Meet the Team
We are a team of educators, communicators, scientists with expertise in facilitation, project management, program and leadership development.
Samantha Rogers
Executive Director
Samantha is a dedicated leader with a robust background in business and a passion for making a positive impact.
Combining her formal education and experience in the non-profit sector, Samantha seamlessly integrates good business practices into organizations committed to making a difference for both people and the planet. Raised in British Columbia, Samantha has a deep appreciation for the natural environment, considering environmental respect a fundamental aspect of daily life. During her education, Samantha was recognized with the Dean's Award for her undergraduate class, and she holds a Master of Environment and Business from the University of Waterloo, showcasing her commitment to excellence and expertise in the field.
Samantha's experience in the non-profit sector spans more than a decade and includes small and large organizations at both the local and national levels. Since joining Elements in 2019, Samantha has contributed to the organization's strength, resilience, and the expansion of programs that inspire Canadians to take environmental action.
Cailey Meuse
Associate Director, Education
Growing up in Calgary, Cailey developed a strong connection to the land and outdoors as she explored the nearby mountains, foothills and prairies with her friends and family on the traditional territories of the Treaty 7 people of Southern Alberta and Métis Nation, Region 3.
This connection to place is what led her to complete a B.Sc. in Geography before pursuing a B.Ed. Combining her passions and skills, Cailey’s goal has been to empower young leaders by creating authentic experiences that build capacity and understanding - especially around environmental issues. She has been an educator in many settings: swimming, rock climbing, science-based summer camps, forest and wetland ecosystems field trips, and more recently as an elementary school teacher in Cochrane. These previous experiences and her passion for taking climate action now support her current work as the Associate Director of Education at Elements Society. When she is not in the classroom, Cailey can be found cuddled up with her cat, cooking a new recipe, doing a puzzle, or soaking up some sunshine outside.
Anna crandall
Program Coordinator
Anna’s love of nature and curiosity about the world led her to study Biology and International Development and sparked her desire to work towards a more just and sustainable world.
Her experience as an educator is diverse, with the through line being one of youth empowerment. She has been a classroom teacher, an outdoor educator, and an overseas trips facilitator. Anna continues to be inspired by the ability of young people to understand and innovate when making positive change.
In addition to her work as an educator, Anna has participated in cultural exchanges and cycling theatre tours, worked at a remote research station, and lived in a sustainable farming community. Anna loves growing and cooking vegetables, and has tried her hand at farming in four countries.
After growing up in Vancouver on the ancestral, unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations, Anna travelled and lived across Canada and internationally before realizing that the south coast of BC will always be home. When not in the classroom she can usually be found in the local mountains or at her local library.
Ella Walmsley
Program coordinator
Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko tēnai taku mihi ki ngā tāngata whenua o te rohe nei.
Nō reira, tēnā tātau katoa.
Hailing from Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Ella is new to Vancouver and acknowledges the indigenous people of this area the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Spending childhood around Aotearoa’s coastline created a lasting connection to the world around her. Through volunteering opportunities in local parks Ella realized that working for nature was her passion.
Ella’s next step was achieving a B.Sc. in Environmental Science and Applied Conservation. During her degree she volunteered with a local waste wise community group, gaining knowledge in community organising and zero waste practices. Following her studies, Ella worked as an educator in the freshwater and marine spaces where for several years she has engaged with a variety of people to tackle these issues head on.
Alongside her work, Ella has been part of Forest & Bird youth and has coached mountain biking. Working with enthusiastic environmental and outdoor individuals who inspire and support their peers has filled Ella's cup. In her own time Ella can often be found in a forest, mountain biking, poking around in a river or hiking up a mountain.
Abdo Souraya
Educator
An environmental advocate and lover of plant-based cooking, Abdo feels right at home as an EcoCooks educator. Meandering down different academic disciplines, Abdo became fascinated with the socioeconomic, nutritional, and environmental complexities of food. This lead him to pursue an interdisciplinary B.Sc focusing on community food security. He has held research assistant positions in nutritional epidemiology and rural maternal health evaluation.
Abdo is inspired by the transformative power of unified communities, believing that all individuals have influence on the food system. Having worked with youth across a number of local non-profit food settings, he feels particularly privileged to get to tap into that yearning for impact that so many young people carry.
