Management. He worked with the West Lunga Trust on agriculture, livelihood improvement, and conservation projects in and around a national park in northwestern Zambia. In both Vancouver and in his hometown of London, David has worked in healthcare and community development for marginalized populations and newcomers to Canada. David and his wife love hiking and canoeing in the wild areas of Ontario and take joy in exploring these areas with their two young children.
Paul Mensink
Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, Western University
Paul is an assistant professor at Western University in Centre for Environment and Sustainability. Paul teaches Western’s first-year environmental science courses and is also an instructor for the Masters in Environment and Sustainability (Ecosystem Health and Foundations in Sustainability). He is the graduate chair for the Collaborative Specialization in Environment and Sustainability, which brings together graduate students from across the university to work in interdisciplinary teams aligned with community partners. Paul earned his PhD (Marine Biology) from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) before moving to Northern Ireland to teach at Queen’s University Belfast. Paul returned to London and Western in 2018 and in addition to teaching, conducts research on the behavior and population dynamics of vulnerable species.
Leigh Shand
Holistic Healing Practitioner, Marketing & Communications Consultant, Naturalist
In her entrepreneurial work as a Holistic Healing Practitioner, Leigh works outdoors often teaching yoga, leading wellness consultations and workshops, spiritual hikes and retreats. Leigh has a strong connection with the Indigenous community and has been at the forefront of significant growth in awareness and fundraising for Atlohsa Family Healing Services. She also has over 20 years’ experience as a marketing and communications professional in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. In her spare time Leigh enjoys hiking throughout Southwestern Ontario, competitive swimming with the London Silver Dolphins and spending time with her family. A life-long learner, Leigh is currently enrolled and thriving in Fanshawe College’s Adventure Expeditions and Interpretive Leadership Program. Leigh is an avid volunteer and has been supporting TTLT’s Passport to Nature Program since its inception.
Alan Dale
Farmer
Alan Dale is a farmer and conservationist living on the family homestead in Curries, Oxford County. He is a graduate of Carleton University with a degree in Political Science. Alan served 16 years on municipal council and was a member of numerous committees during that time. He is a former member and Chair of both the Grand River Conservation Authority and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. He was also a former Vice-Chair of Conservation Ontario. He is currently a member and Acting Chair of the Lake Erie Region Source Protection Committee. Alan continues to farm a little in addition to his employment at Bright Cheese and Butter.
Taylor Jones
Supervisor, Construction Project Management, Enbridge Gas
Taylor is a professional engineer and has worked at Enbridge Gas since 2007 in a variety of engineering, operations, and construction roles in London, Toronto, and Chatham. Taylor also holds a BSc degree in biology from Western and loves to indulge his love of nature and wild spaces whenever possible including past volunteer experience songbird banding with Birds Canada, event planning on the Sydenham field naturalists executive committee, and supporting tree planting events at ReForest London. He enjoys gardening with native plants, as well as backpacking, canoeing, and exploring green spaces with his wife and two young children.
Amy Walby
Senior Vice President, Finance, YMCA of Southwestern Ontario
Amy is a CPA, CA and Chartered Business Valuator and holds a BA and Masters of Accounting from the University of Waterloo. She spent the first 15 years of her career with KPMG LLP, working mainly in Transaction Advisory Services for private and broader public sector clients. For the past 12 years, Amy has worked in the charitable sector: leading the finance and administrative functions of Brescia University College (an affiliate of Western University), and as of 2019, overseeing finance for the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario, one of Canada’s largest Y’s, building healthy communities all over the region. A lifelong learner and volunteer, Amy has served as a board member for a number of charitable organizations since moving to the London area in 2001. Amy most enjoys spending time and being active in nature with her family and two dogs, particularly in the woods close to home.
Meet our Staff
Daria Koscinski
Executive Director
Email: [email protected]
Daria is a passionate advocate for nature and for building collaborative programs to care for land and biodiversity. Daria joined Thames Talbot Land Trust in 2014 as the Conservation Property Manager and moved into the role of Executive Director in 2021. She has been actively involved in conservation and land stewardship in Ontario since 2000 through her education, work and volunteer experience with environmental groups. Daria received her BSc and MSc from Queen's University and her PhD from Western University with a focus on ecology, population genetics and habitat fragmentation. She brings experience related to ecological conservation, land care, partnership development and non-profit management. Daria enjoys spending time in nature, seed collecting, gardening with native plants and sharing her passion for local biodiversity.
Rebecca Launchbury
Conservation Lands Manager
Email: [email protected]
Rebecca joined TTLT in May 2016 as the Stewardship Coordinator. She has worked in the environmental non-profit sector since 2012 and has a background in land stewardship, environmental outreach, and partnerships development. She has worked and volunteered on a range of stewardship projects in Ontario and enjoys working out in the field. Rebecca is a nature enthusiast and loves the outdoors. She grew up in Yorkshire, England and holds a Master’s degree in Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto.
Darby Alderson
Administration and Engagement Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Darby has rejoined TTLT as of February 2020. She previously worked for TTLT in the summer of 2019 in the Outreach and Communications Assistant position and stayed on as a volunteer. She graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, majoring in Environment and Resource Management. She continued her education at Niagara College in the post-graduate certificate Environmental Management and Assessment program. Darby is a strong advocate for sustainability and does her best to live a zero-waste lifestyle. In her spare time, she takes too many selfies with her fluffy St. Bernard, Buddha.
Payton Landsborough
Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Payton rejoined TTLT in September 2022 after she had previously worked for TTLT as an Ecological Technician in the fall of 2021. She has a background in invasive species management, native plant gardening, ecological restoration, and environmental outreach. When Payton is not working, she spends her time in the garden, exploring nature, helping others with plant identification, and attending the University of Waterloo part-time in the School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability as an undergraduate student.
Bren Martinez
Land Protection and Conservation Technician
Email: [email protected]
Passionate about the environment and wildlife, Bren joined Thames Talbot Land Trust in 2023. Bren went to Trent University for Environmental and Resource Sciences, specializing in ecology. Bren has worked in non-profit organizations since 2017 focusing on ecological restoration, conservation, invasive species management and outreach. Bren enjoys hiking, birding, herping, gardening and painting.