Our Team
Stephanie McNeely
Director
Stephanie is a mom, nature lover and transportation engineer. She helped launch Forêt Capitale Forest to take an active role on community-led climate action. Stephanie loves exploring new places, learning new things and playing outside.
Shelley Lambert
Director
Shelley balances a career in software development with her love of growing trees and designing/tending food forests. She joined the Forêt Capitale Forest team to offer her skills and knowledge of tree care, corporate social responsibility and large-scale open-source project leadership and deployment. She is a problem solver and a teacher with a deep desire to improve the world around her.
Kevin Myers
Director
Kevin is an ISA Certified Arborist and a Registered Professional Forester in Training. He graduated from his Master’s of Forest Conservation (MFC) from the University of Toronto in December 2022. Kevin spent years working as a gardener and believes strongly that the right trees planted in the right place, with proper stewardship, will thrive and create a more liveable city. He likes nothing more than getting dirt on his hands while putting plants in the ground. Photo credit: Susie Shapiro
Aileen Duncan
Director
Aileen is a Registered Professional Forester and a graduate of the Master of Forest Conservation program at the University of Toronto. She grew up in Ottawa, where she became an avid hiker and cyclist. Aileen is a policy professional with interest in governance, strategic planning, and partnership building. Her free time is spent in the garden, looking after fruit trees, vegetables, and native wildflowers.
Andrew Kenney
(Ph.D., R.P.F.), Technical Advisor
Andy is a Registered Professional Forester. Prior to his retirement in 2012 he taught urban forestry at the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto. He co-developed Neighbourwoods, a series of protocols designed to help community groups steward the urban forests in their neighbourhood. He is currently working with three groups in Ottawa with their Neighbourwoods projects. Andy enjoys kayaking, snowshoeing, woodworking and learning everything he can from the 100 acres of “bush” where he lives with his wife Brenda in beautiful Lanark Highlands.
Shelley Crabtree
Executive Director
Shelley is a professional communicator with a mission to promote the green power of trees for a healthier world. She aims to empower organizations with tools and strategies to fulfill their environmental commitments. By partnering with community groups, Shelley organizes events to plant and protect green spaces, encourage collective action through education and tell impactful stories. Together, she believes we can apply the amazing green tech of trees to build a sustainable future for people and planet.
Martin Nesbitt
Field and Data Lead
Martin Nesbitt has completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science at the University of Guelph, majoring in Environmental Economics and Policy. With prior experience developing climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives in the local environmental non-profit sector alongside many years of tree planting experience – Martin is passionate about promoting green spaces and sustainability. In his free time, he loves spending time outdoors, rock climbing and experimenting with fermentation recipes.
Jodi Newman
Forestry Program and Projects Coordinator
Raised on a farm in rural Ontario, Jodi’s upbringing fostered a desire to learn more about reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture. She pursued a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Resource Science and Biology at Trent University, where she learned about climate change mitigation and the benefits of afforestation. Jodi brings experience creating purposeful landscapes; from turning ordinary lawns into native gardens and constructing tiny forests on small parcels of land.
Matthew Tennant
Farm Operations Lead
Matthew is a recent environmental science graduate from Carleton University where he focused his studies on regenerative agricultural practices that reduce the negative impact of agriculture on our landscape. Now that he has graduated, he is focusing his interest on agroforestry and the benefits that trees can offer in agricultural settings. He brings with him an interest in the plant world as well as hands-on skills to help make projects a reality.
Simona Wagner
Core Volunteer
Simona is a parent who is passionate about safeguarding natural biodiversity for future generations. With work experience in academic and medical research, she is now learning to be a gardener and tree steward under the kind mentorship of Forêt Capitale Forest colleagues. She likes to find adventures in nature with her family and friends, hiking in the forest and biking around the town.
Leann Byatte
Community Engagement & Stewardship Coordinator
Leann is an environmental science graduate from Carleton University with a designation as an Environmental Professional In-Training from Eco Canada. She has a passion for sustainability, shown through her work on marine conservation and plastic reduction initiatives in the non-profit sector. Leann has led community projects, including sustainable seafood workshops, and is excited to use her experiences to engage Ottawa’s vibrant community with the forestry industry. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her cat and creating art pieces.
Morgan Macdonald
Tree Planter
Morgan is going into her fourth year at Carleton University completing an undergrad in environmental science with a concentration in biodiversity conservation and ecology. Her experience in horticulture and plant anatomy helps maintain our tiny forests and new tree nursery at our base of operations! She’s always held a deep passion for plants and more recently how they can benefit an increasingly urban area by promoting and intensifying biodiversity through the tiny forests.