Board of Directors

Laurie Gallant is the founding Executive Director for MASH and moved to the Bulkley Valley in 1999 and to the Hazeltons in 2010. She is a first generation small-scale farmer, a seasoned project manager and grant writer, and a semi-retired environmental planner specializing in municipal solid waste management and air quality.

She has been leading MASH’s efforts to strengthen our local food system and to date has introduced community-scale apple pressing, community-scale composting, community food preserving classes, and annual community forums to share and collect stories to facilitate learning and integration of local traditions and knowledge. She has helped communities across BC to design and implement strategies to meet environmental targets by introducing recycling and User Pay garbage collection services, piloting a Woodstove Exchange Program for BC, delivering education programs for backyard composting and reviewing and creating policies and regulations to support these initiatives.ymore. We cannot continue to bury and burn resources while our soils dry up and become depleted. It’s also clear that in small communities, there is plenty of room for private and grassroot initiatives when it comes to building community resiliency.

She bring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to the organization by identifying as female, representing Gen X, and having lived experience as a fosterchild.  She is grateful and honoured to do this work on unceded Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en territory and supports the indigenous food sovereignty movement.

Chris has deep roots in the Hazeltons and has lived here on and off for the past two decades. He is currently owner/operator of Aurora Sporealis, an edible mushroom farm that sells fresh mushrooms, fruiting blocks and several dried mushroom products. With this venture, he has learned much about product development and marketing in the food industry. Chris recently relocated to Williams Lake but thanks to technology, can still participate on the Board.

When Chris still lived in the Hazeltons until the fall of 2023, he was a regular vendor at the Hazelton Farmer’s Market and sat on the Board for a season.

Chris has been hands-on with our Apple Pressing program and has helped us to refine our work flows and the mechanics of our equipment. He has also been a champion of providing business coaching and support services to individuals and groups involved with food system work. Because of him, in 2025 MASH is moving in a new direction to support creation and expansion of enterprises that provide critical food system services.

For several years now, Chris has also been a shuttle driver for Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition’s Youth on Water and Women on Water rafting programs which means he is an expert at backing up with a trailer and heavy loads. He was also a contractor for the Hazeltons Recycling Pilot Project developed by Laurie when she worked for RDKS.

Chris helps bring Diversity, Inclusion and Equity to the Board as he is living with scholiosis (curvature of the spine). This helps to remind all of us to design our programs and services to be accessible. We are so grateful for the resilience, creativity, intuition, and insights offered by this incredible human.

Vance Barritt is new to the region and has roots in Alberta as a second generation farmer. Laurie and Vance met at a Permaculture Design Certificate program on Denman Island in 2010 and kept in touch. When it comes to cattle farming, regenerative agriculture, long-distance trucking, and farm equipment auctions, Vance is an invaluable resource to both MASH and the larger community.

As a middle aged white guy, Vance doesn’t bring a lot of Diversity to our Board but he is living with ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in Canada, affecting 4-6% of adults and 5-7% of children, or approximately 1.8 million Canadians. In other words, 1 of every 21 people in the country has the disorder. Everyone who has ADHD is impaired, or has more difficulty than normal, with regulating their attention or focus.

Adam Zonnis is an entrepreneur, a musician, a father and a husband. He earns a living from musical performances and through his website design and logo making business https://panweb.design/. In fact, before joining our Board, Adam built our website and designed our wonderful logo.

As a touring musician and globetrotter, Adam brings insights gained from his exposure to different cultures and systems from around the world. His creative genius is useful for problem solving and for providing entertainment at MASH social events.

Based in Victoria BC, Adam has spent time in our region but of course, does not understand the nuances of life in our community but we value the skills and perspectives he adds to our organization. His inclusion on our Board was part of a transition strategy while MASH looks for local individuals; he will be stepping down at the 2025 AGM.

Kevin Pegg moved up to the region in 2010 from Victoria BC and lives off-grid. As a lifetime defender of the land and indigenous rights, he has volunteered countless hours supporting the Unistoten camp providing both technical assistance and lodging for volunteers at his home on Hungry Hill.

Kevin is the owner/operator of Energy Alternatives and provides design, installation, and troubleshooting services for off grid applications. He’s a big proponent of self-sufficiency and sustainability and has helped MASH and our membership to identify and maintain sustainable energy solutions for our projects. He’s also an avid gardener and grows an incredible amount of food outside and in his greenhouse.

He fulfills our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion mandate through his lived experience and is always pushing MASH to include and support more indigenous representation and perspectives in our organization and in our service delivery.

Bill is the guy who makes things work. Without him, we couldn’t deliver services like apple pressing, wood chipping and composting. He’s a builder, a fixer, a heavy lifter and the voice of reason when it comes to how to implement our big dreams.

Born and raised on a family homestead just outside of Smithers, Bill has some mad skills that include butchering, tanning, operating tractors, and construction. He spent many seasons as a treeplanter and in his spare time loves backcountry skiing and playing music. He spent time in Kamloops getting a higher education  but is very clear that he does not want a job that requires his math degree.

Relocating to the Hazeltons 15 years ago, Bill has quickly realized that this is a very special place to live, work and play and is committed to contributing what he can to community resilience. He has a passion for understanding local history and has spent many hours reading and listening to stories. He’s even written a few songs about rivers, skiing, and treeplanting so if you ever get a chance to hear him perform on stage or around a campfire, you’re in for a treat!

Laurie Paulin – President

Tony Morgan – Director

Elaine Seier – Treasurer

Bill Crosson – Director

Simon Stockner – Director

Yoenne Ewald – Secretary

Lori Knorr – Director