Our People

  • Our Board of Directors

    FLAP Canada is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board meets six times a year to ensure the effective management of FLAP Canada. No Board director receives remuneration in his or her role as a director. The Board is composed of members who bring a variety of talents, experiences and expertise to the governance of FLAP Canada.

    Please direct any Board inquiries to flap@flap.org

  • Smiling headshot of Lea M. Ray, FLAP Canada

    Lea M. Ray, CPA, ICD.D

    Chair

    “As a long-time supporter and volunteer of FLAP, I am grateful to now contribute to FLAP at the Board level.  Birds are so important to the world and to our urban living landscapes.  It is equally, if not more, important that we protect them – by ensuring our own living spaces work harmoniously with theirs.  I am deeply committed to FLAP’s mission and hope that you will join us in furthering the protection of our beautiful feathered friends.”

  • Smiling headshot of Ben Coleman, FLAP Canada

    Ben Coleman

    Secretary

    “As more and more people live in cities, it’s important that we appreciate nature right where we live and make our neighbourhoods safe for bird species. I volunteer with FLAP because I want to help secure the funding and support that our volunteers and staff need to save birds’ lives every day.”

  • Smiling headshot of John Robert Carley, FLAP Canada

    John Robert Carley, B. Arch, FRAIC

    Director

    “I believe that the bird-building collision issue must be addressed legislatively, by mitigation and prevention measures included in Zoning and Building Codes. Architects, Owners, and Builders must come to accept that including bird-strike deterrent measures in building design and construction are the ”best practice” and are simply part of doing good business.”

  • Smiling headshot of Mauro Carreño, FLAP Canada

    Mauro Carreño

    Director

    “It doesn’t matter how much energy a building saves or how much carbon is reduced, if a building kills, it will never be sustainable.  In order to respect and support the natural environment it is essential we prevent bird collisions by implement bird-friendly architecture. By means of education and awareness we need to encourage architects, designers and the building occupants to adopt bird-friendly practices.”

  • Smiling headshot of Barry Coombs, FLAP Canada

    Barry Coombs

    Director

    “I’ve been a birder for over twenty years and a bird advocate for the past five years. I’ve learned that a thriving bird population is absolutely essential to biodiversity and a healthy climate. Millions of bird deaths from collisions with glass are preventable and I’m very proud to contribute to FLAPs efforts through advocacy, education and research to make our built environment bird-friendly.”

  • Smiling headshot of Carly Davenport, FLAP Canada

    Carly Davenport

    Director

    “I care deeply about conserving the natural world around me and reducing colonial human impact. I am uniquely positioned with a background in art and design as well as biology. Through my work as a volunteer with FLAP, I am committed to collecting data, contributing to research, and advocating for effective bird-window collision deterrence. I hope to advance this work as a member of the board.”

  • Smiling headshot of Sarah Box, FLAP Canada

    Sarah Box

    Director

    “I’ve been enthralled by birds since I was a child, and they’re an extraordinary element of the world we inhabit.  It’s an honour to support FLAP Canada’s vital work to mitigate and prevent the harms caused by bird strikes with buildings, so that we can move to a built environment that is more sustainable.”

Smiling headshot of of Doctor Daniel Klem Junior, FLAP Canada

Honorary Board Member

Dr. Daniel Klem Jr.

“For 45 years, as a scientist I have studied, written, and taught about the threat that sheet glass and plastic pose to birds. I am motivated by available and growing evidence that bird-building collisions are an important conservation, building industry, legal, and animal welfare issue for birds and people worldwide. I feel privileged and honored to have served on the Board of an organization that is a model world leader addressing the unintended and unwanted avian mortality resulting from bird-window collisions.”

Want to support FLAP Canada as a Board Member?

Thank you for your interest in the FLAP Canada Board. We are always happy to welcome people wishing to help us prevent bird death caused by collisions with buildings. The Board usually convenes six times a year, meetings being two hours in length and located within downtown Toronto. Apart from Board meetings, directors also participate in working groups such as Communications & Advocacy and Finance & Fundraising.

