Staff

Curriculum Committee

FRANZ PLANGGER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Franz's life path changed significantly upon participating in an outdoor expedition in 2001. Ever since then, he has been passionate about sharing the beauty of natural environments and the power of finding one's own potential. Franz completed a Bachelor's of Outdoor and Adventure Tourism in the beautifully scenic Saguenay/Lac Saint Jean region of Quebec and a Masters of Education, Leadership studies in the historical Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. He has spent more than a decade leading experiential education programs with organizations such as Outward Bound, NOLS, Class Afloat and Enviros Wilderness School. His journeys exposed him to many different environments, where he felt the power of the howling wind, saw rainbows painted on mountain sides, understood the lifesaving power of words and heard stories carried from generation to generation.

Contact: executive.director@outdoorcouncil.ca

KATE HAMILTON, OUTDOOR ACTIVITY CLUB PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Kate is an outdoor enthusiast, engaging in many different outdoor adventures and prioritizing getting out to the mountains with her dog, and whomever else she can entice to come with her.

Kate went into outdoor guiding in 2010 after testing the waters and realizing that being outside was most important and enjoyable to her, moving, and teaching. She has been a sea kayak guide, guided backpacking trips, instructed snowboarding, and spent many years in outdoor camp leadership and as an outdoor leadership facilitator developing and teaching outdoor and fitness activities with a focus in mindfulness. Kate is also a mindfulness practices facilitator and yoga instructor with a special interest in back health, and yoga for outdoor sports such as hiking, biking, and paddling.

Kate’s passion is to help people become more active and to spend more time in the outdoors with purpose of health, both mentally and physically. Although Kate is not a teacher in a classical sense, she is an educator and life long learner, finding great satisfaction in leading outdoor activities and facilitating connection within people, between people, and with nature.

Loving most things active (pass on indoor swimming and volleyball) and all things outdoors, Kate’s spare time is spent on the move and usually outside. If Kate was forced into choosing one sport - on top of the mountain peaks is where she would be!

Contact: kate.hamilton@outdoorcouncil.ca

SYDNEY LITWIN:  ADMINISTRATOR AND COORDINATOR

Sydney will join the OCC late June 2021. This section will be filled during the fall 2021.

ASHLEY IRVING: OUTDOOR ACTIVITY CLUB PROGRAM LEADER

Ashley is a third-year undergraduate student studying Indigenous Studies and Social Work at the University of Calgary. Ashley’s interests in academia include integrating intersectionality and decolonization into inclusive land-based learning and community wellness. Ashley believes that connecting to nature can be one of the most transformative and powerful components in a person’s healing journey and hopes to integrate her enthusiasm for the wilderness into her future career in Social Work. She has a diverse volunteer background doing work both locally and globally and has volunteered with Global Visions International doing marine and coastal conservation and community outreach in Thailand as well as Puspadi Bali doing rehabilitation, education and empowerment for people with disabilities. On a local level, Ashley has volunteered in a variety of capacities with local non-profit organizations like Amnesty International Calgary Chapter, The Sharp Foundation and Cedar’s Villa. Ashley hopes to continue to build her advocacy through learning and listening with intention.

Contact: ashley@outdoorcouncil.ca

VACANT: PRESIDENT

Contact: vice.president@outdoorcouncil.ca

ERIC ABUGOV: VICE PRESIDENT

KELLY MCDONALD: TREASURER

Kelly McDonald has always been called to by the Rocky Mountains. As a child and youth, some of his fondest memories are of camping, hiking and backpacking in Kananaskis and the National Parks.

Today as a father of two, he is active in Scouts Canada as a Beaver Leader, and is always eager to get his kids out into the mountains.

During the week, Kelly is a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Technology Strategy Practice and holds a MBA from Cornell University.

Contact: treasurer@outdoorcouncil.ca

HEATHER BLACK: SECRETARY

A natural born adventurist from the Blood Tribe Nation. Heather is known as the 'Indigenous adventure girl', after 5 years of hiking the Canadian Rockies.

She is a hiker, a photographer, a business advisor/facilitator, and a sports enthusiast. Heather's most rewarding experience is being engulfed in the vast beauty of the mountains, sharing the passion of her culture and stories of resilience.

As a spirited entrepreneur, she is connected to the Business Development and Educational sectors. Heather's connections in Treaty Seven, allows her to support Indigenous entrepreneurs and like-minded adventurers, with the ultimate goal of giving you an all round authentic Indigenous experience. 

