Board of Directors
Duane Sharman
A successfully retired engineer and entrepreneur in wireless technology, filmmaker, multi-instrumental musician, film soundtrack composer, and a tireless advocate for ocean conservation. In 2016, he completed his award winning documentary short film THE END GAME, which focuses on coral bleaching and efforts to mitigate the looming disaster in the oceans.
Duane strives to follow in the footsteps of hero Sir David Attenborough and bring the message of an ailing world to a larger audience.
Maureen Sullivan
Also a concerned environmental advocate, Maureen is retired from a career in marketing and business operations in the development, technology, and government sectors.
Staff
Alisha Kapil
Alisha brings her passion for the environment and organization to the ELEMENTS team. After graduating with a double major in History and Political Science from UVic, Alisha realized she wanted to leave an impact on the world by bringing awareness to issues that are impacting our earth.
Alyssa Hollyoake
After a trip to Costa Rica to volunteer with sea turtles, Alyssa moved from Winnipeg to the West coast to pursue a career in marine biology. She recently graduated from the University of Victoria with a degree in biology where she further found a love for the ocean, birds, and animal and environmental conservation.
Alyssa’s role with ELEMENTS Film Festival is community engagement, including communicating with local businesses and community centres about getting involved the festival.
Advisory Board
Dr. Ruth D. Gates
Dr. Ruth D. Gates is the Director of, the University of Hawaii’s, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. She is globally recognized for her creative research on corals and for advancing strategies to sustain reefs into the future. Ruth is the elected President of the International Society for Reef Studies and a passionate communicator about coral reefs.
Scott D. Sampson, Ph.D.
Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Scott Sampson is a dinosaur paleontologist, science communicator, and passionate advocate for reimagining cities as places where people and nature thrive. He serves as the President and CEO of Science World British Columbia.
Scott’s scientific research has focused on the ecology and evolution of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, and he has conducted fieldwork in many countries, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Madagascar, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. He has published numerous scientific and popular articles, and regularly speaks to audiences of all ages on topics ranging from dinosaurs and education to sustainability and connecting kids with nature.
Scott has appeared in many television documentaries and served as a science advisor for a variety of media projects, most recently the BBC movie, Walking With Dinosaurs. He has also authored multiple books, including Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life, and How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature. However, he is perhaps best known as “Dr. Scott,” host and science advisor of the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS television series Dinosaur Train, produced by the Jim Henson Company.
Travis Steffens, Ph.D.
A primatologist with a passion for conservation, Travis Steffens has dedicated his life and research to community development efforts, environmental education, conservation, and international awareness in Madagascar. Travis is the Founding Director of Planet Madagascar a non-profit that aims to build sustainable forest communities to improve the lives of people and to conserve lemurs and their habitat. Travis is also an International Fellow of the Explorers Club. Partnering with Adventure Science, Travis co-led an expedition into the remote Tsingy of Western Madagascar in 2014. Travis is and active traveler and tour leader and has led more than 60 groups of people around the world including through Southern Africa, Madagascar, Central America, Canada, and Russia.
Dr. Andrew S. Wright
Andrew S. Wright is a former high technology entrepreneur. Since 2007 he has actively engaged in promoting enhanced inner city childhood education programs and ecological conservation efforts. In addition to directly supporting the Great Bear Rainforest agreement via donation he has played a direct technical role in advancing land based closed containment salmon aquaculture in BC. The development of the Namgis Kuterra FinFish aquaculture farm is a direct result of these efforts. He is involved in a wide range of conservation endeavors and sits on the boards of various groups and initiatives.
He is a passionate conservation photographer and has produced two books. Emeralds at the Edge and Faltering Light, both arguing the case for increased conservation in British Columbia. He has also penned several conservation photography articles.
Dr. Wright has published numerous IEEE peer reviewed research papers and has been awarded and filed in excess of 60 patents.
Dr. David Shiffman
Dr. David Shiffman is a marine conservation biologist and award-winning science communicator based at Simon Fraser University. His research focuses on shark conservation and management policy. Follow him on social media @WhySharksMatter, where he's always happy to answer any questions that anyone has about sharks.