Let us know a little about yourself. We will contact shortly after your submission.

Please send your submission to flap@flap.org

  • Please send your submission to flap@flap.org and include the following:

    • Are you over the age of 18?

    • First Name

    • Last Name

    • Phone (Home/Work/Mobile)

    • Email

    • Occupation

    Skills: at this time, the Board is especially interested in candidates with skills in one or more of the following areas, please indicate the skills that apply to you:

    • Fundraising

    • Communications

    • Volunteer Management

    • Architecture

    • Building Operations

    • Information Technologies

    • Finance and Accounting

    • Research

    • Accounting, Audit & Financial Literacy

    • Strategic Planning

    • Risk Management

    • Executive Leadership

    • Compensation & Human Resources Management

    • Governance Experience, Training, Education

    • Government Relations, Public Policy

    • Information Technology

    • Legal & Regulatory

    • Marketing, Communications & Branding

    • Finance / Capital Markets / Liquidity & Capital Management

    • Operational Excellence & Outsourcing

    Please briefly describe your experiences with the above skills.

    Answer the following questions:

    • What qualities or other experiences do you possess that, in your opinion, would benefit FLAP Canada?

    • If you have previous Board experience, please list the issues and/or activities in which you participated and what you feel you achieved.

    • Why would you like to join the FLAP Canada Board?

Our Staff Team

  • Smiling headshot of Michael Mesure, FLAP Canada

    Michael Mesure

    Executive Director

    A co-founder of FLAP, Michael has over 30 years’ experience bringing attention to the bird collision issue. He has worked tirelessly with government – federal, provincial, municipal – to develop migratory bird protection policies, collaborated with manufacturers of bird-deterrent technologies, and produced FLAP’s BirdSafe® Building Standards and its accompanying building auditing tool. He has also co-authored numerous reports, peer-reviewed articles, and research papers. Finally, he has taught numerous workshops to industry professionals, and addressed audiences on the issue and bird-safe solutions.

  • Smiling headshot of Susan Krajnc, FLAP Canada

    Susan Krajnc

    Program Manager

    On staff since 2005, her activities include fundraising and public policy development. She has a Bachelor of Political Science.

  • Smiling headshot of Kaitlin Brough, FLAP Canada

    Kaitlin Brough

    Volunteer & Campaigns Coordinator

    Kaitlin joined FLAP Canada as a volunteer in 2016, and in 2019 took on the role of the Global Bird Rescue coordinator. She officially joined the staff team in 2024. Her main activities are coordinating the volunteers, managing the building monitoring program, and running our annual event: Global Bird Rescue. She received a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from the University of Guelph.

  • Smiling headshot of Doctor Brendon Samuels, FLAP Canada

    Dr. Brendon Samuels

    BirdSafe Buildings Communications Coordinator

    Brendon has been working alongside FLAP Canada since 2020, beginning while he was completing his doctoral research at Western University focusing on bird-building collisions. Brendon holds a PhD in Biology, a Master of Science in Neuroscience, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow and instructor at the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University. Brendon’s main activities with FLAP involve policy analysis, partnership development, government relations, education of building professionals, and FLAP’s BirdSafe building risk assessment program.

Smiling photo of Paloma Plant, retired staff of FLAP Canada

Retired Staff

Paloma Plant

A founding member of FLAP, Paloma was the Program Coordinator from 2012 to 2024. She is a wildlife rehabilitator, and her main activities included overseeing the building monitoring program, public outreach and volunteer coordination.

Our Volunteers

Smiling group photo of thirteen FLAP volunteers outdoors, many wearing binoculars

In addition to full-time staff, FLAP Canada is supported by a team of dedicated volunteers.

In 2015, over 125 volunteers worked over 4,000 hours. That’s equivalent to 2.38 full-time employees working 35 hours per week for the entire year!

With the help of our volunteer force, FLAP Canada works tirelessly to educate people about the perils of the built environment for birds, and protect migrating birds from the threats in urban habitat. We couldn’t do it without you.

Learn More