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About Us

Mandate

AISC Mandate

Increasing awareness and educating Albertans about the destructive impacts invasive species have on the environment, economy, and society; 

Serving as a respected source of credible information and resources on invasive species in Alberta; 

Engaging and empowering Albertans to prevent, detect, and take action against invasive species. 

Vision

"Alberta unified in the prevention and management of invasive species."

is our vision.

We endeavor to foster partnerships with jurisdictions, agencies, and groups to develop integrated collaboration, long-term management programs, and to engage and empower people to take action against invasive species in Alberta.

History

History of the Council

The Council was established as a non-profit society in Alberta in 2006.

Initially called the Alberta Invasive Plant Council, the name was changed in 2013 to reflect a broader scope and to include all invasive species taxa.

Since that time, the Council has worked to protect Alberta from the impacts of invasive species. 

2023-2026 Strategic Plan

Our Partners

Thank you to our all of our AISC Partners. To view a complete listing of our partners, follow this link.

Platinum Partners
Gold Partners
Silver Partners
Bronze Partners

Become a Partner / Renew Your Partnership

Partnership Gold-Level

Partnership Silver-Level

Partnership Bronze-Level

Our Team:

Board of Directors

Karen Wickerson
Chair

Karen has worked for the Government of Alberta for 12 years. First as a post-mortem technologist in the Airdrie Agriculture Pathology Lab for 7 years, and then as the Rat and Pest Specialist for the province for the past 4 years. Karen is a Registered Veterinary Technologist having worked in a rural mixed-animal veterinary clinic for the first 7 years of her veterinary career. When she graduated from the Animal Health Technology program at Olds College, she never thought her love of working with animals would lead to her running the rat control program for the province!

A woman wearing a hat and looking at the camera.

Lindsey Davidson
Co-Chair

Lindsey was born and raised in Southern Alberta and has never strayed far from home. She completed her secondary education at Olds College and the University of Lethbridge where she graduated in 2011 with a bachelor degree in Agriculture.
Shortly after graduation, she began working for municipal government – notably, the M.D. of Pincher Creek and the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass. After nearly 10 years as an Agricultural Fieldman, she decided to pursue a new role, more closely aligned with her professional passion. In May 2022, Lindsey became the Natural Area Manager for the Waterton Park Front with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Her career focus is the stewardship of working landscapes and building relationships within the ranching
community. Invasive species represent a significant threat to biodiversity and as such, remain a key component of her work.

Lindsey currently resides near Pincher Creek, with her husband, dogs and horses. When not advocating for the conservation of native habitat and wildlife, Lindsey can be found somewhere in the mountains, soaking up everything this amazing landscape has to offer.

A person wearing a hooded jacket near some water

Emma Stroud
Treasurer

Emma Stroud is a University of Calgary alumni who has focused her work on terrestrial and aquatic ecology. Through eight years of volunteer work, field experience, and working with industry, she has refined her interests in conservation and restoration, narrowing her focus to the non-profit sector. Exploring tide pools, creeks, wetlands, and rivers has always been her favourite pastime, making the reality of working in Fish Creek an exciting opportunity. During her position with the Friends of Fish Creek, she coordinated the invasive species management program and transferred data collection to a digital platform, using geospatial data to carry out environmental monitoring programs in the field.

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Farrah Fischer
Secretary

Farrah grew up in Special Areas 4, now she lives in Northern Alberta and works as the Vegetation Management Coordinator for Northern Sunrise County. She has recently completed her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan in 2022. Her passion for protecting our environment from invasive species started when she became a Weed Inspector for Special Areas, she has continued to foster this interest as she develops her career as an invasive species manager. In University, Farrah did a project comparing the Weed Control Acts of Alberta and Saskatchewan that was published on the SAIFood blog, this means that she is also a bit of a legislation and policy nerd. Farrah hopes to bring her diverse perspectives from southeastern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and northern Alberta to the AISC board and is eager to help with developing new initiatives to get more people involved with invasive species education.

A woman in a gray jacket and scarf smiling.

