Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre Announces New Executive Director in Strategic Leadership Expansion

The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC) has appointed Glenn M. Cunnington as its new Executive Director, effective June 15, announced on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre.

Since 2009, Dr. Sue Carstairs has concurrently held the positions of Executive Director and Medical Director. According to a press release, to support continued organizational growth, the OTCC Board of Directors has included a role split in its succession plan, allowing each position to become more specialized and thereby increasing the organization’s scope and impact.

Carstairs remains in a co-leadership position as Medical Director. Dr. Kristen Janke, a long-standing veterinarian with the organization, will gradually assume the full Medical Director role, with Dr. Carstairs remaining involved but at a slower pace.

“Glenn brings with him all the qualities that OTCC needs to continue moving forward,” said Carstairs. “He is an expert in Ontario’s turtles, having been on the Committee On The Status of Species at Risk in Ontario for five years.”

Dr. Cunnington holds a Ph.D. focused on Road Ecology from Carleton University, an M.Sc. in Watershed Ecosystems and a B.Sc. in Conservation Biology from Trent University, as well as a diploma from Fleming College in Fish & Wildlife. He is a published author in road ecology and brings deep experience in stakeholder engagement, grant writing and financial stewardship.

“It is a tremendous honour to join the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre as its next Executive Director,” said Cunnington. “I want to thank Dr. Sue Carstairs for her extraordinary leadership over the past sixteen years. I am stepping into a healthy, growing organization with a remarkable culture, world-class clinical care, and an ambitious path towards 2030 already in motion.”

Core operations—including healing injured turtles, incubating eggs, and releasing healthy turtles and hatchlings back into the wild— continue uninterrupted during this transition.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.