OUR TEAM
Melina Laboucan-Massimo
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SACRED EARTH SOLAR
Melina Laboucan-Massimo is Lubicon Cree and was born in her community of Little Buffalo in Northern Alberta. She has worked on social, environmental and climate justice issues for the past 20 years.
Melina is the co-founder of Indigenous Climate Action, the founder of Sacred Earth and the inaugural Indigenous research fellow at the David Suzuki Foundation where her research focused on Climate Change, Indigenous Knowledge and Renewable Energy.
She is the host of a TV series called Power to the People which profiles sustainable climate solutions from renewable energy, food security to eco-housing in Indigenous communities across Canada which is currently airing on The Weather Network, the Knowledge Network, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and on SBS Australia.
Melina holds a Master’s degree in Indigenous Governance with a focus on sustainability and energy transition at the University of Victoria. Melina has written for a variety of publications and produced numerous short films on climate change, environmental justice, just transition, water issues, energy sovereignty, MMIWG2S and Indigenous cultural revitalization.
Melina has been involved in Indigenous media making since 2004 while working as a coordinator to support emerging Indigenous filmmakers through a film training program at the Indigenous Media Arts Group and as a media literacy program coordinator at Redwire Native Media Society. Melina has studied, campaigned and worked in Brazil, Australia, Mexico, Canada and across Europe focusing on environmental justice, resource extraction, climate change impacts, media literacy and Indigenous rights & responsibilities.
In 2021, Melina was named one of the 26 Climate Champions in Canada by the Canada Climate Law Initiative. She has also been profiled and recognized for her work throughout the years in Elle Magazine, CNN, Global Citizen, Chatelaine, Flare, CBC, Earth.org, 350.org and Refinery29. She received the Canadian Eco-Hero Award in 2019 by Planet in Focus.
Melina has campaigned to build sustainable futures alongside icons like Jane Fonda, Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Klein, David Suzuki, and Bill McKibben. She has been invited to speak before hundreds of audiences over the years including in the US Congress, the Harvard Law Forum, British Parliament, CTV’s The Social, National Geographic, Climate Week NYC, Sustainable Production Forum and numerous universities and international organizations like Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International while campaigning globally for environmental and climate justice.
Melina has worked on the issue of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women since 2013 after the suspicious death of her sister Bella whose case still remains unsolved.
Melina currently serves on the boards of NDN Collective, Seeding Sovereignty, David Suzuki Foundation as well as the National Steering Committee of Indigenous Clean Energy.
To learn more about Melina, go here
To listen to more about her work watch here
Serena Mendizábal
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Serena Mendizabal (she/her) is a Cayuga Wolf Clan Panamanian woman from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Serena is a community-based researcher, grassroots organizer, and environmental advocate. Serena is the Interim Managing Director at Sacred Earth Solar. Serena holds a Master's of Geography & Environment with a focus on Indigenous environmental health governance and industrial health impacts with Pictou Landing First Nation & Tobique First Nation.
Serena first began her journey in clean energy when she was 18 working in community engagement and communications at the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation, holding the largest First Nations clean energy portfolio in so-called Canada. While working in community engagement, she found gaps in community consent with her community’s clean energy portfolio and went on to further explore what a true ‘just transition’ can look like in a community of over 28,000 members. From there on out, Serena has dedicated her studies and extracurriculars to Indigenous self-determination, climate change, environmental health impact, and just clean energy transitions. Serena’s connections to climate advocacy, research, education, and direct action are numerous.
Serena is the Co-Chair of the SevenGen National Indigenous Youth Energy Council, a Subject Matter Expert on Connecting for Climate Change Action, a Youth Action & Environment Fellow with the Lawson Foundation, a Board of Director with Student Energy, and is also the Climate Action Lead with Protect the Tract, a Haudenosaunee-led group in her community, Six Nations, focused on enforcing the traditional governance (the Haudenosaunee Confederacy)’s moratorium on development along the Grand River (Haldimand Tract). Serena is passionate about self-determined community development, action, and futures, and believes in a future with Indigenous youth & elders leading; sovereign, healthy nations; and lands and waters back.
