I’m Ali White, Embark’s new Executive Director. Last week I trained with Erin and got re-oriented on all things Embark! Bit of background on me – I grew up (and still live) in North Vancouver on unceded Coast Salish territory with the forest as my playground. I chose to pursue a diploma in Global Stewardship at Capilano University, followed by a SFU bachelor’s degree in International Studies, to better understand why global inequities and environmental destruction persist. I later shifted my thinking from global to local, and completed a certificate in Sustainable Community Development as well as participating in a Semester in Dialogue at Citystudio.

Prior to my new role as Executive Director, I first joined the Embark team back in 2015 as Food Projects Coordinator. I had been looking to gain hands-on sustainability experience with like-minded people on campus, and was able to explore my interest in local food systems by piloting the now bi-weekly Food Rescue program. I later transitioned into the Programs Manager role, where I experimented with a new Peer Program model, contributed to the successful referendum campaign, and supported our volunteers in building their capacity. Since then I’ve honed my operations skills in small business management, and can’t be more excited to be rejoining Embark’s growing team of changemakers. I look forward to connecting with both “old” and new faces at SFU – feel free to pop by our offices in WMC and say hi!