We are pleased to welcome the following experts to our panel:

Katie Hodder - First Hand Experience

Katie Hodder is the Executive Director of the Golden Family Centre, a member of The Federation located in BC's interior region. During the 2024 wildfire season the town of Golden was under several evacuation alerts, escalated to evacuation orders for some parts of the town and surrounding area. Katie and her staff team were faced with the operational challenges of continuing to provide services for their clients while also making tough decisions as the needs of the community grew throughout this emergency situation. We are pleased to welcome Katie to this panel as she reflects on her first-hand experience of a wildfire event and shares practical learnings for other social services organizations.

Bob Gray - Fire Behaviour

Robert is an internationally recognized expert in fire ecology and management with a career spanning over 40 years in Canada, the US and overseas. With a focus on the nexus of landscape fire risk, mitigation strategies, and long-term resilience of society and the environment, Robert works collaboratively to solve the pressing fire problems affecting British Columbians.

Alexis Palmer-Fluevog - Psychological Impacts

Currently the Executive Director of the Mental Health Climate Change Alliance, Alexis brings expertise across multiple fields, including climate and health, public health, global health, social determinants of health, harm reduction, and pandemic preparedness and mitigation. Her work at the present focuses on the mental health impacts of climate change and climate change events.

Linda Thyer - Health Issues

GTEC Advisor, Linda Thyer practises family and sports medicine on traditional Coast Salish territories with a focus on youth. She is a founding member of Doctors for Planetary Health – West Coast and is an active member of various medical, environmental and community organizations. She is grateful for the many nourishing and healing gifts of Mother Earth and works toward restoring health and peace for all.

The webinar is hosted by Green Technology Education Centre Executive Director Arden Henley.