The Project : Village Team
Meet the team building a shared vision for the future of Blacks Harbour
Briana Cowie - Executive Director
Recognizing the interconnectedness between environmental management and a collective sense of community, Briana is well-positioned as the new executive director of ECW, and their newest ambitious work through Project : Village. With a background in political science, international relations and environmental policy, Briana has played an invaluable role in creating initiatives that strengthen community resilience and policy response to climate risks, impacts and possible adaptive action solutions for the region.
Zaria Sorel - Sustainability Manager
Zaria grew up in Saint Andrews and has an undergraduate degree in Aquatic Resources from StFX and recently graduated from the Master of Environmental Management program at UNB. She hopes to make a positive impact in Charlotte County's rural communities with her involvement in Project: Village. Outside of work, Zaria enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and working in her garden.
Brian Goggin - Farm Manager
Brian has been working with ECW since 2021 to develop our indoor farming initiative. His roots in marine biology and history of working at the Huntsman Marine Science Center kindled a passion for nature and sustainable aquaculture. In 2020, he joined the Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) Laboratory at UNBSJ and earned his Master of Science degree studying crop selection in aquaponic systems. Now he is applying his experience with controlled environment agriculture to create an indoor hydronic farm that will supply Charlotte County with leafy greens and herbs year-round. Brian loves being out on the water, whale watching, and live music.
Mat Rouleau - Director of Development for Project : Village Housing
Mat Rouleau has a background in property management and construction. After spending 12+ years in that field he recently went back to school and graduated this year from SSU. Mat is now excited to support the community development opportunities that ECW is pursuing through Project Village and is particularly passionate about food security and affordable housing.
Our Advisory Committee
Heather Chase
Always focused on the “people” component of projects and communities, Heather has an extensive 25-year background in community development, government relations, human resources, and workforce development with the private, not-for-profit, and public sectors.
Coming from Blacks Harbour, Heather is aware that we need to work together and advocate for solutions that make sense for our community and our residents. She believes that we need to take a leadership role in our future and fortunately, after many years of hard work, we are about to make that happen through the work of Project : Village and ECW.
Raymond Funk
In his capacity as Community Coordinator for Vibrant Communities Charlotte County (VCCC), Raymond works to build connections and collaboration around initiatives that reduce the impact of poverty. Where possible he tries to use an approach that is asset-based and works towards a collective impact, to gain cross-sector engagement of citizens, nonprofits, businesses, and government. Raymond gets excited about helping discover the strengths and opportunities that already exist in a community that can address the challenges they face.
Brontë Thomas
Brontë Thomas works as an aquatic technician for the Peskotomuhkati First Nation at Skutik. Currently, she is working on a research project with a focus on collecting baseline data on the presence/ absence of microplastics in the digestive tract of American lobster in Saint John Harbour. Brontë has been enjoying a career in aquatic science in Southwest New Brunswick for the past five years, and has a keen interest and educational background in social science.
Qi (Vivian) Peng
Vivian has long dreamed about a rural lifestyle, which she now shares with her feline and fowl friends. With a graduate degree in environmental management and a deep concern over anthropogenic impacts on the environment, Vivian often ponders alternative, improved paths of human evolution which she strongly believes that “business as usual” is not the way to go. Having switched paths from a medical background, Vivian is working towards a certification of professional planner as she establishes a career where she can be an integral part of and a positive influence on sustainable planning and development in the beautiful rural New Brunswick.
An initiative by
ECW is a not-for-profit, environmental resource and research centre, collaborating with like-minded organizations to promote community well-being through sound environmental health. This is accomplished by facilitating projects that integrate common social, economic and environmental concerns.