Tami Der, WorkSafe

Tami brings over 26 years of WorkSafeBC experience to her role as an Occupational Health and Safety Consultation and Education Services Consultant. In her previous role, Tami supported the Prevention Division as an Instructional Lead with the Learning and Development Services department. In her role she developed and delivered specialty training for Prevention Officers designed to prepare them for inspecting workplaces, identifying hazards and risks, and using effective motivational skills. 

Joe Steinbach, ROMEX Canada

Joe brings over 20 years of industry experience to the ROMEX Canada team. After finishing concrete, developing new products, and introducing products from Germany to the North American market, he decided to switch gears and graduated from Algonquin College with honors in the field of Construction Project Management. He is more recently working towards the Certified Technical Representative (CTR) designation from the Construction Specifications Canada (CSC). 

Joe’s combination of experience and education allow him to creatively solve customer issues and always achieve the best possible results. He has a passion for people and enjoys designing and delivering environmentally sustainable projects. 

Tom Walz, BC Plant Health Care

Tom Walz is a Professional Arborist and Tree Care Professional at BC Plant Health Care, with 20 years of experience as a tree climber and crew leader, field arborist, tree risk assessor, consultant, team leader, subject matter expert, and industry trainer. Tom is a contract instructor to Kwantlen Polytechnic University, faculty of Science and Horticulture, in the Arborist Apprenticeship Program. Tom believes that caring for the environment and our planet is a noble profession, and advocates for safety as a top priority. 

Wendy Bennett, AgSafe

Wendy Bennett is the Executive Director for AgSafe and has been a Health and Safety Professional for more than 25 years.  She teaches with the University of Fredericton and with BCIT.  She serves as a Director on two Boards whose organizations’ focus is Agricultural Safety and Health both nationally and internationally.  Wendy believes incorporating safety into daily operations is the key to reducing injuries and illness.  Ensuring agriculture producers have the resources they need to ensure a safe and healthy working environment has been her goal since joining AgSafe.  She hopes to continue leading change in the industry in BC toward the goal of Agriculture in BC free from injury, illness, and death.  

Andrew MacLellan, BC Plant Health Care

Andrew MacLellan is a professional plant health care practitioner and educator whose practice spans arboriculture, urban forest management, horticulture, plant pathology, and soil health. He is a Consulting Arborist & Training Assistant Manager at BC Plant Health Care, ISA Certified Arborist, Tree Risk Assessor, and Organic Master Gardener with a background in forestry. Andrew connects people with plants, educating individuals and communities on the principles of plant care, soil health, organic practices for maintaining healthy ecosystems, climate adaptability, and diverse plant uses. Working from the belief that healthy ecosystems support healthy plants, and healthy plants are healthier for both us and the environment, he takes a holistic, soils-first approach to plant health care and low-intervention ecological plant management. 

Carson Arthur, Carson’s Garden + Market

Carson Arthur is a globally recognized landscape designer and a renowned figure surrounding green living. As an Outdoor Guest Expert on Cityline for the past decade, he reaches 2.1 million weekly viewers across North America focusing on eco-friendly spaces and a mantra that champions a healthier planet. Carson is the owner and founder of Carson’s Garden + Market and the author of the sold-out “Garden Designs for Outdoor Living” and the Amazon best seller “Vegetables, Chickens and Bees”. He leads by example and with integrity as the spokesperson for notable brands and has accomplished over 150 unique designs for television projects. 

Johanna Bock, UBC Urban Forestry

Johanna Bock is a PhD student in Urban Forestry at the University of British Columbia where she examines benefits of urban green space use for human well-being. With an MS in health and ecopsychology, her interest lies in the mechanisms that keep persons living in diverse urban environments healthy and happy. Johanna’s research combines different types of data – public participation GIS, traditional survey formats, census and landcover data. She is a member of the Urban Natures Lab at UBC and am also part of a research collaboration between UBC and Rogers communications Inc. that explores the application of new technologies in the context of urban forest management, and how these are perceived and used by the public. 

Andrew MacLellan, BC Plant Health Care

Andrew MacLellan is a professional plant health care practitioner and educator whose practice spans arboriculture, urban forest management, horticulture, plant pathology, and soil health. He is a Consulting Arborist & Training Assistant Manager at BC Plant Health Care, ISA Certified Arborist, Tree Risk Assessor, and Organic Master Gardener with a background in forestry. Andrew connects people with plants, educating individuals and communities on the principles of plant care, soil health, organic practices for maintaining healthy ecosystems, climate adaptability, and diverse plant uses. Working from the belief that healthy ecosystems support healthy plants, and healthy plants are healthier for both us and the environment, he takes a holistic, soils-first approach to plant health care and low-intervention ecological plant management. 

Ruth Eden, Engaged HR

Ruth Eden is the Director of Talent Acquisition Services at Engaged HR and has 20 years of experience in HR and recruitment across a variety of industries. She has held the CPHR designation since 2008 and completed a Bachelor of Commerce from UBC with a specialization in HR. Ruth was the General Manager of a recruitment company and has led large scale fast-paced recruitment projects focused on recruiting top candidates within Canada and internationally. She supports executive leaders with everything from day-to-day people challenges, to creation, execution and implementation of projects related to areas such as performance management, onboarding and training.

Claire Henwood, kin

Claire is a born communicator who leads with focused intention in her life and work. She joined Vancouver-based digital + PR agency kin (formerly Reformation) in 2017 after graduating with distinction from Capilano University with a Bachelor of Communications. During her five years at kin, she has steadily moved up the ranks from account coordinator to account director, successfully partnering with countless clients. In her day-to-day she manages a team, 10-15 accounts, executing everything from traditional PR to digital, social media management, influencer and brand engagement, experiential event planning, visual content creation and more. She has managed and grown social media accounts for national brands, developing them from fruition, through strategy and leading execution. 
Before gaining a strong foothold in the communications field, Claire spent over five years as a floral designer, teaching workshops, designing bouquets and nurturing her lifelong love of plants.