Our Team - Leading the Way in Environmental Consulting Firms

Meet the dedicated professionals who drive our success at the forefront of environmental consulting firms. Our team of experts, led by experienced leaders, spans a diverse range of skills and experience in fields such as biology, hydrogeology, environmental planning and more.

Our leadership Team

Cathy
Mackay

Bob
Redden

Mike
Setterington

Dennis
Thideman

Alison
Fuhr

Rahul
Ray

Pat
Tobler

Leslie
Chamberlist

Ian
Redden

Meighan
Kearns

Mary Ann
Middleton

Susan
Norman

Logan
Thideman

Janhavi
Durve

Cameron
Jackson

Kristin
Kendrew

Anne
MacLeod

Hanna
Donaldson

Daryl
Johannesen

Dr. Patrick
Audet

Melanie
Wilson

M.Sc., R.P.Bio., P.Ag. – Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner

Senior Advisor and
Senior Partner

B.Sc.F., M.Sc., R.P.Bio., CWB – Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner

CRSP – Chief Operating Officer and Safety Director

MBA, CHRP – Chief Financial Officer and Partner

B.Sc., DEIA, MRM, RPP, MCIP – Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer

R.P.Bio., CPESC – Territories Regional Director and Senior Partner

B.Sc., P.Ag., CPESC – Northern BC Regional Director

B.Sc., R.P.Bio – Southern BC Regional Director and Senior Partner

B.Sc., P.Biol., R.P.Bio. – Prairies Regional Director and Partner

Ph.D., P.Geo (BC/AB) – Operations Director and Vancouver Lead

B.A. – Accounting & Administration Directo

IT Director

B.Com., MBA (Human Resouces) - People and Culture Leader

M.Sc., P.Biol. – Saskatoon Lead

B.Sc., P.Ag. – Grande Prairie Lead

B.Sc., R.P. Bio. – Senior Terrestrial Biologist and Smithers Lead

B.Sc., R.P.Bio. – Senior Biologist and Senior Partner

M.Sc., P.Biol. – Senior Biologist

Ph.D., R.P. Bio – Senior Scientist, Team Lead and Partner

M.Sc., R.P.Bio. – Senior Wildlife Biologist and Project Manager

Cathy is the Chief Executive Officer at EDI. She joined EDI in 2006 as a biologist, and quickly became a Project Manager and then Branch Manager. Cathy was invited to join the EDI Board of Directors in 2008. She continues to work as a biologist and is both a Registered Professional Biologist and a Professional Agrologist. She is seen as a leader in the mining and energy sectors. Building teams that exceed the expectations of clients, associates, and regulators is what inspires Cathy the most.

Prior to joining EDI, Cathy worked as a biologist in the public and private sectors. She graduated with a B.Sc. in Biology from Simon Fraser University in 1997 and worked for the BC Ministry of Environment upon graduation until 2002. While continuing her work in the private sector, Cathy completed her M.Sc. in Natural Resources Science in 2006.

Cathy’s motivation as a business owner is grounded by her passion to further a knowledge-based economy in the north. She has lived in Prince George, BC, since 2003 and has served on the Prince George Chamber of Commerce as a director since 2016.

At EDI, Bob provides vision and strategic advice to guide projects at EDI. Bob has over 25 years of biological and environmental management experience working in northern and western Canada. With a background in fish and wildlife biology and extensive experience working on most aspects of natural resource development and construction projects, he has significant knowledge with regards to regulatory and project requirements. He has managed numerous projects related to environmental assessments and environmental management planning/permitting and has worked extensively in the oil and gas, mining, renewable energy, and transportation infrastructure industries. Over the past two decades, Bob has developed numerous practical environmental management training courses for environmental professionals and construction team members, having trained over 2,500 people.

Bob has always been committed to making a difference by volunteering for boards, committees, and charities. Since 2014, he has been a northern BC representative (volunteer) for the BC Provincial Government’s Small Business Roundtable. The purpose of the Small Business Roundtable is to champion small business interests to government. In 2016, Bob was invited to volunteer on the Champions Table; a joint initiative established by the BC Assembly of First Nations and Business Council of BC. The Champions Table provides a meeting place for formal ongoing dialogue where leaders come together to explore opportunities, discuss barriers and work jointly to develop a more effective approach to economic development based on reconciliation with First Nations.

