Jennifer Atkinson - Director, Marine Program
A graduate of Connecticut College and Cornell Law School, Jennifer first worked for QLF as an intern with the International Program in the mid 1980s. Her experiences with QLF led her to Newfoundland for several years, where she began her career in marine conservation. After returning to the U.S. she became immersed in ocean policy as a Staff Attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation's Maine office. Following a role as a private consultant in marine policy, in 2004 Jennifer joined the staff of QLF to direct the Marine Program.
Working from her field office in Friendship, Maine, Jennifer feels especially fortunate to be able to focus her energies on the marine area right outside her window in Muscongus Bay.
Adrienne Blattel - Associate Director, Northern Gulf Culture and Heritage Program
With a deep interest in cultural heritage and environment, Adrienne first came to QLF in 2001 as an intern in Conche, Newfoundland working to prepare an exhibit focused on the history of the French cod fishery in the area. Originally hailing from Ottawa, Adrienne has an undergraduate degree in Arts and Science from McMaster University in Hamilton, a Geography diploma from the Université de Savoie in Chambéry in the French Alps, and a Master in Environmental Studies and Heritage Interpretation from York University in Toronto.
Adrienne has worked out of QLF’s Montreal headquarters since 2002 where she serves as Office Manager and Associate Director of QLF’s Northern Gulf Culture and Heritage Programs. From developing heritage interpretation in Northern Newfoundland or along Quebec’s little-known Lower North Shore to facilitating river conservation initiatives closer to home, Adrienne enjoys meeting exceptional people and discovering new places through her work at QLF.
The Rev. Dr. Patricia Peacock Bryan - Director, Scholarship Program
Trish came to QLF in 2001 to aid her husband, Bob Bryan, in his work in Aviation and Ministry. Today, Trish continues that work and serves as Director of QLF's Scholarship Program. Trish has her Master's in Literature and a Ph.D in Religion . For many years, following her ordination in 1985, Trish has served as a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. Trish has been both an educator and chaplain at Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Quebec. Like Bob, Trish has a passion for flying. She has her Canadian's private pilot's license, American private pilot's license, and floatplane rating. Trish is also Chaplain Emerita at Bishop’s College School and Priest-in-Charge of St. Peter's Anglican Church in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and taking services there when she is able. Trish and Bob make their home in Bulwer, Quebec.
Candace Cochrane - Director Northern Gulf Culture and Heritage Program
Candace has been involved with QLF since 1967 when she first served as a summer volunteer in Newfoundland. Since those days, she has worked in community development and education in northern Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Quebec Lower North Shore. For the last 8 years Candace has been involved with community-based heritage tourism and preservation programs in the Northern Gulf area.
Candace holds an Ed.D.from Harvard University where she focused her research on aboriginal perspectives of teaching and learning history. For the past several years she has been working with Inuit and Innu communities on projects using historical photographs of northern Labrador as both a window to times past and a mirror for discussion about cultural change.
Candace’s classic portrait of a Newfoundland community, Outport, first published in 1981 returned to print in the summer 2008. Candace lives in both Essex County, Massachusetts and Conche, Newfoundland, where she spends her summers.
Christine Diguer - Coordinator, Montreal Office
Christine first joined QLF in May 2002 as an intern assisting with a Lower North Shore Tourism Development Plan. Coming to QLF with a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism and Hotel Management from the University of Québec in Montreal, Christine completed a 12-week internship in the Labrador Straits to help develop and promote tourism in the region. Since then, she worked as a Project Coordinator in the QLF Montreal office. Christine manages a number of different heritage tourism projects , environmental education programs, the Canadian Leadership Program and aids in the administration of the Montreal office. She makes her home in Verchères, Quebec.
Stephen Engle - Director, Community Mapping
Stephen Engle directs the Center for Community GIS (Geographic Information Systems), QLF’s dedicated mapping support program based in western Maine. Working with QLF since 2000, Stephen has had over 13 years experience as a GIS Specialist working both in the Atlantic Region and internationally. Stephen earned a B.A. in Geography and Environmental Studies from Middlebury College in 1995. In 1999, he traveled to New Zealand on a scholarship from Rotary International where he completed a Masters degree in Development Studies from Victoria University of Wellington.
