Everett Hanna- Chair, Lethbridge

Everett has been hunting and fishing since he was a young child.  He has also been trapping since 2007.  He cut his teeth jump-shooting wood ducks and wing-shooting ruffed grouse (yes, ruffed grouse are actually quite flighty in southern Ontario!) on the Canadian Shield, chasing wild turkeys and deer on agricultural lands, calling migrating waterfowl on the big water of Lake Ontario, and fishing for everything from salmon in the Great Lakes to smallmouth bass in cottage country. After permanently moving to Alberta in 2015 (originally Lac La Biche), he became more dedicated to big game hunting, spending inordinate amounts of time chasing elk with his bow, and now, since moving to Lethbridge in 2018, bighorn sheep and black bears in the mountains.

Professionally, Everett teaches courses and researches in wildlife biology at Lethbridge College. He also works as a wildlife biologist in the consulting world.  Everett has a PhD in wildlife ecology, is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® with The Wildlife Society, and a Registered Professional Biologist with the BC College of Applied Biology.

Everett was naturally drawn to BHA’s advocacy for science-based decision making and mission to protect access to public land.  Everett brings >13 years of international experience in natural resource management with NGOs, provincial/state agencies, and academic institutions to the Board.

Beau Cleland- Co-Chair, Calgary

Beau Cleland is an avid angler and a relatively recent convert to fly fishing who fishes and camps almost exclusively on public lands and waters. Originally from the United States, he has lived in Calgary since 2011. He spends his outdoor time roaming western Canada and the United States, camping, hiking, and fishing with his wife and three boys. Beau served for eight years in the United States Army, with service in Iraq and Afghanistan. He holds a masters in international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in history from the University of Calgary, where he currently works. Beau is eager to help with BHA’s mission to preserve and protect our publicly-owned lands for current and future generations.

Tom Habib – Treasurer, Edmonton

Tom grew up in Ontario, and has had a love of the outdoors as far back as he can remember. It probably helped that his parents shipped him off on canoe and hiking trips every summer, for which he is eternally grateful. His love of nature and wildlife eventually led him to Edmonton 10 years ago for a Master's degree in ecology at the University of Alberta, where he studied white-tailed and mule deer.
Although not from a hunting family, Tom picked it up since moving to Alberta, and is now completely hooked. His thinking on hunting and wildlife management is built around his background in ecology. So for Tom, BHA's values of maintaining large tracts of wilderness, habitat conservation, and environmental stewardship are a perfect fit.

Katie Morrison – Secretary, Calgary

Katie Morrison is a professional biologist and outdoor enthusiast. Growing up, Katie and her family spent much of their time outdoors: camping, horseback riding, canoeing and fishing. This led her to obtain a B.Sc. in Environmental and Conservation Sciences from the University of Alberta and a Masters of Environmental Design from the University of Calgary.

While Katie has worked throughout western Canada and in Latin America for university research projects, nongovernmental organizations, and environmental consulting companies, she now spends her days working on public lands conservation in Southern Alberta. Her love of the outdoors continues to pull her into the backcountry on hiking, fishing, hunting, backpacking and wilderness canoe trips. The continuing push of industrial land uses and motorized recreation into Alberta’s shrinking wilderness areas motivates her to work on keeping these areas wild for native fish, wildlife and those who experience these amazing places through traditional quiet uses.

Erik Koskela – BOD, Calgary

Erik was born in Sudbury, Ontario, spent most of his adult life in Ottawa, and relocated to Calgary in July 2019. He spent much of his childhood hunting and fishing with his father and grandfather, but largely stopped after he went to university. After graduation, he spent several years trying to reconcile urban life with his childhood passions but struggled to find hunting opportunities that weren’t on private land. His passions were later re-ignited after a friend introduced him to public land turkey hunting opportunities near Ottawa.

Since moving to Alberta, Erik’s free time is spent dreaming about elk, fly fishing, and learning about the importance of backcountry nutrition. 

Derek Nadeau- BOD, Edmonton

Derek was born and raised in British Columbia where he spent a lot of time with his grandfather in the northern backcountry, hunting and fishing. He moved to Alberta in 2007 but continued to travel back to BC every hunting season to spend quality time in the bush with friends and family. After making new friends in Alberta, Derek discovered a new love for waterfowl hunting and big game in Alberta.

He has a wife, two kids and lives in Edmonton where he works in sales & marketing for a local Picker-Truck company. Derek discovered BHA through a write-up in an Albertan conservation magazine and quickly jumped on board with the overlapping vision of responsible land use and access. His commitment to personal growth, community, and belief in civil service make him a great fit with BHA's mandates and goals.