Farron Rickerby-Nishi
CURRICULUM DEVELOPER
Farron Rickerby-Nishi (she/they) is a Japanese Canadian settler who lives on the unceded, unsurrendered lands and waters of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, Səl̓ílwətaɬ, and K'ómoks First Nations. As the great granddaughter of internment survivors, she is passionate about social justice, intergenerational healing, cultural resurgence, and creating resilient communities.
In her role at Sacred Earth Solar (SES), Farron designs Just Transition educational materials that follow the guidance of Indigenous pedagogies - including curriculum that is place-based, emphasises holistic and experiential learning, and reflects the diversity of Indigenous peoples and cultures. Farron has also previously worked with SES and Indigenous Climate Action on the Indigenous Youth Needs Assessment and the Just Transition Guide. Farron is grateful and privileged to be a part of this work and believes in the power of Indigenous-led climate solutions.
Farron’s areas of interest and experience span the natural sciences, environmental governance, impact assessment, climate justice, and Indigenous rights. She holds a MSc in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and a BSc in Global Resource Systems from the University of British Columbia. Farron is also involved in organisations that aim to create meaningful spaces for equity-deserving groups in the sustainability sector and outdoor recreation community. She is passionate about QTBIPOC representation in the outdoors and can often be found hiking, biking, skiing, and foraging in the backcountry. In her free time, Farron also enjoys creating art, making music, and cooking.
Shane Monague
COMMUNICATIONS LEAD
Waabshkigan Shane Monague is a Two-Spirit Ojibwe & Potawatomi Anishinaabenini from Beausoleil First Nation, Christian Island, Ontario. He studied Digital Film Production in post-secondary and has since went on to work as communications support for various programs within his community. Shane currently resides in his home reserve of G’chimnissing where he is also volunteering his time with several community-based anishinaabe language and cultural revitalization projects. His spirituality, relationship with the environment and his community guides all of the work he is a part of and informs his future goals for himself and his people. As a second-generation Indian Residential School Survivor, Shane has worked to become an Oshkaabewis/ceremonial helper for his people and is a passionate advocate for First Nations language and cultural revitalization. Shane looks forward to the journey ahead supporting the powerhouse team at Sacred Earth Solar.
Edna Joyce Valtierra Cruz
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Edna Joyce was born in Mexico City. She has over five years of experience providing high-level support to senior executives and operational needs. Proven project coordination, business management, quality assurance , and a strong ability to optimize administrative processes. Committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion with the ability to foster positive relationships with various stakeholders. Trilingual Communicator in English, Spanish, and Italian.
Edna Joyce is an adventure photographer currently based in Toronto, Ontario, she is an avid outdoors enthusiast and loves photographing the small things that enrich the soul. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Journalism from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and embraces the values of hard work and dedication.
With a profound respect for Mexican/Canadian culture and indigenous communities, her goal is to showcase the variety of cultures that enrich and enliven this land. Her work reflects a commitment to sustainability, justice, and cultural humility, aligning with Sacred Earth Solar’s mission to create a just and sustainable future.
Ximena Diaz Lopez
Development Manager
is a first-generation Mexican settler born in Mexico City from mixed and largely unknown ancestry. She grew up and currently lives on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Peoples.
Ximena advances donor stewardship. Her vision is to support Indigenous sovereignty, climate action and a just transition through relationship building that enables meaningful partnerships and access to resources.
Ximena's educational background is in community planning and business. She is pursuing her Masters in Indigenous Community Planning from the School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her studies and community practicum work are transforming her worldview towards decolonial ways that prioritize relationality and healing. Ximena also holds a Bachelors in Commerce specializing in marketing from Sauder School of Business at UBC.
Her career began by supporting outdoor recreation in British Columbia. She researched sustainable funding models for trails and the impacts of outdoor recreation in rural BC communities. Most recently, she set up the Outdoor Recreation Fund of BC—a $10 million endowment fund which provides annual grants for outdoor recreation projects—for the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC. The establishment of the fund and advocacy for its creation was based on Ximena's research and recommendations. Ximena managed the first grant intake, awarding grants to 30 community-based groups. Ximena is passionate about building good futures for communities that are centered on people and their well-being. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, swimming, cycling, and running, and listening to or reading stories.