Executive Team

Current Executive: 2022 - 2023

PresidenT – matthew fuirst

Matt is a PhD Candidate in the Integrative Biology department at the University of Guelph studying dispersal ecology and juvenile survival of Canada jays in Algonquin Provincial Park. Prior to moving to Ontario, Matt spent most of his life back home in New York where he completed his BSc and MSc. Matt completed his BSc at Paul Smith’s College in 2015, majoring in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and a minor in GIS and acted as president of their TWS student chapter for two years. In 2018, he received his MSc from Stony Brook University, where he studied the foraging ecology and associated microbiota associations of herring gulls. Matt is also a certified Associate Wildlife Biologist through TWS and hopes to use the network in his department to revive the University of Guelph TWS chapter. When not working you can find Matt skiing, hiking, or looking for any excuse to get out birding. Keep up with Matt on twitter @FuirstGlance.

Past PresidenT – Don Barnes

In 2013, I retired from Lakehead University after 40 years of service, where I worked to develop their first fish and wildlife program within the Faculty of Natural Resources Management. Being a university educator and a member of TWS, both since 1974, my interest has always centered on student involvement culminating with my mentorship of TWS Student Chapter at Lakehead University. I have maintained professional status within TWS by receiving my CWB® designation in 1999. In addition, I have been affiliated with the OCTWS and the CSTWS since their inception. In 2021, I was given the designation of TWS Fellow. In addition to my role as OCTWS President, I am OCTWS Chair of the Membership and Recruitment Committee, the ON representative on the CSTWS Membership Committee, CSTWS Chair of the Certification Committee, a member of the CSTWS Education Committee, and a member of TWS’ Conservation Education Awards Committee.

President Elect - Kelly Mclean

Kelly is a PhD candidate in the School of Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo (Fedy lab). She studies the movement ecology of Eastern Population Sandhill Cranes in Eastern North America. Her broad interests lay in using applied wildlife research to develop sustainable wildlife management strategies, specifically for game species. She completed her Masters of Science in Forestry at the University of New Brunswick in the Nocera Lab where she studied the effects of commercial forestry on American black ducks. During her undergraduate degree at Trent University she was involved with the Trent University Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society. In her “free” time she enjoy hunting, fishing, and spending time with her dog and two horses.

Treasurer –Julia Sunga

Julia is a PhD student at the University of Waterloo studying the social behaviour and population ecology bats in Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario, and the surrounding area. She completed her B.Sc in Zoology at the University of Guelph where she completed a thesis studying movement and habitat use of Ontario badgers before obtaining a M.Sc. in Integrative Biology from Wilfrid Laurier University focusing on the physiology of sea lamprey. Julia is also now a member of the Canadian Society of Zoologists’ Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and has always been an active member of the graduate student community, organizing events and symposia at Wilfrid Laurier University, and now at the University of Waterloo. Julia also enjoys hiking, camping, and rock climbing with family, and looks for any excuse to get outdoors.

Secretary - pauline kosmal

Pauline is a PhD student at the University of Guelph studying eastern cottontail rehabilitation under the supervision of Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Cox. Her broad research interests include human-wildlife interactions, urban ecology and wildlife health and behaviour with emphasis on small terrestrial mammals. She is a University of Guelph loyalist and previously completed a BSc in Animal Biology (2015-2019) and a MSc in Animal Biosciences (2019-2020). Pauline has also worked with and volunteered for several wildlife rehabilitation centers in Ontario. Apart from research, she loves to spend time with her own rabbits; Bambi (pictured), Chompers and Benjamin, and has been a part of the University of Guelph Cheer team since July 2015.

Board Member – Michelle Bacon

Michelle is a wildlife biologist and Registered Professional Biologist with the BC College of Applied Biology. She holds a BSc from Oregon State University and an MSc from the University of Alberta, where she studied a re-established population of cougars in southeast Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan. Michelle worked for several years with the Alberta government’s caribou recovery program and has also worked for the Ontario government, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and the US National Parks Service. In her current role with Golder Associates, Michelle designs and implements wildlife habitat restoration and mitigation, monitoring and offset programs, and leads environmental impact assessments of large projects on woodland caribou and other species at risk for clients throughout Canada. Michelle has been an active TWS member since 2007 and joined the Ontario Chapter when she returned to Ontario in 2018. Although primarily a desk biologist nowadays, Michelle gets her outdoors fix on weekend adventures with her three energetic young boys, exploring the many trails and lakes in central and eastern Ontario.

Board Member - Jennifer shuter

I grew up and completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees in southern Ontario, but I now call Thunder Bay home. I’ve worked for Ontario Parks and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) for about 15 years and have spent the last decade working as a Wildlife Research Analyst at the OMNRF’s Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research (CNFER). My work at CNFER has focused mainly on studying the relationship between landscape conditions and the behaviour and population dynamics of cervids (e.g., woodland caribou and moose) in the boreal forest. I’ve been a TWS member (including the Canadian Section and Ontario Chapter) for several years and during this time I’ve been able to take advantage of many of the excellent educational opportunities (e.g., conferences, publications and webinars) provided by all levels of the TWS. After years of benefiting from all the resources that TWS offers, I’m looking forward to contributing something back to the organization and fellow members, by serving as a OCTWS board member.

Student Representative - BradLey Jung

Bradley is an undergraduate student in his last year studying Conservation Biology at Trent University. He is interested in species conservation in relationship to the ecosystem in which they live. He joined TWS in the Fall of 2020 when he was elected as President of the Trent University Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society and has filled that position since. In his free time, he enjoys exploring and learning about the natural world, cooking, and captaining one of Trent’s varsity fencing teams.

Previous OCTWS Executives

April 2021 - March 2022
President - Don Barnes
President - Elect - Matt Fuirst
Past - President - Matt Dyson
Secretary - Kelly McLean
Treasurer - Julia Sunga
Board Member - Jenn Shuter
Board Member - Michelle Bacon
Student Representative - Brian Hardy-Cooper

April 2020 - March 2021
President - Matt Dyson
President-Elect - Don Barnes
Past-President - Danielle Ethier
Secretary (March 2020 - Jun 2020) - Scott Pynn
Secretary (Jun 2020 - March 2021) - Kelly McLean
Treasurer - Twyla Douaire
Board Member - Emilie Kissler
Board Member (March 2020 - Jun 2020) - Kelly McLean
Interim Board Member (Jun 2020 - March 2021) - Julia Sunga
Interim Board Member (Jun 2020 - March 2021) - Jesse Wolf

April 2019 - March 2020
President - Danielle Ethier
President-Elect - Matt Dyson
Past-President - Peter Hettinga
Secretary - Scott Pynn
Treasurer - Twyla Douaire
Board Member - Emilie Kissler
Board Member - Kelly McLean

June 2017 - March 2019
President - Peter Hettinga
President-Elect - Danielle Ethier
Past-President - Neil Dawson
Secretary/Treasurer - Morgan Hawkins
Board Member - Emilie Kissler
Board Member - Matt Dyson