Dianna Stenberg (she/her)
Executive Director | dstenberg@conservancy.bc.ca
Dianna Stenberg is a communication professional responsible for creating and implementing TLC’s communications strategy. Having started with TLC in 2008, she has been responsible for writing, editing, designing, and distributing the organization’s publications including our semi-annual LANDmark newsletters, media releases, campaign-related materials, Annual Reports, and letters to donors and TLC members. Dianna was part of the team that designed, created, and launched TLC’s first WordPress website, and solely responsible for the 2016 re-design of www.conservancy.bc.ca. She also established the charity’s social media accounts to reach new followers, foster new partnerships, and keep valued, existing supporters informed of TLC’s activities and projects.
Dianna earned a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Physics, from the University of Victoria in 2010. In 2021 she completed the Master of Arts in Professional Communication program at Royal Roads University with a focus on communicating individual and societal responsibilities to building resilience against, and mitigating, climate change. Her studies have certainly been applied in her work with TLC!
Leadership and teamwork have been common threads throughout her career. Dianna thoroughly enjoys the chance to share what she has learned with colleagues and to support the learning opportunities of others. As TLC’s Deputy Executive Director since 2018, Dianna has facilitated TLC’s Passport to Nature and Deertrails Naturalist Programs and supported colleagues in learning communications related software programs to further the organization’s reach.
When she isn’t creating for TLC, Dianna can be found gathering inspiration while gardening in her backyard, reading fantastic fiction, and hiking the trails near her home in East Sooke.
Lisa Cross (she/her)
Donor Relations Manager and Grants Coordinator | lcross@conservancy.bc.ca
Lisa grew up in the Victoria area (as a rare second-generation settler) on the unceded territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples’ and feels very grateful to call this stunning island, home. She spent her childhood roaming the beaches and forests, and from here her deep love of the natural world grew.
Lisa joined TLC in 2017, and has over 25 years’ experience in business management, working in both the public and private sector. In the past, Lisa worked as a volunteer steward for salmon enhancement projects on Vancouver Island, and also brings her fine art background to her role with TLC. She feels fortunate to be working in a career that allows her to connect to the land on a daily basis.
More recently, Lisa completed training on creating pollinator meadows and native plant restoration, and she is passionate about sharing this newfound knowledge with others! Lisa draws from her varied background in her day-to-day interactions with TLC supporters – always seeking to create deeper connections to each other, and to natural world, through story sharing and the exchange of knowledge.
When not at work you can find Lisa outdoors as much as possible. She used to live on an acreage and has had many pets over the years including dogs, horses, goats, chickens, and ducks. Lisa enjoys hiking the wonderful trails on the island, skiing, writing, creating art, and in the summer months, kayaking, exploring the coastline, and swimming in the sea.
Emily Francis (she/her)
Communications Coordinator | efrancis@conservancy.bc.ca
Emily joined TLC in early 2023. Emily grew up in the prairies within the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina, Îyâxe Nakoda Nation, Métis Nations and other Peoples of the Treaty 7 region. As a kid, she fell in love with Vancouver Island’s prehistoric-looking forests and stunning Salish Sea when her family would venture west every summer to go camping in the Cowichan Valley. With a childhood rooted in outdoor adventure, she aspired to pursue a livelihood as a professional nature nerd. This led her to earning a BSc. in Environmental Science in 2015 at Royal Roads University.
Emily spent much of her twenties in the rural community of Galiano Island, BC. There, she taught environmental education programs to thousands of youth and adults and homesteaded on a 60-acre organic farm and conservation covenant. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Emily sought to bring nature online. She developed interactive web activities, at-home printable guidebooks and a nature-puppet singalong YouTube series to encourage families to explore, connect and play outside. As TLC’s Communications Coordinator, Emily uses her passion for environmental education to tell the stories of BC’s wild spaces and illuminate TLC’s work to protect them.
While Emily spends most of her time outdoors, her other hobbies include: photography, drawing, cooking and homebrewing.
Torrey Archer Anderson (she/her)
Biologist and Lands Manager – On Maternity Leave
The rain is pouring down. The verdant foliage is alive and breathing. Grasping at branches, Torrey lunges through the forest in search of mysterious delights. She is driven by her thirst for ecological understanding, on a never-ending quest of the “how” and “why”. This is Torrey, your friendly neighbourhood Biologist and Land Manager at TLC.
Torrey obtained her BSc. in Biology and Environmental Studies from UVic, ending her degree with a certification in Permaculture. She is mostly from Vancouver Island/unceded territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples’, having lived many other places but always feeling called back to “the island”.
Torrey is a Registered Professional Biologist (RPBio) whose main focus is terrestrial ecology. She has been involved with TLC since the summer of 2014, first as a volunteer and then as a staff member. Torrey’s primary role is overseeing TLC’s conservation covenant portfolio of over 240 properties found throughout BC that protect over 13,000 acres of land. She also helps manage several of TLC’s properties, develops and implements restoration plans, and loves connecting with passionate volunteers through TLC’s covenant monitoring program.
Torrey’s other job is as a full-time mom to her delightful daughter, and she spends as much time as possible with her family in the forest hiking, camping and exploring (especially for fungi!). Musically inclined, she loves to sing and play guitar for anyone who will listen.
Frankie Mawss (she/her/they/them)
Environmental Technician and Lands Manager | kiwachow@conservancy.bc.ca
A settler from the Czech Republic Frankie has been a resident the unceded Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples’ and Malahat territories for the past 13 years.