Currently, Stephen’s work focuses on the operations and management of the Center for Community GIS. Stephen especially enjoys the opportunities to develop and lead trainings that focus on the use of Participatory GIS for landscape values assessment, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for local area inventories, and Community Mapping approaches for engaging local youth in service learning projects. Stephen makes his home in Maine.
Serena Etheridge - Director, Traditional Skills Network
With a background in economic development and an Honors Bachelor of Administration from Memorial University, Newfoundland, Serena Etheridge has been part of the QLF team since 2001. Through her work as Director of QLF’s Traditional Skills Network, Serena works with community partners, businesses and residents in Newfoundland, Labrador and along the Quebec Lower North Shore, to help preserve and promote valued aspects of local culture. This work enables her to bring generations together through employment opportunities, craft demonstrations, workshops, school activities and community events in attempt to preserve knowledge of local traditions and skills, and to then share that knowledge with the rest of the world through heritage tourism initiatives.
Serena also works on various other tourism and heritage related projects throughout the Quebec and Labrador region. Together, these experiences allow Serena to work with others for the betterment of the region, and provide her with an opportunity to see meaningful development in an area that she both works and lives. Serena and her family make their home in L’anse au Clair, Labrador.
Sophia Foley- Marine Species at Risk & CoastFest Coordinator 
From the humble beginnings of an intern in the summer of 2007, Sophia stayed on to work in Blanc Sablon as staff on the Marine Species at Risk Project for the Lower North Shore Field Desk. She lives at the QLF residence where she wakes up to the gentle sounds of the ocean every morning, and spectacular views of the flora and fauna of the Coast.
Sophia holds a BSc in Wildlife Biology from the Department of Environmental Sciences at McGill University. During her undergrad, Sophia participated in study abroad program in Kenya and Uganda, studying the rich diversity of wildlife and cultures that only East Africa can offer. Through her studies, she spent two summers researching marine mammal behaviors at the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve in Newfoundland. Her first career position was as the biologist for the McGill Urban Wildlife Information Service. Following this, Sophia pursued a Masters of Marine Management at Dalhousie University, specializing in Community Based Conservation Management (through marine mammal tourism) in the Bay of Fundy. She is also fortunate to work part-time on the CoastFest 2008 initiative organized in part by QLF where her joint passion for marine management and sustainable tourism is allowed to shine.
Simone Hélène Hanchet - Coordinator, Interns and Volunteers
Simone Hanchet has been with the QLF team since 2004 when she first served as an intern on a Heritage Rivers initiative. With an undergraduate degree from McGill University’s School of Environment, Simone is currently conducting her Masters' thesis research on Canadian environmental education policy at Concordia University.
As QLF’s Leadership Program Coordinator, Simone enjoys helping interns and volunteers to develop skills, knowledge, and perspectives relevant to community-based conservation work. She also coordinates Kilojoue, an education program focused on energy conservation. Through these roles and her involvement in other QLF projects, Simone pursues her special interests in communications, public policy, environmental education, and freshwater conservation taking great interest in working cross-culturally and with people of all ages and backgrounds.
Patricia (Trish) Nash - Director, Biodiversity Conservation
Trish first worked with QLF as an intern in the late 1980’s. Her career as a biologist then led her across Canada from the Northwest Territories to southern Ontario. Trish has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Zoology from the University of Guelph and has done graduate work in Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo.
Six years ago Trish returned to QLF as the Senior Biologist based in Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon on the remote lower north shore of Quebec. Trish is responsible for managing QLF’s Biodiversity Conservation program which encompasses a wide range of community-based projects including marine animal monitoring, seabird conservation, climate change education and sustainable fisheries management. Her favorite times at QLF are those spent on the wharf, on a fishing boat or in a trapper’s shed learning from local people about the natural environment.