As part of SOLA’s board, Marie brings her extensive experience as an educator, business owner and project consultant. She’s led teams in supporting learning and development initiatives in private, non-profit and public sector organizations throughout Canada. Some example programs include Healthy Schools Manitoba, Manitoba in Motion and EAL Summer Camps at the Cégep de Jonquière. Currently, she is the owner and CEO of Eclectic Communications and co-founder of Odality. 

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Marie’s board experience includes the Brandon Film Festival, Brandon Folk Festival, Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, PLAIN International, and the Institute of Performance and Learning. She is also the founder of the Manitoba Learning and Development Professionals Network.

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Marie is looking forward to supporting SOLA’s goal of empowering youth and community members in becoming leaders in sustainability by providing opportunities to connect to nature, apply the 12 principles of permaculture and foster a community of sharing and cooperation.

As a board member Elisa brings experience in business, community development, and land development. She is the founder of Graceful Evolution: Integral Business Solutions, and co-owner of Hawthorne Valley Farm Inc. She has 20 years of in-person, client relation experience, particularly with people in the vulnerable sectors, and has been actively in relationship with the land since she was a young child.

 

She spent 8 years actively involved in governance, within the context of her then profession at the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba, participating in the Crown Corporations Council Board Governance Training Programs, gaining valuable knowledge and experience in the public sector governance. 

 

As the co-owner of Hawthorne Valley Farm, Elisa has initiated, and helped lay the ground work for a collaborative education effort between Beaver Creek Academy in 2021/2022, and then with The Emotional Literacy Movement in 2022 through the Wholehearted Leaders Program, with the vision of bringing youth and community together to engage in land-based learning, along side land development projects using permaculture principles.

Kris Garner has been working alongside SOLA in a variety of capacities since 2017 and brings her exceptional organizational and community building skills to her role as secretary on the SOLA board. She has over two decades of experience in the field of child-development and education and is the founder of The Emotional Literacy Movement.

 

Kris has sat on several learning and development committees during her time as an educator in the Louis Riel and Pembina Trails School Divisions, and briefly held the role as acting principal of Beaver Creek Academy in 2021.  

 

She is passionate about creating healthy communities and supporting the next generation of learners through holistic educational experiences with a focus on sustainability, the 12 principles of permaculture, and emotional wellbeing.

With 16 years of experience in the financial industry, Daneeka draws from her knowledge gained as a certified financial planner (CFP). She understands that finances play an integral role in the longevity of an organization, and the ability to complete projects, but that it must be balanced with the needs of the community and the goals of a not-for-profit to drive change. Daneeka’s  board experience includes  Treasurer for Deer Lodge community centre  (2017-2019), working as finance committee chair for Inspired Exploration Learning Community (2017-2021) and working with the Manitoba 150 subcommittee in 2019.

 

When not working, volunteering, or supporting her family you will almost always find her in one of her gardens. She is passionate about soil regeneration, food sustainability, integrating ecosystems into all outdoor spaces, while also integrating self expression through art. If you pass by her front garden and stop to chat, you will likely be taken on a long winded tour of all things small but so important.

 

Daneeka is excited to support SOLA, and their  work of empowering youth and the greater community to become stewards of the land, advocates of sustainability and fostering a deeper connection with nature.

As founder of the Seeds of Life Alliance, Ivan has seven years of experience teaching the fundamentals of sustainable agriculture and land regeneration to youth within the Manitoba correctional facilities.  

His practice integrates the deep wisdom found in nature and applies the science of natural design principles to agricultural practices.  Ivan's passions consist of soil remediation and regeneration, wetland restoration, community integration, indigenous teachings and elder wisdom.  

Ivan strives to weave art into every space that is created and believes that nature is our greatest artist and ally and that we need to develop our spaces in a way that observes and interacts from a place of understanding our connection to these natural spaces and how we play a vital role in preserving them.