Meet the Team

David Patterson was the founder and for 31 years the CEO of Northwater Capital, a Toronto-based investment management firm. On retiring in 2020 he worked with a small group to found Common Earth with a focus on the question: “How can we move to a post-carbon caring society?” David brings his executive experience, his passion and concern to Common Earth. In addition to the environment, he and his wife have philanthropic interests in Toronto and international healthcare, education, and children’s camping. He holds a BA from Trent University (Political Philosophy), an MBA from the University of Toronto (Finance) and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Trent University.

For the first almost 20 years of her career, Sarah worked in the finance industry in various Operational, Learning & Development, and Human Resources roles. In 2016 Sarah returned to her first love of summer camps when she assumed a role managing the operations of 5 summer camps. In 2020 Sarah joined David in his efforts to create a space where people can grapple with how we can move to a post-carbon caring society. She was so moved by her own experience, as well as the impact she witnessed it having on others, that she quit her job to focus entirely on helping to grow the Common Earth community. When not working on Common Earth efforts, you can find her reading or on her bike. She and her husband believe strongly in the power of community and love nothing more than hosting the many friends and family they share. Sarah is still in awe of the overlap that is occurring and the fact that so many of her Common Earth connections have become her family.

Bruno is a lifelong learner and when the opportunity to take the Common Earth course arose, he jumped at the chance. After being deeply impacted by the experiences and insights he had as a result, the issues surrounding climate change surfaced as a priority. Since 2020, he has been connected with the community in different roles, bringing his experience of over 20 years in marketing educational programs to potential participants and partners. He has a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management and Tourism and a post-graduate certificate in Marketing Strategy from the University of Sao Paulo. Originally from Brazil, he moved to Canada in 2017.

Dennis’s career work has included line management, consulting, and human resources management in professional services, investment management, consumer food, foodservice, and government. Most recently, he led operations support for specialists engaging communities impacted by resource development in Africa, Latin America and Europe to jointly plan and complete new town construction, relocation and sustainable livelihoods restoration. At Northwater Capital Management Inc., Deloitte. and global executive search firms, he led multi-function teams and delivered client services in Canada, the U.S. and Latin America. Dennis serves as Director and advisor for non-profits and small consultancies. He completed a degree and specialized studies in Social Sciences, and professional certifications in management consulting and human resources management. With Common Earth Soil Health Inc., Dennis has reinvigorated his Ontario farming community roots to combat global warming. He’s excited to learn, demonstrate and promote widespread adoption of Regenerative Agriculture to build healthier farmland soils that sequester larger quantities of atmospheric carbon and reduce greenhouse gases. Although he’s not a gardener, inspired to do what he can for Earth and Nature, Dennis has single-handedly planted a personal Pollinator Garden

Malene joined Common Earth in January 2022 after having been a participant herself and finding herself deeply impacted by the exploration. She came into the course with a background as a Change Coach within the 3 Principles and a successful career in Human Resources. When she is not busy engaging with the growing community of Common Earth, Malene enjoys her 3 Principles based coaching practice. Another favorite of hers is to get out in nature, especially with her 3 awesome kids and husband. Back in the days Malene obtained a Bachelor and Master of Arts (MA – Psychology and Business Studies) from Roskilde University, Denmark.

After completing the Common Earth course in 2022, Debbie was profoundly moved and motivated to focus on solutions to climate change. She continues to be inspired and gain new insights as a facilitator, and feels honored to be a part of the Common Earth community. Professionally, Debbie has worked as a counselor, teacher and trainer. For the past six years, Debbie has taught academic English as a Second Language to international students all over the globe. She also volunteers as a reading tutor at an elementary school, and enjoys hiking, biking, reading, and her new hobby inspired by Common Earth – gardening. Debbie holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Counseling from San Francisco State University, and a TESOL certificate from the School of International Training. She lives in Oakland, California with her family and their sweet, yet challenging new dog.

Olivia is a passionate advocate for life-long and pervasive learning practices. She brings 25 years of diverse experiences as an educator and learner in both formal and informal learning environments. Through the Common Earth Community, Olivia works to explore and act on her interest in strengthening the connections between internal and external wellbeing as they relate to climate health. Olivia is certified to teach all age divisions and a variety of subject areas including English as a Second Language, Social Sciences, History, Spanish and Special Education. She holds a BA from Dalhousie University, and a BEd and MEd from OISE (Curriculum and Pedagogy, Emphasis Wellbeing).

