Meet the Team

Manvi (she/her) is an activist-scholar with over 15 years of community organizing experience. She is recognized as one of Canada’s ‘Top 25 Under 25’ environmentalists, ‘Top 30 Under 30’ sustainability leaders and was honoured with the ‘Youth Eco-Hero of the Year’ award in 2022. She co-founded Shake Up The Establishment, a national nonprofit dedicated to climate justice & political advocacy, alongside missINFORMED, a nonprofit focused on health promotion for women and gender-diverse people. Alongside her advocacy work, Manvi is a published health researcher, frequent public speaker and guest lecturer who works to centre anti-colonial approaches. During her MSc, she investigated barriers towards climate action within the public health sector. This research discerned the knowledge and understanding of climate change-related health risks by public health authorities, determined local mitigation, adaptation and risk communication strategies and identified policy recommendations for the Ontario Public Health sector at large. Presently, she is a PhD student at University of British Columbia with SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship funding. Her research works to advance intersectional environmental justice in environmental health policy-making to better serve the holistic health needs of racially, ethnically and gender-minoritized populations. Research methods for this work include critical policy analyses to assess the procedural justice implications of recent Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) reforms, community-based participatory action workshops to capture urban South Asian communities’ embodied experiences of environmental health risks and to co-develop a submission for the forthcoming NEJ strategy public consultation, and to utilise arts-based methods to co-imagine environmentally just futures with racially-minoritized youth.

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Neha worked on projects focused on sustainability and community well-being, leading to an interest in social and environmental health. She completed her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences at McMaster University, and is currently completing her Master of Public Health at the University of Waterloo. She joined SUTE in 2023 and helps out with funding activities for the organization which led her to her current role of CFO. 

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Keara (She/Her) is an 8th generation Black Canadian with African Nova Scotian ancestry. She currently resides within Treaty 13 territory, in so-called Mississauga, Ontario. Keara received her M.A. in Globalization, with invaluable mentorship from her supervisor Dr. Ingrid Waldron, at McMaster University. Her research — grounded in anti-racist and anti-colonial principles — investigated the intersections between environmental racism, climate change inequities, and health in Indigenous and historical Black communities in Canada. For the past 3+ years, Keara has worked in the non-profit sector as a project coordinator, educator, consultant, researcher, and advocate on projects committed to advancing environmental justice, climate justice, and planetary health equity. Outside of work, Keara is an avid gaming nerd, loves to eat and cook delicious plant-based meals, and adores spending time with her cute (but rambunctious!) poodle-mix puppy named Pepper.

Ava is passionate about the intersections between law, policy, community engagement, and climate/environmental justice. She has curated a unique perspective on environmental justice and climate policy from various research and academic experiences during her time studying Environmental Science at UBC and across Europe, including topics on global microplastic policy in Geneva, analytical chemistry in Paris, sustainable development in Montpellier, and climate mitigation strategies in Copenhagen. Ava is grateful for the diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and positionalities of each person she has learned from throughout her undergraduate career. She wishes to pursue a career in climate law, advocating for the communities that have contributed the least to the climate crisis, yet are burdened with the greatest impacts. 

Mike Redston is a dedicated sales and marketing professional with a passion for driving positive change within the environmental movement. Holding a BCom in Entrepreneurship from the University of Victoria, he brings a robust background in sales including years of experience working in the nonprofit sector. As an outdoor enthusiast who cherishes exploring local forests and mountains, Mike’s commitment to environmental causes is rooted in a deep connection with nature since childhood. When not engaged with SUTE or hiking, Mike finds joy in creating music and pursuing artistic endeavours.

Michelle is a Graphic Designer and Product Designer with a passion for championing environmental sustainability, accessibility and inclusive design. Michelle joined SUTE in 2021 as a Media Designer, working on campaigns including #NotVotingFckingSucks and designing data-driven reports. After taking a break for school, Michelle has returned to volunteer at SUTE as the lead designer for the Infiltrate the System Network. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Design (BDes) from York University. Michelle has received distinctions from the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), Canada’s largest professional association for graphic designers, where she won the RGD Student Awards in Information Design (2023) and Website Design (2024). Her work can be found at michelletieu.design

Kaneera is a fourth-year student studying health, engineering sciences and entrepreneurship at McMaster University, minoring in community engagement. A longtime admirer and recent event coordinator of SUTE, she’s spent the past few years researching eco-activism and volunteering with civic action organizations in and around the GTA to support the climate justice movement.

Aarisha has a background in Political Science from the University of British Columbia. All throughout her studies in university, she felt there was a disconnect between academia and collective action until she found herself participating in a global seminar in Peru that introduced her to the concept of Rights of Nature– a concept which would later shape her passion for social and climate justice. Living and learning from the Indigenous Kichwa-Lamista community, that experience not only left an imprint moving forward with her activism but also her way of life on how to hold space. With an interest in decolonizing policies, Aarisha tends to bridge knowledge gaps with on-going education by collectively learning, story-telling and inter-cultural dialogue.