Team Members
Melanie Kempers
Special Projects Admin/Specialist
Melanie Kempers grew up on a dairy farm in Prince Edward County. It was her love of agriculture that brought her to Guelph to obtain a BSc in Agriculture. Not really knowing much about bees, she applied for a summer student job with the “Bee Girls” and stood amongst a swarm in her first week on the job. With that amazing experience, she was hooked. She’s the only TTP member to not have bees outside of work, but that’s because she’s busy with sports, her friendly sidekick Violet and the gym. Melanie loves that beekeeping is never dull and keeps her on her toes!
Dr Britteny Kyle
Lead Specialist
After several years developing and leading programs and projects at the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium, Dr Britteny Kyle has taken on a new role as Lead Specialist for the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association’s (OBA’s) Technology Transfer Program.
Dr Kyle received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2009 at the University of Guelph where she is currently completing her PhD. Her Masters research mapped a bacterial disease of honey bees known as American foulbrood (AFB). In her PhD research, Dr Kyle has focussed on increasing our understanding of AFB prevalence and how beekeepers are managing AFB in their operations.
Charliese Wand
TTP Technician
Charliese Wand attended the University of Guelph and completed her degree in marine and freshwater biology, with a minor in ecology. Although Charliese’s degree surrounds aquatic life, she has always had a desire to learn about and work with honey bees. Charliese was first introduced to beekeeping as a child, when her family started a small hobby apiary in 2014. Over the years, her knowledge of beekeeping grew as the tasks on the home apiary increased and became more complicated. Charliese is no stranger to the beekeeping community, as attending local meetings, yard tours, and watching presentations has been part of her extracurriculars. When not in the beeyards, Charliese enjoys drawing, painting and fishing.
Meg Doran
TTP Technician
Meg Doran has been fascinated by bees ever since she was a young child. During her first year at the University of Guelph, where she majored in Biological Science, she decided to take a course on bees that resulted in a deeper understanding and appreciation of honey bees. Ever since, she has been pushing her family to begin beekeeping and hopes to have her own hives soon. During her undergraduate degree she also did many school projects on insects where she focused on behavioural biology and community structures. Joining the Tech Transfer Program is the perfect opportunity for Meg to combine her love of bees and zoological research, while also allowing her to expand her knowledge of beekeeping even further. While she is not out working with the TTP’s bees, she keeps herself occupied by playing piano and hanging out with her dog and three cats.
