Meet the staff and board members behind Water Watchers

We are movement organizers, communications experts, science & policy specialists, relationship-builders, and community members supported by a small army of grassroots activists & volunteers working hard to protect water, ignite action to address the climate crisis, and advance justice for people & planet. 

 

 

Sarah Alexander - Board Chair

Sarah is an environmental sociologist and educator with a long-standing commitment to social and environmental justice. Sarah is passionate about projects that explore and integrate the vital role of social factors in understanding the way people interact with and perceive the environment. As a Water Watchers board member, she brings a background in community organizing and the sociology of water, as well as an abundance of energy to learn from others, a desire to make connections, and fervent support for the organization’s mission. Sarah holds bachelor’s degrees in gender studies (Wells College, Aurora, NY) and education (University of Toronto). She has an M.S. and Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University. Her master’s thesis examined the rise of the bottled water industry and the commodification of water. Her Ph.D. research explored drinking water preferences, especially factors driving the increase in consumption of bottled water in the home. Sarah is involved in numerous community projects to fight for climate justice but also has been known to enjoy a nice stroll outdoors.

Rebekah Jamieson - Board Secretary/Treasurer

Rebekah has lived in the Guelph and Fergus area for most of her life. As a mother, teacher and citizen, she is passionate about protecting water and educating young people. She is an avid camper and hiker who loves swimming in Ontario's freshwater lakes as often as possible, and believes that water is sacred and should be protected as a basic human right.

Meghan Clout - Member at Large 

Meghan is a University of Guelph alumni with a degree in environmental governance. Her experience as an aquatic biologist during her undergrad solidified her passion for water. Shortly after graduation, Meghan started her career in the ENGO world working in communications and had continued that career working with multiple organizations in a communications role. Meghan grew up in Northern Ontario, on the shore of lake Nipissing, where her interests in all things outside and riverside began. She enjoys backcountry camping, hiking, kayaking, canoeing and is an avid rock climber. “I do this work because everyone and everything deserves clean, drinkable, swimmable water. Water is life, we are water.”

 

Sonia Persaud - Member at Large

Sonia Persaud grew up in Guelph. She is currently a Professor of Communications at Sheridan College and a Rotary Peace Fellow. Sonia holds a Ph.D. in English and Cultural Studies from McMaster University. Her current research investigates the legislative and cultural concepts of water in Canada. Sonia believes that water is a fundamental human right and is dedicated to facilitating water justice and peace.

 

Karen Rathwell - Member at Large

After retiring in 2011 from a 28-year career in public education, Karen pursued her keen interest in plastic waste/recycling and local and global water issues. She brings her enthusiasm for life and her love of water to her volunteer work, both at Water Watchers and as the Chair of the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.

In her volunteer roles, two of Karen’s primary goals are to encourage more people to engage in crucial local issues and to build a network of community members who support the social justice and water related challenges we are now facing. She aspires to being a “good ancestor”, leaving behind a legacy of equity, pure air, soil and abundant, potable water for generations to come. She believes this can be achieved through teamwork, commitment and a shared collective vision. Karen Rathwell lives in Guelph, ON

 

 

Passionate about water & justice?

Apply to join the Water Watchers' Board of Directors!

 

 

Water Watchers Team Members

 

 

Arlene Slocombe - Part Time Executive Director

Water Watchers co-founder Arlene Slocombe has been actively involved and committed to the work of the Wellington Water Watchers from the beginning. She has served as Executive Director since 2009. Arlene and her two children learned a great deal about water stewardship living a simple off-grid life along the banks of the Eramosa River, just southeast of Guelph. While collecting the water that she and her family drank from a spring that bubbled from the ground near her home, Arlene had the privilege to viscerally experience the sacred nature of water that sustains all life.

“I do this work because I know deep in my being that the way we treat water is the way we treat all of life – including ourselves.”

 

 

 

 

 

Dani Lindamood - Campaigns & Communications Director

Dani joined the Water Watchers in 2019, supporting strategic communications, program design, and campaigns. Dani has a Master’s of Sustainability Management from the University of Waterloo and a certificate in Collaborative Water Management. Water has been a key feature throughout Dani’s career, grounding her work across multiple sectors including academia, science communications, international sustainable development, and water advocacy. Water has been important to Dani since birth and speaks to her as a symbol of the unity and connectivity of all life. When she’s not enjoying a swim or hike by the water, you can find her traveling, playing music, working on her novel, volunteering, or enjoying a craft beer.

”I believe in this work because water touches all life, creating an important entry point for all people to understand the value of the natural world, find their power to affect change, & advance the environmental movement."

 

 

 

 

 

Ilham Abdulkadir - Great Lakes Organizer

Ilham holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from the University of Guelph. Her early years growing up in Kenya sparked a lifelong curiosity about natural systems and their connection to people’s lives. After graduating, Ilham’s path led her through a variety of roles each deepening her understanding of how people and the environment shape one another. Over time, she found her grounding in the ENGO space, a place where her values and work align.She is passionate about supporting movements that protect and restore our shared environment, and motivated by the belief that meaningful change happens when communities and ecosystems thrive together. Her hope is that future generations will inherit a world as full of life and beauty as the one that first inspired her, a world where everyone can experience the connection, balance, and renewal that water makes possible. Ilham believes Working toward water justice means protecting both people and place, so that all can thrive together. She is happiest reading in the sun, exploring trails, playing New York Times word games, and travelling to experience new cultures.

”I believe that working toward water justice means protecting both people and place, because caring for water is caring for people, and our wellbeing and the planet’s are inseparable."

 

 

 

 

 

Isabel Bowers - Great Lakes Organizer

Isabel is an environmentalist committed to supporting the health and longevity of Mother Earth, and someone who strives to walk in reciprocity with the land. She has a deeply rooted relationship with water, having centered her final high school art project on this connection— an outlook she continues to carry into her career. She will be supporting the Stop Salt Pollution campaign, a cause that holds personal significance and was also the focus of her final postgraduate project. Isabel completed her undergraduate degree in Environment, Resources, and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, followed by a postgraduate program in Environmental Engineering at Conestoga College. Isabel has followed the journey of Water Watchers for close to 10 years and is ecstatic to be apart of the water justice movement. In her spare time, she loves interior decorating, creating art, going for walks, and caring for her two cats and 40+ plants.

”I believe water is where people find their power and community. Water connects all life and reminds us that protecting the planet begins with protecting the sacred source from which we all flow from."