Patrick currently is the Chief Financial Officer for the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County in Columbus, Ohio.  Prior to his current position, Patrick was the Director of Gerald Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Service at Albion College in Michigan for eight years.

Patrick has spent more than 20 years working in various state and local government positions including several years as Minority Chief of Staff in the Ohio Senate. For four years from 2010-2013, he was Finance Director for the City of Toledo, Ohio, where he guided the team that brought the city back from a $48 million deficit to finish in the black for the final two years of his tenure.

Patrick has extensive experience with non-profits and community service groups, serving as board member, consultant, grant writer and/or executive director for organizations including Washtenaw Community College, the Ecology Center (Ann Arbor), Community Refugee and Immigration Services (Columbus) and several others.

He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Dayton, an MA in Political Science from Miami University and a second MA in International Relations from the Freie Universitaet Berlin. He also has a certificate in Not-for-Profit Management and Fundraising from New York University.

Patrick’s love for Lake Superior has taken him nearly around the entire lake.  His most memorable camping trips on the lake include a visit to Isle Royale in 1984, a New Year’s Eve night at -35C and several days and nights in the Porcupine Mountains State Park.

Edward (Ted) Claxton was employed in the Canadian federal government, first in the National Medical Library then, as a research assistant, in the Mineral Economics Section of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources and in the Library of Parliament. He obtained his B.A. in Political Science and Public Administration from Ottawa’s Carleton University. He then attended the University of Ottawa where he obtained his Law Degree. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1979 as a Barrister and Solicitor. He is a Notary Public for Ontario and a Commissioner for the swearing of Oaths/Civil Declarations.

He began his legal practice as a Criminal Defence Counsel, including Criminal Appeals practice. After 10 years he transitioned into Civil Litigation practice that was his interest for 22 years. In 2012 he “retired” from active legal practice. Since that time, he has been teaching Paralegals and Law Clerks at triOS College in Kitchener. While in his teaching role he attended Brock University where he obtained his degree of Bachelor of Education in Adult Education.

Ted is an outdoors person. He was in Scouting and Cadets as a youth. He served in the Canadian Armed Forces Militia Reserve for 6 years and has continued volunteer leadership as a Scout leader for over 25 years.

He has travelled extensively on both sides of Lake Superior. His appreciation for Lake Superior began when he first saw it as child on trips between Alberta and his home town of Brockville, Ontario. Those trips, between 1952 and 1966, were on both sides of the Lake. He has been coming to Pancake Bay for an annual vacation since 2012. In that time, he has travelled Lake Superior’s North Shore between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay on several occasions.

For over 40 years, Kime has lived in Goulais River, eastern Lake Superior. “My heart has always been drawn to the northern shore and I never take for granted the wonder and beauty of the diverse landscape, waterscape and wild life.”

Kime’s desire to be a part of the LSWC Board comes from her love of learning and teaching.  She has recently retired from the position of Superintendent of the Algoma District School Board.  Her experience as a classroom teacher, school administrator, superintendent and community member working and learning with students, parents, staff, Indigenous educators and Elders, and community partners is a great asset to the Conservancy.

“I see my role as an LSWC director providing guidance, advice and direction to engage school boards, schools, educational institutions, students and staff in the majestic wonderland of our area and our great lake. We are so fortunate to live in this area and, with partnerships, we can expand understanding and knowledge.”

Brian's career has spanned over 40 years providing financial and management leadership to local and national Indigenous and other non-profit organizations. Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, he left after high school to learn everything he could about business and accounting at Carleton University in Ottawa.

After a brief stint in public accounting, he went on to work with various organizations in senior positions including the National Association of Friendship Centres, The Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations, and numerous other local, regional, and national organizations.

Brian has recently moved back home to Sault Ste. Marie to be closer to his childhood backyard, the north shore of Lake Superior. Lake Superior holds a special place for Brian as his youth was spent jumping waves, fishing and camping on Batchewana Bay.  Over the years, with his children and family, he has camped extensively along this freshwater coast, and explored many remote places in the watershed.

Brian is enthusiastic to serve on the Board of the Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy as it aligns with his belief that the largest freshwater lake in the world needs to be protected.

Elle Jansen (she/her) currently works as the Economic & Community Development Specialist for the Lake Superior Community Partnership in Marquette, Michigan. Prior to this role, Elle completed the CEDAM Community Development Fellowship with a local government on the northern shores of the Straits of Mackinac. Her experience is in working with others to establish strong towns, community vibrancy, and pride for where you live.

As a resident of the Great Lakes Region, Elle believes that protecting the freshwater network is essential for the vitality of the communities surrounding the Great Lakes. Elle enjoys volunteering for organizations that promote environmental advocacy, community public health, and diversity/equity/inclusion.

