Philippa (“Pippa”) comes to the Mitigating Wildfire team after working in administration and governance roles in postsecondary, arts, and agriculture sectors. 

She is excited and humbled by the opportunity to bring her experience in organizational governance, financial oversight, policy development, and project management to this initiative, with such a wonderful team; and to be able to work in a dialogue space that is so personally meaningful for her. Having grown up in a region of rural BC frequently impacted by wildfire, Pippa appreciates the opportunity to support collaboration and problem-solving that will improve our ability to respond to this challenge.

Pippa completed a BA Honours at Queen’s University in Film and Sociology and a BDesign at Emily Carr University in Industrial Design. She worked in documentary filmmaking for a few years before becoming a business manager for organic farms on the coast and in the southern interior of BC. For the past ten years, she has worked in a variety of administrative roles in postsecondary, most recently as the University Secretary for Emily Carr University, where she worked with the Board of Governors and Senate. 

When she’s not at work, Pippa loves to spend time outdoors, playing basketball or tennis, exploring local parks, or growing food. But, it’s just as likely that she can be found curled up with a book on art and design or watching almost any film on offer. 

pmennell@sfu.ca