staff
Éric St-Pierre
Executive Director
Éric St-Pierre has been the Executive Director of the Foundation since 2016. Under his leadership, the Foundation has maintained its commitment to work in science, education, climate and health. He oversees the Foundation’s grantmaking activities, programmatic activities, responsible for launching new initiatives and is also lead on all investment related matters. Éric has written and spoken about issues related to philanthropy and climate change, and works collaboratively with other funders, charities, universities, governments and much more.
Before joining the Foundation, Éric practiced Indigenous and Environmental law for five years as a litigator and accredited mediator. He holds common and civil law (LLB/BCL) degrees from McGill University and a BA Honours degree in Political Science from Concordia University.
ericstpierre@trottierfoundation.com
Laura Butler
Managing Director
Laura has been with the Trottier Family Foundation since 2018. She oversees the operational side of the Foundation including grant making and management, payments and accounts, HR, as well as internal processes, practices and tools. Laura leads on collaboration within the philanthropic community including launching Philanthropy House and organizing learning and networking events for our peers.
Before joining the Foundation, Laura worked in philanthropy and across the charitable sector with a focus on education, human rights and economic development. Laura holds and MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and a BSc in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies.
laurabutler@trottierfoundation.com
Caroline Lavoie
Program Officer
Originally from Nova Scotia / Mi’kma’ki, Caroline joined the Foundation in 2019. As the Foundation’s Program Officer, most of her time is spent assisting with grant management and research, building relationships with partners, and supporting the development of the Foundation’s proactive initiatives, particularly in the climate change sector.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Caroline held positions in various community-serving organisations, and she continues to volunteer in her communities. She is a graduate of McGill University’s combined LLB/BCL program and also holds a BA from Dalhousie University.
carolinelavoie@trottierfoundation.com
Flavie Desgagné-Éthier
Climate Program Director
In her role as Climate Change Program Director, Flavie develops partnerships aiming to support concrete responses to tackle the climate crisis. She seeks innovative solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation sector and to support cities in their net-zero trajectory. In addition, her work focuses on initiatives that strengthen the sustainable finance ecosystem and reshape the logic of capital markets.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Flavie worked in the corporate and financial worlds, where she held roles related to corporate social responsibility, sponsorship and philanthropy. Flavie is a lecturer at the Université de Montréal and she holds a graduate certificate in environmental studies from the Université de Sherbrooke and a MSc in corporate social responsibility from UQAM.
flaviedesgagne@trottierfoundation.com
Aurore Fauret
Climate Program Director
As Climate Program Director, Aurore focuses on building partnerships and projects to tackle the climate crisis. She works collaboratively on a range of issues, from city-level action, to industry and energy, to strategic policy change. In her role, she also seeks to support progressive movement-building and organizing that strengthen the sector's capacity.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Aurore spent over a decade advocating for climate justice through large-scale mobilization and communications campaigns in Canada. From her home city of Montreal/Tiohtià:ke, she has also been involved in elections, freelance translation, and forum theatre community initiatives. Aurore holds a BA honours from McGill University and an Msc from the London School of Economics.
aurorefauret@trottierfoundation.com
Jean-Patrick Toussaint
Climate Program Senior Director
Trained as a biologist, Jean-Patrick holds a PhD in environmental sciences. During his career, he has conducted academic research and worked on a variety of environmental and climate files with various national and international NGOs. Prior to joining the Foundation, Jean-Patrick was Senior Advisor on Francophone Affairs at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and had been responsible for a portfolio of climate adaptation and mitigation projects as a capacity building advisor for the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program. Previously, Jean-Patrick also worked as a science officer at Future Earth and as science project manager at the David Suzuki Foundation. Passionate about his field, Jean-Patrick is an environmental columnist for Québec Science and sits on various committees at Ouranos, the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices, and CIRANO’s Avant Garde.
jptoussaint@trottierfoundation.com
Erin Hetherington
Health Director
Erin is passionate about working with communities to create sustainable solutions to improve health equity. She has led local and international research studying the impacts of social conditions on health and evaluating models of care for underserved populations. A Montrealer, Erin has also lived and worked in Latin America and East Africa where she developed international educational and health collaborations. In Canada, Erin’s work has focused on improving maternal and child health for underserved populations.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Erin was an epidemiologist for the Public Health Agency of Canada, and a research fellow at McGill and the University of Calgary. She holds a PhD in epidemiology and has studied at McGill, Harvard, and the University of Calgary.
erinhetherington@trottierfoundation.com
Dale Marshall
Climate Program Senior Director
Dale has over 20 years of experience working on climate change, through policy advocacy, anti-fossil fuel campaigning, and building climate resilience through development programs. He has a Master’s degree in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University, and is also a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, and McGill University.
Dale grew up enjoying both the coastline and boreal forest of Sept-Iles, in northeastern Quebec. Ottawa is currently where he lives with his partner and chihuahua, with his two beloved teenage kids close by. Dale has lived in numerous cities and still misses the vibrancy and joie de vivre of Montreal, the laid back vibe of east Vancouver, and the chaotic beauty of Phnom Penh.
dalemarshall@trottierfoundation.com
Adrienne Hiles
Communications Director
As Communications Director, Adrienne is responsible for developing and implementing the Foundation’s communications and media relations strategy. Adrienne has 15 years experience in both the philanthropic and corporate sectors. She is passionate about helping organizations increase their impact through engaging storytelling and compelling brand narratives.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Adrienne spent nearly a decade developing communications strategies for the McConnell Foundation following several years working in digital marketing in the corporate sector. She holds a BA in Communications and Cultural Studies from Concordia University and MA in Communications from the University of Ottawa.
adriennehiles@trottierfoundation.com