Annelies Tjebbes is a white settler passionate about advancing equity and social justice. She brings curiosity, courage, and care to her work and is guided by a deep belief in the power of community to create meaningful, lasting change. Her approach is grounded in respect, listening, and learning — building authentic relationships and trust with those she works alongside. She is committed to holding space for reflection, navigating complexity, and co-creating solutions rooted in community realities.

As the Founder and CEO of Roots & Rivers, Annelies brings over 15 years of experience in the social purpose sector, spanning social innovation, systems change, international development, and community development. Her journey into this work began through her training as a Biomedical Engineer, where she learned to lead interdisciplinary teams and manage complex design projects. Annelies is an Innoweave Coach and alumna of the “Getting to Maybe” Social Innovation Residency, both of which inform her adaptive, systems-oriented approach.

Annelies has supported clients across diverse sectors in their journeys toward greater impact. She has worked globally in rural, remote, and urban settings, speaks English, French, and Dutch, and brings a particular care for cultural context to her work. Her practice integrates strategy, relational facilitation, design thinking, evaluation, and values-based leadership. Annelies is known for her clarity, warmth, and ability to move teams from vision to action.

Outside of work, Annelies loves to canoe, ride her bike, support farmers markets, and spend time with friends and family (especially her little one Orson).