At Meraki we are a small team of visionary thinkers
with a solution-oriented approach and high ethical standards.

We have a proven ability to foster strong, team-oriented environments in which respect, trust, open communication and accountability are paramount. In addition to our core team members below, we work with a number of other high-performing professionals as needed to offer a full range of services.

Maren Luciani

Principal / Senior Planner

Maren Luciani, Meraki Community Planning’s Principal and Senior Planner is an industry leader in community planning, sustainable development and community engagement for municipalities and Indigenous communities in North America.

She is most recognized for her long-range planning work, inclusive of robust public engagement, and focused on healthy built environments. Her planning and facilitation work with Indigenous communities has been recognized by the University of Manitoba City Planning Department's Indigenous Planning Studio program and the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Working directly for municipalities and working alongside Indigenous communities over the years to support capacity building and self-governance, Maren has developed a solid understanding of the needs and pressures facing communities and offers realistic, community-focused options to overcome them.

Maren brings a health and wellness perspective to her work as a planner which is reflected in her way of life. With a passion for fitness and nature, Maren maintains a healthy lifestyle through mountain biking, hiking with her dogs and gardening.

  • National Award Winner for Planning Excellence/Inclusionary Planning, Canadian Institute of Planners
  • Registered Professional Planner (MCIP, RPP), Canadian Institute of Planners
  • Master of Arts in Geography, University of Western Ontario
  • Master’s Level Courses, Counselling Psychology, Yorkville University
  • Mentor, UBC School of Community and Regional Planning and Planning Institute of BC
  • CPTED Levels 1 and 2, International Association for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
  • Communications and Engagement Certification, International Association of Public Participation
  • Indigenous Relations Certification, Bob Joseph - Indigenous Corporate Training

Jayne Rossworn

Planner

Jayne brings to Meraki a background in both Law and Environmental Studies, where she developed a passion for sustainable development and healthy communities. From her experience as a corporate lawyer, she brings a keen attention to detail, persuasive writing skills, and an understanding of the legal aspects of community governance. As a clinical counsellor in training, Jayne has a particular interest in the connection between community and individual well-being.

Jayne enjoys using her skills to create community engagement materials, including website content, newsletter articles, and presentations. By preparing grants and proposals, she finds joy in helping communities secure funding to accomplish their goals. Throughout the process, she strives to maintain strong relationships with all relevant stakeholders.

Jayne graciously lives on and works from the unceded ancestral territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people, where she maintains an active lifestyle of mountain biking, trail running, and skiing. She maintains close connections with her community through her work as a mountain bike coach.

  • Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (Candidate), Yorkville University
  • Former practising lawyer, Law Society of British Columbia
  • Juris Doctor, University of Manitoba
  • Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, University of Victoria
  • National Coaching Certification Program

Saeideh Hejazi

Planning Technician

Saeideh provides team support with data collection and analysis, community engagement and research for Indigenous and municipal planning projects. She has a background in Urban and Regional Planning and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Saeideh has volunteered her planning and mapping skills for the UN, the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association and Crowd2Map Tanzania in relation to natural disaster mitigation planning. In 2019, as an Infrastructure Technician Assistant, she participated in some of the City of Waterloo’s municipal projects by producing maps and analyzing infrastructure data.

Saeideh is passionate about learning new skills. She recently started gardening and her speciality is herbs. Biking and painting are hobbies she enjoys in her spare time.

  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Tehran (Evaluated by World Education Services as equivalent to a Canadian Master’s degree in 2017)
  • Post Graduate Certificate in GIS, Fanshawe College, Ontario
  • Bachelor of Urban Planning, University of Tehran

Jennifer Cook

Designer

Jennifer Cook is a graphic designer with a deep background in both print and web. She brings a strong set of skills which are applied to various projects at Meraki including Wordpress web design and user experience, branding, publication design, visual communications and information graphic development.

Jennifer is very active and enjoys weightlifting and crossfit as well as time outdoors hiking, trail running, mountain biking, paddle boarding and playing pickleball. She is a former Ironman triathlete, having completed five full Ironmans and many half-Ironman distance races.

  • Bachelor of Applied Arts in Visual Communications, Toronto Metropolitan University (Ryerson University)

Josef Perszon

Cinematographer

Josef is our cinematographer of choice and brings a fresh, creative lens to the Meraki team. He has a background in corporate productions and commercials and has a natural ability to create enriching stories from the ground up, or the sky down when operating a drone! Josef's partnership allows us to support our clients with land use planning and community development from a rich, audiovisual perspective. His attention to lighting and camera work brings the most important pieces of the story to light. Through his detailed approach to editing and sound design, Josef's passion for storytelling emerges.

In his free time, Josef likes to stay active with activities like running, skiing, and rock climbing.

  • Transport Canada Advanced RPAS Certification / Advanced Drone Pilot Certification
  • Motion Picture Industry Operation Certification