Jeremy Arbuthnot

Jeremy worked as a research assistant on BALTA Project C16 surveying social enterprises in British Columbia, Canada. Jeremy lives in Victoria and holds a degree in Economics and French. He is currently completing a certificate in Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University. He thinks that researching social enterprises with BALTA has been an "eye-opening" experience and looks forward to future work in this area.

Jessica Baas

Jessica worked as a research assistant on BALTA Project C16 surveying social enterprises in British Columbia, Canada. She recently graduated from UBC with a degree in Environmental Sciences. In her free time, Jessica enjoys biking around the city, cooking with friends and reading. She hopes to pursue a graduate degree in urban planning.

Brad Braun

Brad has worked on Project A7 related to participatory design and co-op housing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In addition to holding a Master's of Architecture, Brad is a PhD candidate in Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. By examining the interface between social housing and its urban context, his PhD research asks how an understanding of the way we engage urban space can inform an architecture that provides opportunities for the inhabitants to inscribe meaning and express identity in the built environment. Brad currently holds a position as a sessional instructor in the Architecture Program at the U of C. Prior to returning to school, Brad worked in the housing construction industry for over two decades.

Karen Heisler

Karen worked as BALTA's Evaluation Assistant Coordinator from 2007-2009. playing an important role in monitoring and evaluating the early development of BALTA and its research program. She also worked as research assistant on Project D3 – Land Tenure and the Social Economy – during 2008-2009. More recently, Karen has maintained an interest in BALTA through co-authoring a conference presentation and journal paper on the BALTA model of community-university research partnership. Karen is a PhD candidate in Geography at Simon Fraser University and holds a MSc in Rural Planning and Development. Before returning to school Karen worked in community economic development in southern Alberta.

Emily Huddart Kennedy

Emily has recently wrapped up work on BALTA's research related to farmers markets and their role as social economy drivers of local food systems (Projects B5 & B7). In addition to contributing to BALTA's research, Emily anticipates being able to apply some of the research learning to her doctoral research at the University of Alberta, which focuses on sustainable consumption and quality of life. Emily has a BSc in natural resources conservation from the University of British Columbia and a Master's degree in environmental sociology from the University of New Brunswick. Her professional background includes working as an Environmental Management Specialist for a Federation of Municipalities in Costa Rica.

Freya Kristensen

Freya is a doctoral student in geography at Simon Fraser University's Centre for Sustainable Community Development. She has worked on BALTA research projects examining credit unions (Projects D5 and D8) and networks (Project D10) Freya has previously worked with the Columbia Institute's Centre for Civic Governance, a non-profit organization that works to engage locally-elected officials around social and environmental issues. As a result of her work there, Freya became interested in local sustainability planning, now the focus of her doctoral research at SFU. Freya has a Master's degree from the University of Northern British Columbia in International Development Studies.

Celia Lee

Celia recently defended her thesis for a Master's in Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. Her Master's thesis reflects research that she did for BALTA's Project E3 – Mapping the Social Economy from the Ground Up: A Neighbourhood Case Study, highlighting actors and relationships that have been key to perpetuating social economy activity and values. Currently, Celia is working on project A11, researching survival and success factors for recently incorporated co-operatives in Alberta. Celia's broader research interests focus on the relationships between material culture, economics and systems of production, as well as on the social innovations that might engender more sustainable and healthful attitudes therein. Celia has presented her BALTA research at several conferences. Celia has her B.Sc. in Environmental Biology from the University of Guelph. In her spare time, Celia pursues classical singing and opera, makes soap, and watches Buffy the Vampire Slayer re-runs.

Julie MacArthur

Julie recently completed work on Project B6 – Prospects for Socializing the Green Economy: The Case of Renewable Energy. The specific focus of research was on prospects for involvement by social economy organizations in wind energy generation in Alberta. Julie is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Simon Fraser University. Her dissertation research examines the development of co-operatives in Canada's energy sector, focusing on how provincial policies have shaped the sector and how broader trends in Canada's political economy create opportunities and challenges for co-ops. The congruence of Julie's research interests with BALTA's in this case made her involvement in BALTA's research a good fit for both Julie and BALTA. Julie's other academic interests are in global political economy, human security and environmental policy.

Juanita Marois

Juanita is working on the BALTA Mapping Research Program from Athabasca University. Juanita holds a MA degree from the University of Alberta where her research focus was Sustainable Ethnic Tourism in Northern Thailand. She has also completed fieldwork exploring non-timber resource values of the forest for Aboriginal people in northern Saskatchewan. For two years, Juanita was a full-time sessional instructor in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. Juanita's professional experience has focused on tourism development where she has overseen the initial planning and development of Metis Crossing, Alberta's first major Metis interpretive centre, and consulted for a number of other projects. Currently, Juanita lives in Athabasca with her husband and two young boys.

