Teamwork
Makes the Dream Work!
Meet Our Operations Team
.png)
Jackie Prime, PhD
Founder, Executive Director & Chief Scientist
You've seen her name pop up around our website a few times, for sure. She's the visionary behind our mission and the organizer who keeps things on track. With a PhD in biological anthropology, specializing in primate behaviour, primate cognition, and evolutionary adaptation, Dr. Jackie is ambitious, hard-working, and driven. She's also humble and passionate about lifting people up, helping others thrive, and creating a more a compassionate world for all people, plants, and animals.
In 2009, she began to dream that one day, when she finished school, she would find a way to teach people around the world how interconnected our world is and how every person matters because our choices impact the world.
When that day arrived, following the advice of a friend who believed in her vision, she wrote a brief manifesto. It read:
"You are a part of this world – take it in, breathe it, live it, love it, respect it; you are not alone or alien – feel the power of life all around you, you matter, life matters...we are all connected. Join us."
And she started to build her team.
Megan Rowcliffe, MFC
Restoration Manager
A trained forest ecologist with expertise in forest conservation, Megan graduated with a Master's of Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto. She has conducted several research projects, some of which include monitoring native vascular plants, accumulating over 8 years of experience working with nonprofits, municipalities, universities, and governmental organizations in projects involving reforestation, ecology, and forest conservation.
Megan's passion for forestry has led her to study various landscapes from southern Ontario to the Peruvian Amazon and on to Ghana, before shifting her focus towards south east Asia with Prime Earth. Having worked with various types of animals from fruit flies and butterflies to salamanders, anacondas, and jungle cats,Megan continues to use her forestry knowledge to now help protect and conserve small apes with our Gibbon Guardian Rainforest Restoration tree planting projects.
Megan is also extremely passionate about connecting forest conservation with the well-being of communities. Recognizing that caring for forests goes hand in hand with improving people's lives, Megan's dedication to helping others and empowering women is strongly reflected in our reforestation initiatives here at Prime Earth.
Kale Black
Community Engagement Specialist
Kale Black is an award-winning environmentalist and community organizer as well as a meditation facilitator and holistic wellness consultant. He began his career in the nonprofit industry as an environmental program coordinator with a local environmental organization at the age of 18, and has been working directly with youth ever since - coordinating a provincially recognized local youth network in Burlington, Ontario, and speaking to audiences across the province on how to take action to be the change you want to see in the world.
Incorporating his passion for the field of holistic health with his dedication to environmental conservation, Kale believes strongly in a new way of looking at environmentalism that includes the health of human beings (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual) as an essential part of the well being of our planet.
With a special talent for connecting with people, he's passionate about sharing his wisdom and the motivational lessons he has learned along his journey with others to create a more compassionate world through our new PowerSeekers program.
.jpg)
Jennifer Sharman, PhD
Program Development Editor
With a PhD in biological anthropology, Jen’s research on human skeletal variation has taken her around the world, studying collections in Portugal, South Africa, England, and Toronto, Canada. Jen is passionate about using her anthropological expertise to improve the lives of underrepresented or marginalized groups to better serve their needs within communities, particularly for equity in access to healthcare, social services, and community participation.
In addition to helping out at Prime Earth, Jen volunteers in her community, assisting with a public project to enhance the wellness and independence of older adults through active participation in social and recreational activities alongside coordination with health services, and works as editor for a local news website.
In grad school, Jen lead the development of a peer mentoring support program for anthropology students at Western University in London, Ontario, and building on this, brings her expertise to Prime Earth as the co-creator of our ACE for Anthropologists mentoring program.
Sasha Vidor
Social Media Manager
Sasha is an award-winning digital marketer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. She oversees content creation and social media management for our Gibbon Guardians communications.
An avid world traveler and animal lover, Sasha grew up in Italy and has always had a passion for monkeys and apes. After her first volunteer journey traveling to Phuket, Thailand to help with the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, Sasha quickly became committed to finding ways to use her expertise to help gibbons rescued from wildlife trade and exploitation survive and thrive in the wild. Whether volunteering her time and energy at primate sanctuaries around the world or sharing her marketing expertise to raise awareness for conservation and animal welfare issues, Sasha exemplifies that everyone has the ability to powerfully contribute to wildlife and environment conservation and make an impact to create a more compassionate world, even if that means helping out from a distance.