Staff by program

Dr. Justina Ray has been President and Senior Scientist of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada since its incorporation in 2004. In addition to overseeing the operations of WCS Canada, Justina is involved in research and policy activities associated with land use planning and large mammal conservation in northern landscapes. Having worked for years in African and Asian tropical forests, North America has been her predominant geographic focus over the past two decades. Justina has been appointed to numerous government advisory panels related to policy development for species at risk and land use planning in Ontario and Canada. She was the co-chair of the Terrestrial Mammals Subcommittee of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) from 2009-2017 and is currently a member of the IUCN Taskforce on Biodiversity and Protected Areas. She has been editor or author of 3 books and numerous peer-reviewed articles, and is Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto (Faculty of Forestry) and Trent University (Biology Department) and Research Associate at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the Royal Ontario Museum.

As the Director of Philanthropy, Biz leads fundraising and development for WCS Canada. Biz joined WCS Canada in December 2007. Prior to arriving at WCS Canada in 2007, she worked at Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) as Director of US Programmes and at WWF Canada focusing on several conservation portfolios: Eastern Arctic marine mammals, Canadian Prairie wildlife, WWF Canadian endangered species and the Latin American Programme focussing on Central America, Brazil, Guyana and Cuba. Biz has a BA from Queen’s University at Kingston and a Masters of Environmental Studies (Biological Conservation) from York University, Toronto.

While WCS Canada’s scientists focus on delivering conservation outcomes Gillian is responsible for ensuring WCS Canada is operating effectively, efficiently and sustainably, from financial management to human resources to regulatory compliance. Gillian comes to this role with a strong background in conservation with WCS. Since joining WCS in 2000, Gillian has led and collaborated on a diversity of projects, including; mapping the global Human Footprint, and rescaling this methodology to the Northern Appalachian Ecoregion, developing web-based conservation mapping tools, estimating rates of deforestation in Sumatra, mapping mandrill habitat use in Gabon, and the identification of wolverine range and caribou wintering grounds in Ontario. Gillian has a Masters degree in Geology and Mineral Exploration with extensive field experience ranging from the Highlands of Scotland and the mines of central Queensland, Australia, to the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile and a variety of gold exploration projects in Ghana, Mali and Eritrea. In addition, Gillian holds a Certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University, New York, an Advanced Diploma in GIS from the College of Geographic Sciences (COGS) in Nova Scotia, and a certificate in Human Resource Management from the Social Economy Centre of the University of Toronto.

Marilyn Katsabas grew up in Toronto, Ontario and came to WCS Canada on a part-time basis in the fall of 2007. Marilyn has 20+ years administrative and bookkeeping experience previously working in both large corporate and small business environments. Marilyn has contributed to various community volunteer programs in the Toronto area.

As Fundraising Database & Operations Officer, Priscila supports WCS Canada’s fundraising team to maintain and improve donor stewardship. Priscila has over 10 years of experience in fundraising, grant management and project coordination, most of them working in conservation organizations in Brazil and in Canada. She holds a bachelor's degree in Social Communication and postgraduate degrees in Business Administration and in Sustainability Management, where she dedicated her research project to the theme of payment for environmental services and biodiversity conservation. Before joining WCS Canada as Fundraising Associate, Priscila worked in a number of organizations, including the University of Calgary's Faculty of Science, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, BirdLife/SAVE Brasil and Siemens Brasil.

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Forough Shafiei serves as Fundraising Manager at WCS Canada. Forough has had a lifelong interest in wildlife and has an extensive history of supporting conservation causes. She has over eight years of experience working as a fundraising professional in Canada. Prior to joining WCS Canada in 2022, Forough worked at the Advancement Department at University of Toronto Schools (UTS) helping the school achieve unprecedented results in fundraising. Before joining UTS in 2018, Forough worked as the Project Manager and Development Administrator at Homes First Foundation. Forough is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and studied Mechanical Engineering at Ryerson University. She also has a Project Management Advanced Diploma from George Brown College, and is currently pursuing a Certificate in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management at Ryerson University.

Okechukwu Ezibe serves as Manager of Human Resources at WCS Canada. Okechukwu completed his Master's degree in International Business at Hult International Business School in San Francisco before joining the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) as an Associate Human Resources Officer. He has continued to advance his career in human resources with work experiences in Dubai and Canada. Okechukwu’s work in human resources has seen him successfully drive change management initiatives, develop and implement strategy and policies, enhance organizational culture and execute complex human resources projects.

As an independent consultant, Brad Cundiff provides WCS Canada with strategic and technical communications support. Brad has extensive experience working with environmental organizations to communicate the need for better care of our planet, including leading the communication efforts for Ontario’s ground-breaking coal phase-out campaign. With a background in journalism, Brad has contributed to many Canadian periodicals, authored two books on exploring natural areas in Southern Ontario and has contributed to books on the Great Lakes and the Oak Ridges Moraine.

Dario Castro serves as Leave Management Coordinator at WCS. Dario Castro attained his Bachelor of Arts from Ryerson University in Toronto, specializing in media. After several years working as an assistant video editor in post-production, he began his journey in Human Resources enrolling into the HRM post-graduate program at Seneca college in September 2020. In conjunction with the program, he was accepted into the Work Integrated Learning stream which provides opportunities for work experience in Human Resources. In spring of 2021, he began a remote student summer internship with WCS in New York assisting the compensation department and assisted the team with the rollout of a new global hiring plan for employees in 14 regions. Upon completion of the summer internship, he was selected for the position of Leave Management Coordinator with WCS Canada, supporting WCS employees in New York City.

Chelsea Bernasconi serves as Executive Assistant at WCS. Chelsea graduated with a diploma in Legal Office administration in 2013 and since then has held numerous positions as an admin/office manager, including previous experience at a non-profit. What drew them to WCS is a passion for wanting to make a difference in the field of environmental and wildlife conservation. In 2016, Chelsea completed some coral reef restoration volunteer work in Thailand and continues to volunteer wherever they can in Canada. Their spare time is mostly spent cuddling with their cats or hiking, kayaking, camping, practicing archery, traveling, and doing yoga.