Karen McAllister
Executive Director
Laurie McConnell
Dir. of Community & Systems, Wolf Campaigner
Darryl Whetung
Post Production Manager
Natasha Wehn
Project Director
Sydney Dixon
Marine Specialist
Chris O’Brien
Video Editor and Digital Asset Management Assistant
Roan Bohonos
Digital Content Designer
Emma Ulveland
Community Development Assistant
Email: info@pacificwild.org
Phone: 250-380-0547
Main Office
1529 Amelia Street, Victoria, BC
Lək̓ʷəŋən Territory
V8W 2K1
Field Office
P.O. Box 26
Denny Island, BC
Haíɫzaqv Territory
V0T 1B0
Karen McAllister
Executive Director
Karen has been involved in wildlife protection in British Columbia for over two decades. Initially, she worked on frontline campaigns to protect Vancouver Island’s endangered rainforest, moving north in the 1990s to begin efforts to protect the central and north coast of B.C. She coauthored The Great Bear Rainforest with her husband Ian, and is a conservation director of Pacific Wild. Karen and Ian live with their two children on Denny Island.
Laurie McConnell
Director of Community & Systems,
Interim Wolf Campaigner
Laurie spent her twenties exploring the BC coastline every summer aboard a 26′ wooden sloop sailboat and discovered a love for the wild marine environment and all the creatures within it.
She relocated to the Sunshine Coast and has spent 30 years involved in the community across a variety of organizations and initiatives. She has a journalism degree and a background in communications, and studied art and creative writing as tools to transform the way we communicate around charged topics. Donor relations, stewardship, Friends of Pacific Wild and Artists for the Great Bear Rainforest are paired with digital systems management for a never-a-dull-moment role.
She is delighted to be working in her great love of BC’s unique coastal geography and culture. This is her dream job, helping protect such a critical piece of British Columbia and engaging in outreach and development to further Pacific Wild’s goals in the Great Bear Rainforest and Sea.
Darryl Whetung
Post Production Manager
Darryl Whetung is an award winning Ojibway film, television and documentary editor/producer. He began his career in post production working for major companies such as Nickelodeon, Insight Film Studios, Front Street Pictures, Voltage and several other independent productions building a roster of over 60 credited productions.
Darryl has worn many hats ranging from Producer to Director, Creator and Writer. Amy’s Mythic Mornings, a six episode animated children’s series he created and wrote currently airs on APTN. The CBC National has run his documentary “Dads” for four consecutive years (2012-2016) as a father’s day special .
He recently won “Best Public Service Film” for “Number 14” a documentary drama he produced which was featured at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, CA. Darryl is a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology, where he specialized in broadcasting, communications, film, and business law. With his passion for the industry and his drive to create he strives to leave a little paint on the world’s entertainment canvas.
Natasha Wehn
Project Director
Natasha is a filmmaker and organizer who has worked in the film industry in Vancouver for 8 years. Growing up in Howe Sound, she was profoundly impacted by the power and beauty of the wilderness around her and has always sought to bring together her love of nature and storytelling.
Natasha has a BA in film from Simon Fraser University and studied Project Management at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. She has worked in a wide variety of departments in the film industry, from camera to casting, the production office to production design, and sound to Assistant Directing. This broad experience provided a solid foundation for transitioning into Producing. One of the most rewarding projects was Luk’Luk’I; a 2017 docudrama that collaborated with residents in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to tell their stories. Working on that project permanently changed Natasha’s perspective of life in the DTES. Natasha’s films have been screened in festivals internationally and won numerous awards.
Natasha believes that visual storytelling has an incredible capacity to build bridges and open people up to new perspectives. She is very excited to work at Pacific Wild and advocate for our precious planet, especially our incredibly unique coastal ecosystems.
In her spare time, Natasha enjoys breathing in the salty sea breeze, feeling the sun on her face, and learning about anything anyone is willing to teach her!
Rob Hackney, CPA, CGA
Manager of Finance
Rob has admired the natural world from a young age. Enamoured by tales of the fabled Pacific Northwest, he drove westbound across Canada in his early twenties. Captivated by the sheer beauty of the rainforests, coastal climate, mountainous regions, and plethora of wildlife, he made Victoria, BC, his home in 2007.
Rob pursued studies on Vancouver Island, completing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with majors in accounting and finance. He further pursued a professional accounting designation, and received his letters (CPA, Chartered Professional Accountant) in 2015. He has worked in financial and tax accounting for private sector accounting firms, in legislation administration for the federal government, and in management information systems technology for an international organization.
Rob enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities including snowboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and learning about mycology and mycorrhizal fungi and plants.
With Pacific Wild, Rob has an outlet for his financial prowess and passion for protecting the environment. He is grateful to be working with a team of talented professionals in the fight to protect biodiversity and species at risk in our coastal ecosystems.
Sydney Dixon
Marine Specialist
Sydney was born and raised on the coast of British Columbia and her passion for the ocean began at a young age with a fascination for tide pools. This passion continued to grow through adolescence and into adulthood. Sydney completed an undergraduate degree in marine science and geography and began her career in the marine field through environmental monitoring and leading wildlife tours as a vessel captain.
After moving to the west coast of Vancouver Island, Sydney entered the nonprofit world where she worked in marine research and education. Now, in 2022 and back in Victoria B.C., Sydney has joined the team at Pacific Wild and is thrilled to be sharing her knowledge and passion for the marine environment with a talented team of coworkers and a diverse audience. Sydney has joined the Ocean Conservation Lab at UVIC, and the MARS Project as a Research Assistant.
Chris O’Brien
Video Editor and Digital Asset Assistant
Beginning in 2015, Chris traveled over 150,000 km to work as a sound mixer on documentaries, commercials and feature films. During that time he worked on any and all kinds of productions in places as varied as Stockholm, Los Angeles, Milan, Inuvik, London, and Geneva. The subsequent two years saw him mix over twenty television movies for The Hallmark Channel, Lifetime and Netflix. In 2018 he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for his work on the film Never Steady, Never Still.
The following year Chris took on a full time sound-mixer position at a content creation studio in North Vancouver, gradually gaining responsibility for creative duties such as editing and directing. Having moved on from there at the end of 2021, he is thrilled to have settled in Victoria this past year. In his spare time Chris enjoys riding his motorcycle and hiking with his dog Otis.
A self taught sound technician, Chris holds certificates from the Langara Film Arts Program in Vancouver and the Manhattan Editing Workshop in New York City.
Roan Bohonos
Digital Content Designer
Roan was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and has always had a curiosity and appreciation of the natural world. His love for the coastal environment of B.C. and passion for wildlife protection ignited even further through having spent many summers on Vancouver Island whilst growing up.
Roan graduated in 2020 from the Alberta University of the Arts with a Bachelor’s of Design. After graduating, he spent a few years in the stock video/photography as well as freelancing space, honing his creative skills in the areas of graphic design, motion graphics, and video editing.
After moving to Victoria B.C. in 2021, Roan joined the Pacific Wild crew near the beginning of 2023. His personal interests and hobbies include basketball, snowboarding, hiking, photography, watching movies, photo-collaging, chess, and travel.
Emma Ulveland
Community Development Assistant
Emma grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and has been fascinated by the natural world since she was a young. After graduating with a bachelor of arts from the University of Victoria, she worked for a few years in communication and events for the university before joining the team at Pacific Wild.
She now has an outlet to share her passions for writing and conservation with a wide audience. When she’s not in the office, Emma enjoys taking wildlife photos, podcasting and spending time outside in her garden.
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