Marieke joined Veterinarians Without Borders (VWB) in December 2021, with ten years of experience in the animal welfare field. Following a communications degree and volunteering at initiatives across the globe, she has led the strategy, program development, and execution of community outreach initiatives in Canada. Now at VWB, she thrives working on creative initiatives that focus on collaboration and community-led approaches in addressing One Health issues. In 2022, she grew the program from four community partners to ten, and launched an awards-program to provide animal-related education opportunities for northern, Indigenous community members. Outside of her VWB work, she volunteers as a mentor at the YWCA High School program, as a film reviewer for the International Mountain Film Festival, and with the City of Vancouver's Animal Emergency Response. In her spare time, Marieke hikes the woods of North Vancouver with her best friend, a golden lab named Jake, and jumps into any body of water she can find.