Our Team

Niagara College Sustainability Our Team

Taryn Wilkinson

Manager, Sustainability

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Taryn holds a Master of Environment and Business from the University of Waterloo, a Bachelor of Arts in Tourism and Environment from Brock University, and a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management and Assessment from Niagara College. Taryn is currently the Manager, Sustainability for Niagara College Canada, where she oversees the College’s Office of Sustainability and provides leadership in developing short- and long-term sustainability projects and initiatives to improve operations, services, and academic programs to minimize operating costs, affect greater utilization of resources to reduce overall negative environmental impacts, and increase education and engagement around sustainability issues. In order to continue to build momentum for sustainability on and off campus, Taryn lead the development of the College’s first ever sustainability strategic plan. Taryn also teaches part-time at Niagara College Canada in the School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies. Not only does Taryn work on finding sustainability solutions in her community, but she also contributes on an international scale through the Global partnerships working on projects across the world in countries like Colombia, St. Lucia, and Bhutan, as well as her work past work with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in High Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Ranking System steering committee, and Leading Change Canada.
Nicolette Nastopoulos

Sustainability Operations and Reporting Coordinator

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Nicolette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management and Assessment from Niagara College. She joins our team as the new Sustainability Operations and Reporting Coordinator.

She began her career as a Waste Management Intern at the Niagara Region and from there accepted a position with the City of Regina in Saskatchewan. During this time, she worked to develop and maintain municipal waste diversion programs and services, with a focus on operational activities, contact management, and reporting. One of her biggest projects was coordinating the implementation of a multi-stream waste sorting system at all city-owned facilities to support City waste diversion goals. Most recently Nicolette returned to Niagara Region where she was responsible for ensuring compliance with waste collection contracts and municipal bylaws for residential, industrial, institutional, and commercial sectors.

She is excited to share her knowledge in waste management and support sustainability initiatives at Niagara College!
Katie Bristow

Sustainability Program and Outreach Coordinator

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Katie is the Sustainability Program and Outreach Coordinator and leads student engagement, community engagement and the biodiversity and environmental monitoring at the Office of Sustainability. Katie is two-time graduate of Niagara College, with an Environmental Field and Lab Technician Diploma and Environmental Management and Assessment Postgraduate certificate programs, as well as a BSc. in Biology from the University of Guelph.

Her previous experience includes working at Carbonzero, where Katie supported the completion of Greenhouse Gas inventories, and helped clients develop effective strategies for collecting inventory data. She also supported the development of Carbonzero’s client reports. She was most recently at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority as a Restoration Technician working with landowners and community members in restoration of recently created wetlands.

In her spare time, Katie enjoys volunteering for various environmental organizations such as Birds Canada, Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative, and Trout Unlimited. She is the Vice President of the Niagara Falls Nature Club and is on the Streetscape and Sustainability committee for the St. Catharines downtown association and sits on the Sustainability Reporting Group for the 2022 Canada Games.
Mae Lannan

Energy Analyst

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Nichita Gongescu

Sustainability Technician

Student (Environmental Technician)

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Nichita is a student completing his first year in the Environmental Technician program. Nichita is working towards improving his flora and fauna ID skills along with previous education in philosophy & commerce hopes to have impact in the environmental field. An enthusiastic communicator, avid canoeist and backcountry explorer he appreciates the hands on, take initiative approach of sustainability at Niagara College and strives to be a positive addition to the team this summer.
Brooke Porter

Sustainability Technician

Student (Environmental Technician)

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My name is Brooke Porter and I am an Environmental Technician student at Niagara College. I absolutely love all things plant related. I have an ever-growing houseplant collection and have a keen interest in gardening with native plants to benefit the local ecosystem. Being outside in nature has had a very positive impact on my mental health and I love seeing how nature changes throughout the seasons. My other hobbies include hiking, reading, singing, and playing the piano. At NC Sustainability, I am most looking forward to learning about how to protect species at risk and how to manage invasive species.
Colleen Dent

Sustainability Technician

Student (Environmental Technician)

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Hi! My name is Colleen Dent, and I am an Environmental Technician student at Niagara College. I enjoy being outside, observing nature, and have a great interest in animals. With a background in biotechnology, I am excited to explore environmental science and transition from benchwork to fieldwork.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, drawing, and spending time with my pets. Through NC Sustainability, I hope to learn how to identify and protect species at risk. I am also looking forward to engaging in biodiversity monitoring and expanding my knowledge of sustainable practices.
Delainey Stevenson

Sustainability Technician

Student (Environmental Technician)

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My name is Delainey Stevenson and I’m an Environmental Technician student at Niagara College. I’ve always been very enthusiastic about learning everything nature related, ranging from the different types of plants to the different ways to do animal surveying. I once dreamed of being a wildlife rehabilitator which showcases my passion around wildlife health. In my free time I enjoy going on hikes and looking for animal bones to then clean and put on my shelves; I believe in appreciating the entire lifespan of an animal. With NC Sustainability, I’m looking forward to furthering my knowledge of animal surveying and environmental impacts to help improve our ecosystems as well as developing my flora and fauna ID skills.

Location

The Office of Sustainability is located at E104 at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-lake.