Key Question

How can the forest industry and environmental non-government organizations collaborate to advance common conservation goals?

Solution

  • I provided project management leadership for the initiative, guiding the group through decision points for the project.
  • Working closely with a technical team, I developed protected areas options for the group to review and consider on stated timelines.
  • I implemented reporting practices to ensure stakeholders received information relevant to making necessary decisions on the project.

Situation

In 2010, leading Canadian forestry companies and environmental groups agreed to work together to improve environmental and social/economic outcomes in the Canadian boreal forest. One of the joint goals was “a meaningful increase to the current level of protection throughout the boreal region including increases in both the allocated and unallocated regions of the boreal.” The project was designed to gather and analyze science-based, best-available information to identify the ideal locations for additional protected areas in the boreal forests of BC and Alberta, while also considering the needs of priority species at risk, such as boreal caribou, and economics. This was a large, complex, multi-stakeholder initiative and the group needed a professional project manager to lead signatories toward consensus and to lead the project to successful completion.

Services

Project management, designing reporting requirements, strengthening stakeholder relationships

Benefits

  • I summarized and presented recommendations at key decision points, making the most efficient use of signatory time.
  • I proactively monitored critical success factors and risks to enable timely remediation of challenges and issues.
  • I built and facilitated consensus and progress toward the group’s goal by strengthened stakeholder relationships.

Testimonials

Kris is a consummate professional project manager. She has deftly managed a number of sensitive national-level projects at the intersection of academia, industry, environment and government with great discipline and attention to detail. I have enjoyed working with Kris over these last few years and have greatly appreciated her flexibility and accommodation of changing circumstances. I strongly recommend her talents to those seeking professional project or program management support.
Aran O’Carroll
Executive Director, Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement

Kris McCleary offers clear skills and competencies in project management, technical understanding of conservation planning challenges, and a finesse for progress reporting, visualization and synthesizing key plain language messages and successes embedded within complex conservation planning processes. She demonstrates solid capacity to exercise diplomacy in consensus building, respect for sensitivity and confidentiality, and careful management of mandated scope. Kris’ management of multi-disciplinary groups and process is conducted with respect, fostering a non-threatening atmosphere and a motivation toward consensus, credibility and progress. She is highly adaptive in her management of complex dialogue integrated with the rigours of technical analysis.
James T. (Jim) Witiw
Forest Resource Coordinator-Biodiversity Stewardship, Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd.

Kris advanced a complex conservation assessment project in Alberta and BC for the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement in a very disciplined and organized manner all the while communicating well with a diverse group of forest industry and environmental non governmental organization representatives. She is hard working, personable, capable of processing lots of new information and gets the job done. I would welcome the opportunity to work with Kris again and recommend her highly to anyone looking for a project manager.
Johnny Mikes
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society