Staff

The staff of the Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia (GCC) come from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. Each staff member possesses a unique blend of knowledge, passion and expertise that best suits the specific objective of their position and helps to achieve the greater goals of the GCC team.

Click on any one of the highlighted names to send an email with any questions you may have about GCC programs and projects.

Bob Moody, Executive Director

Some might say that I live and breathe grasslands, living as I do in the beautiful grasslands of Knutsford on the outskirts of Kamloops. I completed my M.Sc. in Plant Science at UBC and have taken advanced management and administration training from SFU, The Banff Centre and the University of Saskatchewan. I recently received my 20-year pin from the Association of Professional Biologists. My career has taken me from government to industry to consulting to First Nations administration. My position with GCC is especially satisfying to me, because I was the first Executive Director of the BC Conservation Foundation, and I feel that I have returned to my conservation roots. Away from work, I am usually on top of a horse or fishing, skiing, hiking or camping.

Tasha Sargent, Stewardship Planner

On the first day of my first job after completing my BSc in Wildlife Management at UNBC, I attended a meeting for a new non profit dedicated to conserving grasslands, since my project was focused on wildlife in the grasslands of the Chilcotin. Little did I know that 5 years later—after dabbling in ducks, mulling over moose and slaving over sockeye—my career would bring me back to where I started: the grasslands and the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC. The organization has grown larger since that first meeting and now I am the Stewardship Planner as part of the Grassland Stewardship and Sustainable Ranching Program. I help guide policies and practices and develop tools to encourage stewardship of our grasslands from recreationists on the ground to land use planners and managers at the government level. I am very proud that the program’s project, Planning for Change, has been shortlisted for two awards and has had a measurable impact—particularly in the City of Kamloops through the implementation of ecological assessments. I work with a great team and expect that we’ll have many more grassland triumphs to share in the future.

Ian Mackenzie, GIS Coordinator and Analyst

In between my Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Masters of Science in Geography (UVic) , I completed Advanced Diplomas in Cartography and in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Applications (Sandford Fleming). Through my bachelor degree’s co-operative education program, I worked as a research assistant with the Heritage Conservation Branch of the BC Oil and Gas Commission in Fort St. John, a policy analyst with the Department of Fisheries & Oceans in Vancouver and as a field archaeologist with a private archaeology consulting firm in northeastern BC. I also worked as a GIS technician for the Cowichan Valley Regional District. With the GCC, my work is to implement the analysis and mapping components of the Priority Grasslands Initiative–a project to delineate and rank the conservation importance of different grasslands areas in the province–as well as Ecological Assessments–a local-scale mapping and analysis initiative that aims to balance conservation needs with urban growth–and a variety of other smaller projects.

Catrina Crowe, Communications and Outreach Co-ordinator

I’ve tried moving away a few times, but the Interior of British Columbia keeps drawing me back. First, I went to Vancouver for my Bachelors of Political Science, but the rain drove me back to the blue skies and dryness of the Thompson valleys. Then I tried Toronto while working on my Masters of Environmental Studies at York University. That time, a perfect final research project enabled me to return to work for a ranch in the Nicola Valley. Most recently, I lived in New York City. However, as all of my best memories involve hiking, riding, skiing and camping in BC, I followed my heart back to Kamloops. I’m delighted to be working for an organization that’s so vital to the health of the region that won’t let me go.

Owen Fritch, GIS Analyst

My road to the Grassland Conservation Council has been a winding one, but a common thread has been an enduring connection to the natural landscape. I grew up in the Stikine wilderness of Northern BC. After earning a BA in Anthropology (UBC), I returned home to work for BC Parks in the high grassland plateaus of Spatsizi and the dry grassland breaks of the Stikine River Canyon. A few years later, my desire to become a “landscape professional” led me on to a Diploma in Geomatics Engineering Technology (Surveying). I then led survey parties on legal, construction, and mining exploration projects in the Yukon and Northern BC. However, I missed the sense of social contribution that working for Parks gave me; so I decided to continue my Geomatics education through an Advanced Diploma in GIS, learning technical skills that allow me to translate the features of the real-world landscape into the virtual landscape stored within a Geographic Information System. I am glad to finally be able to integrate the whole range of my knowledge and experience within my work as a GIS Technician, contributing to the Priority Grasslands Initiative of the GCC.

Melissa Ligertwood, Executive and Adminstrative Assistant

Born and raised in Kamloops, BC, I completed my BA in Psychology and Political Science at Thompson Rivers University. After graduating from university, I spent a year teaching English in South Korea and the past two years managing a professional psychology practice in Kamloops. My move to GCC was inspired by a desire to work for the non-profit sector in a capacity that would offer new challenges, friends and perspectives, as well as contribute to my interest in preserving and advocating for the environment.

Alison Peatt, Species at Risk Coordinator

Since completing my Masters of Science degree in Zoology (University of BC), I've has spent more than two decades living and working in BC’s southern interior, presently in Penticton. A Professional Biologist (RPBio), I've worked for government ministries and non-governmental organizations, consulted extensively and managed my own limited company. My projects have included land use planning, wetlands and grasslands monitoring, national park design, and recovery planning for species at risk. With a depth of experience delivering communications and extension programs, I authored the BC Grasslands Stewardship Guide for the the provincial Stewardship Series. I also have personal experience in ranching and mining with family members involved in both industries.

Bailey Teteris, Financial Officer

While studying Economics for his Bachelor of Business Administration degree at TRU in Kamloops, Bailey enrolled in a few land-use classes which tweaked his interest in environmental issues. Not knowing what particular industry to work in, he found himself enrolled in the CGA program to make use of the flexibility an accounting profession offers.  After experimenting in the banking and then the oil & gas industry in Calgary, Bailey and his wife followed their hearts back to Kamloops.  Initially working for a large accounting partnership he found himself still looking for a career with meaning.  Envious of the work some of his friends did with the Ministry of Forest & Range, he hoped for a similar path.  Opportunity knocked and joining the GCC proved to be a great fit. Bailey feels he’s found an organization that suits his ambitions and meets his desire to give something back to the community.