Board of Directors

Nonprofit Equiterre is headed by a board of nine directors, each elected to a three-year term by members at our Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The directors share strong values and a commitment to community involvement. They come from different professional and social backgrounds, and enjoy discussing the Equiterre mission with their personal and professional contacts. Each board member contributes to the organization in their own way, with enthusiasm and creativity.

With the support of our administration, the directors meet several times a year to ensure the smooth operation and sound management of the organization. At the AGM, the chairman and the treasurer of the board submit the Annual Report to a member vote. The board, which is also responsible for setting Equiterre's future course, oversaw the drafting of the Strategic Plan 2008-2012, on which all current initiatives are based.

Members of the Board of Directors

Clément Guimond
Chair
Clément Guimond is a born collective entrepreneur. This innovative social banker was involved at every stage in the creation of the Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins de Québec (the Desjardins solidarity credit union). In 1986, he became general coordinator for a team of 80 employees. Some very exciting projects, including the Cirque du Soleil, exist today because of his interest in Quebec collective entrepreneurship. Thanks to his guidance – and his many connections at home and abroad – the fund became a unique hub for people and organizations with ideas that renew the economy. Clément recently retired, but is still actively involved in many projects.

Amélie Laframboise
Secretary
Amélie Laframboise is a member of the Order of Certified Management Accountants (CMA) and has an MA in environmental management. She coordinates investment in environmental technologies at the Fondaction CSN, where in recent years she has spearheaded many sustainable development projects. She has also served as an administrator in such environmentally active organizations as the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) and the Groupe uni des éducateurs-naturalistes et professionnels en environnement (GUEPE). Amélie Laframboise has helped Equiterre with fundraising for more than three years and has contributed greatly to other projects.

Craig Ryan
Treasurer
Craig Ryan has spent 20 years working for the public good. He has worked for the Minister of the Environment and for CIDA on Parliament Hill, and has worked in developing countries on environmental policy and poverty reduction. He now works for a publicly owned financial corporation serving small and medium-sized businesses, where he specializes in the issues of governance, transparency and accountability for NGOs, governments and companies. He is also in charge of the organization's social responsibility plan. Craig Ryan holds a BA in political science, an MA in international relations and an MA in public administration.

Chantal Blouin
Director
Chantal Blouin is associate director of the Centre for Trade Policy and Law at Carleton University, managing editor of the Foreign Policy of Canada journal, and senior research associate for the International Council of Canada. Her research and publications focus on the impact of international trade and trade agreements on developing countries and poverty reduction, particularly the impact of trade on health systems and population health in developing countries. Before joining the Centre for Trade Policy and Law in 2007, she was senior researcher in trade and development at Ottawa's North-South Institute. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Toronto, and a BA and MA in political science from Université Laval.

Krystel Papineau
Director
Project Manager - Communications and Fundraising - Centre for Sustainable Development
For the past 10 years, Krystel Papineau has devoted herself to such social and political causes as the environment, education and public health. She has worked as a communications consultant for a social communications agency and as an advocate. She has also overseen international cooperation projects in Africa and serves as an international communications consultant for university projects. Krystel Papineau has a BA in social communication from the Université de Trois-Rivières and is pursuing a postgraduate degree in international public administration.

Frédéric Thériault
Director
Frédéric Thériault is an organic farmer and director of the Ferme Coopérative Tourne-Sol, which has been a member of Equiterre's community supported agriculture (CSA) network since 2005. Frédéric studied agricultural economics and has an MSc in agriculture and environment. He is co-author of Crop Planning for Vegetable Growers, a book that seeks to help create diversified, sustainable produce businesses. Involved in farm union work, he is also treasurer of Marché Ste-Anne Farmers Market. Frédéric joined the Equiterre CSA steering committee in 2008, where one of his tasks was to ensure a link with the Board of Directors. 

Alain Webster
Director
Vice provost for administration and sustainable development at the Université de Sherbrooke, Alain Webster is responsible for the school's sustainable development policy and action plan, with a special focus on sustainable transportation. Professor Webster has an academic background in ecology and economics. His major research interests include the use of economic instruments in managing climate change. He teaches environmental economics and climate change in the management faculty and at the university centre for environmental training.

Jason Potts
Director
Jason Potts directs the Sustainable Markets and Responsible Trade (SMART) program at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). Prior to joining IISD, Jason worked at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation on issues at the nexus of trade, environment and international development. He has published on competition policy, food policy, sustainable trade, and corporate social and environmental responsibility. He is co-founder and coordinator of the Sustainable Commodity Initiative and president of FAST (the Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade).

William George
Director
William George is vice-president of strategy and business development for the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ). Formerly, he was senior vice-president and practice leader at PR firm Edelman. He has held management positions in the Government of Canada, including at Economic Development Canada, the Privy Council Office and the Department of National Defence. In the private sector, he was a senior manager in communications, marketing and government relations at CGI and at Domtar, where he developed business partnerships with such well-known environmental groups as the Canadian Boreal Initiative, Forest Ethics, the Forest Stewardship Council, the Rainforest Alliance and the World Wildlife Fund, in addition to serving on the board or advisory committees of these groups. William George also received the 2008 Canadian Boreal Initiative award for individual achievement.