Meet the drivers behind REAP-Canada's programming:
Roger Samson, Executive Director
Mr. Samson has been working with REAP-Canada since its inception in 1986, leading the biomass energy, agri-fibre, and on-farm participatory research and development programs. Mr. Samson is a leading world expert in biomass energy development and native warm season perennial grasses. He has authored over 60 publications on bioenergy, ecological farming, and climate change mitigation and has been working on bioenergy projects in North America, Europe, China, the Philippines, and West Africa since 1991. His work has pioneered ecological approaches for bioenergy production and thermodynamically efficient bioenergy conversion systems. Since 1997, he has managed international development projects in the Philippines, China, and the Gambia involving ecological farming systems development and sustainable household energy from biomass. Mr. Samson holds a B.Sc. (Crop Science) from Guelph University and a M.Sc. (Plant Science) from McGill University.
Claudia Ho Lem is the project manager for REAP-Canada's international community development programs. Since 2001, Ms. Ho Lem has worked on Agro-Ecological Village and climate change development projects involving the collaborative efforts of village farmers, local partners, and research institutions. She has extensive experience facilitating participatory assessments, training and research and gender development programs. Her work has increased self-sufficiency and environmental rehabilitation in remote farming communities. Ms. Ho Lem holds a Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Science (2000) majoring in Biology, and minoring in Chemistry from the University of Calgary.
Stephanie Bailey Stamler is the Project Manager for REAP-Canada’s domestic and international climate change programming. Since joining REAP in 2005, Ms. Bailey Stamler has established carbon offset programs for improved cook stoves in west Africa and the Philippines. Her work in Canada focuses on evaluating and quantifying biomass feedstock production, life-cycle analyses, greenhouse gas mitigation potentials, and environmental impacts of biofuels. Ms. Bailey Stamler has extensive experience assessing the cost-effectiveness of alternative renewable fuel polices within Canada. She holds a MSc from McGill University in Natural Resource Sciences (2004) and a BSc in Environmental Earth Science (2001) from Laurentian University.
Mr. Purdon is currently pursuing a PhD in political science at the University of Toronto and has been working with REAP since 2005 on GHG mitigation strategies in Canada and internationally. He has particular expertise in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), ecological research and analysis, as well as in rural and international development policy. He holds two Masters degrees--one in Nature, Society and Environmental Policy from the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford (2004) and a second in Environmental Science (2001) from the Université du Québec à Montréal (2001). His international experience includes work at a forest institute in the Czech Republic (2002-2003), a community forestry and CIDA-sponsored consultation to develop capacity on the CDM with the government of Cameroon (2005) while more recently, in 2006, he was an intern with the UNDP's new Millenium Development Goals Carbon Facility, working to identity carbon mitigation project potential in Africa.
Helen Jensen is currently pursuing a PhD in Biology at McGill University where she is studying in situ conservation of traditional barley and faba bean varieties in Northern Morocco. She joined REAP in 2005 for a CIDA-funded internship and worked in the Philippines with REAP partner PABINHI-Pilipinas to write and distribute learning materials describing the use of agricultural residues in the production of organic crop amendments. Helen holds a master’s degree in Biology from the University of Ottawa (2005) where she studied the efficacy and biological activity of natural botanical insecticides. In recent years she has developed an expertise in crop genetic resources and population genetics. Since 2007 she has collaborated with researchers at the Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II in Rabat, Morocco.
Loretta Balzamo is REAP-Canada's part-time accountant with 20 years of experience. She has worked extensively in product management and, since 1995, has provided bookkeeping services to a variety of companies and non-profit organizations. Ms. Balzamo holds an economics degree from Concordia University.