Nicole Kimmel
Director

Nicole Kimmel Received a B.Sc. of Environmental Conservation Sciences from the University of Alberta in 2000 with a Specialization in Wildlife and Rangeland Sciences. She began working with Alberta Agriculture upon graduation, as a research assistant. Her work involved addressing weed management issues in forages and non-traditional crops. After 10 years in agricultural research, her role evolved to Weed Specialist, for an additional 7 years of employment. In 2018, she moved to Environment & Parks as the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Specialist. There she coordinates the five elements of the AIS program, Policy & Legislation, Education & Outreach, Monitoring, Watercraft Inspections/Decontamination and Response. Nicole is approaching 20 years of service with the Government of Alberta.

A man with long hair and glasses holding an object in his hand.

Mike Jenkins
Director

Mike Jenkins was born and raised in the Edmonton area, where he started off collecting caterpillars and ground beetles with his brother. While studying paleontology at the University of Alberta, he got a summer job in 1991 with the City of Edmonton splashing in puddles and counting mosquitoes. This led to more summers researching biological controls of mosquitoes, and the diversity of non-target organisms, as well as monitoring for invasive insect and disease species in the urban forest. In 2005 Mike became the supervisor of the city's Pest Management Lab, and later became the coordinator for all of Pest Management Lab and Operations, responsible for surveillance, monitoring and management of invasive insects, aquatic invertebrates, tree diseases and vertebrates for Edmonton.

Smiling elderly man in a cowboy hat driving a car.

Sebastien Dutrisac
Director

Sebastien is from rural Ontario and his interest in Agriculture began as soon as he could walk. This passion directed him to expand his knowledge at the Alfred College of Agriculture and Agri-Food Technology. In 1994, Sebastien left for northern Alberta, to start his career in the agriculture and forestry industry. From 2010 to 2021 he was an Agricultural Fieldman in Northern Sunrise County to now being a Councillor in the County of Two Hills and NE ASB representative. This opportunity leveraged his knowledge of weeds, entomology, agriculture production, agroforestry, and business management, he quickly found a deeper appreciation and keen interest in legislation, policy and board governance. While away from work, Sebastien appreciates spending time with his spouse Michelle on their farm in Willingdon, where he can be found working on machinery, upkeeping and renovating buildings, cropping and haying as well as reading more about legislation and parliamentary procedures. He also enjoys helping the local Agricultural Society as a board member. Proud (grand)father of two daughters and one grandson.

Close-up of a smiling young woman with a nose ring and light makeup.

Brandi Doerksen
Director

Brandi currently manages the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program for the Eastern Irrigation District, a role she has held since 2019. She is responsible for educating the public about protecting the irrigation and agriculture industries from invasive species and, in partnership with the County of Newell, helped develop a first-of-its-kind Aquatic Invasive Species Bylaw.

Born and raised on a farm in southern Alberta, Brandi developed a deep connection to the land and water. She completed her diploma in Environmental Assessment & Restoration at Lethbridge College in 2017, and after college, began her career as a Fisheries Guardian for the Government of Alberta, inspecting and decontaminating watercraft to prevent the spread of invasive mussels, where her passion for educating others about invasive species began. She looks forward to contributing to the council's mission of preventing and managing invasive species across the province.

Smiling young woman with long hair in a cozy wooden room.

Kelsey Cartwright
Director

Kelsey Cartwright is currently part of the provincial government’s Rangeland Stewardship and Land Use Policy section as the Programs and Issues Lead. Throughout her career, she has also worked for Cows and Fish, the Alberta Conservation Association and the Nature Conservancy of Canada in various landscape management roles. Kelsey is looking forward to contributing to invasive species management, education and prevention in new ways through the AISC.

A man standing next to a person in a fish costume.

Craig Mushens
Director

Craig is a Senior Fish Biologist with Worley Consulting with over 24 years of environmental consulting experience. He received both his B.Sc. And M.Sc. in aquatic ecology at the University of Calgary. Craig was introduced to the nefarious world of invasive species in 2015 assisting a client with goldfish in a local storm pond. Craig received his Pesticide Applicators Licence and training to apply rotenone and joined the crusade to control invasive fish throughout the province. Along with a love of the outdoors, Craig has a passion for puzzles, and challenges and solving them; something that is encountered frequently within the environmental consulting world.

A man lovingly holds and pets a spotted puppy indoors.

