Staff
Lois Whitehead(she/her)
Executive Director
About Lois
Lois Whitehead has over 30 years’ experience in not-for-profit and association-based organizations. Her educational background in psychology, non-profit management, and community economic development, combined with experience and training in strategic planning, facilitation, and human resources, has helped to make her a leader in the nonprofit world. Lois has served as the Executive Director of Science Atlantic for over 20 years. In this time, she has successfully led and grown the organization’s footprint in the region, including increasing the membership, realigning services to a redefined mission, and rebranding (twice!).
In her spare time, Lois is a news, charity, professional development, and tech junkie.
Cindy Smith(she/her)
Membership and Administrative Support Coordinator
About Cindy
Cindy is a second year Human Resources student at Grant MacEwan University. She is in her second year with Science Atlantic, and is excited to continue growing her communication, critical thinking, and time management skills. Cindy has a background in leadership, customer service, and training and development. With a go-getter attitude, Cindy hopes to broaden her knowledge of non-profit organizations as she pursues a career in human resources.
When not behind her computer working or studying, Cindy can be found either with a game controller in her hands, or playing her clarinet. Cindy has a passion for making a difference in mental health issues in the workplace and hopes to one day help organizations realize how impactful they are to their team’s well-being.
Jessica Trigo(she/her)
Web Developer
About Jessica
Jessica is finishing up her computer programming degree at Fanshawe College with a co-op work term at Science Atlantic. Her background volunteering with various mental health advocacy groups sparked her interest in nonprofit organizations. She is excited to learn more about the structure and function of not-for-profit organizations while working at Science Atlantic. In her role as Jr. Web Developer, Jessica is responsible for updating the design and accessibility of Science Atlantic’s website.
In her spare time, Jessica enjoys playing tabletop and video games, reading, and spending time with her animals.
August Schaffler
(they/them)
Communications and Member Engagement Assistant: Graphic Designer
About August
August is in their fourth year in the Bachelor of Design program at MacEwan University. Their skillset includes illustration, brand development, typesetting, and information architecture. They are also passionate about social responsibility and accessibility in design practice.
August is looking forward to developing engaging new design collateral for Science Atlantic, as well as helping out with finding a file organization system that works better for the organization. They are excited to learn more about best practices with managing a team of people, as they hope to open their own design studio one day.
Holly O'Brien
(she/her)
Communications and Member Engagement Assistant
About Holly
Holly is a fourth year Bachelor of Commerce Student from Dalhousie University. She is excited to join the Science Atlantic team for her co-op placement as a Communications and Member Engagement Assistant. She will be assisting with website editing, data organization, social media engagement, and more.
Hobbies include playing video games, being obsessed with music, and playing with her cats – who continue to harass her throughout the work day.
Megan Krempa
(she/her)
Communications and Member Engagement Assistant
About Megan
Megan holds a bachelor’s degree (BAH’22) from the University of King’s College/Dalhousie University in the History of Science & Technology and Philosophy. She is passionate about making history accessible to everyone, and is interested in digital archives and their application in helping to democratize science and its history. She is thrilled to be working this summer on digitizing Science Atlantic’s trove of documents spanning all the way back to its very beginning in 1962. Besides digital archives, Megan is also a copyeditor and teaching assistant. She’d like to pursue a PhD in the History of Science with a focus on women in physics.
Amelia St. John
(she/her)
Communications and Member Engagement Assistant
About Amelia
As a third year marine biology and journalism student, Amelia believes that effective science
communication is imperative for the conservation and protection of the environment from climate
impacts. She is excited to exercise her writing and storytelling skills as a Communications and
Member Engagement Assistant in order to portray the significance of Science Atlantic as an organization. She aligns with Science Atlantic’s mission of building collaborations and partnerships within the Atlantic science community and is passionate about sustainability.
Outside of the classroom and office, Amelia is a part-time surfer and a full-time shark enthusiast – perhaps these passions are what sparked her interest in science communication.
Kate Gibson
(she/her)
Communications and Member Engagement Assistant
About Kate
Kate is a 2023 Dalhousie graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Biology with an English Minor. She will begin her Bachelor of Education at Mount Saint Vincent University in the Fall with the goal of becoming a high school biology teacher. She is passionate about science education and making the sciences accessible and attainable for all students.
Kate is excited to be a part of the Science Atlantic team working on social media and content creation in her role as a Communications and Member Engagement Assistant.
In her spare time Kate loves to be outdoors and spending time with her friends, family, and dogs.
Guilherme Couto
(he/him)
Jr. Web Developper
About Guilherme
Guilherme is in the final stages of his Computer Programming and Analysis degree at Fanshawe College and has enthusiastically joined the team. As a Web Developer, he’s eager to apply his skills in website editing and responsive layout design. Guilherme perceives this opportunity as a critical springboard, one that’s certain to provide him with tangible, hands-on experience that will be instrumental in shaping his career. He’s thrilled to contribute to Science Atlantic’s mission of building collaborative networks within the Atlantic Science community.
Away from work, Guilherme strives to maintain an active lifestyle through various exercises, immerses himself in engaging games, and cherishes quality time with family and friends.
Get in Touch
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If you’d like to contact a specific person, our staff directory is listed above.