Jennifer Davy | Meet Our Team
About Jennifer Davy
Title: Invasive and Fuel Management Supervisor
Team Member Since: May 2019
Education: Bachelor of Science with focus in Biology, with Honours and Directed Studies and Associate of Science Degree
Awards: Commendation from the Penticton Fire Department
Certificates: S-100 Basic Fire Suppression and Safety, Skid Steer Operator, Inform Saw Certificate, HS2, Occupational First Aid, Transportation Endorsement, Pesticide Applicator
Career Path
Q: Describe your career path. How did you get into what you do now?
A: As a veteran of the Canadian Forces, I thought I would enter the medical field upon retirement from the forces, as I was a medic. Much to my surprise, I met Dr. Susan Murch, a force of nature and one of the foremost accomplished plant biochemists during my undergraduate degree at UBC. She incited a passion in the field of botany I didn’t know I had. I originally was hired on to Spectrum Resource Group as a Crew Leader for Invasive Plant Management for a seasonal position. I felt a strong commitment to returning areas that had been taken over by a monoculture of invasive species to their original biodiverse origins through treatment. I enjoyed the team building and mentoring that my position offered. I also absolutely fell in love with living my life outdoors while doing the field work. and the general education and relationship building with the general public. I was offered an amazing opportunity to run a FireSmart project in Mackenzie, BC and found the winter work doing fire mitigation to be an interesting and educational experience.
Goals & Passions
Q: What are your goals for you and your team?
A: As a Supervisor, my goal is to support my team and build them up in Spectrum. I feel that much of my position involves the education, motivation and organization of my team. I embrace the challenges of creating strategy that allows my team to “work smarter, not harder.” I consistently set goals that allow my team to move forward in their own careers and inspires them to look at Spectrum Resource Group as a long-term career and not just another job. A goal that I set for my entire team including myself is owning the work we do no matter what community we are working in, to treat that project as if it was one they were to do in their own hometowns. I want to be the change I see in the world around me, and I encourage my team to also embrace this attitude.
Q: What are you most passionate about professionally? What excites you most about your work?
A: Coming from the Okanagan originally, I am incredibly passionate about the FireSmart projects I run. Fuel mitigation in urban interface areas is an important growing trend. Being from the Okanagan, I have seen my fair share of damage that can occur when an out of control fire occurs in these areas. FireSmart can mean the difference between loss of life and home, and give firefighters the valuable time they often need to protect both. I am also very invested in Invasive Plant Management, as this field is still very much in its infancy I am always looking for new and innovative ways to best manage areas that have been infested and return them to their biodiverse glory.
Hobbies & Interests
Q: What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
A: I love to swim both in the pool and open water in any little lakes I come across during the warmer months. I am always up for side adventures in the areas I work. Exploring is half the fun in this career! I also enjoy running, hitting the gym and hiking. I read a lot and love to learn. I have lots of nieces and nephews, and in my spare time I like to teach them about the outdoors and biology, everything from tracking to survival to plant ID. When their faces light up and it sparks the same passion I found at a young age, it warms my heart.
Q: What’s something about you that not many people know?
A: Many people do not know that I can be quite the domestic homebody, I am often so busy it is hard to fathom how much I enjoy my slow down times at home baking and spending time with my family and fur babies.
Q: Who was the most influential person in your life?
A: My mother has been the most influential person in my life. She recognized that at a young age I was “not like other girls,” and even though she may not always understand my passion for the back country, she has always supported me, listened and joined me in my adventures. She was the first to teach me about plants, the first to invest in books that taught about biology, the person I leaned on when I was learning to be a good leader and a good person. She is an honest, nurturing and loving person who gives me the kick in the pants I need when I am out of order. She gives me perspective and balance and supports me through all of it.
Q: What is a value statement or quote you live by?
A: As a leader, it is incredibly important to me to “lead by example” and engage my team in “group think” strategy. We are stronger together than apart as individuals.
Intereested in learning about more of our team members? Find them on our Meet the Team page or our Employee Spotlights on our blog.