Travis Marfleet
Director

Travis is a cattle veterinarian working in Southern Alberta and Southwest Saskatchewan for the past 8 years, but is originally from Maidstone, Saskatchewan. His work mostly focuses on cow-calf, dairy, and feedlot production, but has an interest in invasive species management. He joined AISC to learn more about invasive species and offer a perspective from cattle production on Alberta's Southern plains. In his downtime, you can find him and his partner Danielle hiking with their dogs, playing volleyball, golf, hockey, or paddleboarding at the cabin.

Atty Bressler
Director

With a degree in Agriculture, and born and raised on a dairy farm, Atty has always had a passion for plants and animals. In her early career she has been involved with various agricultural crop research trials and worked closely with the local farmers and agfieldmen in central Alberta. After a while, she became a project manager and team lead at an Edmonton engineering firm called Wood (formerly AMEC). Here she learned to explore and observe the pristine beauty of the Alberta boreal forest, learned about rare plants, completed various vegetation inventories and reclamation assessments, wrote various environmental protection plans and acted as the company’s weed specialist and clubroot pest management senior advisor. When she is not running around in the bush or local parks looking for weeds or rare plants, Atty loves playing soccer, and being involved with her teenage kids’ hockey teams.

Fiona Spitzig
Director

Fiona was born and raised in Lethbridge and completed her BSc at the U of L. Her career in environmental education has allowed her to live and work in some of Western Canada’s most spectacular places. From marshes to mountains to badlands, though, invasive species have put down roots and started to threaten the biodiversity that makes these places so unique. Now living in Edmonton and working as the City’s Invasive Plant Outreach program lead, Fiona aims to inspire a love of biodiversity that encourages action against invasive species. You can join her team this summer pulling invasive plants in parks throughout Edmonton!

Melissa Logan
Director

Melissa Logan, P.Biol. is an Environmental Coordinator for Sturgeon River and Natural Areas for the City of St. Albert. She has been with the City for 7 years, and throughout that time has monitored and managed populations of many invasive species, including goldfish, koi, flowering rush, purple loosestrife, and Himalayan balsam within the City boundaries. Melissa previously worked for the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance as a Watershed Planner for 6 years, and in the consulting sector for 7 years. She has a passion for invasive species and is interested in teaching others about how to prevent their spread.

Bettina van Nieuwkerk
Director

Volunteers

A woman with glasses smiling for the camera.

Jeannie Suffern
Webmaster

Jeannie is the co-owner of Aqualine Aquatic Plants & Waterfeatures, located in Sherwood Park, Alberta. Her mission is simple: promoting the growth of aquatic plants in Alberta, where the winter season is long and cold and the summer season is short but the daylight hours are long. She shares her passion for water lilies with her customers and delights in introducing them to the world of tropical water lilies. Jeannie is a director for the International Water Garden and Water Lily Society (IWGS) and the Colchester Agriculture Society.

Staff

A woman with a green hat and snow covered trees

Megan Evans
Executive Director, M.Sc., P.Biol.

A woman in the snow wearing a hat and scarf.

Paige Kuczmarski
Communications & Biocontrol Lead

Born and raised in Edmonton, Paige has become a 'Jill of all trades' with invasive species. She graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from MacEwan University where she was first introduced to invasive species. Soon after, Paige started a position with Alberta Agriculture where she focused on a flowering rush control project and creating the coveted 'Aquatic Invasive Species Pocket Guide'. Basically went from a few invasives to the entire Alberta Weed Control Act and Fisheries Act! Since then, contracts as a Whirling Disease Technician and an Aquatic Invasive Species Technician have brought her all over the province for fieldwork as well as allowed her knack for creating punny education and outreach methods to grow. She joined the AISC as a Social Media, Biocontrol Coordinator and Invasive Species Technician in 2021. She continues to foster her love of the outdoors and hopes to assist in educating and servicing Albertans through education on invasive species and their management.

Man wearing a life jacket sitting on a canoe in a calm lake.

George Bloom
Invasive Species Biologist

George brings more than 20 years of public service experience, working across provincial and municipal programs in invasive species, environmental initiatives, and legislative compliance. His background includes everything from field operations to resource planning, reflecting a steady commitment to practical solutions. He values continuous learning and collaboration. Outside of the super interesting and important AISC work, George enjoys exploring Alberta’s outdoors, always ready for the next good story.

