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The Definity Foundation Grant Announcement

We are excited to share that The Resilience Institute has received a new grant from the Definity Foundation to advance climate solutions that support thriving, resilient rural and Indigenous communities, primarily in Alberta and across Canada.   This funding will also help our team to strategize on what being relevant means in new contexts, strengthen our […]

The Water Knows My Name: Conversations with Indigenous Women

Indigenous women are considered to have a sacred relationship with water among many North American Indigenous communities, serving as stewards and protectors of lakes, rivers, and estuaries.  At the same time, bodies of water are threatened by compounding climate impacts, biodiversity loss, and resource extraction. These challenges affect access to clean drinking water and impact […]

Celebrating Voices from Jasper at the CRHNet Symposium

The TRI team is proud to be presenting at the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network (CRHNet) Symposium, next Thursday, May 14.  In our session, Voices from Jasper: Mobilizing Community Agency in a Changing Climate, co-presenters Brooklyn Rushton, Voices from Jasper Program Lead, and Paulette Dubé, Jasper resident, author, and program participant, will reflect on how story-based approaches supported community […]

A Community of Practice Towards the Global Goal on Adaptation

COP30 participants walking down a brightly-lit hallway, one person wearing a traditional Amazonian feathered headdress.

We are pleased to offer this reflective piece by Dr. Animesh Kumar, Head, UNDRR Office in Bonn, who served on the UNFCCC Expert Group for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) along with TRI’s president / CEO.   Expert group members, Drs Animesh Kumar, UNDRR and Timo Leiter, London School of Economics and Political Science at […]

The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

A girl smiling and holding a baby goat.

We are inspired by the work of our board member, Igshaan Samuels from South Africa who is the Co-Chair of the newly launched 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) Global Alliance. Igshaan Samuels IYRP2026 provides a unique opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of rangelands and pastoralists, advocating for increased responsible investment and […]

Mountains at COP30 and beyond

Pink fireweed flowers growing in the mountains.

During COP30, the Mountain Partnership put forward a proposal to hold an Annual Dialogue on Mountains and Climate Change, which was well received by the Parties and will be further discussed next summer.  What is the Mountain Partnership? This United Nations alliance, which includes The Resilience Institute as a partner, is dedicated to improving the […]

How we make knowledge accessible

Two bison in a prairie landscape.

Our online courses continue to play an important role in making high-quality, practical knowledge more accessible, and the recent offering of Bison and Climate Change: Care, Connection, and Good Practices is an example of that mission in action. Learners have described the course as “richly informative, contextualizing, and practical advice for anyone looking to take […]

What does resilience mean for Atlantic Canada?

The sun rising over the ocean, with a rocky shoreline in the foreground.

Southwestern Newfoundland’s climate is changing, and communities across the region are already feeling the effects. Through the Roots for Resilience program, The Resilience Institute and the Canadian Red Cross are working with communities to better understand these changes and efforts to build resilience.   As part of this work, we are creating the Signs of Change in […]

Jill Decker

Controller

Jill brings 20 years of experience in financial reporting, assurance, and compliance, with a strong specialization in the not-for-profit sector.  She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Saskatchewan (2005) and a CPA (CA) designation, earned in 2010. Jill’s background in public practice has provided her with the opportunity to work with a variety of not-for-profit organizations in Alberta, as well as the joy of serving Canada’s Arctic over the past decade, supporting organizations in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. 

Cassidy Grimes

Climate Analyst & Coordinator

Cassidy holds a Master’s degree in Climate Change from the University of Waterloo, where she studied topics such as climate science, climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, and community planning for climate change. Cassidy is passionate about supporting communities in preparing for and adapting to climate change through education, community engagement, and applied research. Her work focuses on fostering climate resilience by connecting scientific knowledge with local experiences and community-driven solutions.

Laura Stewart

Board Member

Laura Stewart is the Community Wildfire Resilience Coordinator with Forsite Fire, supporting communities across Canada with wildfire risk assessments, mitigation planning, and program delivery. She has more than a decade of experience advancing wildfire resilience at Indigenous, municipal, provincial/territorial, and national levels. Previously, Laura served nearly eleven years as Alberta’s Provincial FireSmart Specialist, leading community, WUI, neighbourhood, and Home Ignition Zone programs, coordinating funding, and partnering with communities and fire services across the province. She has also served as Board Chair with both the Partners in Protection Association (FireSmart Canada) and the Community Wildfire Resilience Association of Alberta.

 

Sara Walsh, PhD

Board Member

Sara Walsh, PhD, is a disaster risk reduction and climate resilience specialist with more than 15 years of experience spanning Canada, Nepal, the Middle East, and North Africa. Until November 2025, she served as Thematic Lead for Climate and Resilience with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), where she supported Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to strengthen their climate and risk reduction work across the region. Saracurrently works as a freelance consultant with the United Nations, governments, and humanitarian organizations on recovery, risk governance, and community-based resilience. Sara teaches at a Canadian university and holds a PhD in Disaster Risk Reduction. Her work emphasizes anticipatory action, equity, and bridging research with practice to shape more resilient and sustainable futures.

Alison Criscitiello

Board Member

Alison Criscitiello, PhD, is an ice core scientist and high-altitude mountaineer who explores the history of climate and sea ice in polar and high-alpine regions using ice core chemistry. Alison’s work also focuses on environmental contaminant histories in ice cores from the Canadian high Arctic and the water towers of the Canadian Rockies. In 2010, she led the first all-women’s ascent of Lingsarmo, a 22,818-foot peak in the Indian Himalaya. Alison has earned three American Alpine Club (AAC) climbing awards, the John Lauchlan and Mugs Stump alpine climbing awards, as well as the first Ph.D. in Glaciology ever conferred by MIT. She is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Canadian Ice Core Lab at the University of Alberta. She is the co-founder of Girls on Ice Canada.