The Friends of One Mile Creek (FOMC) welcomes the appointment by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) of Gayle Wood as Interim Chief Administrative Officer/Secretary-Treasurer effective March 1, 2019. Wood was appointed by the newly installed NPCA board of directors for a term of 5 months, while the board searches for a permanent CAO with the help of an external hiring firm.
“Ms. Wood brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in conservation leadership as a senior executive to a number of Conservation Authorities across Ontario,” says NPCA Board Chair Dave Bylsma.
The board is thrilled to work closely with her over the next five months as the NPCA embarks on a new chapter of environmental stewardship and leadership for the Niagara Peninsula watershed, Bylsma said.
Her recent experience includes Chief Administrative Officer/Secretary-Treasurer to the Nottawasaga Valley, Ganaraska and Lake Simcoe Conservation Authorities. She has worked for the provincial ministries of Natural Resources and the Environment and has experience in the private sector.
“Gayle Wood’s background and experience at other past conservation authorities makes her an ideal candidate to take on the challenge she is faced with at the NPCA,” says Klara Young-Chin on behalf of FOMC. “We look forward to working in collaboration on restoration/naturalization of the One Mile Creek floodplain as we did in the past. The leadership of NPCA staff is important and needed to continue to improve water quality as part of our One Mile Creek mandate as outlined in the OMC Watershed Study 2005.”
Wood graduated from University of Waterloo with a bachelor’s degree in Environment Studies and has a Business and Strategic Management Certificate from York University. She has dedicated her career to watershed management, locally, provincially and internationally, often managing multiple watersheds at a time.
Internationally, Wood has worked with the governments of many nations, training delegates from China, Thailand, Russia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Vietnam on watershed projects.
Her work in China was recognized with an award from the State Council of China for Public Engagement in Watershed Management in 1999 and 2000, and she was recognized locally in 2001 with a Conservation Award in Celebration of Women in York Region.
Media article
Link to article in the St. Catharines Standard by Grant LaFreche:
NPCA appoints conservation authority veteran to take the helm for five months