Frankie has worked with the TLC since 2017. Frankie’s work at the TLC takes her across the province to steward the incredible habitats including restoration, education, remote fieldwork, and land management. She also illustrates children’s activity books and greeting cards for TLC. Frankie’s endless curiosity about the natural world doesn’t end at the office, you can find her hiking with her dog, painting or photographing landscapes or investigating the entrancing life in intertidal zones on the coast.
Michelle Thompson (she/her)
Property and Covenant Manager | mthompson@conservancy.bc.ca
Michelle joined TLC in 2023. Michelle grew up in Ontario within the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca and Haudenosaunee territories. Growing up in Canada’s biggest concrete jungle, taught Michelle to never take the outdoors for granted and gave her a real appreciation for nature and inspired her to pursue a career in the environmental sector. Michelle has a BES from the University of Waterloo with a diploma in Ecological Restoration as well as a Masters of Forestry (MF) from the University of Alberta.
Michelle’s work and school have taken her to many places including Germany’s Schwarzwald, Central China, West Africa, Southern Sweden, Northern Alberta, and Galiano Island. In the past Michelle has worked on various projects ranging in subject from ecological footprinting, carbon sequestration, quantifying ecosystem services, ecological restoration, and fire ecology. She is passionate about conservation, systematic change, and public access to greenspaces. Most recently Michelle worked for the Galiano Conservancy Association her role involved monitoring species at risk, conducting covenant monitoring, and managing climate action projects.
Maya Irwin (she/her)
Covenant Coordinator | mirwin@conservancy.bc.ca
Maya is the most recent addition to the team, joining in January of 2024 to cover Torrey Archer’s maternity leave and help oversee TLC’s conservation covenant portfolio. A transplant from the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), she has been calling the coastal waters of B.C. home for the last 4 years.
While a background in International Studies led her to work with Doctors Without Borders in both Montreal and Toronto, and to several years of travel, it was a pivot to organic farming which really ignited her interest in the natural world. With four years of experience living and working on farms on the beautiful Gulf and Discovery Islands, her desire to become a better steward of those lands prompted her to enrol in the Restoration of Natural Systems diploma at UVic. With most of that degree under her belt, she took a contract as a Field Restoration Technician with Habitat Acquisition Trust in the fall of 2023 and is now happy to delve into the world of land protection and covenants with TLC.
Maya is also a happy graduate of the Deertrails Naturalist Program from the 2023 season, an unforgettable experience which helped shape her relationship to our protected natural places. Most of her spare time is dedicated to being outside, or honing her rock climbing, gardening or cooking skills, with lots of music and dancing thrown in.
Daisy Klassen (she/her)
Project Coordinator | dklassen@conservancy.bc.ca
Daisy joined TLC in November 2024 to support the conservation covenant portfolio and remote monitoring program. A recent graduate of the University of Victoria with a BSc in Geography & Geomatics, she is excited to launch her post-education career by contributing to the protection of British Columbia’s incredible biological diversity.
Raised in a small town in the Interior of B.C., on the unceded territory of the Syilx, Sinixt, and Ktunaxa peoples, Daisy has always felt a deep connection to the natural world. Her childhood was spent exploring B.C.’s diverse landscapes, sparking a lifelong love for the outdoors. Having visited Vancouver Island since she was little, Daisy moved there permanently in 2021, further deepening her appreciation for the island’s unique ecosystems and the importance of their conservation.
With a strong background in Geomatics and Geographic Information Systems, Daisy is particularly passionate about using geospatial technologies to advance conservation efforts. She believes that innovative technology plays a critical role in preserving the landscapes she loves. When not working, Daisy enjoys hiking local trails, cooking, and participating in the adventurous sport of cold-water snorkeling and freediving.
Connie Pedersen
Payroll, Accounts, and Administration | cpedersen@conservancy.bc.ca
Connie has been with TLC since 2007. Today she’s responsible for payroll, accounts, and administration. She is responsible for all things payroll and benefits related, bookkeeping/accounting activities, and assists with contracts, leases, and insurance requirements. She is a participant in TLC’s Human Resources Committee and she also oversees the three residential rental facilities in the Blenkinsop Valley. With 17 years of history with the organization, Connie is often our go-to historian with legacy knowledge. Connie has an education and employment background as a legal secretary and is a certified Payroll Compliance Practitioner. Outside of work Connie likes to travel and is a huge animal lover having extra special soft spots for dogs and turkey vultures.
Sherry Beauvais (she/her)
Accounting Coordinator | sbeauvais@conservancy.bc.ca
Cherie Miltimore (she/her)
Abkhazi Garden Site Manager and Volunteer Coordinator| volunteer@conservancy.bc.ca
Yogi ‘Yogurt’ Bear
Field Assistant
Yogi joined TLC in 2022. Yogi’s primary duty as TLC’s field assistant is branch management. He also helps with soil and water quality analysis through astutely scientific taste assays. Yogi brings radiant energy to his work and is a true team player. He is TLC’s staff’s biggest cheerleader provides snuggles to whoever needs them.
Yogi is a loving caregiver to a dozen stuffed animals including his most cherished, Moose, Beaver and Bunny. On the weekends, Yogi can usually be found hiking and birding. He is a strong advocate for pack-in, pack-out trail etiquette and will always ensure no organic wastes are left behind by fellow trail users. He has a special place in his heart for waterfowl and raptors and will enthusiastically share cool bird facts with anyone who is interested.
