The Long Point Biosphere Region is a registered charity governed by a volunteer board of directors. The Board of Directors provides leadership, oversight, and strategic direction for the Long Point Biosphere Region. Board members bring diverse experience from across our region and share a commitment to conservation, sustainable development, education, and community collaboration. Together, they help guide our priorities, steward our resources responsibly, and ensure we continue to serve the people and landscapes of this remarkable place.
Tom Via
Chair
Tom is the President - Chief Operating Officer for Woodbine Entertainment. He has led and grown businesses across diverse retail, wholesale, e-commerce and sports/ entertainment formats within Australia, Canada and the United States. He holds B.Sc in Business Administration from the University of Buffalo.
Avid Lake Erie boaters, Tom and his wife Laurene have been homeowners in Norfolk County for over 20 years. Tom is committed to preserving the amazing biodiversity of our Biosphere and Lake Erie ecosystem for future generations.
Janet Dassinger
Interim Executive Director
As the Interim Executive Director, Janet leads operations and plays a key role in strategic planning.
Previously, Janet was a Senior Research Officer with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), and has served as a project manager, executive director, and fund developer in the not-for-profit sector.
Janet has advanced degrees in Labour Studies and Social Work from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Janet has been coming to Long Point for over twenty-five years, has been a property owner since 2015, and a full-time resident since 2018. The only place she loves as much as Long Point is Costa Rica.
Sydney Clarysse
Secretary
Sydney is the Project Lead for Energy and Facilities at Norfolk County where she's responsible for energy monitoring, management and conservation, climate change adaptation initiatives, and capital construction projects.
Sydney holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Public Health and a master’s degree in Environment and Sustainability from the University of Western Ontario.
Sydney was born and raised in Norfolk County. From a young age, she enjoyed spending time outdoors on the farm, which contributed to her appreciation for the environment.
Brian Craig
Director at Large
Brian has been a teacher with the Oxford County Board of Education, a Senior Science Advisor with Environment Canada’s Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network, and most recently as a Restoration Ecologist and Project Manager with Parks Canada. Brian is now retired.
Brian holds degrees in Geography and Environment and Resource Studies from the University of Waterloo, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario, and a Masters Certificate in Project Management from York University.
Brian’s passion is working with community members in Norfolk County and the Long Point Biosphere to ensure social, cultural, economic and ecological sustainability for future generations.
Wesley Wilson
Director at Large
Wesley is a Structural Designer with John G. Cooke and Associated in Hamilton. He sits on advisory committees for a multitude of regional, provincial, national, and international engineering, sustainability, and heritage conservation initiatives.
Wes holds a degree in Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering from Carleton University focused on the conservation of existing buildings, heritage structures, and the construction of new and existing sustainable structures and landscapes.
Born and raised in Norfolk County, Wesley is a dedicated member of the community and is engaged in bringing to light the environmental and built heritage of the Biosphere Region.
Dick Bourgeois-Doyle
Director at Large
Dick is the former Secretary General of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). He is also a writer and science administrator with an interest in innovation history, research ethics, and gender issues in technology. Before joining NRC, Mr. Bourgeois-Doyle was Chief of Staff to the Canadian Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Mathematics) and a Master of Arts - Interdisciplinary Studies.
Dick lives in Norfolk County year-round and has outdoor hobbies to match every season.
Angelle Van Kleef
Director at Large
Angelle consulted for the Dutch government, advising Dutch greenhouse growers on all aspects of their business. In 1988, Angelle and her husband Clen started their own greenhouse business. In 1999, they immigrated to Canada. They bought a farm near Nixon, Ontario, where they started a new greenhouse business growing potted plants.
Angelle has a BSc in Horticulture from the Hogere Agrarische School Den Bosch in the Netherlands.
Angelle is a supporter of Birds Canada and participates in Feeder Watch, has served as chair of the Norfolk Owners Woodlot Association, and is a member of the Norfolk Field Naturalists. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Simcoe, where she is the secretary.
Stuart Mackenzie
Director at Large
Stuart is the Director of Strategic Assets at Birds Canada. He is also a co-founder of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, an international research network that gathers critical data on the movements and behaviors of migratory animals to support their conservation.
He holds a BS from the University of Guelph and a MS from Western University.
Stuart has spent over 20 years fostering his love for Long Point through his work managing operations at the Long Point Bird Observatory. He has been an avid birder since the age of two.
Jeff Hopkins
Director at Large
Jeff is a law firm partner specializing in labour and employment law, representing both employers and senior executives.
Jeff holds his LL.B from Western University and his Hons. B.A. from the University of Toronto, Trinity College.
Jeff is a longtime Norfolk County resident and has been active in local organizations interested in community issues and quality of life in the region. He currently serves as President of the Long Point Ratepayers’ Association.
Andrew Trant
Director at Large
Andrew is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo whose research focuses on how long-term interactions between people and the environment shape biodiversity and livelihoods. From tundra to the Great Lakes to coastal temperate rainforests, this work focuses on stewardship and ecology to understand ecosystem changes and what they mean for people living and harvesting resources in the area. Andrew also has a long history of partnering with Inuit, First Nations and local communities on knowledge co-production. In the Long Point region, Andrew and his graduate students are involved in a number of different projects ranging from monitoring old growth forests to co-developing coastal indicators to best understanding shoreline resilience.
Join the Board
Interested in helping conserve, sustain, and shape the future of the Long Point Biosphere Region? Join our Board of Directors and help guide the work that protects and connects this unique place.