Our Story
At Squamish CAN, we’re a passionate group of individuals who believe in fostering sustainable communities and a resilient, local food system. Each team member brings unique skills, experiences, and an unwavering dedication to making a positive impact in the Squamish community.
Meet the Team
Each of these remarkable individuals is dedicated to strengthening our local food systems, reducing waste, and nurturing a more sustainable and connected community. Together, they work tirelessly to create positive change, one garden, one initiative, and one conversation at a time. Here's a closer look at the faces behind the work we do:
Krystle tenBrink | Executive Director (she/her)
Krystle is the Executive Director of Squamish CAN and brings over 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience. She is passionate about tackling the climate crisis through community action, strengthening regional food systems, reducing waste, and fostering creative collaboration. Under her leadership, Squamish CAN has become a hub for innovative, practical solutions that weave sustainability into everyday life. Krystle has helped launch many of the organization’s landmark programs—from policy development to hands-on education and community infrastructure—that make local food more accessible and impactful across the region. She also works with groups across the province to share lessons learned and inspire broader change. Krystle is known for bringing people together—farmers, families, schools, businesses, and governments—to turn bold ideas into real-world impact. Whether expanding local food access or advancing zero-waste initiatives, she thrives on projects that empower people and build community resilience. When she’s not working to save the planet, you can find Krystle at the pottery wheel, exploring new places, or enjoying Squamish’s outdoor playground
Email Krystle: krystle@squamishcan.net
Harriet Jarvis | School Farm Manager (she/her)
Originally from England and with a background in environmental science, Harriet now embraces an off grid lifestyle here in Squamish. She embodies a deep connection to nature, making her a skilled gardener and a steward of sustainable living practices. When she's not tending to her crops, you will find her outside in the mountains, birdwatching, trail running, cycling, or out on the ocean trying to master her new hobby of wing foiling.
Email Harriet: harriet@squamishcan.net
Get to know Harriet on our blog
Michael Staveley | Head Chef (he/him)
Michael’s love of cooking began in the beautiful farming community of Ladner BC, where he graduated from high school with scholarships which then led him to the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver. After achieving his red seal, Michael spent time at both Fairmont & Rosewood hotels and finally at the Westin Whistler, where he took the role of Restaurant Chef. Michael was the Head Chef of Catering and events operations at the Sea to Sky Gondola, and consulting chef for House of Lager.
Email Michael: chef@squamishcan.net
Get to know Michael on our blog
Stephanie Heaton | School Garden Manager (she/her)
Passionate about nature and nurturing sustainable communities, Stephanie likes to immerse herself in hands-on projects that make a positive impact. With a background as a school garden facilitator in Vancouver and volunteer with the Landed Learning Project at UBC Farm Stephanie is looking forward to becoming part of the gardening network in Squamish. She is also looking forward to working on her roller skating and skiing skills.
Email Stephanie: stephanie@squamishcan.net
Get to know Stephanie on our blog
Shannon Friday | Zero Waste Manager (she/they)
Shannon Friday has been a member of Squamish CAN since moving to the area in 2018, helping out with Repair Cafes and the Re-Use-It Fair and having a community garden plot. She is excited to be the Zero Waste Manager because it really focuses in on local actions and resiliency. Before moving to Squamish, Shannon lived in Wellington, New Zealand, where she worked as the manager of the TimeBank, a community organization that facilitates skill sharing throughout the community. Shannon lives with their partner James, their two adorable and perfect cats, McTavish and Flick, and a rotating door of visiting pets.
Email Shannon: shannon@squamishcan.net
Get to know Shannon on our blog
Diane Mitchell | Communications Manager (she/her)
Diane had a long career in museums in Scotland and BC before setting up her own business as an exhibit interpretive planner and writer. She also enjoys working for non-profits, focusing on communications and capacity building. When she’s not working (or parenting), she enjoys studying herbalism in a bid to deepen her connection with the land and its healing abilities.
Email Diane: communications@squamishcan.net
Marissa Carlberg| MESY Educator and Grower (she/her)
Coming from a background in outdoor education and guiding, Marissa found her love of organic agriculture six years ago. She has since been dedicated to working on small scale organic farms, learning about ecologically sound farming practices and how to best support local food systems. Marissa loves connecting with community members about growing, living lightly and how we can better empower our local economies. When she’s not dreaming about the plants she’s growing, Marissa can be found trying to discover new cool places to camp or new nature based crafts to try!
