Peter Armstrong is the founder of Armstrong Group, owner and operator of the award-winning Rocky Mountaineer luxury train company as well as numerous holdings in the travel and tourism sector. He also has interests in Alder Bay Private Equity and Invictus Properties Inc., a real estate holding company. Peter has served on many tourism industry, community and public company boards. He graduated from St. George’s School, and then attended the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Hotel Management Program as well as the University of British Columbia for a few years in Commerce. He is an Honourary Fellow of the Sauder School of Business. In 2019, Peter completed the Harvard Executive MBA program. In 2018, he was inducted into the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame. He has received the Canadian Venture Capital Association’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Tourism and Hospitality, and the Queen’s Silver and Golden Jubilee Medals for contributions to Canadian communities. In addition, he was inducted into the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame and was named Tourism Leader of the Year by Tourism BC. Peter was born in Saint John, New Brunswick and has been a proud and active resident of Vancouver for over 60 years. He and his spouse, Suvina, have four adult children and six grandchildren. Peter has been a Director since 2019.

Ms. Ellen Simmons is a PhD Candidate with the University of British Columbia – Okanagan, in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences. She is also an Instructor in the Department of Environmental Resources Technology with Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt, BC. Previously she has worked with the En’owkin Center, Penticton Indian Band (PIB) and FORREX (Forum for Research & Exchange in Natural Resources) in the capacity as the Indigenous Knowledge Exchange Liaison. Her work has been diverse as an educator and consultant, that ranges from working with wildfire impacted First Nations communities throughout BC as well as accumulating a diverse range of field work with a focus on habitat restoration for species at risk. Ellen brings forth over twenty years of experience within the environmental/conservation sector offering a unique skill set that communicates the necessity of including Indigenous scientific knowledge alongside Eurocentric approaches in Natural Resource practises. She holds an MSc. in Environmental Sciences and a BSc. in Forestry (UBC Vancouver). She is Swampy Cree (Saskatchewan) and of Polish descent. Additionally, she sits as a Board Director for the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance, an advisor to the Toronto Dominion Friends of the Environment Foundation and the First Nations Council of Advisors to the Dean of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. Ellen has been a Director since 2021.

David Sprague is a private developer of residential, commercial and industrial property. He has built a reputation for excellence in the design and construction of projects that are both economically viable and environmentally sustainable. As the developer behind the first LEED certified residential high-rise in Canada, and other LEED commercial projects, David was a frontrunner in the Green Building movement. His unique involvement in every aspect of the development process is a reflection of his in-depth knowledge and rigorous attention to detail. As a board member, David is proud of his contribution to NTBC as well as to the reconstruction of the Crofton House School campus and the acclaimed Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver. David is a pilot and avid fisherman who enjoys the best of BC’s outdoors.

Jennifer West spent the first 5 years of her career in the wealth management industry and has been a Vancouver based residential realtor with Macdonald Realty Ltd. for the past 17 years. She received a Bachelor of Administrative and Commercial Studies from the University of Western Ontario with a double major in Finance and Economics. Born and raised in Vancouver, she has spent much of her life exploring the province of British Columbia and has a passion for its preservation for future generations. When she isn’t working or exploring BC, Jennifer can be found horseback riding in all 4 corners of the world. Jennifer joined the Board of Directors in 2026.

Rob Doyle is the Chief Financial Officer of Pan American Silver Corp, a position that he has held for the past 16 years. Rob’s significant international finance experience include various corporate finance roles based in New York and London following qualifying as a chartered accountant and CFA in Cape Town, South Africa. Rob served as the Vice-Chair of Covenant House Vancouver’s Capital Executive Campaign, which successfully raised over $53 million to fund an expansion of the downtown facilities and services provided to homeless youth. Additionally, Rob has served on the Board of Maverix Metals, Inc. since the inception of that company in 2016. Rob is enrolled into the Institute of Corporate Directors DEP course and has completed the Canadian Board Diversity Council’s Get On Board program. As an outdoor enthusiast with a spirit of adventure, Rob has a passion for nature conservation and the protection of biodiversity. Rob has been a Director since 2020.

Bill Cox, FCPA, FCA, is a Chartered Professional Accountant who has spent his entire career working with non-profit and public sector organizations.  Bill has worked with local governments, colleges and universities, health care organizations and charities of all stripes and sizes. Bill has authored many presentations and articles including the book: Accounting Athletics 101, Running a Financially Healthy Not-for-Profit Organization. As an accountant, Bill has a strong interest in aligning accounting and reporting with greater “green” goals and is part of the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative which aims to change the way that local government services are delivered and related infrastructure is created and managed. Bill has also held many leadership positions within the accounting profession and was awarded the prestigious “Fellow” designation in 2015. Bill has been a Director since 2021, and is currently serving as the Chair.

Growing up in Quebec and Ontario, Tom completed a PhD in Canadian history and served as an Assistant Professor at McMaster University. He then went on to serve in a variety of roles in four different Canadian independent schools, beginning with Upper Canada College in Toronto and concluding with St. George’s School in Vancouver.  As Head of School at St. George’s from 2010 to 2021, Tom played a leadership role in renewing both the Junior and Senior school campuses through a highly successful $100 million capital campaign.  He also focused his efforts on building a variety of partnerships, the most significant of which was with the School’s Musqueam neighbours. Tom and his wife, Sheena, have three adult children and share a love of the outdoors and the natural world.  Their home on Vancouver Island borders on Goldstream Provincial Park, affording them the opportunity to hike the park’s trails with Rosie, their Swiss Mountain Dog, virtually on a daily basis.

