Kahlil co-founded Taking Root and leads the organization to accelerate global forest restoration. He has over 15 years of experience in tropical reforestation with smallholder farmers and has advised leading forest carbon standards, including Plan Vivo and Gold Standard. A CBC changemaker and Meritorious Service Cross recipient, Kahlil holds a Masters in Forest Statistics and a PhD in smallholder economics from UBC.

Meredith oversees Taking Root’s operations to ensure the quality, efficiency, and impact of our work. They align teams to deliver on our mission to restore the world’s forests while bringing lasting value to landowners and land managers. With over 15 years of executive leadership experience as a President, COO, and Co-Founder at international companies in technology and development, they bring strengths in strategy, expansion, and growth.

Mark provides strategic direction and leadership as Chief of Staff and Operating Partner, aligning teams around Taking Root’s mission to restore forests. He brings over 20 years of executive experience in operations and strategy, having founded and led large organizations across business process outsourcing, telecommunications, and healthcare technology.

Laura oversees Taking Root’s work supporting reforestation partners to manage and grow smallholder carbon projects. A biologist with a PhD in eco-hydrology, she brings over a decade of experience in natural agricultural ecosystems. She was previously Research Manager at UBC’s Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and has published 20 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Rachel manages tree planting and plantation maintenance for Taking Root’s CommuniTree program in Nicaragua. She has experience working in carbon footprinting, emissions reductions, international biodiversity, and non-profit affordable housing. Rachel holds an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and a BA in Hispanic Studies from McGill University.

Vanessa leads the recruitment of new farmers and eligible land into CommuniTree, working with the local partner to support strategic development and on-the-ground execution. Previously, she worked as a project manager and business analyst in the tech sector. Vanessa holds an MA in International Studies from Simon Fraser University, and a BA in Economics and International Studies from Bryn Mawr College.

Penelope supports Taking Root’s reforestation partners in the field by working with their field technicians to deliver reforestation programs through Taking Root’s technology platform. Her previous work for a travel-based SaaS company focused on customer success and satisfaction, and will carry over to her role at Taking Root. Penelope holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from the Acsenda School of Management.

Katharine oversees Taking Root’s commercial offering, delivering value to all stakeholders while ensuring adherence to certification standards. She brings a background in promoting resilient agroforestry practices with smallholder farmers. Katharine holds a Master’s in International Development and Economics, along with a certification in Food Sustainability from the European Institute of Innovation and Sustainability.

Meike leads project design, standard alignment, and certification for Taking Root’s forest carbon removal projects. She has a background in sustainable natural resource policy and extensive experience in community-based forestry, including work with UBC’s FACT Lab, the BC Government, UNDP, and reforestation programs in South America and the Philippines. She holds a PhD from UBC and a Master’s from WU Business School.

Anna is responsible for developing Taking Root’s web application, including building new features, and improving the frontend infrastructure and codebase. She has a background in web development, having previously worked as a software developer at both BC Cancer and Bitly. Anna has contributed to three published bioinformatics papers and holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Victoria.

Graeme oversees product development at Taking Root, shaping our product vision and strategy while aligning efforts across the Product, Engineering, and Data teams. With a career dedicated to software development, he brings extensive experience in leading engineering, data, and testing teams. Graeme holds an Electrical Engineering Technician Diploma from Conestoga College.

Kaio helps the Taking Root mobile and web application team implement new features, maintain process flow, and increase the quality of the codebase. He has a decade of experience working as a developer, focusing on the creation of mobile apps for start-ups and scale-ups. Kaio has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the Federal University of Alagoas.

Kieran is responsible for supporting the backend development, cloud infrastructure, and architecture of our technology platform. In addition, he implements developer best practices to streamline the development cycle. Kieran previously worked as a React-Native developer for an international start-up and helped build a social platform for sports clubs.

As Data Science & Platform Lead, Paula transforms operational and environmental data into actionable insights that drive reforestation and carbon removal at scale. Her background spans government, research, and tech, including the Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab and Rappi. She holds an Engineering degree and two Conestoga College postgraduate diplomas, and earned first place at Communitech for an applied AI project.

Alex works with the accounting team to oversee Taking Root’s finances, working closely on reporting and auditing. Previously, he worked as a controller for a lumber company that focused on mass timber, as well as working for Grant Thornton. Alex has a CPA Designation and a Bachelor of Management from the University of British Columbia.

Analee oversees the financial and business health of the organization, ensuring Taking Root can sustain and grow its impact. She brings experience from both impact-driven organizations and large corporates, with 10 years in leadership roles across public and private accounting, including Deloitte and LiveCA. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta.

Luis supports CommuniTree’s financial decision-making, leading the processes of budgeting, forecasting, and quantitative measurements to guide project operations. He has a background in economics and finance, having worked in financial planning and analysis across a diverse range of industries. Luis holds an MBA from the University of British Columbia’s Saunder School of Business.