Contact: Secretary@outdoorcouncil.ca

DAVE MITCHELL: DIRECTOR FOR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Dave received a teaching degree 15 years ago and took it outside right away. Focusing on alternative, outdoor education, and rehabilitation, he has spent the majority of his professional career working in an Adventure & Wilderness Therapy context. As a Trip Leader, instructor, guide and trainer, he has helped to therapeutically assist hundreds of youth with the challenges they may be facing, alongside training practitioners to deliver similar opportunities. Dave has 20 + years’ experience facilitating and providing training in Experiential Education, Adventure Based Learning (ABL), Leadership Development, Group Work and Facilitation, Adventure and Wilderness Therapy programming on all coasts of Canada and abroad. He holds degrees from NSCAD and Nipissing University and a variety of industry standard Instructor and Trainer certifications. His most important work to date however is home-schooling his four-year-old daughter outside amidst the pandemic!

SARAH SANDY: DIRECTOR FOR INDIGENOUS RELATIONS

Sarah Sandy is a member and resident of Beausoleil First Nation, Christian Island, in Ontario. She holds a BA in Indigenous Environmental Studies from Trent University in Peterborough, ON and a Diploma in Recreation
Enterprise from Langara College in Vancouver, BC. She has 20 years experience supporting many Indigenous youth programs with not-for-profit organizations both urban and rural, in BC and ON. She has worked with organizations like Rediscovery International as an intern in Guyana, South America; with Outward Bound Canada as a wilderness instructor for Indigenous youth in both Ontario and BC; with the Urban Native Youth Association in Vancouver as a youth worker & recreation coordinator; and with the First Nations Snowboard Team as a recreation snowboard instructor Sarah currently works as an Indigenous Student Advisor at Georgian College’s skilled trade school in Midland, Ontario and as an Associate with the International Institute for Child Rights and Development (IICRD) where she is expanding her work in education, youth engagement, decolonizing approaches, and land-based program design and development. A life-long learner, she has recently completed training in various Trauma Informed Care and Mental Health Counselling courses in an effort to move into an Adventure Therapy Practice. 

Contact: indigenous@outdoorcouncil.ca

COURT RUSTEMEYER: DIRECTOR FOR THE PRAIRIES (AB, SK, MAN)

Court has been a full time Outdoor Education teacher at Vincent Massey Junior High School in Calgary, Alberta for the past 12 years. He is also the President of an Alberta Teachers Association Specialist Council – GEOEC (Global, Environmental and Outdoor Education Council).

Court’s passion in student-led and experiential learning allows him to be out in the environment with his students in an outdoor classroom almost daily. Those hands-on experiences and inquiry-based learning allows Court to instill a greater understanding of indigenous and land based knowledge into his students and others. When not teaching, you will find Court out in the mountains participating in any number of activities, unplugging and recharging in nature.

Contact: praries@outdoorcouncil.ca

GINA MARUCCI: DIRECTOR FOR ONTARIO

Gina is the Outdoor Education Resource Teacher

 at the Vivian Outdoor Resource Centre, located in the York Region District School Board. Prior to this, she was seconded to Waabgon Gamig First Nation School where she helped to develop the Mother Earth Mentoring Program, a land-based program that works to build students’ naturalist skills and nature awareness while integrating big ideas from the Ontario curriculum and indigenous knowledge. Her work over the years has allowed her to partner with Deep Nature Connection Practitioners to design curriculum that integrates core routines into daily practice. Before teaching, Gina had an extensive career in archaeology that allowed her to work throughout remote regions of the continent. She is passionate about transformative education, hands-on experiential, inquiry-based learning that embraces indigenous knowledge. Gina spends her free time playing in nature with her husband and two boys. 

Contact: ontario@outdoorcouncil.ca

VACANT: DIRECTOR FOR QUÉBEC

Are you interested in joining the OCC Board as Director for Québec?

Contact: vice.president@outdoorcouncil.ca

NICOLE CAMERON: DIRECTOR FOR THE MARITIMES (NB, PEI, NS, NL)

Nicole was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta where she learned to love the outdoors by hiking and climbing in the Rockies.

She has had the chance to study and work in Alberta, BC, Ontario, and Nova Scotia where now lives.

She absolutely loves the Ocean and is pursuing a Master's of Science in Marine Ecology at Saint Francis Xavier University. It is with her scientific and conservation-centered background, that she approaches her outdoor adventures and leadership. She considers a field guide an essential piece of gear and is always ready with fun nature facts to share with the group.

Contact: maritimes@outdoorcouncil.ca

NICHOLAS VIENNEAU: DIRECTOR FOR CANADA NORTH

Nicholas was born and raised in Ontario where his parents introduced him to the outdoor life style. Nicholas grew up exploring all of Ontario’s backwaters going on countless canoe trips around the province. In 2007 Nicholas moved to the Yukon to teach where he brought his love of the outdoors to the classroom. Since then Nicholas has infused experiential education into all his teaching practices. Nicholas was the acting Experiential Education Consultant for the Yukon for almost two years and really enjoys helping teachers incorporate more experiential education into their daily teaching practices. 

Contact: territories@outdoorcouncil.ca