BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dana Krechowicz
Chair
Dana Krechowicz is a sustainability professional with an extensive background in finance, sustainable business and public policy. She currently works as a sustainability and climate change consultant at a leading global accounting and advisory firm. She has worked in provincial government in climate change policy, for two leading environmental think tanks, and in the responsible investment sector.
Ravi de Costa
Vice Chair
Ravi de Costa was born in Dublin, Ireland and lived in England, Papua New Guinea and Australia before moving to Canada. He teaches and researches about the relationships between Indigenous and settler societies and has worked at McMaster University and Trent University. Currently he works in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University and teaches in its Las Nubes experiential education program in Costa Rica.
Alice Madolciu
Treasurer
Alice Madolciu is a Chartered Professional Accountant and graduate of the University of Waterloo. She practices domestic and international tax as a Manager at Crowe Soberman LLP, one of Toronto’s premier chartered accounting firms. Alice also serves as the Treasurer of GreenPAC, a national non-partisan organization that is striving to keep the environment in the forefront on Parliament Hill.
Alice also serves as the Treasurer of GreenPAC, a national non-partisan organization that is striving to keep the environment in the forefront on Parliament Hill by recruiting, nominating, electing, and supporting environmental leaders across the political spectrum.
Alice is passionate about the environment and a strong advocate of environmental education to reach all audiences. She has volunteered for several Toronto based organizations with an environmental education focus for creating change through film or community engagement, and is a firm believer of the importance of change in public policy to achieve environmental goals.”
Daniela Ponce
Secretary
Daniela Ponce is a communications professional with seven years of experience in film PR. During this time, she has spearheaded media and community relations campaigns for various film festivals and film programmes, as well as the theatrical and broadcast release campaigns of over 60 films, many of them issue-based documentaries. Daniela worked as the PiF Festival Publicist in 2016 and 2017.
Daniela Ponce
Daniela Ponce is a communications professional with seven years of experience in film PR. During this time, she has spearheaded media and community relations campaigns for various film festivals and film programmes, as well as the theatrical and broadcast release campaigns of over 60 films, many of them issue-based documentaries. While working on these projects, Daniela has not only learned about the importance of securing thoughtful media coverage for important causes, but also has come to understand how impactful compelling storytelling can be. Daniela worked at PiF as the Festival Publicist in 2016 and 2017. She fell in love with the Festival over those two years, and while she is now working full-time elsewhere, she is very happy to continue to be involved in Canada’s largest environmental film festival!
Caroline Underwood
Director
Caroline Underwood is an Executive Producer and a Wildlife & Science Documentary Consultant. From 2008-2015 she was Senior Producer/Commissioning Editor for The Nature of Things, the CBC’s flagship science series. Recent series include The Wild Canadian Year, Equus: The Story of the Horse, Wild Canada and The Great Human Odyssey. She has been involved with Planet in Focus for more than 17 years.
Caroline Underwood
Caroline Underwood is an Executive Producer and a Wildlife & Science Documentary Consultant. From 2008-2015 she was Senior Producer/Commissioning Editor for The Nature of Things, the CBC’s flagship science series. Recent series include The Wild Canadian Year, Equus: The Story of the Horse, Wild Canada and The Great Human Odyssey. She has been involved with Planet in Focus for more than 17 years.
She has produced, directed and written more than twenty-five of her own award-winning documentaries for The Nature of Things and independent production companies. The focus of her work has been the natural world and she has travelled to many remote locations, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, to reveal the beauty, complexity and the threats facing some of the planet’s last great wildernesses and their inhabitants. She has had countless extraordinary wildlife experiences: from standing among half a million caribou, to camping on the tundra where wolves walked past her tent, to unexpected encounters with a grizzly bears in the remote rainforests of British Columbia. No stranger to debate, she has explored many contentious subjects over the years – the use of animals in medical research, wolf management and climate change. She is a founding member and past president of the international organization Filmmakers for Conservation.
Isabella Cattelan
Director
Isabella provides strategic financial services and active management to mid-market companies, including mergers and acquisitions CFO services. She has over 16 years’ experience at the executive level with various mid market companies including the Globe and Mail. Isabella has developed a passion for sustainability, and believes economic growth and strong business performance aligns with planetary prosperity.
Isabella Cattelan provides strategic financial services and active management to mid-market companies, including mergers and acquisitions CFO services.
Isabella has over 16 years’ experience at the executive level and has held the positions of CFO, COO, and SVP Group Services with various mid market companies including the Globe and Mail.
As an executive and business advisor, Isabella has extensive experience in corporate strategy development and aligning financial strategies and plans to achieve profitability and sustainability objectives. Isabella has a proven ability to be a catalyst for change leading to significant improvements in business performance.
Isabella has travelled to over 40 countries, exploring the planet by foot, canoe, kayak, bicycle and on horseback. She has developed a passion for environmental sustainability, and believes economic growth and strong business performance aligns with planetary prosperity. Isabella has been personally trained by former US Vice President Al Gore and the Climate Reality Project to serve as a volunteer Climate Reality Leader.
Anne Wordsworth
Director
Anne Wordsworth has worked extensively in the fields of environment and health. In association with the Canadian Environmental Law Association and as an environmental consultant, she has written major law and policy reports on chemicals, environmental health, toxics use reduction, water issues, indoor air pollutants and international comparisons of laws.
Anne Wordsworth
Anne Wordsworth has worked extensively in the fields of environment and health. In association with the Canadian Environmental Law Association and as an environmental consultant, she has written major law and policy reports on chemicals, environmental health, toxics use reduction, water issues, indoor air pollutants and international comparisons of laws. She has also been the Executive Assistant and a Senior Policy Advisor for two Ontario Ministers of Environment and Energy. Her media and communications experience includes production and research for three CBC national television shows: Market Place, Man Alive and The Health Show. Her most recent production is a public education video called “Lead-Stick Beware”, which won the US-based Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ “Kiss Lead Goobdbye” contest. She is currently doing her Masters in Environmental Studies at York University.