At meraki we are a small team of visionary thinkers with a solution-oriented approach and high ethical standards.
Maren Luciani
Principal / Senior Planner
Maren Luciani, Meraki Community Planning's Principal and Senior Planner, has many years of leadership experience in land use planning, sustainability, policy development, community engagement and research for municipalities and Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States.
Maren is most recognized for her long-range community planning work, inclusive and robust public engagement processes and her dedication to healthy built environments. She has participated on several committees as a planning advisor including the Provincial Health Services Authority’s Healthy Built Environment Linkages Toolkit Advisory Committee. Her planning and facilitation work with Indigenous communities has recently been recognized by the University of Manitoba City Planning Department's Indigenous Planning Studio program.
Working directly for municipalities and private firms over the years and working side by side with Indigenous community members to support capacity building and self-governance, Maren and her team have developed a strong understanding of the needs and pressures facing communities and best practices in community planning.
Maren brings a health and wellness perspective to her work as a planner and this is further reflected in her way of life. With a passion for fitness and the great outdoors, Maren spends much of her free time on the moutain bike trails, in the hot yoga studio, hiking with her dogs, in the garden and/or strength training. Mentoring and coaching young women and youth is an important part of her weekly routine.
- Masters Candidate, Counselling Psychology, Yorkville University
- Registered Professional Planner (MCIP, RPP), Canadian Institute of Planners
- Master of Arts in Geography, University of Western Ontario
- Student Mentor, UBC School of Community and Regional Planning and Planning Institute of BC
- CPTED Certification (Levels 1 and 2), International CPTED Association
- Communications and Engagement Certification, International Association of Public Participation
- Indigenous Relations Certification, Bob Joseph - Indigenous Corporate Training
- Professional Geographer Profile, Canadian Association of Geographers
Krista Macaulay
Planner
Krista Macaulay is a community planner with a passion for community building, social advocacy, and resiliency. She brings a wealth of project experience in social planning, community development, public engagement, policy analysis, and research for non-profits, municipalities, and Indigenous communities in Manitoba and British Columbia. Krista has a strong technical foundation and is always working to bridge quantitative and qualitative analysis. Knowing that a map only shows sidewalks and not its bumps and cracks, she approaches problems and projects with the hope of amplifying the underrepresented users and voices of our cities. Krista places a strong emphasis on compassion and understanding in her work. She is GBA Plus certified and brings a lens of intersection to the Meraki team. Known for her research and writing, she is a consistent contributor to PlanCanada.
The passion, joy, and intensity Krista brings to her planning work stems from her family and local community. Krista is an avid volunteer in her community and is a Girl Guide Leader, PAC Chair, and member of New Westminster’s Planning Advisory Commission. She is also a very supportive hockey and dance mom. You can often find her cheering on the sidelines of whichever stage, rink, or field her two daughters are playing on.
- Candidate Member (MCIP, RPP), Canadian Institute of Planners
- Masters of City Planning, University of Manitoba
- GBA+ Certified
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 Assistant
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