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Our Team

Our team at Tides combines a wealth of expertise and experience in the environmental
social, and corporate sectors, grants and program management, and strategic philanthropy.

Leadership

Ross McMillan - President & CEO

Ross became President of Tides in September 2007 and was also appointed CEO in July 2008.

He provides over all strategic direction for Tides, and identifies opportunities to bring philanthropy, civil society, business and government together in pursuit of positive social change.

Ross has worked with Tides since 2001, leading projects and managing key relationships with the Canadian environmental community and consortiums of donors, institutional partners, and international philanthropic foundations. He was a principal architect of the Great Bear Rainforest project - one of the most significant conservation programs in North American history, and also led the process to designate Clayoquot Sound as British Columbia’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and establish the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust.

With over 25 years in the not-for-profit, public, and private sectors he has extensive experience managing teams, boards, organizations and coalitions to achieve success in complex circumstances.

Sarah Goodman - Vice President, Business Development and Services

Sarah provides strategic and business development leadership for Tides Canada, with specific accountability for client services, project development and oversight, programs and grant-making, communications, and fundraising.

She joined Tides in April 2009 from Teck Cominco where she led the company’s corporate affairs activities.  Before joining Teck, Sarah spent eight years with Weyerhaeuser where she was Vice President of Government and Public Affairs and then Vice President of Transactions in the company’s acquisitions and divestitures group.

She brings to her role a depth of experience in board work and volunteerism.  She is currently on the board of TransLink, the transportation authority for the Vancouver region. She is also Vice Chair of the Coast Mental Health Foundation and a trustee of the Jack Webster Foundation. She is a past board member of Iisaak Forest Resources, a First Nations’ led, FSC-certified forest-services company based in Clayoquot Sound.  She holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Warwick in England.

Lesley Anderson - Director of Programs

Lesley is one of the founding staff of Tides Canada. She provides programmatic expertise on environmental and social justice initiatives and oversees the prioritization of programs and projects.  She has more than 20 years’ experience leading social justice and community economic development programs including the grants and loans portfolio at VanCity Community Foundation, international education and advocacy projects of the YWCA, and refugee and immigrant settlement programs at Vancouver’s MOSAIC and Immigrant Services Society. She has been a consultant on adult education, most specifically in employment and enterprise development programming and has served on the Board of Directors of leading community organizations.

Alan Wong - CFO

Alan is a Chartered Accountant with a solid background in executive and senior management positions in VanCity Savings Credit Union, Citizens Bank of Canada, and other financial institutions.  He has more than 23 years’ experience working for customer focused organizations in the areas of finance, operations, customer service, risk management, information systems, human resources, and strategic planning.  Alan was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Tides in October 2008.