Interpretation Canada - IC's Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors

From Yellowknife to Saint John, with experience in botanic gardens, parks, aquariums, museums and historic sites, our elected board members are responsible for the day to day work of Interpretation Canada.

Pam Murray - Chair

Pam grew up attending interpretive programs at various sites around Vancouver, which led her to believe she wanted to be a biologist. After completing her Bachelor of Science in biology she began volunteering to help with school programs at a local nature sanctuary, where she discovered what she was really supposed to do with her life. 20 years later, Pam has worked for Capital Regional District Parks, Metro Vancouver Parks, BC Parks, and Parks Canada, and currently co-ordinates and delivers school programs, mentors volunteer docents, and creates interpretive signage at Milner Gardens & Woodland in Qualicum Beach, B.C. She also has a Bachelor of Education and is a certified teacher.

Pam first became with Interpretation Canada more than 15 years ago, when she attended a regional workshop and realized that interpreters were her people. She is co-editor of the Interpreter’s Big Book of Disasters, and commutes by kayak.

Jennifer Dick - Secretary

Jennifer is Royal Botanical Gardens’ Interpretation Officer where she coordinates interpretation in their 11 square-kilometres (2700 acres) of gardens and nature sanctuaries. From visitor programs, tours, and events to signage, exhibits, and training, she enjoys the diversity and seasonality of RBG. Her adventure in interpretation began at Bonnechere Provincial Park over 15 years ago. A BSc. in Biology and a graduate diploma in Science Communication from Laurentian University have served her well in her career working for museums and not-for-profits across Canada including the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Jo Hughes - Treasurer

A love for the outdoors has led Jo to practice the fine art of interpretation in a variety of venues across the country including parks, zoos and outdoor education centres. At the moment she runs the interpretation program in Manning Park (just outside Hope, BC) and in her free time is now trying to put her interpretive skills to work teaching a busy class of grade 4 & 5 students.

Catrina Russell

Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Catrina has since lived all over New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with stints in Quebec, Florida, and Indonesia. She studied Geology at the University of New Brunswick, where she coordinated outreach for the Planetary and Space Science Centre. Later, as a student at the International Space University, Catrina’s passion for education blossomed while contributing to a project focusing on using space to inspire youth and spark interest in STEM fields. Nowadays you can find the ever-enthusiastic Catrina leading public programs at the New Brunswick Museum, where she interprets all facets of New Brunswick’s natural, cultural, and artistic heritage to visitors. In her spare time, she volunteers with Girl Guides Canada, the Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark, and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

David Lloyd

Born and raised in Alberta, David grew up in Canmore. His first experience with interpretation was while working at the Cave & Basin and Banff Park Museum National Historic Sites in Banff during the summers while going to university for his B.Sc. in zoology/earth science (basically following along with the palaeontology program at the U of A, but with some minor deviations). David started working at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in 2005. Starting in 2012, he has spent his summers in Dinosaur Provincial Park as the Guided Excavation Coordinator, teaching the public how to dig up dinosaurs in a dinosaur bonebed, and taking small groups on exploratory hikes through the badlands, looking for fossils. David enjoy exploring and spending time in nature. He loves photography and hase recently started getting into nighttime photography.

Marie Stradeski

Marie grew up in the Qu’appelle Valley in southern Sask and spent 20 years in Saskatoon raising her kids while teaching in Saskatoon and then working as a naturalist at Beaver Creek Conservation Area for Meewasin Valley Authority. She completed her Masters of Education on Teaching Reverence for Nature 2003 which included a thesis and a teacher guide, Saskatoon Natural Grasslands Ecological Education Guide. Marie has spent the last 12 years working for Parks Canada mostly as an Interpretation Coordinator in Cape Breton Highlands National Park (8 years) and in PANP since 2013. Her passions are spending time in nature, playing with her grandkids, dancing, jamming around a campfire, back country camping, kayaking, hiking, biking and travelling to experience the diversity of this grand globe.

Jewels Goff

Jewels is the Education/Outreach Programs Coordinator at the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum. Born and raised in Alberta. Jewels started working for Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Initiative as a summer student in 2011, this initiative was started to fundraise and build the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum. Formerly a shy quiet girl Jewels fell in love with interpretation and returned to PCDI for three summers in a row. With a Bachelor of Science Degree in Earth and Atmospheric Science’s Jewels returned to the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in May 2015. She can often be found excitedly educating children and adults alike about geology and palaeontology.

Stephanie Yuill

Stephanie was born and raised in the Ottawa Valley but spent years working across Canada in search of the elusive full time interpretive job. From wearing bustles at Woodside National Historic Site to canoeing and scouting out new trails in Northern Alberta to learning to love snakes in Ontario, her interpretive career is indeed varied. For the past 11 years she’s called Yellowknife home with no plans of leaving. Her job as Public Education Coordinator for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources keeps her occupied, engaged and enthralled!

Despite her love for parks, she does have a dark side; she loves all things death and disaster. Stephanie holds an MSc from Texas A&M where she studied visitor motivation at the Holocaust Museum in Houston. When she’s not working, she can be found searching for sites of destruction!

Nicole Cann

Nicole was born and raised in Winnipeg, MB but her first interpretive experience took place on a trip with her parents to the Vancouver Aquarium when she was four years old. From that moment on she was hooked on the ocean and on storytelling. She eventually moved to Vancouver where she studied Biology and Psychology and started working her dream job at none other than the Vancouver Aquarium. Nicole worked with the interpretive team there for over a decade before starting a new adventure with Parks Canada's Coastal BC Field Unit, where she is now. In her spare time she is honoured to be a member of both the Interpretation Canada and National Association for Interpretation boards where she can share her passion for this incredible profession.

Jordan Odney

Jordan is currently the Visitor Experience Product Development Officer with the Nunavut Field Unit of Parks Canada in Iqaluit. A recent transplant to Canada’s north, most of Jordan’s 11-year career was at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve where he had the opportunity to explore various different roles in interpretation, visitor services, and program and exhibit development.

Manon Cuthbertson

Manon’s career in interpretation began with Parks Canada in 2002 at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site where she was hired as a guide. Her background as an apprentice mechanic made her the perfect fit to interpret the historic machinery. She has over 15 years’ experience ranging from program and product development and leading interpretation teams. Currently residing in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia she now works as a Planning and Product Development Officer for Parks Canada’s National office.

Munju Ravindra

Munju got her start in interpretation in her home province of Nova Scotia, as a naturalist in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. She has since worked at Fundy, St Lawrence Islands, Gros Morne, and Auyuittuq National Parks, interpreting everything from the sex lives of barnacles to the story of plate tectonics. When she’s not with Parks Canada, Munju runs a tourism and interpretation consultancy, working with communities to create transformative visitor experiences. This has led her to projects in Albania, Costa Rica, Antigua, and all over Atlantic Canada, and into subjects ranging from Siberian tigers to the art of sock-knitting in rural Newfoundland. She is also an award-winning writer. Munju loves boats and is at her happiest outdoors in, on, or near the ocean. She is currently responsible for ‘all things cruise tourism’ for Parks Canada sites in Nunavut.

Interpretation Canada c/o Kerry Wood Nature Centre 6300 45th Ave Red Deer, AB, Canada T4N 3M4