Mike is a senior terrestrial biologist and EDI’s Deputy CEO. Since 1995 he has led projects focused on wildlife and bird ecology, habitat management, impact assessment, and post-environmental assessment monitoring in northern Canada. He has managed many projects related to environmental assessments and has coordinated the submission of technical reports to environmental and socio-economic impact review boards. Mike has experience both as a government regulator/expert witness and as a project proponent representative for environmental reviews of northern development projects.

In his corporate role, Mike provides his knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to continue to keep EDI delivering quality and practical service to our clients. He is known for his problem-solving abilities, community connections, calm demeanour, and logical solutions.

Dennis is EDI’s Chief Operating Officer. He has worked in various industry sectors for more than 30 years including forestry, oil and gas, mining, engineering, surveying, construction and GIS/mapping, providing him with well-grounded and practical health and safety experience.

Dennis is also EDI’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Director, focused on supporting the safe work practices of the EDI team. He is designated as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP). In his role as OHS Director, Dennis coordinates and administers EDI’s health and safety program to support the overall health and safety of all employees, visitors and contractors. Additionally, Dennis manages EDI’s COR certification for British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon.

Alison is EDI’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She guides EDI’s financial strategy, manages corporate risk and human resources, and oversees accounting and investment management. She prides herself on being approachable and helps keep our company’s financial well-being on track.

Prior to the Chief Financial Officer role, Alison worked closely under EDI’s previous CFO and oversaw financial analysis and management, corporate risk, insurance, fleet management and human resources. Alison continues to assist the Board of Directors with long term strategic planning, talent management and development, acquisitions, and streamlining procedural and financial policies and systems.

Raised in Smithers, BC, Alison went to school at the University of Victoria and the University of Northern British Columbia to gain her B.Comm. and MBA. As an outdoor enthusiast, she is passionate about living in the north and enjoying everything it has to offer.

Rahul is the Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer and a senior environmental planner with EDI. In his business leadership role, Rahul identifies and builds opportunities for and with EDI team members. He also explores collaboration opportunities with companies that share our passion for excellence, client focus, and strong ethics.

In his project role, Rahul’s planning and facilitation work is supported by his education and experience in the biological and social sciences. He has facilitated major planning processes involving Indigenous communities; municipal, provincial and federal levels of government; and stakeholders designed to reach mutually-beneficial solutions. He has prepared baseline studies, led community engagement programs, and conducted assessments for major projects across western Canada over the past 15 years. Rahul is a Registered Professional Planner in British Columbia and a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

In his non-work time, Rahul is focused on helping individuals and families with mental, physical, or financial barriers reconnect with nature.

Pat is a senior fish biologist in EDI’s Whitehorse office and our Territories Regional Director. He opened our Whitehorse office in 2000 and currently leads a team of 20 environmental specialists. He has managed many environmental projects including large efforts with private sector, as well as Indigenous, and non-Indigenous government clients in Yukon and northern BC. He has played a lead role on hundreds of projects involving aquatic science, erosion and sediment control and environmental assessment.

Pat is a strong believer in supporting community and is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the Yukon College Foundation. He has been a key coordinator and coach for developing and growing female youth hockey opportunities throughout the Yukon.

Leslie is EDI’s Regional Director for Northern BC. She joined the company in 2004. Over the years, Leslie has been involved in multiple linear development projects as well as commercial and industrial construction projects in British Columbia and Alberta. Her primary focus is watercourse crossings and project developments in, or adjacent to, watercourses. Leslie has experience with projects from initial site assessments through development of environmental management plans and regulatory permitting, to on-site environmental monitoring and reporting.

Ian is EDI’s Southern BC Regional Director and a registered professional biologist who oversees the operations of the Nanaimo, Vancouver, and Victoria offices.  He provides strategic guidance, seeks new business opportunities, and helps our clients scope, plan, permit and execute their projects.

Ian has more than 25 years of experience in project management, fisheries and wildlife studies, baseline and environmental assessments, environmental monitoring, environmental flow needs, watershed assessments and fish habitat offsetting. He has held positions with industry, government and in the consulting industry and has worked extensively in coastal BC. Ian has worked as a Senior Fisheries Biologist for a variety of sectors including hydropower, forestry, land and infrastructure development. He also has extensive experience in the hydropower industry working in all aspects from preliminary feasibility assessments through detailed impact assessment, permitting, construction monitoring, long term effects monitoring and operational support. As the permitting lead on numerous large projects Ian regularly works with provincial water licensing, land tenure acquisition and with the federal Fisheries Act.

