Meriko Kubota is the Director of Sponsorships and Community Investment at MEC, Mountain Equipment Co-op.  She oversees national sponsorships and new store opening activations, community investment programs including granting, partnerships and the Outdoor Nation program which inspires 18-35 years to be more active outdoors. Meriko’s experience spans the fields of corporate social responsibility, community investment and sponsorships - managing projects, establishing strategic partnerships, and conducting community engagement. Meriko has a graduate degree in Social Innovation from the University of Waterloo and is a board member of Greenpeace Canada. Prior to MEC, Meriko was the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Community Investment at TELUS and the Manager of Grants & Special Projects for the Vancouver Foundation.