Tom Sisk is an environmental scientist focusing on landscape conservation and the application of ecology to complex land and natural resource management challenges. He works at the interface of science and public policy, while carrying out research in population biology and landscape ecology. He teaches conservation biology, environmental policy, and leadership courses, and he has designed and directed successful interdisciplinary courses and graduate degree programs in Environmental Sciences and Policy. His educational approach engages students in research, while linking their work to on-the-ground conservation efforts. While benefiting from diverse international research and policy experiences, including senior positions in government, non-profit, and academic sectors, Tom focuses his work on western North America, from the Sonoran desert to the Salish Sea. His management experience includes contested natural resource management challenges, creative land protection plans, development of interdisciplinary academic programs, and service on advisory and management boards for regional, national, and international organizations.

Dr. Winifred (Wini) Kessler is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, Fellow, Past-President, and Honourary Member of The Wildlife Society (TWS).  In 2017 TWS awarded her their highest honour, the Aldo Leopold Memorial Award.  Wini’s 40-year career in research, education, and management includes faculty positions at the University of Idaho, Utah State University, and University of Northern British Columbia. Her education includes both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of California-Berkeley and a PhD from Texas A&M University, which in 2002 honoured her with an Outstanding Alumnus Award. Wini has had an extensive career in ecology, conservation, and natural resource education in both the United States and Canada. At the University of Northern British Columbia, she championed an innovative and integrated approach to natural resources education that earned her the British Columbia Academic of the Year Award in 1997. She served 21 years with the U.S. Forest Service in positions including the Alaska Regional Ecologist, National Wildlife Ecologist, and Principal Rangeland Ecologist. In 2010, Wini retired from the Forest Service as the Alaska Regional Director for Wildlife, Fisheries, Ecology, Watershed, and Subsistence Management. Wini joined NTBC’s Board of Directors in 2024. She also serves on the Board of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, chairing their Wildlife Conservation Policy Committee.  Past board service in Canada includes the BC Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (22 years total including 3 terms as Chair) and Ducks Unlimited Canada.  U.S. service includes a decade on the board of the Ecosystem Management Research Institute and six years on the Wildlife Hunting Heritage and Conservation Council, which advised the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture in matters concerning America’s wildlife resources and shooting sports.  Her collaboration with Bruce Leopold and James Cummins produced the comprehensive textbook North American Wildlife Policy and Law, published in 2018.

Jeff Bay brings 15 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance to NTBC. After receiving his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria in 2009, he joined GMP Securities in Calgary as an Analyst the Investment Banking and Corporate Finance group where he was involved in mergers and acquisition, capital market advisory, and underwriting of public and private oil & gas companies. In 2013, Jeff joined Cypress as an Analyst, and was promoted to Portfolio Manager and became a CFA charter holder in 2016. Jeff has served on the Audit and Finance committee at NTBC since November of 2018, and joined the Board of Directors in 2024.

Nancy is an advisor to the Liber Ero Fellows Science Advisory Committee in Canada and a communications trainer to the Liber Ero Fellows. She also enjoys her role as a Director of the Sitka Foundation in Vancouver. Nancy is a pioneer in the field of science communication and worked with COMPASS as Director of Science Outreach for 22 years. Her science communication book, Escape from the Ivory Tower: A guide to making your science matter, is a practical “how to” communication guide that is widely used by environmental scientists. She also co-authored a field-guide called, “Birds of Coastal British Columbia.” For many years she led naturalist trips within British Columbia and internationally for Vancouver Community College and the Vancouver Aquarium. Nancy began her career as a biologist in Banff National Park, spent 6 years as Director of Education at the Vancouver Aquarium, then morphed into journalism before becoming a science communications coach for environmental scientists. She has won numerous writing awards including the Canadian Science Writers Science in Society, Western Magazine awards and National Magazine awards. Currently she writes a column in her local newspaper called “In the Naturehood.” She spends as much time as she can in wild places, binoculars in hand, with her writer husband Ken Weiss. They live on an organic avocado orchard outside Santa Barbara. Nancy currently divides her time between her home in Carpinteria California and Penticton, British Columbia, where she grew up. She joined NTBC as a Director in June 2022.

Dr. Tara Martin is a Professor with the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences and the inaugural Liber Ero Chair in Conservation at the University of British Columbia. She is a global leader in the field of Conservation Decision Science – combining predictive ecological models with decision science to inform what actions to take, where to take them and when to achieve our conservation and natural resource management goals. Tara leads a team of graduate students and research fellows in the Conservation Decisions Lab, seeking to understand, predict and ultimately inform decisions about the impacts of cumulative effects on biodiversity, natural resources and human wellbeing. Tara and her team work closely with Indigenous communities supporting their research needs and centering Indigenous values, knowledge and sovereignty in co-developed and collaborative research. Tara is among the most cited scientists in her field globally, facilitated the first private landback in British Columbia and her research is leading to on-ground change in both conservation policy and action in Canada and globally. Tara grew up in the Gulf Islands and then spent 25 years studying and working in Australia, before returning to her love – the Salish Sea in 2012. Tara is a mother of two, Silka and Mateo and in the spring they can be found on their boat surveying wildflowers in the islands.  Conservation Decisions Lab IG Account  https://www.instagram.com/conservationdecisions/