Maryanne Mathias

As a BALTA intern Maryanne is researching the success factors of recently incorporated co-ops in British Columbia. Maryanne has a Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design and Technology from Kwantlen Polytechnic University and is attending the Sauder School of Business for an MBA in sustainability and strategic management. She is the president of the humanitarian club. Maryanne is co-founder of Osei-Duro clothing (www.oseiduro.com) a social enterprise that produces fashion forward clothing in Ghana, West Africa, using women's sewing co-operatives. Osei-Duro employs over 10 women, giving them a fair wage and necessary skills and training.

Tom Nelson

Tom Nelson worked on a BALTA project surveying the state of social enterprises in Alberta with Dr. Peter Elson. Born and raised in Calgary, he has graduated from Mount Royal University with an Applied Degree in Small Business & Entrepreneurship as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration. Tom has spent time teaching entrepreneurship to aspiring business women, implemented a replace-a-ream project with local businesses, and is taking over a company that produces specialized suit bags for bicycle commuters (www.twowheelgear.com).

Nadine Pinell

Nadine has been working since 2007 on BALTA Project D2 to explore options for a golden mussel social economy enterprise with British Columbia Coastal First Nations. She is a Master’s candidate in the Resource and Environmental Management program at Simon Fraser University. Originally from Alberta, Nadine has a B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of British Columbia in Ecology and Environmental Biology. She has coordinated programs and outreach for a community-based marine conservation project at the Vancouver Aquarium, managed ecological research and environmental ducation projects at the Douglas College Institute of Urban Ecology, and worked on a variety of field ecology projects in BC, Alaska and the Yukon. Most recently, Nadine worked with the United Nations Development Programme in Namibia.

Amanda Polak

Amanda has worked on two BALTA projects:

C16 – Procurement Policy & Market Development for the Social Economy: Expanding the arketOpportunities for Social Enterprise, Co-operatives, and Other Social Economy Businesses

A8 – Creating a Database of Social Enterprise Capital Providers in British Columbia and Alberta

Both have led to online resources for supporting social enterprises. Amanda has recently graduated with an MBA from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

Samantha Sadler

Samantha worked as a research assistant on BALTA Project C16 surveying social enterprises in Alberta, Canada. She recently finished her third year in the Bachelor of Applied Nonprofit Studies degree at Mount Royal University. Previously, Samantha was the Communication and Outreach Assistant for the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology. After graduation Samantha hopes to pursue a career in international development and foreign aid.

Samantha Shamash

Samantha is working on Project D11examining the role of social enterprises that employ people with barriers in British Columbia. This project is in conjunction with ISIS research centre for sustainability and social innovation and Enterprising Non-Profits. amantha is a 2011 UBC Sauder School of Business MBA student, with a Bachelor of Arts from McGill in Sociology with a double minor in Psychology and Economics. Her background in marketing and project management has assisted the market research, business analysis and strength of communications required for this project. Upon completion of her MBA, Samantha wishes to pursue a career in sustainable strategic management and corporate social responsibility.

Ashley Smith

Ashley Ashley recently became a research assistant with BALTA's mapping program, working closely with Mike Gismondi and Lynda Ross of Athabasca University. She is presently completing her Masters in Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University, with a research focus on the viability of community forestry as an alternative to industrial forestry in British Columbia.

Lena Soots

Lena is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University and works as a researcher and instructor at the Centre for Sustainable Community Development at SFU. Lena has been working with BALTA since 2006 on various research projects including: E1 – designing the social economy mapping program; C2 – a case study on the Nova Scotia co-operative development system; B2 – Sustainability and the Social Economy; D4 – Cluster-Based Social Enterprise Models; and a project to develop a new foundation course on the social economy. Lena is also serving as BALTA's Student Program Coordinator and as the student representative on BALTA's steering committee. Lena's academic background includes a Masters in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo. Her professional background includes work in environmental consulting, community economic development, and community consultation and facilitation.

Melisa Zapisocky

Melisa has recently wrapped up work on BALTA's research related to farmers markets and their role as social economy drivers of local food systems (Projects B5 & B7). She is looking forward to presenting findings from this research project as part of her Master's Degree in Environmental Studies (with a strong focus on food and sustainable agriculture) at the University of Montana. Melisa continues to work with local, community focused food projects by engaging and facilitating discussion between consumers and those who grow and produce regional food.