Jasper National Park of Canada

2006/09

Meet the new Management Team

The New Arrivals

Denise Parent – Finance and Administration Manager

Denise arrived in Jasper May of 2006, but has been with Parks Canada since September 2001 where she worked at Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba as the Manager of Finance and Administration. Most of Denise’s previous experience prior to Parks Canada has been with the Caisse Populaire (Credit Unions) of Manitoba, where she has pretty much had her hands in every aspect of the business from janitor to cashier to loans officer to manger working both on the field level and the main office. She’s also worked with CUSO (Canadian Volunteer Agency) in 1991 and spent 4 years in the South Pacific country of Vanuatu as an accountant / computer trainer. In 1996 she became involved with CUSO regionally and in 1998 joined its international board of directors for five years. Since living in Jasper, after her Manitoba and Vanuatu lives, Denise has been exploring surrounding lakes with her kayak and her constant companion – her camera, and has also been volunteering with the Jasper Artist Guild. Her vision for the Finance and Administration Section is “ To be regarded as guides and partners helping to navigate users within the financial and administrative policies and guidelines”.

Jennifer Dubois – Project Manager – EI Trails Project

Jen has been with Parks Canada for 7 months now (and four months way back in the summer of ’99 where she worked with Helen Purves as a GIS assistant here in Jasper). After a memorable experience on her 10t birthday where Jen’s folks took her out for a hike at Lake Louise ( a hike she wasn’t in the least bit interested in participating) things turned around for her and somewhere along the way she fell in love with hiking and exploring. She finished an undergrad degree in Geography and spent all of her free time outside. She travelled and trekked, worked field jobs in forestry and wildlife biology and worked in environmental education and consulting, including two years in Southern Alberta ranching community where she got some great experience listening and connecting with people who often came from a different perspective than her own. Having lived in various places from Greenwood, Nova Scotia to Summerside, PEI to Calgary, AB, to Clearwater, Comox, Vancouver and Victoria, BC, now Jen’s a true Jasperite who loves to spend her time on the trails or rivers of Jasper National Park when not in the office. Her main objective as manager of the Jasper Trails Project is to help the community of trail users and the broader community who have an interest in our national parks understand that there doesn’t need to be a tug-of-war between ecological and recreational goals. She hopes to help the community identify the opportunities and navigate the more difficult decisions.

Moira McKinnon – Human Resources Manager

Moira has been in Jasper for just under a month now, but has been with Parks Canada for about 3 ½ years where she started with her first job as HR Manager for Southwest NWT Field Unit (Wood Buffalo and Nahani National Parks). Moira feels her experience in SW NWT helped prepare her in taking on this new role and will shorten the learning curve that comes with each new job. Living in Japan for four years has prepared her for the unexpected and opened her mind to learning and experiencing new things. Moira also just completed a 10k running club before coming to Jasper which she hopes will get her ready for all the wonderful hiking in this area. Having grown up in Nova Scotia, Moira has lived in numerous other places prior to Jasper including Ft Smith, NT, Calgary, Vancouver, Japan, Australia, Toronto and Ottawa and has liked all of them for the different reasons, but finds that Jasper has a lot of the best features of what she liked in the other places. She can walk or bike to work, the scenery is beautiful, and the schools are good, as are all the restaurants in town, and she’s close to her family. Only being in Jasper for a few weeks, Moira hasn’t had a chance to do much more than hiking our beautiful trails, but is looking forward to cross country skiing in winter, swimming in Lake Annette in summer, and going for cappuccino and cinnamon buns on rainy days. Her main objective in her HR Manager role is to work with the management team and local union to ensure we have a healthy workplace with the right people in the right jobs at the right time and that we are prepared for the future.

Steve Otway – Resource Conservation Manager

Steve has been in Jasper since June 2006 but has been with Parks Canada for 17 years where he started out on the Fire Management crew in WBNP. Some of the more interesting things that lead Steve to the place he is at today, besides his experience with Parks, is 11 years with a provincial agency before Parks Canada and he’s also one of those guys you hear about that canoed across Canada many years ago. Prior to Jasper Steve lived in Elk Island National Park, but likes it most right here in Jasper because now it is home where he likes to experience the park with his family on his time off. What Steve sees as the main objective of his position as Resource Conservation Manager is first and foremost looking after his staff and cooperating as a team member of the Parks Canada Management team here in Jasper.

Shawn Cardiff - Integrated Land Use Planning Manager

Shawn has been in Jasper since 1993 and with Parks Canada for 19 years. His first job with Parks involved trail talks and outdoor theatre as a Park Interpreter connecting visitors with Prince Albert National Park. Getting hooked on camping from an early age Shawn landed summer work at Saskatchewan’s Cypress Hills Provincial Park. His interests led him onward with a career path parks as a warden, biologist and land use planner. Along the way he enjoyed diverse settings and opportunities: from learning drowning-avoidance with Dene co-workers in Nahanni National Park Reserve to working with NASA scientists in PANP on a global change study. They are all great parks and you never know where things might lead.
Prior to arrival in Jasper, the places Shawn lived include Waskesiu (Prince Albert National Park), Winnipeg (Regional Office), Fort Simpson (Nahanni National Park), Saskatoon, Regina, Maple Creek,... etc. Jasper is obviously a top location to live and a great community. From a recreational perspective, we have an embarrassment of things to do, and his favourite include getting out on the trails or on the river. Shawn’s main objective at work is to support good decision-making by listening to the many different voices who care about the park, working together to promote a shared understanding and respect for the landscape, and finding ways for each one of us to make this place a better national park than we found it. That is not dogma, just prairie sincerity. Please remember this objective includes how we manage the five national historic sites in Jasper National Park.

Rod Tower – Operations Manager Highway Service Centre

Rod has been in Jasper for about 1 year and in Parks Canada for 2 ½ years all together. His first job with Parks was as a Driver/Operator. Prior to Jasper Rod has lived in Alberta, BC, and the Yukon. On his days off, you might see Rod biking, skiing or hiking. His main objective as he sees it in his current position is to keep the highways safe for the travelling public our families our staff and our community.

 

 

In our next instalment of e-news, we’ll introduce you to the park managers who have been around a while.

PDF