Meighan is EDI’s Prairies Regional Director and a senior biologist with EDI. In Meighan’s leadership role, she oversees the operations of the Calgary, Grande Prairie, and Saskatoon offices and provides strategic guidance, coordinates team efforts, and helps clients scope and solve issues.

Meighan has worked on numerous projects throughout Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Yukon and Northwest Territories for various sectors. She has accumulated over 15 years of experience in environmental consulting, conducting environmental impact assessments, fish and fish habitat baseline studies, stream crossing assessments, water quality data collection and management, and environmental monitoring of construction projects.

Mary Ann is a Senior Water Resources Scientist who is EDI’s Operations Director and leads our Vancouver office. She is a professional geoscientist with a Ph.D. in Hydrogeology, and a specialization in groundwater-surface water interactions and vulnerability assessments of groundwater-dependent streams. In her technical role at EDI, Mary Ann provides senior support for hydrogeology and hydrology projects and our growing Water Resources team, advancing our water data management capabilities across regions. As Vancouver office lead, Mary Ann provides strategic guidance to the local team and builds relationships with clients by coordinating strong teams and expertise to successfully scope, manage, and execute projects.

Mary Ann has experience with Water Resource projects in a wide variety of sectors, including mining (through advanced stage exploration, operations, and post-closure), transportation, urban, and renewable energy in BC, Yukon, and Alberta. Her environmental consulting career experience has included hydrogeological studies, hydrology and water quality monitoring, aquifer-stream vulnerability assessments, contaminated site investigations and remediation, forestry, mineral exploration, and fish and fish habitat assessments.

Mary Ann is active as a volunteer with Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) as a Member-At-Large with the BC Chapter and is active within CWRA Mentorship program. In 2022, Mary Ann was appointed to the Geoscience BC Mineral Technical Advisory Committee and the Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) Geoscience Credentials Assessment Panel. Outside of professional activities, Mary Ann is a nationally ranked competitive powerlifter, and enjoys the art of lifting heavy things and putting them back down.

Susan is EDI’s Accounting and Administration Director. She oversees the processes and procedures that EDI has developed to help the company operate efficiently. Susan manages the administrative teams in each of our four regions to support our staff and the clients we work with.

In her free time, Susan is an active leader with the Girl Guides of Canada.

Logan is EDI’s IT Director. He oversees and directly contributes to our growing team of IT specialists, who are dedicated to keeping our EDI technology, data management, and communications running smoothly. Over his 10 years at EDI, Logan has helped with all aspects of technology at EDI. He was the lead developer of mPro, our inhouse program for data collection and management relating to environmental monitoring. He has also helped shape the development of wPro, a data management tool used by our Water Resources team.

Logan is an avid curler during the winter season, enjoys camping in the summer, and likes to travel whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Janhavi is EDI’s People and Culture Leader. She started with EDI in 2020 and brings over 8 years of Human Resources experience specializing in talent acquisition, employee relations, on-boarding, employee engagement and performance management. Her passion is creating an engaging and collaborative workforce. She supports our team by delivering Human Resources programs and procedures that include policy development, recruitment, onboarding, employment agreements, learning and development, and performance management.


Prior to joining EDI, Janhavi worked in both private and public sectors in India and Canada. She was raised in Mumbai, India, and enjoys baking, travelling, and visiting new places to learn about different cultures. Janhavi is currently based out of our Burnaby office.

Cameron is a Senior Biologist and Project Manager who leads our Saskatoon office. He has managed the environmental components of numerous power transmission, pipeline, oil and gas, wind energy, and infrastructure projects across Saskatchewan. Projects Cameron has worked on include environmental screenings, biophysical impact assessments, permit applications, environmental management plans, and environmental construction monitoring.

Cameron brings a proven ability to mobilize resources. He accomplishes this by engaging high performing teams, tracking budgets and deadlines, liaising with client, regulatory personnel and non-government agency personnel, consulting with land owners and Indigenous representatives, preparing and reviewing reports, and mentoring staff for career development.

