KWIC Board of Directors

KWIC Board of Directors, January 2017

Executive

• Hermione Rivison - Chair
• Paul Sobanski - Vice Chair
• Natalie Gillis - Secretary
• Ruth Schumaker - Treasurer

Directors

• Kemi Akapo
• Katie Allen
• Wendy Hicks - Chair, Program Committee
• Indra Noyes

KWIC Director Biographies

Paul Sobanski is a retired professional engineer and project manager with thirty years of experience in the food industry, manufacturing and solar energy. He is interested in sustainable energy and sustainable development in general and has taken certificate courses in solar energy and wind power at Seneca College and is a graduate of the Sustainable Building Design and Construction program Fleming College. His interest in KWIC is driven by belief that indigenous North American nations and ignored and colonized cultures all over the world have much to teach us about how we can find a way to live sustainably on this small planet. He has lived in Peterborough for two and half years and in addition to KWIC he volunteers with B!KE and spends many hours trying to make an old home as close to net energy neutral as possible.

Kemi Akapo is currently the Outreach Coordinator at the New Canadians Centre.  She has also been Settlement Services Coordinator and Employment Coordinator at the NCC. Originally from Nigeria, Kemi has lived in many countries in West Africa, coming to Canada to pursue education and now has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and International Development Studies.  She is passionate about social justice issues, an avid feminist. She sits on the boards of the YWCA Peterborough/Haliburton as well as the Kawartha World Issues Centre, and enjoys working within the community.

Hermione Rivison is a coach and celebrant who has a passion for creativity and celebration. Her background is a melting pot of thetare work coupled with social activism and theology. She is a storyteller and runs workshops that enable people to ‘wake up’ to issues around them. She has worked in Europe, India and Africa before coming to Peterborough twelve years ago. Her first involvement with KWIC was with the One World Dinner and she has returned to the board after a few years break.

Wendy Hicks, BA (Hons), LLB, MA, PhD (ABD)
Wendy is an artist-naturalist, educator, and activist. She uses photography and mixed media to inspire people to live more sustainably, in harmony with nature and one another. Wendy teaches environmental studies, political economy, and international development studies at Trent University, where she encourages students to think critically and creatively about environmental and social justice.  As a former lawyer and policy analyst with both the federal and Ontario governments, Wendy has a comprehensive understanding of international trade and investment agreements, and their implications for environmental and social issues. Wendy has a passion for understanding and explaining the complex interactions and connections between global politics, economics, and law, particularly as they affect environmental issues.

Ruth Schumaker is an early boomer born in Peterborough and raised in Norwood, before leaving for Queen’s University. She began working in accounting in Toronto with the holding company for Tip Top Tailors. She continued taking courses and working in a variety of accounting positions in the Hamilton area,  including 13 years at a Credit Union. Since she moved back to Peterborough in 2001 to be near family, she has continued as a self-employed bookkeeper. Ruth supports efforts of several organizations to eliminate violence against women and to provide a sustainable future for people in Peterborough and everywhere.