Project Manager

Hi! I'm Kelsea. 

As a sustainability professional, I got into the work I do today for the potential to change the systems we rely on for the better. Specifically, the potential to innovate on business models, deeply understand new technologies that have the potential to change the world, and bring people together around a common cause. 

As my career has progressed in sustainability for over eight years, I have risen to the challenge of each new role with enthusiasm though the early vision of corporate sustainability, on a societal level, has shifted slightly. 
I have navigated my career by seeking opportunities to learn and have impact. That led me to an account management role in supply chain, where I managed high-profile customers and found cost savings in supply chain through data analysis. Then, I pursued consulting in minigand oil and gas, an industry with several highly technical frameworks, ratings, and requirements in sustainability. I learned these requirements quickly, and was leading ESG Reporting projects early on in my time there. 

I have led the development of a major Canadian SaaS company’s (D2L) sustainability program for the last three years. This has required leveling up in the software industry, learning sustainability regulations around the world, and ensuring I can advise finance and legal teams on our compliance requirements; it has required working with customers to understand their product needs, which has informed where and how we have cut back on different data centers. One highlight has been technical project management of a sustainability widget to support customers in their communication of sustainability progress. I led the design process, starting with a customer input group to understand the deeper need, and inform the UX and UI, collaborated with product and engineering and finance to bring the widget to life, and we are now working with a first round of customers to pilot the initial widget. 

I also write our 72-page annual sustainability report each year, which is a mix of compliance and marketing, with collaboration from >50 SMEs, and 200 data points. I have deeply understood request for proposal requirements to ensure that I am building our sustainability strategy and vision directly in line with all of the inputs I collect from various sources: our customers, our legal requirements, our potential customers, and of course, our competitors, so that we are differentiated on the market. Today, D2L proudly has the leading sustainability program amongst our competitors, and we consistently win all points on the sustainability sections of requests for proposals. 

Finally, I track 15 metrics on sustainability and social impact (which includes data privacy, security, intellectual property, uptime, employee diversity…) on a quarterly basis, reporting to the Board of Directors on the company’s progress. These metrics inform our strategy, feed into product changes, and impact our investment decisions. 

Why is this important? Because while you will not see formal web3 experience on my CV just yet, I have been invested in various tokens since 2020, I have had a working understanding of blockchain since 2021, and I have passionately and consistently been learning everything I can (MEV, ZK proofs, DAOs, tokenomics, etc.) for the last year. I am a fast learner, and I am motivated. In each role I’ve taken on, I have hit the ground running, and excelled. I want to work in web3 because it shares all the components I mentioned above - the potential to change the systems we live in.