When not in the classroom, Abdo can be found in the forest listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops against the forest’s myriad surfaces, looking under the duff for fungi, or climbing rocks and trees with friends.
Megan Wyntjes
Educator
Having grown up on a grain farm in the beautiful Alberta badlands, Megan had an early start in developing a lifelong reverence towards nature, a sense of duty to protect and steward the environment, and a motivation to build and advocate for sustainable food systems. This led Megan to pursue an BSc in environmental engineering and subsequent work in environmental remediation.
Through additional roles as a yoga instructor and a historical site tour guide, Megan developed a love for storytelling and leading others in engaging and memorable learning experiences, which supports her current work as an Educator. Megan strongly believes in the ability to connect to loved ones, communities, and social issues through food, and is thrilled to be able to support young people in building skills and knowledge to foster that connection in their own lives through the EcoCooks program. Outside of the classroom, Megan can be found cuddling with her cats, making a mess in the kitchen, or hammocking in a nearby park.
Saige Patti
Educator, bilingual programs
Delving into the fascinating world of plants and soil during university, Saige was inspired to unearth the links between science and society. This led her to complete an interdisciplinary BSc, examining how food and the environment can shape society and impact social justice. As an energetic and committed educator, she has brought the art of storytelling into the classroom to inspire curiosity and facilitate question-based and play-based learning with students as young as two and as old as thirty. After teaching English to francophone students in a town in Quebec, Saige is excited to continue her French journey as a bilingual facilitator at Elements Society.
Saige believes in the power of education to create strong communities that can work together toward practical and accessible solutions to complex issues. She uses this philosophy to empower youth to take action, whether big or small, knowing that every drop in every stream gives rise to the surge of the ocean.
As a lover of both food and nature, Saige spends time outdoors hiking and cycling, trying new things in the kitchen, learning mending and repair skills to conserve materials, and finding new ways to bring sustainability into day-to-day life.
Shania Ramharrack-Maharaj
Educator
Shania grew up with a deep appreciation for nature. Following the lead of family members around her, she learned about sustainability at a young age and began to pursue it herself as she learned more about Canada’s natural beauty. She grew up on the unceded traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (now known as Mississauga) and is excited to have moved to, what is now, Vancouver to explore one of Canada’s most beautiful cities.
Shania’s a passionate environmental advocate who’s ecstatic to be teaching kids about how their decisions impact the environment. She loves to be around like-minded people, but also talk to people with opposing views so that everyone can connect on this pressing issue. While gaining an interdisciplinary B.Sc. she studied geoengineering, watershed hydrology, the history of the Earth, and education which gave her a good understanding of how interconnected the environment is and how to teach others about it. She also co-founded Stop Sprawl Students (a community club) which educates high school and university students about urban sprawl and how to create sustainable cities. During her free time, she enjoys keeping busy with any and all outdoor activities from hiking to swimming to skiing to mountain biking to ice skating.
serena bonneville
Coordinator, marketing & communications
Serena is a marketing wiz, passionate about sustainability, communications, and all things nature. Her experiences in engagement have shaped the strong belief that with the right metric tracking, engagement practices, and content alignment, we can change the world.
Serena began her career working as a professional public relations (PR) and marketing consultant at FleishmanHillard — one of the world’s top-ranked global PR and marketing agencies. There, she developed a deep understanding of the strategies and best practices used by top industry professionals and the challenges and opportunities that companies face on their journey towards growth. After getting a strong feel for the corporate consulting life, Serena moved on to private consulting for various organizations in and around BC including the C2C BC Education Network, eMotive, Recycle BC, MetroVancouver, and the BC Parks Foundation.
She now works exclusively on amplifying the voices of organizations who are working towards measurable social impact and change. She currently works at the Elements Society as a Growth Marketing & Communications Specialist, supporting the programs that facilitate, inspire and empower climate action.
andrew yang
IT
Andrew is a freelance Marketing + Sales Architect at the forefront of intersecting science, mathematics, and marketing based in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Coming from academia as a former astrophysics and mathematics major from Queen's University, he applies logical and longstanding scientific methodologies to enhance marketing and sales departments in driving higher returns without losing sight of the human condition.