Kristin is an Environmental Scientist in our Grande Prairie office with close to 10 years of environmental experience. She is a graduate of both Lakeland College and the University of Alberta, specializing in Restoration Ecology and Land Reclamation. She is a professional agrologist with extensive experience working in Alberta’s oil and gas sector. Areas of professional focus include reclamation, construction supervision, and project planning and management. Kristin is involved in project management, reporting and field work ranging from soil sampling to aquatic assessments.

In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, canoeing, snowshoeing or reading a good book. Prior to entering the Environmental Industry, her decade-long career was in the theatre and staging community in Edmonton, where she coordinated between designers, union technicians, and the public. She is ranch raised and comfortable working with diverse project stakeholders.

Anne was born and raised in north-central BC and spent the first several years of her career working in Smithers. After taking a position with EDI, Anne moved to the Yukon, spending almost 10 years working as a wildlife biologist and project manager in EDI’s Whitehorse office. In 2021, Anne relocated back to BC to head up EDI’s office in Smithers.

As a Senior Terrestrial Biologist, Anne specializes in birds and terrestrial mammals, with additional experience in amphibians, terrestrial invertebrates, plants and ecosystems. By balancing practical research, applied science, and development planning, Anne focuses on the management of wildlife values within the context of resource development. She has developed and conducted field studies for a variety of birds, mammals, plants and ecosystems. Anne has successfully carried out several environmental baseline assessments and environmental impact analyses, and has designed mitigation and monitoring programs for a variety of species. She has provided effective advice to clients on regulatory issues and has worked with clients through all stages of the permitting process.

In her role as the Smithers office lead, Anne has led the growth of the new office to a team of eight biologists and environmental technicians. She provides strategic guidance to the local team and works with clients to successfully scope, manage, and execute projects.

Hanna is a Professional Biologist with over 20 years of experience in project management, fisheries, and surface water resources. She works closely with clients in the mining, energy, and oil and gas industries, providing strategic guidance in project scoping, planning, and permitting. Hanna regularly manages baseline and impact assessment programs as part of regulatory applications, including provincial water licensing, and the federal Fisheries Act. Hanna has directed and managed several independent reviews of projects under the BC Environmental Assessment Act on behalf of provincial government and Indigenous communities.

Daryl is a Professional Biologist with over 30 years of consulting experience from Newfoundland to British Columbia, and into the Northwest Territories and Yukon. His experience includes energy (hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal power generation and transmission lines), mining (uranium, coal, gold, and diamonds) and oil and gas (seismic, wells and pipelines) projects.

His expertise is related to project and regulatory strategy and direction, environmental effects assessment, cumulative effects assessment, and formulation of environmental mitigation and offset plans. Projects have spanned ecological landscapes from the grasslands to the boreal forest and into the Arctic, and have been provincially or federally regulated. These projects include a 1,100 km power transmission line, a gold mine in Ontario, windfarm projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and numerous seismic programs, exploratory wells and pipeline projects in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories.

Daryl has been involved with the public consultation and hearing process (provincial and federal) for several large-scale projects proposed in environmentally sensitive areas. He works with clients to develop environmental strategies related to long-term operating plans for projects throughout Canada. He has also been involved in several Traditional Knowledge studies with First Nations, related to oil and gas, pipeline, windfarm and hydroelectric projects.

Patrick is EDI’s Discipline Lead in land reclamation planning, environmental monitoring design and closure with applications in the mining and oil and gas industries. He has contributed to environmental assessments and research worldwide including northern and western Canada, eastern Australia, central America and Europe. His project approach emphasizes careful data management and analysis, advanced progress tracking, and timely delivery of objectives.

Patrick is an Associate Editor for two leading environmental journals and has edited two special issue volumes on the topic of ecological restoration. He is currently an Advisory Board Member to the NAIT Boreal Research Institute in the area of reclamation science.

Melanie joined EDI in 2021 as a Senior Wildlife Biologist and Project Manager. Prior to joining EDI, Melanie worked as a biologist for federal, provincial, and territorial governments throughout British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Since completing her graduate degree at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, she has accumulated over 15 years of experience, with a focus on species at risk, avian research and ecology, habitat protection and management, and environmental effects monitoring.

In her spare time, she enjoys travel by bicycle and has cycled across Canada and many other countries including Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, and New Zealand. She also enjoys hitting the hiking trails, mushing with her sled dogs, and painting.

Team Stories