Who We Are

Our Team

Our team is a blend of social and environmental scientists, economists, project managers, storytellers, and designers. We are dedicated to advancing community prosperity and well-being through meaningful dialogue and excellent outcomes. Since our inception, we’ve grown to over 30 staff members, with many based in Southern Ontario and across remote offices in Canada. Our diverse experience includes consulting, non-governmental organizations, private enterprises, and Indigenous organizations, bringing both innovative approaches and deep technical expertise to our work.

Meet Our Leadership Team

Elise Ho-Foong

PhD, MES, BEd, BSc

Dr. Ho-Foong is a socio-economic expert and Certified Professional Facilitator. She has led many complex projects for government, non-government, and Indigenous clients, with a strong focus on Northern communities. She works in a wide range of fields including health, education, transportation, waste, and climate change. She has facilitated many sensitive and large-scale workshops and meetings using clear methodologies and inclusive communication to move groups towards focused and meaningful actions. She is a proven leader in policy development and strategic planning and works with her clients to set priorities, secure funding, develop actions, and achieve goals.

Kyle Hunt

M.E.Des., H.BES

Kyle manages and directs environmental impact assessment, permitting and regulatory follow-up processes for power generation, electrical transmission, mining, oil and gas, transportation and urban development projects across Canada. Kyle supports Indigenous communities and organizations as they engage with industry on proposed industrial expansion within their homelands. He has supported dozens of First Nations in Ontario and across Canada through the application of expert knowledge of federal and provincial environmental legislation and regulatory process. Kyle provides strategic value to project partners throughout all phases of the development process including regulatory scoping, routing and siting studies, environmental baseline studies, preliminary and detailed design, project implementation, follow-up monitoring and land reclamation.

Angus Keir

MSc, BA

Angus is a consultant with expertise in the field of socio-economic analysis and financial systems modelling. Angus assists clients to gain support for their projects via measuring regional and provincial economic impacts through the use of input-output (IO) modelling. Additionally, Angus assists clients with business planning via developing integrated models which forecast revenue, operating and capital cost flows in relation to alternative system configurations and rates. Angus’ project experience is derived from a range of sectors including energy, solid waste management, nuclear waste management, transportation, gaming, and education.

Anoushka Martil

M.A.Sc., BSc, EP

Anoushka Martil is an environmental and socio-economic consultant who brings specialised experienced in the areas of project management, environmental and socio-economic impact assessment, facilitation, community engagement, and public consultation.

Anoushka supports her team as environmental and/or consultation lead, working on municipal, provincial, federal and international environmental impact assessments and related projects. Her experience crosses a variety of sectors, including transit and transportation (rail, roads and bridges), energy (nuclear, natural gas, wind, and waste-to-energy) and transmission, among others. Anoushka has a solid understanding of all aspects of the planning process, with specific experience leading multi-disciplinary projects which involve coordination of technical studies, public and agency communication and consultation, and preparation of reports and documentation as required by the various regulatory processes.  Her experience includes involvement in high profile and controversial projects which have required in-depth stakeholder consultation.

Anoushka is a strong communicator and facilitator. She works closely with project teams to understand alignment between engagement and technical/design work and identify the best tools to use based on the desired outcome(s). She specializes in consensus-building meeting design and facilitation methods and has facilitated both in-person and virtual engagement sessions. She has a strong handle on virtual engagement tools and tactics, including virtual meetings and workshops that have required interactive and collaborative meeting elements.

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JME Maxwell

MBA, BSc

JME is a senior consultant with more than 20-years experience working for government and private sector clients across Canada and internationally. He has been a project manager, management consultant, and economic advisor on numerous strategy, economic, and policy projects. 

JME has significant expertise in project and program management, strategic planning, business planning, financial analysis, and economic assessment. Mr. Maxwell sits on the board of directors and provides ongoing strategic and operational advice to several organizations.  

Prior to joining Avaanz, JME was responsible for managing the profits and losses of the Canadian operations of one of the world’s largest engineering and environmental consulting firms and managed the operations of a $120M per annum Environmental consulting business in Central United States.

Mark van der Woerd

EMES (in progress), MES, BSc

Mark is an accomplished environmental consultant with a proven record of leading diverse teams through the intricacies of environmental approvals. With a robust background in environmental management, community relations, and civil construction, Mark approaches each assignment with a comprehensive and holistic mindset. His forte lies in successfully navigating controversial projects through the complex web of federal, provincial, and municipal approvals, building partnerships, and serving as a collaborative client ambassador.

Mark's specialty is delivering fully permitted and construction-ready projects. Over his career, he has led a variety of major assignments across North America, ranging from battery storage, wind, solar, hydropower, pipelines, gas generation and mines. Known for his pragmatic approach, Mark prioritizes driving practical and cost-effective solutions. His ability to foster positive and proactive relationships with clients and stakeholders ensures that assignments are not just completed, but are executed with meticulous care, emphasizing principles of respect, quality, and inclusivity.

Jess Beaney

BSc

Jess leads and manages environmental assessment, permitting and regulatory follow-up processes of Canadian power generation, oil and gas, transportation, nuclear and mining projects. Jess has experience leading small to large-scales projects with multi-disciplinary teams through the project planning, permitting and construction phases. She works alongside our clients to provide strategic advice and assistance navigating federal, provincial and municipal approvals.

Avaanz has an Environment and Regulatory Team practice area that provides a wide range of environmental services. The ERA Team is made up of environmental staff with a wealth of experience across many sectors and industries. Jess manages the day-to-day operations of this team, ensuring project and staff are receiving the proper level of support.

Kelsey Catherine Young

PhD, MEd, BEd, BA

Dr. Kelsey Catherine Young, Ph.D. is the Staff Manager of the Social and Economic team and a Senior Socio-economic consultant at Avaanz, with over a decade of experience in program and policy development. Her professional passion has focused on community engagement, delivering, or developing community-based programs and projects across First Nations, Inuit Nunangat, and Canada. Specializing in socio-economic issues and policy, Kelsey Catherine has worked in partnership and in support of Indigenous governments and organizations, community stakeholders, and not for profits, as well as Federal, Territorial, Provincial, and Municipal governments, along with private sector clients.

She has developed and executed public, stakeholder, and Indigenous community engagement strategies, as well as evaluations of programs and strategies. Her strengths are focused in supporting clients on developing engagement materials, planning, and holding engagement events (including stakeholder and technical advisory group meetings, Indigenous-Crown working group meetings, and consensus building workshops), and developing policies and assessments. She has experience engaging with governments, including briefing ministers/ministries on Indigenous issues and priorities, as well as crafting executive, board level, and leadership level briefings, reports, and proposals.

Kelsey Catherine’s toolbox of experience comes equipped with developing stakeholder engagements, community impact assessments, policy development, government program and funding agreements, knowledge of Indigenous governance structures, and training and facilitation delivery. She has managed multi-million-dollar programs and education departments, organized, and facilitated large gatherings and training delivery, and has delivered many community-based events and engagements across Inuit Nunangat and in multiple First Nations, remote, rural and urban. Kelsey has advised and managed within a National Indigenous Organization policy shop on several files, in education, poverty reduction, language and culture, economic development and labour market.

Our Story

Founded in 2020 by a group of consultants with backgrounds in social science, economics, and environmental approvals, Avaanz was built on a shared commitment to delivering exceptional consulting and advisory services. With 25 years of collaborative experience, our founders envisioned a company focused on enhancing community well-being, and the human environment.