A woman in brown jacket standing next to two dogs.

Jane Fulton
Financial Administrative Officer

Likely influenced by her family’s agricultural ties, Jane left the Ottawa Valley and her federal position in IT, making the move to Alberta 20 years ago. She completed a diploma program at Olds College and received her Certified Crop Advisor. Starting as a weed inspector with a rural municipality, she dedicated 13 years to the organization, culminating in the role as Assistant Director of Legislative Community and Agricultural Services, as well as being the Agricultural Fieldman.

Starting with an amazing professor, then developing as a passion over her career, is preventing the introduction and spread of invasive species and despite the occasional eye rolls from friends and family, she is always excited to talk about it when the topic arises.

Person in hiking gear leaning against a rocky cliff.

Julia Bizon
Invasive Species Technician

Having just finished her education in British Columbia, Julia is excited to bring her experience and enthusiasm to the AISC! She completed her BSc at UBC in 2021, and in 2025, she obtained her MSc in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia. While completing her thesis focused on understory forest vegetation, she also worked as a teaching assistant and in the greenhouse at the university, growing trees from seed and testing their resilience to weather and disease. Julia began her position at the AISC as the Terrestrial Invasive Species Technician in May 2025, assisting with the biocontrol program and learning as much as she could about invasive species in Alberta. While she may be new to the province, she comes from areas that have been affected by invasive species and is committed to keeping them out of Alberta. Julia has a lot of experience with plant identification, knowledge of forest ecosystems and tree health, and enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and teaching others.

A person in an orange fish costume standing next to two people.

Tank
Don't Let it Loose Ambassador

Originally from eastern Asia, Tank the Goldfish grew up exploring the varied aquatic ecosystems of over 100 different waterbodies in Alberta. In 2022, he decided to stop wreaking havoc and study the impacts he was having by focusing on Environmental Studies at McGILL University. During his studies, he got to dive deep into anthropogenic impacts and spent countless hours participating in invasive species removals. Tank continues to grow a passion for invasive species management and when not actively thwarting them, he is found out of his tank at events with the Alberta Invasive Species Council team teaching others about their local ecosystems and how to protect them. His number one motto is 'Don't Let it Loose!' and he aims to practice what he preaches!

About Us

Mandate

AISC Mandate

Vision

Vision

History

History of the Council

Our Partners

Thank you to our all of our AISC Partners. To view a complete listing of our partners, follow this link.

Become a Partner / Renew Your Partnership

Our Team:

Board of Directors

Karen WickersonChair

Lindsey Davidson Co-Chair

Emma Stroud Treasurer

Farrah FischerSecretary

Nicole KimmelDirector

Mike JenkinsDirector

Sebastien DutrisacDirector

Brandi DoerksenDirector

Kelsey CartwrightDirector

Craig MushensDirector

Travis Marfleet Director

Atty Bressler Director

Fiona SpitzigDirector

Melissa LoganDirector

Bettina van NieuwkerkDirector

Volunteers

Jeannie Suffern Webmaster

Staff

Megan Evans Executive Director, M.Sc., P.Biol.

Paige Kuczmarski Communications & Biocontrol Lead

George BloomInvasive Species Biologist

Jane Fulton Financial Administrative Officer

Julia Bizon Invasive Species Technician

Tank Don't Let it Loose Ambassador

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Karen Wickerson
Chair

Lindsey Davidson
Co-Chair

Emma Stroud
Treasurer

Farrah Fischer
Secretary

Nicole Kimmel
Director

Mike Jenkins
Director

Sebastien Dutrisac
Director

Brandi Doerksen
Director

Kelsey Cartwright
Director

Craig Mushens
Director

Travis Marfleet
Director

Atty Bressler
Director

Fiona Spitzig
Director

Melissa Logan
Director

Bettina van Nieuwkerk
Director

Jeannie Suffern
Webmaster

Megan Evans
Executive Director, M.Sc., P.Biol.

Paige Kuczmarski
Communications & Biocontrol Lead

George Bloom
Invasive Species Biologist

Jane Fulton
Financial Administrative Officer

Julia Bizon
Invasive Species Technician

Tank
Don't Let it Loose Ambassador