Bettina was born and raised in Montréal by European immigrant parents in a multi-lingual environment. She has travelled extensively in Europe and Asia, living abroad for over four years, and has called La Pêche her home for over 17 years. Raising her two children in the Gatineau Hills has given her many opportunities to be involved with the school system, as a parent and as a classroom volunteer. She has thus cultivated a family-approach to local community engagement in a diversity of fields from local politics, environmental protection, cultural exchanges, sports, and the arts. She volunteers regularly at the Shepherds of Good Hope in Ottawa and believes strongly in building a more equitable society. Protecting and empowering the community, our future generations, vulnerable citizens, and helping citizens be more aware of their surroundings and discover a sense of mutual care and belonging to their home and environment, are just some of the reasons why the field of disaster preparedness and community resilience fits so well with her values and life path.

Having just finished her PhD in Humanities at Concordia University in the field of Inuit housing and Indigenous-state relations, Bettina is deeply committed to making Canada a safe and livable place for all peoples across urban, rural, and remote communities. She has 8 years of experience in the public service as a Program Officer at the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC); she has also been employed in a wide range of fields from teaching at the high school, college, and university levels, domestic violence mitigation, and advanced social science research. In addition to this, she is a high-performance paddler in outrigger canoe and has competed in dragon boat for over 12 years at national and international levels, representing Canada with six gold medals at the World Championships in Germany in 2025, and serves now as captain for her team at the Ottawa Dragon Boat Club.

In her free time, you will find Bettina paddling on all the beautiful waterways of the region, especially the Gatineau River, trail running, skiing, snowshoeing, dog walking, working on hobby construction projects on her property, involved in community activism, gardening, or sitting and enjoying the local wildlife.