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Melak studied political science in Addis Ababa and later did a graduate degree in Development Studies in the Netherlands. For over a decade, Melak has been in African academia as a researcher and lecturer in the area of development, poverty, climate change, and conflicts. After moving to Toronto, he joined Common Earth as curator of the daisies (a role that he took on passionately – researching successful environmental stories and putting them on the daisy map). Melak believes we can fight climate change through one daisy at a time.

Duncan Holmes has a BA in Biology and Chemistry. He did Accounting and Administration for non-profits in India and Canada. He was President of ICA Associates Inc. A Certified ToP Facilitator, he has facilitated and trained people in Facilitation in 7 countries. He has facilitated Module 1 at Common Earth since 2021 and trained the other facilitators in the Focused Conversation Method. He teaches ICA Canada’s Courage to Lead program.

Carlos has found in Common Earth a community of like-minded people, interested in learning and exploring paths to transform our systems from extractive to regenerative. Becoming a facilitator is a great way to support the growth of this global movement. Carlos has worked for more than two decades combining Systems Thinking, System Dynamics, and Data Science to help organizations make better decisions and understand future scenarios. He has experience in healthcare, technology, and media. He holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Venezuela, and a Master’s degree from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Stephanie is an independent technology risk consultant and writes the Risk Musings newsletter, covering “risk management for regular folks”, often through a systems thinking lens. Previously, she worked as a senior bank examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, focusing on IT risk with specialized expertise in recovery and resolution planning, business resilience/crisis management, and high frequency and automated trading. In her work, she’s learned a lot about persevering to reduce risk and working with stakeholders across organizations to effect positive outcomes. She’s now applying that experience as a facilitator for Common Earth and is honored to be of service in working to mitigate climate change. Stephanie holds a master’s degree in Information Security Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, creative writing, and reading.

Ekta Bromley is an educator and facilitator with over fifteen years’ experience using strengths-based pedagogies to create learning environments that honour collective wisdom, agency, and critical thinking. Her experience spans work as a teacher within the K-12 system, and as a facilitator and organizational development consultant within public, private, and non-profit organizations; and encompasses her time living and working in Canada and India. She recently returned to school as a graduate student at the University of Toronto, where her research explores the intersections of organizational design and social justice outcomes, with a specific focus on advancing gender equity and participatory democracy. She has also served for several years on the Board of The Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA Canada) – a charitable organization whose mission is to foster leadership development towards positive social change. She sees deep alignments between her approaches and Common Earth’s directions as a space to foster community-led solutions that are grounded in a holistic and nuanced appreciation of our collective journey towards a post-carbon caring society.

Amy came to the Common Earth community through the recommendation of a family member. She was so inspired and engaged by the experience that she wanted to join the group and help share the knowledge. Amy had a 35 year career in sales and then completely pivoted and started a complementary therapy practice sharing her love of sound healing. She is also a Reiki practitioner and a certified personal coach. She works in her community with people in grief and life-limiting diagnoses. Besides her passion for her work, she is an avid gardener and can be found hanging out with the bees and the flowers. Amy lives on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada.

Swati is a curious explorer and after coming across the Common Earth course in 2022, she now wants more people to learn from and apply it to their lives. She works towards social development in India by leading a network of committed young Indians to enable them in finding their potential and making a difference in the world around them. She has also led programs and projects to reduce the burden of poverty through unconditional cash transfers; to strengthen non-profits through effective communication; and to bring gender equity through access to finance. Swati has a master in business administration and she started her career by working with Deloitte for a few years before transitioning to voluntary organizations.

Andrea is a Colombian veterinary doctor with a robust scientific background from the FIDIC Research Institute and Texas A&M University. After earning her master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Hult International Business School, she deepened her understanding of systems thinking through the Common Earth Community. Andrea leads a global Yoga and Mindfulness community and has significant experience in the Digital Media and CleanTech industry, with a focus on cultural transformation. At her startup, ReFi Collective, she integrates her expertise in science, technology, ancestral wisdom, and life-centered design to co-create nature-based solutions, connecting the global impact investment ecosystem with regenerative projects and facilitating collaboration, knowledge exchange, and access to key resources.

Sam learned of Common Earth through a former colleague. She enjoyed the course so much, when she completed the course she wished she could do it all over again. She is excited to help share the Common Earth course with others through facilitation. Sam is a Senior Associate on the Sustainable Investing team at the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP). Prior to joining HOOPP she worked on the Sustainable Investing team at Addenda Capital for 4 years. Sam studied Economics and Global Development Studies at Queen’s University where she volunteered organizing student conferences including the Commerce and Engineering Environmental Conference, and was a member of the triathlon club. Sam swims with a masters swim club and participates in swimming competitions. She also loves spending time with family and friends, playing tennis and cycling.