Our Team
Click a photo to view a member of the team
Elise Ho-Foong
Principal - Socioeconomics and Facilitation
Dr. Ho-Foong is a socio-economic and facilitation expert. She has led many complex projects for government, non-government, and Indigenous clients, with a strong focus on Northern communities. She has worked in a wide range of fields including health, education, transportation, waste, and climate change. She has facilitated many sensitive and large-scale workshops and meetings using clear methodologies and inclusive communication to move groups towards focused and meaningful actions. She is a proven leader in policy development and strategic planning and works with her clients to set priorities, secure funding, develop actions, and achieve goals.
Anoushka Martil
Principal – Environment, Facilitation and Engagement
Anoushka leads and manages environmental assessment, socio-economic and engagement projects. Her experience includes working with multi-disciplinary teams on municipal, provincial, federal and international environmental impact assessments. Anoushka’s experience spans a variety of sectors, including transit and transportation (rail, roads and bridges), waste, energy (nuclear, natural gas, wind, and waste-to-energy) and transmission, among others.
Anoushka is a strategic thinker, a skilled communicator and trained facilitator. She has been involved in high-profile and controversial projects which have required in-depth stakeholder consultation and community engagement. Anoushka is passionate about facilitating meaningful dialogue that promotes diversity and inclusion and strives to foster fair and equitable representation of all voices as part of her daily work.
Angus Keir
Principal - Economic and Financial Modelling
Angus is a consultant with expertise in the field of socio-economic analysis and financial systems modeling. Angus assists clients to gain support for their projects via measuring regional and provincial economic impacts through the use of input-output (IO) modeling. Additionally, Angus assists clients with business planning via developing integrated models which forecast revenue, operating and capital cost flows in relation to alternative system configurations and rates. Angus’ project experience is derived from a range of sectors including energy, solid waste management, nuclear waste management, transportation, gaming, and education.
Kyle Hunt
Principal - Environmental Services
Kyle manages and directs environmental impact assessment, permitting and regulatory follow-up processes for power generation, electrical transmission, transportation, oil and gas, mining and urban development projects across Canada. Kyle supports Indigenous communities and organizations as they navigate industrial expansion and regulatory processes on their Land. He has supported dozens of First Nations in Ontario and across Canada through the application of expert knowledge of federal and provincial environmental legislation and regulatory process. Kyle provides strategic value to project partners throughout all phases of the development process including regulatory scoping, routing and siting studies, environmental baseline studies, preliminary and detailed design, project implementation, follow-up monitoring and land reclamation.
JME Maxwell
Director - Financial Analysis and Organizational Management
JME is a senior consultant with more than 20-years experience working for government and private sector clients across Canada and internationally. He has been a project manager, management consultant, and economic advisor on numerous strategy, economic, and policy projects.
JME has significant expertise in project and program management, strategic planning, business planning, financial analysis, and economic assessment. Mr. Maxwell sits on the board of directors and provides ongoing strategic and operational advice to several organizations.
Prior to joining Avaanz, JME was responsible for managing the profits and losses of the Canadian operations of one of the world’s largest engineering and environmental consulting firms and managed the operations of a $120M per annum Environmental consulting business in Central United States.
Rada Medic
ESG Market Sector Lead
Rada Medic is a leading expert in the interdisciplinary field of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) having worked on projects in Canada as well as Globally. She helps clients alleviate risk and increase corporate performance through integrating ESG standards and best practices into strategy. Her scope of work spans over multiple sectors such as infrastructure, construction, energy, telecommunications, transportation (aviation, rail), and cleantech.
Her experience with financial institutions and global clients has given her advisory expertise in international standards (such as the International Finance Corporation, World Bank, and global ESG reporting standards). Rada assists clients in maneuvering ESG governance and advises on regulatory frameworks. Throughout her experience, Rada has had the opportunity to take on roles from being in field staff, technical writer, lead auditor and program manager. She has worked alongside government inspectors and prepared companies and their supply chains for audits.
Many of Rada’s clients are in the construction sector, as such Rada has always been on the leading edge of health & safety. She is one of the few females to have her Construction Health & Safety Officer designation in Canada.
Mark van der Woerd
Principal, Avaanz
Mark is an accomplished environmental consultant with a proven record of leading diverse teams through the intricacies of environmental approvals. With a robust background in environmental management, community relations, and civil construction, Mark approaches each assignment with a comprehensive and holistic mindset. His forte lies in successfully navigating controversial projects through the complex web of federal, provincial, and municipal approvals, building partnerships, and serving as a collaborative client ambassador.
Mark's specialty is delivering fully permitted and construction-ready projects. Over his career, he has led a variety of major assignments across North America, ranging from battery storage, wind, solar, hydropower, pipelines, gas generation and mines. Known for his pragmatic approach, Mark prioritizes driving practical and cost-effective solutions. His ability to foster positive and proactive relationships with clients and stakeholders ensures that assignments are not just completed, but are executed with meticulous care, emphasizing principles of respect, quality, and inclusivity.
Mark has played a pivotal role in the delivery of 1.9 GW of renewable energy in Canada and the United States. He has led renewable energy approvals across Ontario, including the Otter Creek Wind Farm, North Kent Wind 1 and 2, Mountsberg Solar Project, Belle River Wind Project, Armow Wind Project, and Kingston Sol-Luce Energy Project. Mark's practical experience extends beyond the approval process to guiding energy clients through construction permitting and the complexities of the Environmental Rights Tribunal process.
Colleen Healey
Avaanz Associate, Principal at Sijja Consulting
An Associate of Avaanz, Colleen is a Principal at Sijja Consulting. Colleen lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut, where she was born and raised. She has over 20 years experience working with Governments, indigenous organizations, and communities across the three Territories. Her qualifications include a BAH, MA, and a diploma in International Negotiations. Having spent the majority of her life in the Eastern Arctic, Colleen has strong connections within Inuit communities and a deep understanding of Inuit culture and languages. Her expertise includes developing government-wide programs and policies, strategic planning, negotiations, climate change, heritage preservation, and human-centered design.