Vanessa Khachane has had the good fortune to call Bedford her home since she was four years old. Respecting and preserving nature has always been important to her, but it was when she became a mother that the importance and urgency of living sustainably was truly amplified. Vanessa has over 15 years of experience with community building and storytelling at scale, and is currently a senior marketing manager at YouTube. Vanessa joined the board of Bedford 2030 in the fall of 2022 and was drawn to the organization’s grassroots approach of empowering and inspiring local communities, businesses and governments to take action. She is focused on amplifying community engagement- specifically for new families and youth who have the most to lose, but are most challenged to take action now.