Michele Wall, Chair
Raised on a self-sufficient cattle ranch in the Interior of British Columbia, Michele is a third-generation steward of the land. Her upbringing, rooted in large-scale vegetable gardening and food production, fostered a deep appreciation for sustainable growing practices and community resilience.
Michele believes strongly in the power of education to enrich lives and communities. She is proud to support an organization that delivers education, hands-on skills, healthy growing practices, and access to food throughout the Columbia Valley.
Melanie Ferster, Secretary
Melanie is a Clinical Counsellor and Social Worker who believes that a personal connection with nature is crucial to our mental health and well-being! She loves to garden, bake, and ice skate and dreams about having chickens roam her lawn one day.
Karin Ogilvie, Treasurer
A former hospitality executive and current instructor with the College of the Rockies, Karin is passionate about food, wine, service, and lifelong learning. An outdoor enthusiast and devoted dog lover, she believes the best moments happen when all of these come together—preferably at the same time.
Deborah Griffith, Partnership Director
Deborah started out as an Ontario flat lander turned BC mountain woman, grandmother, artist, writer, traveler, skier, climber, hiker.
She worked as a RN in Ontario, then for Parks Canada in Yoho and Kootenay National Parks in Communications. She became a Board member for Friends of Kootenay, Wings Over the Rockies, Columbia Valley Botanical Garden and the Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network. helping start the Wild Voices for Kids program.
As a gardener for 60 years, she is currently interested in creating connections to nature through gardening and supporting food sustainability.
Bert Boulet, Operations Director
Bert is a qualified Chartered Accountant, having carved a long career working with entrepreneurs in tax planning and consulting as well as mergers and acquisitions. Until the plan to retire came to fruition, Bert had his accounting practice in Calgary with a staff of 15 before selling up and moving to the Valley. In his younger years he did spend a lot of time working on some of the farms in southern Manitoba helping out his family. Always happy to help, Bert is an avid gardener and carpenter, so his interests, hobbies and skill set are perfectly aligned to the values, goals and objectives of Groundswell! Bert can also often be found out on the golf course attempting to improve his game and pottering around on his acreage making preparations for managing operations of building his long-awaited workshop and dream home.
Sylvia O’Connor, Communications and Marketing Director
Sylvia grew up on the West Coast where she learned gardening from her family at a young age. She has enjoyed the challenge of adapting that knowledge to the climate of the Columbia Valley where her focus is on growing vegetables for her husband to use in his cooking. The Columbia Valley has been home for her since 2017 where she enjoys skiing, biking, hiking and more.
Elena Haines, Community Gardens Director
Elena is a leader in invasive species management for Kootenay, Yoho, and Lake Louise National Parks, working to protect native ecosystems and promote long‑term ecological health. A passionate gardener and native plant lover, she is deeply committed to biodiversity both in protected landscapes and at home.