People
Director
Manuel Riemer
Community Psychology and Sustainability Science, Wilfrid Laurier University
Director, Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability
Director, Community, Environment and Justice Research Group
Co Directors
Bianca Dreyer - European Research Stream (VMCE)
PhD Student, Community Psychology
Member, Waterloo Region Blue Dot Movement
Randy Sa'd - Flourishing Enterprise Stream
Community Fellow
Refocus; Flourishing Enterprise Institute (FEI)
Simon Coulombe - Wellbeing Stream
Research Fellow
Assistant Professor Industrial Relations, Social Sciences, Université Laval
The Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability is supported by a strong team and diverse board providing a variety of important perspectives.
Harald Prell - General Manager for North America, Viessmann Group (Retired 2022)
VERiS would like to acknowledge and note its appreciation of Harald Prell, GM Viessmann Canada. Harald has been with Viessmann Canada for 21 years and a VERiS board member since 2014. He is a generous presence contributing time and feedback on the centre’s direction, scope and focus. Harald’s energy, drive and passion for sustainability, and how it relates to cooperative relationships between human need and long-term thriving for all, has been a great presence on the board. Harald has been a friend and champion of VERiS on the board and in the wider community. His collegial good spirit will certainly be missed. We wish him well and full enjoyment of his time with family, friends and touring out on the open road.
The following Board members have been confirmed to date.
Ann Marie Beals
Assistant Professor, Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Bala Gnanam
Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA)
Barry Colbert
Policy and Strategic Management in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University. Director, The Co-operators Centre for Business and Sustainability
Cheryl Teelucksingh
Professor and Department Chair Sociology, Toronto Metropolitan University
Ehaab D. Abdou
Assistant Professor, Department of Global Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University
Jerry Leyte
General Manager for North America, Viessmann Group
Livia Dittmer
PhD, Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Simon Coulombe
Research Fellow
Assistant Professor Industrial Relations, Social Sciences, Université Laval
Tova Davidson
Community Fellow
Executive Director, Sustainable Waterloo Region
Alison Blay-Palmer
UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity and Sustainability Studies
Director for the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Associate Professor in Geography and Environmental Studies, BSIA, Wilfrid Laurier University
Benjamin Shinewald
Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA)
Bianca Dreyer
PhD Student, Community Psychology
Member, Waterloo Region Blue Dot Movement
Harald Prell
General Manager for North America, Viessmann Group (Retired 2022)
Hazel Sutton
Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA)
Emmanuel Songsore
Laurier Office of Research Services
John Robinson
Munk School of Global Affairs and the School of Environment , University of Toronto
Special Advisor on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability to the President of University of Toronto
Julie Sperling
Mosaic artist, focus on global climate change and sustainability
Sheri Longboat
Department of Rural Planning and Development, University of Guelph
Manuel Riemer
Community Psychology and Sustainability Science, Wilfrid Laurier University
Director, Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability
Director, Community, Environment and Justice Research Group
Brittany Spadafore
Project Manager Evolv1
E. Desmarchelier
Manager Administration
Junior Fellow
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
Doctoral Students
Allison Eady
Wilfrid Laurier University
David Mather
Junior Research Fellow
Sustainability Management, University of Waterloo
Esther Abel
Social Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Gryphon Loubier
University of Waterloo
Haimanot Moges
Sustainability Management, University of Waterloo
Jennifer Dobai
Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Kai Reimer-Watts
Research Associate
Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Nicholas Palaschuk
Sustainability Management, University of Waterloo
Masters Students
Kaylagh Vanwyck
Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Smit Patel
University of Waterloo
Timon Sengewald
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
Undergraduate Students
Faith Grassa
Wilfrid Laurier University
Isabelle Schreiner
Wilfrid Laurier University
Jazlyn Salema
Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Kayla Amuge
Wilfrid Laurier University
Taylor Loucks
Wilfrid Laurier University
Postdoctoral
Stephanie Whitney
Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Waterloo
Doctoral Students
Bianca Dreyer
Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Member, Waterloo Region Blue Dot Movement Sustainability Management
Masters Students
Alicia Bevan
Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Carlos Zatarain
Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Jenna Ritch
Environmental Studies, York University
Jovan Poposki
Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, Wilfrid Laurier University
Oliver Smelt
York University
Tomomi Kawabata
Sustainability Management, University of Waterloo
Zheng Zhu
University of Waterloo
Undergraduate Students
Emily Hu
Co-Op student University of Waterloo
Jillian Zitars
Community Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Mei Jin
Co-Op student University of Waterloo
Fellows
Paul Parker, Senior Research Fellow - University of Waterloo
Felix Munger, Research Fellow - Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention
Joel Marcus, Research Fellow - York University
Peter Jones, Research Fellow - Ontario College of Art and Design University
Sean Geobey, Research Fellow - University of Waterloo
Simon Coulombe, Research Fellow - Laval University
David Mather, Junior Research Fellow - University of Waterloo
Tim Posselt, Junior Fellow - Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
Ash Dennett, Community Fellow - Sustainable Waterloo Region
Claire Bennett, Community Fellow - City of Kitchener
Randy Sa'd, Community Fellow - Refocus; Flourishing Enterprise Institute
Tova Davidson, Community Fellow - Sustainable Waterloo Region
Partners and Collaborators
Testimonials
…The work done in this project not only supports our efforts to help individual organizations reduce their impact on the environment, it has brought a fuller understanding to the community climate action work, including integration of the human element of climate change, and the braiding in of justice and equity into our carbon reduction planning.
Tova Davidson, Executive Director Sustainable Waterloo Region, VERiS Community Fellow and VERiS Board Member.
…VERiS has allowed me to further my passion in community psychology and sustainability through applied community-engaged research with diverse stakeholder groups. Most importantly, VERiS has provided me a sense of community where I can collaborate and learn with like-minded people.
Jennifer Dobai, Masters Student WLU, VERiS Research Assistant.
The deep partnership I have established with VERiS has allowed me to align credible, applied academic research with efforts to test disruptive management innovations in practice. The foundation of trust, integrity and openness that underpins our relationship has made our collaboration highly functional and effective.
Randy Sa’D – Founder & Executive Director of REFOCUS; VERiS Community Fellow and Executive Director, Flourishing Enterprise Institute.
The VERiS centre at Laurier is highly regarded in the scholarly and regional communities as a leading, credible source of high-quality research and action in sustainability. Their ‘culture of sustainability’ work at the evolv1 net-positive energy building, their fostering of the Flourishing Enterprise Institute, and their leadership on developing TEAMCA focused on municipalities are all projects that have advanced engagement in sustainability, and had a positive, real impact on people.
Dr. Barry Colbert, Associate Professor, Lazaridis School of Business & Director, The Co-operators Centre for Business & Sustainability; VERiS Board Member
….My association with VERiS has challenged me in highly useful and unforeseen ways, to go beyond my initial comfort zones as a community-based scholar-activist, and to build on existing leading research to strengthen my own scholarship and applied community research practice.
Kai Reimer-Watts, PhD Student Fellow, Graduate Research Assistant.
…It is critical for scholars and municipal policymakers to work to redress these injustices, and to use anti-racist and decolonial approaches to advance equity and social justice in the municipal planning process… I am grateful to be working with my colleagues Drs. Manuel Riemer and Cheryl Teelucksingh on our project which aims to decolonize climate change action in Kitchener by establishing partnerships with some of the City's key municipal planners, as well as Indigenous and Black organizations in the area. …
Dr. Miguel Sioui, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography WLU, VERiS Faculty Member.