His mantra is Be Human™ as a result of the world's overwhelming dependency and reliance on technology to solve problems to the point where we are losing sight of what it is to be truly human and connected at a deep emotional level. His strong belief and evidence behind leveraging technology and data with purpose aligns with our mission here at Elements Society: solve real-world human problems for the greater good of communities by connecting and collaborating with youth and individuals.
Andrew supports us in managing our technology and data infrastructures to ultimately better connect and deepen our relationships with our trusted family of clients.
Board of Directors
Angel Cheung
Angel is a Senior Business Analyst at the University of British Columbia with over a decade of cross-industry experience in technology. As a UBC alumna holding a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Business Administration, she leverages her formal education and expertise to drive impactful solutions. She also leads the Vancouver Chapter of Canada Learning Code, a charity bringing accessible computer science to communities across Canada. Angel is passionate about equipping the next generation with the knowledge and skills in emerging fields like environmentalism, sustainability, and technology to help them thrive as leaders of the future.
Ben Hartshorn
Ben is a creative thinker with a longstanding passion for renewable energy and clean transport. As a person who likes a challenge, he has combined his love of arts and science into numerous self-taught learning endeavours. Driven by understanding, improving and encouraging education, Ben is known for his creative experiments.
An early triumph for Ben was building his own mode of transportation that met all his communing needs powered 100% by the sun. Putting his money where his mouth is, Ben now drives an electric vehicle and is the founder of Charge Alberta, a website and initiative to help facilitate the adoption of the electric vehicle through improved infrastructure.
Ben’s formal education and work history are also diverse. A graduate of the University of Northern BC with a degree in Computer Science, Ben brings work experience in both the public and private sectors, including project management and the development of an online e-learning platform. Ben also takes part in volunteer work aligned with sustainability and education.
As someone with an immense passion, driven to have a net positive impact. Ben currently applies his diverse skill set towards renewable energy, zero emission transportation and education.
Dr. love-ese chile
Dr. Love-Ese Chile is the Owner and Managing Director of the circular economy research consulting firm Regenerative Waste Labs. Dr. Chile moved to Vancouver in 2012 from Auckland, New Zealand. She completed her doctoral research on biodegradable plastics at the University of British Columbia in 2017. During her studies, Love-Ese became a vocal supporter of sustainability, green chemistry, and community-driven science. After finishing graduate school, Love-Ese started her entrepreneurial path and now advises businesses on circular product design, closed-loop organic recovery strategies, and how to communicate the value of sustainable materials.
Dr. Ovo Adagha
Dr. Ovo Adagha is a seasoned energy and environmental systems specialist with over 10 years of academic experience, public sector work, non-profit leadership and corporate practice at the international level. Through his work-related and academic activities, he has investigated and published extensively on sustainable energy and climate change. His research work has been used in various USA, Canada, Caribbean, Asia, Africa and EU energy policy planning and implementation.
He is currently a Principal Consultant with Bethel Systems where he leads energy efficiency and environmental conservation research and evaluation projects. Ovo also volunteers in non-profit organizations, hoping to inspire members of the public to share his passion for a more sustainable future for the world. He serves on the board of The Elements Society – where he provides strategic leadership to promote the conservation of natural resources through community education and stakeholder engagement.
He holds a Doctorate degree in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary, Canada and a Masters degree in Renewable Energy Futures from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Zana mody
Zana is a researcher, program manager, and science educator with 15 years of experience in academia, media, and ENGOs. Raised between India and Canada, Zana’s lifelong passions are environmental ed, climate action, gender and racial equity, and youth empowerment.
She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the UBC Institute in Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, researching how coastal communities can mitigate and adapt to climate change by restoring coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, kelp, and seagrasses. She has worked with Indigenous communities in BC and Ontario, as well as Ghana, India, Sri Lanka, and Colombia. As the national program manager at Ocean Wise, she developed the Ocean Pathways program connecting youth to careers in conservation across Canada. Zana has an interdisciplinary educational background with an M.A. in Anthropology and a B.Sc. in Biology and Environmental Science from Trent University, and she formerly worked a radio journalist and producer at CBC Radio in Toronto.