Jillian Barnes - BSc, BHSc

Jillian joined Lotic with a diverse background, working in areas of environment, public health, research and education. Jillian started her biology career in 2002 as a research assistant for the University of Lethbridge, receiving training from the Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) and working in Waterton Lakes National Park. After several years working as a research assistant, Jillian graduated to working as a Lab Coordinator in the Biological Sciences department, managing research grants, coordinating field work and supporting graduate level research projects.

After taking time away from her career to be a stay-at-home Mom, Jillian returned to the U of L to complete a degree in Public Health. Shortly after graduating, she found herself at the forefront of Alberta’s opioid crisis in 2014, working in collaborative settings to develop, implement and evaluate preventative and trauma-informed interventions. Throughout her career in public health, Jillian gained years of experience in program planning and evaluation, community development, strategic planning, and policy development. Her experience required she work across a variety of sectors—including research, industry, government, and non-profit—at the community, local, regional, and provincial levels.   

Jillian started with Lotic as a Project Manager working with industry clients, government and contractors to develop environmental impact assessments, environmental management plans, care of water plans, and applications for regulatory approvals and permits. In 2023, Jillian also stepped into the role of COO to assist in the management of Lotic's operations.  Her love of process improvement, building efficient systems and turning ideas into a reality is what drives a lot of her work. She works closely with the CEO & CFO to support high level system and operational development (always asking "what can I take off your plate") while also helping to manage all the moving parts on a daily basis. She is passionate about building relationships, within and across organizations, and identifying shared goals and resources to drive the success of the organization as well as each of our staff. Jillian is especially committed to employee health and wellbeing and the continuous improvement of our safety management system.   

Jillian has been an active and engaged member of her community, with a deep passion for advocacy and social justice. She has had the privilege of working in collaboration with First Nations communities and alongside Indigenous-led organizations—relationships she values deeply and spaces where she feels a strong sense of connection and belonging.

Jillian is a loving Mom of 3 pretty cool humans and 2 rescue dogs and in her spare time can be found hanging out with her family, on a paddleboard with friends, hiking in the mountains or gardening at her home in Lethbridge.