International Steering Committee

The International Steering Committee (ISC) is responsible for supporting and advising LEAF International. The ISC meets twice a year to discuss the development of the LEAF programme.

It has been wonderful to watch the growth of our network over the past twenty years.
— Sirpa Kärkkäinen, ISC and Finnish Forest Association
Bjørn Helge Bjørnstad.jpg

Bjørn Helge Bjørnstad

Bjørn Helge Bjørnstad  is Senior Project Manager at the Norwegian Forestry Extension Institute. He is responsible for development and administration of the Norwegian Learning with Forests programme. 

He studied multiple forestry at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, economics at Norwegian Business School and pedagogics at the Arctic University of Norway. Bjørn Helge has been in the steering committee of LEAF since the programme was established in 2000.

Sirpa_K�rkk�inen_2.jpg

Dirk Vercammen

Head of the Environmental & SD department, Municipality of Schoten and independent author/journalist.

Board member of BBL-Vlaanderen since 1987, and involved in FEE since 1990 (former Board of Directors 2002-2011). Now member of the ISC of LEAF.

Dirk studied Social Work (SHISS), Environmental Sciences (Institute for Environmental Sciences - UIAntwerp) and Human Ecology (Department of Medicine, VU Brussels).

Thiaga.jpg

Sirpa Kärkkäinen 

Sirpa Kärkkäinen is Liaisons Manager in the Finnish Forest Association. She develops and supports the co-operation between the forest sector and schools in Finland.  

Master of Science of Agriculture and Forestry, Sirpa studied forestry in the University of Helsinki. Sirpa joined the International Steering Committee in 2002.

Ian Humphreys

Dr Ian Humphreys joined Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful as Chief Executive Officer in 2008. Ian sits on the Advisory Group for the Global Environmental Education Partnership, was elected onto the International Foundation for Environmental Education Board in 2016, and sits on the Board of the Northern Ireland Environment Link and the Leadership Council of the All-Island Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Ireland. 

As a Research Fellow at Queen’s University, Belfast, Ian conducted timber testing research for the Northern Ireland Forest Service. With The Conservation Volunteers, he also managed the Millennium Tree Campaign, which successfully supported the planting of one tree for every person in Northern Ireland.