Deb Sparks is the Business Development and Communications Manager for the Invasive Species Centre. Deb builds relationships, engages, and collaborates with a broad array of stakeholders and funders to protect Canada’s forests and waterways from the threat of invasive species. Deb aims to spark and influence public discussion, contribute to policy developments, and transfer policy and science knowledge to the broader public. She also leads corporate initiatives with a focus on business development, finance, and information management and started and managed the Asian Carp Canada program and education strategy. Before joining the Invasive Species Centre in November 2011, Deb spent five years as a teacher and draws on her Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Laurentian University (Algoma) for the communications component of her work. Her corporate experience rests on fifteen years in the commercial, finance, and public service sectors of Canada and England.