Email Marissa: marissa@squamishcan.net
Marie-ève Boutin | Programs Coordinator (she/her)
Marie-ève started with arts and photography in Québec and continued on to the film industry in Vancouver, intertwined with service industry roles. After starting a family in Squamish, landscaping followed, then permaculture design and volunteering with Squamish CAN, which led to her role as Programs Coordinator.
Email Marie-ève: marie-eve@squamishcan.net
Get to know Marie-ève on our blog
Caroline Manuel | Development Coordinator (she/her)
After years working abroad in Asia and Europe, Caroline put down roots in Vancouver and forged a dynamic path—co-owning a popular diner, working in factual TV, and lending her expertise to organizations like the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Fresh Roots, and Story Money Impact. Now, joining Squamish CAN, Caroline continues to champion resilient food systems and sustainable communities. Based in Nanaimo, she loves uncovering hidden local food gems.
Email Caroline: development@squamishcan.net
Lauren Searle | Food Hub Project Lead (she/her)
Lauren grew up in Alberta and moved to BC when she was 11 years old but you can always find her outside! Lauren obtained her BSc in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, and has since worked in the industry for 13 years. She has been passionate about improving and shapeshifting food systems in the nonprofit, private and government sector, supporting farmers and agri-food processors through programming and funding. Lauren was responsible for launching the South Island FarmHub in Victoria and was a Board Director for the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture. Lauren is a lover of people, travel, house plants, mountains, and that salty ocean. When not working, you can find her seeking adrenaline in the forests, putting in hours at Kees and Claire Hut as a volunteer custodian, or planning the next 10-person potluck with soul-warming eats!
Email Lauren: harvesthub@squamishcan.net
Robbie Deane | Special Projects Lead (he/him)
Robbie is a 'jack of all trades'—think all things building and infrastructure from repairing garden beds to building cold storage buildings. Robbie also supports the community gardens throughout the season.
Get to know Robbie on our blog
Jessica Riquetti | SQE School Garden Educator (she/her)
Jessica is a regenerative designer, ecologist and educator. Her doctoral studies at UC Berkeley focused on invasive plant ecology. She has taught field ecology and guided undergraduate research at UC Berkeley, project centric Regenerative Design courses for Master's students at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and led outdoor education programs through immersive backpacking experiences via the Teton Science School and The Oakland Museum. Jessica's work brings an understanding of how we function as part of a greater living system.
Heather Kennedy | Zero Waste Auditor (she/her)
As a lifelong nature lover with a heart for simple and sustainable living, Heather was naturally drawn to working with Squamish CAN. She enjoys little moments of connection and education with community members on recycling audit days! Heather is a veterinarian turned life + performance coach to fellow sporty souls and can often be found trying to keep up with her amazing trail-pup in the forests and mountains of the Sea to Sky region and beyond.
Shane Roberts | Cook & Delivery Driver
Shane brings 15+ years of experience in the restaurant industry, a lifelong passion for food and cooking, and experience in logistics and business operations to this role. Working with our Head Chef, Shane prepares nutritious and sustainably sourced meals and delivers them to schools around Squamish. He's turning a lack of knowledge about local and sustainable food systems in his younger years into a positive by being motivated to contribute to better food stability for kids in Squamish.
Sarah Walker | Cook & Delivery Driver
Sarah has lived in Squamish her whole life. She has cooked professionally for approximately 20 years, with much of that as a kitchen manager at a forest education camp. Sarah loves all things nature related and is excited to bring both her work experience and passion for nature together at Squamish CAN to make meals for students that are delicious, nutritious and full of love.
Ruby Bryan | Cook & Delivery Driver
Ruby brings her background in production baking and kitchen management to her role with us. In her years a Whistler bakery, which grew from 1 location to 7, Ruby was tasked with recipe quality control and back of house management in one of the busier locations. With a desire to grow her skills, Ruby took a job in finance & administration to learn the behind the scenes of a business. This was a great learning path, which allowed her to start her own pottery business, using her fine art diplomas. Ruby now runs a small ceramics studio, which caters for both commercial production pottery, and a small scale teaching space. Ruby works at Squamish CAN to give back to the local community. She is passionate about being a part of something that is helping the younger generations get a better start to their education. Being hungry starves kids of their full learning potential, so being a part of something that provides hot meals, and is inclusive of all children, makes going to work so much more enjoyable!
