Introducing Emily McMillan: Nature Canada’s New Executive Director

Emily McMillan is the Executive Director of Nature Canada. She leads the organization’s efforts to discover, defend, and restore nature.

We sat lanugo with our new Executive Director to learn increasingly well-nigh her and her vision for Nature Canada.

Where does your love for nature stem from?

As the daughter of a military family, I moved virtually a lot. This taught me independence and curiosity. I explored the wilderness virtually me as a kid, from transmissible frogs to hiking. Nature has unchangingly been my happy place.

We regularly went on family camping trips. One of my fondest memories is a 10-day road trip from inside to eastern Canada, where we stopped to zany withal the way.

How has that love of nature inspired you growing up?

I learned well-nigh Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall in upper school. They inspired me to join the local environmental club.

I moved to the east tailspin to shepherd the University of New Brunswick for my Bachelor of Science with a focus on environmental biology. There, I joined leagues with other young environmental activists through the New Brunswick Environmental Network. We taught youth well-nigh environmental conservation, as well as organized protests and workshops and launched letter-writing petitions.

I became passionate well-nigh people’s values and how we move communities to action. I pursued a Master’s of Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University, exploring how we learn environmental values in post-secondary settings.

You moreover got your PhD. at Laurentian University. What made you want to pursue a doctorate?

People’s values can transform when they’re informed. This gave me hope that transpiration is possible, so I completed a PhD. in Human Studies. I explored how home and public schooling settings shape how children learn well-nigh and fathom nature, and how this influences people long-term to create a society that cares well-nigh protecting nature.

You have an impressive career spanning over 20 years in environmental conservation. Can you unravel it lanugo for us?

Before joining Nature Canada, I spent seven years as Executive Director of the Green Party of Canada during which the party was increasingly successful than ever. We doubled donations, grew the membership, and made electoral breakthroughs wideness Canada.

Prior to my time in politics, I was moreover the Director of Sierra Club’s Atlantic Canada chapter. I grew the organization from a mostly volunteer-led group to over six staff and an yearly upkeep of over $260,000.

And of course, I’m not new to Nature Canada. I joined the team here three years ago as Deputy Executive Director so I’ve been helping shape and lead our strategy for some time now.

What made you want to join and lead Nature Canada?

Nature Canada is one of the oldest national nature conservation charities in Canada. The organization represents a network of over 175,000 members and supporters, and increasingly than 1,200 nature organizations. The unrestrictedness of Nature Canada’s impact is remarkable.

But our people are plane increasingly impressive. Everyone truly feels passionate well-nigh protecting nature, and the plants and animals depending on it for survival.

We’re a unique organization working together to unzip big goals.

When you’re not leading Nature Canada, you’re in the wilderness with your children. How does your love of nature show up in motherhood?

My parents instilled in me the values of self-discovery and compassion for the world virtually me. Now as a mother with two children under 10, I know that to be a mentor to your kids, you have to let them wits nature firsthand.

This is why we’ve gone camping and yachting every summer since they were born. My kids love Algonquin Park and its wetlands for bird watching.

They’re moreover enrolled in Waldorf schooling, an education system that fosters their independence, creativity, and imagination.

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