Our team works closely together bringing valuable skills, expertise and knowledge to Provision’s membership and the industry. Together, with the direction of the Board, we are striving to achieve our vision of being the leading voice on sustainability for the food and beverage manufacturing industry.
Cher Mereweather - Executive Director
Cher is one of Canada’s leaders in food manufacturing sustainability. As Executive Director of Provision Coalition, an organization she founded with the country’s top food and beverage professional associations, Cher works directly with manufacturers to transform their business culture and operations. An advocate for change and a passionate spokesperson, Cher has dedicated her career to advancing sustainability concepts within the Canadian food industry and sustainability solutions at the firm level. Most recently, Cher has sharpened Provision’s focus on the reduction of food loss and waste developing innovative technologies and on-line tools that will modernize facility processing.
Cher’s career has included time with the Guelph Food Technology Centre where she established and directed the Sustainability Consulting Business Unit, and executive positions in environmental economics and policy with the Canadian agri-food think tank, the George Morris Centre. Cher holds a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Environmental Economics and Policy. In 2012, Cher was awarded the Canadian Grocer Generation Next award for her leadership, innovation and excellence in sustainability within the food and beverage industry.
Meena Hassanali - Director, Industry Programs
As Provision Coalition's Director for Industry Programs, Meena is responsible for managing and delivering industry programs and initiatives, including the Processing Food Sustainably Program. Meena has taken an active role assisting with the development and launch of an award winning Online Sustainability Management System and continues to lead new development of the SMS content. Meena directs Provision’s food waste project by engaging stakeholders across the value chain on food waste reduction initiatives and manages the process for public policy collaboration.
Prior to joining Provision, Meena worked at the Bloom Centre for Sustainability (BLOOM) where she spent nine years delivering sustainability programs including the award winning BLOOM’s On-site Technical Assistance Program, to assist small and medium sized (SME) manufacturers reduce their risks, costs, and environmental footprint. Meena has worked with businesses to integrate sustainability into their strategy, day-to-day operations, culture and decision making. Her experience includes planning and delivering conferences and workshops to engage industry stakeholders in adopting sustainable business practices.
Passionate about Provision’s mission, Meena continues to take a leadership role in the development of strategic partnerships among private, public and non-government organizations. Meena holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto in Environmental Science and a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from York University.
Isabel Dopta - Marketing & Communications Advisor
As Provision Coalition’s Marketing & Communications Advisor, Isabel is responsible for all communication strategies of the organization. This year will place an emphasis on increasing food and beverage manufacturing industry awareness of sustainability and Provision Coalition across Canada, and further facilitating manufacturer engagement.
Isabel divides her time between Provision Coalition and Food and Beverage Ontario where she leads that organization’s communication strategies and industry programming. Isabel joins Provision Coalition after two years with FBO as Chief Operating Officer and previously three years with Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. At Vineland, Isabel served in the role of Director of Communications from start-up through to a successful 100- plus person national horticulture innovation hub.
Isabel also spent time in 2006 and 2007 as Senior Policy Advisor to then Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Leona Dombrowsky.
Brett Wills - Director, SMS Support Program
As Provision’s Director, SMS Support Program, Brett is responsible for the delivery of coaching and mentoring programs to industry. Brett brings over 16 years of experience in Sustainable Business Management and as a former Plant Manager, has first-hand experience driving organizational performance. Brett’s focus on integrating Sustainability into the holistic business strategy delivers quantifiable results that can be sustained into the future.
Brett has worked extensively with Executive Teams at numerous organizations across a broad sector of industries with a specialized focus on the agricultural industry. As Professor of Green Business Management at Seneca College in Toronto, ON., Brett is helping to prepare the next wave of Sustainability Change Agents to enter the workforce.
Brett lives in Toronto and is the author of “Green Intentions: Creating a Green Value Stream to Compete and Win” and “Purposely Profitable: Embedding Sustainability into the DNA of Food Processing and Other Businesses”. Brett holds a BA in Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Janet Wakutz - Communications and SMS Resource Manager
As Provision’s Communications and SMS Resource Manager, Janet is responsible for the successful delivery of all portal-related projects in the Processing Food Sustainability industry program, writing communications and supporting publicity and reporting . She is excited to bring her experience in the food manufacturing industry specializing in online communications and website management to the Provision team.
Using her education in journalism, Janet enjoys the challenge of applying current best practices to deliver digital information effectively, translating the needs of the business while being mindful of user interaction expectations, and broadening conversations through social media.
Cynthia Waters - Project Coordinator
As Provision Coalition’s Project Coordinator, Cynthia is responsible for providing support for the industry programs, as well as assisting with the portal support initiatives. Cynthia has a background working in various sectors, including education, quick-service restaurant industry and not-for-profit sector. She brings to the team her experience in project management, sustainability strategy development and environmental reporting. Previously, she worked for Tim Hortons Inc. in various roles including environmental affairs, sustainability and government relations. She was part of the award winning sustainability reporting team that championed the organization’s sustainability goal setting and benchmarking.
Cynthia holds a bachelors degree from Carleton University in Canadian Studies and Political Science with a focus on policy analysis and a Master of Environmental Studies from Dalhousie University. She focused her research on small businesses and environmental sustainability. With her combination of education, knowledge and experience she is ideally suited to support Provision's mandate to be a leading voice on sustainability for the food and beverage manufacturing industry.
Angela Van Arragon - Executive Assistant
As Provision’s Executive Assistant, Angela manages the coordination, planning, and support of daily operational and administrative functions for Provision. Angela is passionate about community development, inclusivity, and social justice and is committed to organizational excellence in the non-profit sector.
Angela has completed a post-graduate certificate in Community and Social Services Management and holds a Honours Bachelor degree in Philosophy and a Masters in Philosophy.
Simone Weinstein - Project Coordinator
As Provision Coalition’s Project Coordinator, Simone is responsible for assisting with coaching and mentoring program delivery. She brings creative solutions to the team, drawing on her experiences in environmental management, project coordination, and operations coordination from various types of companies including manufacturing, consulting, and technology.
Simone has her Certified Associate Project Management (CAPM) designation from the Project Management Institute and holds a Bachelor’s of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo in Environment and Business.