Our People

scott.millar@nswa.ab.ca

825-901-7676, ext 1

Scott Millar is a collaborative engagement expert with experience in natural resource management, aquatic biology, and regulatory design, having worked in private consulting and the provincial government. Trained as an aquatic biologist, Scott has worked across north-western Canada and the United States on projects ranging from multi-year threatened white sturgeon inventories to multi-stakeholder consensus water management projects. his passionate about creating truly collaborative and inclusive conversations that can transform decision-making, build trusting relationships, and create meaningful solutions for complex problems.

maryellen.shain@nswa.ab.ca 

825-901-7676, ext 2

Mary Ellen Shain has been with the NSWA since 2014. She currently leads NSWA’s key strategic projects and provides guidance to junior staff. Mary Ellen spearheaded the NSWA’s Riparian Health Action Plan, a comprehensive framework to improve riparian health through increasing data, policy tools and targeted outreach. She’s also leading the NSWA’s embarkment into natural asset management. As an intermediate coordinator, she initiated the creation of the Headwaters Alliance, which is an inter-municipal watershed partnership. Mary Ellen holds a M.Sc. in Integrated Water Resource Management from McGill University.

michelle.gordy@nswa.ab.ca

825-901-7676, ext 3

Dr. Michelle Gordy has been with NSWA since 2018 and currently works remotely from Windsor, Ontario. As Watershed Science Director, she uses her strong, scientific background and experience to lead basin-wide projects and partnerships that work to improve the health of the North Saskatchewan River watershed. Michelle is currently completing the State of the Watershed assessment, a comprehensive project which utilizes the Freshwater Health Index to form a holistic picture of the basin's health using various indicators. She has a strong desire to close knowledge gaps and put science into action, recognizing that collaboration is a key component to driving change for a healthier watershed.

kelsie.norton@nswa.ab.ca

825-901-7676, ext 4

Kelsie is rooted on a small acreage near Lac Ste. Anne Lake and has been with NSWA since 2022. She has a deep passion for supporting local stewardship initiatives, Kelsie initiated the Regional Lakes Stewardship project, bolstering local collaboration through education projects, environmental guidance, and hands-on planting events. She brings her expertise and enthusiasm to a variety of projects, coordinating the Sturgeon River Watershed Alliance, and assisting facilitation of the Lake Stewardship Community of Practice, and other workshops.  

erin.wassing@nswa.ab.ca

Erin started at NSWA in spring 2025, and brings her diverse educational and professional background to her new role. She currently coordinates the Vermilion River Watershed Alliance, one of NSWA's three municipally supported stewardship groups. Erin is focused on increasing the sustainability of our built environment, and forging connections between individuals, communities, and corporations. She has led initiatives relating to indigenous consultation, contaminated sites, environmental assessments, and has completed environmental projects in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut.

jillian.peterson@nswa.ab.ca

825-901-7676, ext 5

Jillian Peterson has worked with the NSWA since 2020. She co-leads the Youth Water Council program, an initiative that empowers young people to take an active role in the protection of their local environment. Coordinating the organization’s communications, she shares watershed science and engagement opportunities through the monthly Instream Newsletter, Watershed Wednesday Webinars, social media, outreach events and various project support. Educated in Environmental Sciences and professional communication, she is passionate about environmental education and grassroots stewardship.

kaila.belovich@nswa.ab.ca

825-901-7676, ext 6

Kaila has been with NSWA since 2022. She co-leads the Youth Water Council program, an initiative that empowers young people to tale an active role in the protection of their local environment. She led NSWA's role in the film, A River Runs Through It: The Story of the North Saskatchewan River. As a producer, she guided the project's planning process, and connected the videography team to multiple stakeholder groups, granting real people the opportunity to share their stories of the river and watershed. Her background in environmental science allows her to excel in her position, supporting environmental education, outreach and various projects.

lauren.comba@nswa.ab.ca

Lauren has been with NSWA since 2024, supporting a breadth of engagement and outreach initiatives. She leads the Urban Creeks Collaborative and facilitates the Youth Water Council program. Lauren is passionate about the environmental history of Western Canada, and how our changing relationship to these lands and waters has shaped the watershed we know and study today. Lauren is interested in finding creative ways to teach others about the watershed, and find opportunities for collaborative, community-based management. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Native Studies and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Alberta.

Caitlin has worked at NSWA as a Summer Field Technician over two summers. Traveling throughout the watershed, she supports eDNA monitoring, invasive species surveys, and outreach initiatives. Additionally, she has engaged First Nation communities and organizations through collaborative monitoring projects. She loves learning about the aquatic life that call our watershed home and is always happy to share her passion for local ecology! Caitlin is currently enrolled in the combined Native Studies and Environmental Sciences program at the University of Alberta and looks forward to applying her field experience to future academic work.