Elle is a graduate of Albion College with a degree in Urban Planning & Public Policy. She is a member of the Michigan Association of Planning Emerging Planning Professionals, the American Association of University Women, and the Communities that Care Coalition.

“Lake Superior is the crown jewel of our planet's freshwater ecosystem. The lands surrounding it are integral to maintaining its health and vitality.  There will, and must be development, for the communities along its shores to survive, however that development has to be a part of the big picture to maintain the health of this ecosystem. Providing access to the water and thereby appreciation of its beauty is of the utmost importance.”

Linda is a big picture person. She has served on a variety of boards including the Traverse City Light and Power where she initiated the removal of three century-old dams which have had long term ecological benefits. She served on the Leelanau Trail Master Plan committee to develop a bike trail from Traverse City to Sutton’s Bay. And as both participant and race director, Linda served on the Vasa Board for cross country ski racing.

Linda and her late husband purchased a Discovery Map International franchise and turned it into a successful business in Traverse City. She received teaching certificates in Biology and Chemistry and a degree in Social Work from Michigan State University. While teaching Adult Education, she covered history and current events at the local Senior Center based on the countries where there were current foreign exchange students. “I would cook a cultural dinner, invite the students for a meal and have them talk about their country and answer questions from my senior students. I learned so much.”

Apart from skiing, Linda is avid bicyclist and canoer with her husband, Gary. Her daughter is a doctor living on the shores of Lake Superior. And her son works on freshwater initiatives with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

With a BA in Chemistry from Albion College and a MA in chemistry from Wayne State University, Richard Wells’ entrepreneurial spirit led him to run the family business, Bulldog Boilers, which has now been in operation for over 100 years. The company’s main service is the rental of mobile commercial-sized boilers to business and industry.

Richard is an avid outdoorsman, with a passion for Cross Country skiing, sailing and driving carriages pulled by his horse on his northern Michigan hobby farm.  He and his wife Linda are residents of Birmingham, Michigan.

“Why would a Detroit-area resident be on the Lake Superior Conservancy Board for eight years? I have been involved in sailboat racing on Lake Huron and Lake Michigan for 20 years, and I have been cross-country skiing in Ontario at Stokely Creek Lodge on Lake Superior for 35 years. I know all of the Great Lakes are interdependent on one another but Lake Superior, being the international Great Lake at the top of the system, is critical to the health of all the others below.  As Lake Superior water quality goes, so goes the lower lakes.”

As a conservation photographer and wilderness explorer, Gary knows the northern Ontario and Great Lakes landscape intimately.  He has spent more than 30 years with his wife Joanie travelling in all seasons and sharing their stories through digital media, newsprint, magazines, television, and radio advocating for careful stewardship of our land and waters.

For 15 years, Gary has been championing the watershed of Lake Superior and is a founder of the Conservancy.  His most recent photography and research project tracking where the Group of Seven made their famous sketches in northern Ontario, culminated in the production of the film Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven.  The film highlights one of the Group’s most famous painting regions; the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Gary and Joanie developed the strategy for Trans Canada Trail’s 1000 km/600 mile Lake Superior Water Trail—a project that is being implemented by the Conservancy. Recently Trans Canada Trail officially made the McGuffins National Champions of The Great Trail.

A Michigan native, Haley has had a long and enduring relationship with Lake Superior and her waterways.

“Lake Superior’s wildness, beauty, and importance cannot be understated. It has been a place of peace, adventure, and wonder for me for many years. Conserving this amazing natural resource will continue to become increasingly important with the rise of tourism and water scarcity. Every generation should have the opportunity to experience Lake Superior in all her glory.”

After attending undergraduate university at Northern Michigan University, Haley spent several years in Colorado and Utah before moving to Chicago to attend law school at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Haley currently lives in Chicago and works as a law clerk in the Chancery Division at the Circuit Court of Cook County. Haley has previously volunteered with several non-profits both in Michigan and Illinois including Cabrini Green Legal Aid and the Center for Disability and Elder Law.

Shana loves working outdoors as an Interpretive Guide and calls the shores of Lake Superior her home in Goulais River, ON.  Since coming to live in Algoma, she has realized more than ever the importance of the watershed and the actions of people that live within it.  Nature has played an important part in her life since she was a small child and has influenced her decision-making processes throughout her life. Shana feels it is important to help keep our beautiful watershed healthy for people to use and enjoy for years to come.

Her background and career has focused on community building and mobilizing in social services.  Shana loves building new relationships with people and understands how important it is through her fundraising work at United Way.

Her volunteerism focused on the areas of politics, labour and the environment and found the most fulfillment when the three were woven together. Her experience is on committees such as Hamilton Blue Dot which advocated for the right to a healthy environment. She also worked on a campaign in Hamilton to shift to Greener Jobs for a More Sustainable Economy.  She currently works at Group Health Centre in Sault Ste Marie and is a trustee for the Goulais Mission Local Roads Board.