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors brings a wealth of experience, passion, and strategic leadership to Squamish CAN. Each member is committed to driving positive change in our community by supporting sustainable food systems, promoting waste reduction, and ensuring that our local environment thrives for generations to come. Their diverse backgrounds and collective expertise help guide our vision, mission, and initiatives, ensuring that Squamish CAN remains a beacon of progress, collaboration, and resilience.
Holden Bonwit | President
After moving a dozen times on a few continents, Holden finally found home when he fell in love with Squamish in 2017. With a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA focused on early stage finance and social impact from the University of Oxford, he brings a blend of technical and business expertise to his consulting clients. Holden has a decade of successful product design and launch experience, followed by 10 years in business consulting in strategy, finance, and expansion. His consultative approach helps organizations break down complex challenges into manageable solutions. Passionate about environmental impact, Holden connects with nature through kiteboarding, trail running, and hiking with his family.
Amy Morris
Amy (she/her) is settler of Slovakian, Dutch, German and British ancestry. Amy resides and recreates on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, sḵwx̱wú7mesh, & sel̓íl̓witulh Nations, currently known as Vancouver and Squamish. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Simon Fraser University with a thesis focused on regulating dog breeding to improve well-being and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Concordia University with a specialization in Business. Amy has wide experience in the animal protection movement, campaigning for policy changes at the municipal, provincial and federal levels to curtail animal exploitation. Amy shares her life with Clover, a collie mix who guides their day to day adventures.
Christen Young
With deep roots in Squamish and Whistler, Christen has lived in and around the Sea to Sky her whole life lovingly intertwined with nature through sport (skiing, trail running and hiking), work (The North Face) and everyday life. She has had had the pleasure of volunteering with Squamish CAN through Valleycliffe Elementary working with kids aged 5-12 in the school garden learning about soil health, pollinators, plant stages and so much more. In business she has worked as a Sales Rep for the last 16 years with national accounts and local independent businesses and as a challenge has taken on the role of aligning The North Face Canada sustainability initiatives with those in the US.
Gizem Kaya
With deep roots in Squamish and Whistler, Christen has lived in and around the Sea to Sky her whole life lovingly intertwined with nature through sport (skiing, trail running and hiking), work (The North Face) and everyday life. She has had had the pleasure of volunteering with Squamish CAN through Valleycliffe Elementary working with kids aged 5-12 in the school garden learning about soil health, pollinators, plant stages and so much more. In business she has worked as a Sales Rep for the last 16 years with national accounts and local independent businesses and as a challenge has taken on the role of aligning The North Face Canada sustainability initiatives with those in the US.
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Patricia Lightburn
Patricia has been deeply involved in the nexus of climate change mitigation and public policy since her first environmental studies class in 2005. She has supported governments, non-profits, utilities and the private sector with a range of building decarbonization, clean mobility, and energy system transformation policies and strategies across Canada. Patricia is also an avid gardener and recently implemented a native plant restoration project in her backyard. She is a firm believer in the power of community gardening to support healthy humans and ecosystems.
Jane Raycraft
Jane is excited to share her deep experience as an accountant with a sustainability perspective, based on an interdisciplinary master’s degree that links sustainability to accounting. Jane has an understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with climate action here in the Sea to Sky based on a recent sustainable forestry project with the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative (HSBRI). In addition to bringing great non-profit volunteer experience, she is committed to the mission and values of Squamish CAN and believes that the organization has the potential to make a significant impact on the sustainability and resilience of the Squamish community.
Eden Imbeau
With a passion for zero waste initiatives, Eden (she/ her) is a lifelong Squamish resident with over 10-years of waste management experience. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Library and Information Studies and has co-developed the Residential Tote Auditing Program, which has reduced recycling contamination through personalized education. Eden believes that community collaboration and engaging in decolonizing practices are key for making positive changes. Outside of work, she volunteers with the Marine Stewardship Initiative and enjoys biking, skiing, camping, throwing axes, and sharing good food with family and friends.
Get to Know Us
Each of these remarkable individuals plays a vital role in shaping the strategic direction of Squamish CAN, ensuring that we continue to grow and adapt to the ever-evolving needs of our community. Together, they are guiding the organization toward a more sustainable, connected future—one thoughtful decision, one collaborative effort, and one visionary step at a time.
Meet the Team in person at our seasonal events and our Annual AGM - held in May.