Kariann Aarup is an advisor at de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation. Kariann is deeply motivated by sustainability-focused organizations and initiatives, especially those that engage stakeholders from multiple sectors. She enjoys finding the sweet spot around which stakeholders can collaborate to amplify impact. With a background in family enterprise and an MBA from McGill University, Kariann has worked as a social entrepreneur , followed by 10 years in the mining sector, integrating sustainability initiatives into operations and expansion projects. Passionate about learning and inspiring change-agency, Kariann taught in the business school at McGill, and helped establish a major focus on the social context of business.
Catherine Abreu is one of Canada’s foremost climate campaigners, with over 15 years of experience campaigning on environmental issues including 7 years in the heart of the Canadian climate movement. Catherine is the Executive Director of Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat (CAN-Rac) Canada. Canada’s primary network of organizations working on climate change and energy issues, CAN-Rac is a coalition of more than 100 organizations operating from coast to coast to coast. For 27 years, CAN-Rac has been the only national organization with a mandate to promote the interests of the Canadian climate movement as a whole, rather than any one individual organization.
Laurel Angell currently serves as the Director to the Montana Engagement Partnership and the Prairie Populist. Before that, Laurel served as Executive Director of the Western Energy Project, a group established to bring a campaign style approach to ensuring responsible energy development on public lands. While there, she built and managed campaigns that helped secure landmark protections for the sage grouse across 11 U.S. states and push through the Bureau of Land Management’s rule to decrease methane emissions from oil and gas operations on public lands. Laurel has considerable political, policy and campaign experience having worked for a decade in Washington D.C., including serving as Policy Advisor and Legislative Staff to the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources.
David Beers founded in 2003 The Tyee, a prize-winning independent Canadian site based in Vancouver that publishes investigative and solutions-focused journalism. The Tyee has been cited by The New Yorker and others for its innovative business model which includes revenues from investors, philanthropies, advertising, master classes and, largest stream of all, reader contributions. Beers was senior editor at Mother Jones, The San Francisco Examiner and The Vancouver Sun. His writing has won National Magazine Awards in the U.S. and Canada. He is adjunct professor at UBC Graduate School of Journalism and SFU School of Communication, and consults about digital media.
Tzeporah Berman is a Canadian environmental activist and writer, and has 20 years of experience designing environmental campaigns in Canada and internationally. She is known for her role as the blockade coordinator for largest civil disobedience in Canada’s history in Clayoquot Sound in 1993. She currently works as a strategic advisor to a number of First Nations, environmental organizations and philanthropic foundations on climate and energy issues, including the oil sands and pipelines. Last year she was appointed by the Alberta Government to Co-Chair the Oil Sands Advisory Working Group tasked with making recommendations to implement climate change and cumulative impact policies. Also in 2016 Tzeporah was listed as one of the 35 Most Influential Women in British Columbia by BC Business Magazine and awarded the Brescia University College Activist Award.
Annie Bérubé is Director of Government Relations for Équiterre in Ottawa. Équiterre’s mission is to build a social movement by encouraging individuals, organizations and governments to make ecological and equitable choices, in a spirit of solidarity. Previously, Annie managed a coalition of national environmental organizations campaigning for fiscal and budgetary reform at the federal level in Canada. She also occupied the position of research manager at an environmental economics research think tank at the University of Ottawa. Annie spent over ten years as senior policy advisor at Environment Canada and Health Canada working on pesticides and toxic substances management particularly with regards to protecting the health of vulnerable populations.
For the past decade, JP Bervoets has worked to foster collaboration and build partnerships between non-profit, public and private sector organizations to advance community wellbeing and sustainable development. He is currently Vice President at Community Foundations of Canada (CFC), a national network of 191 community foundations that is leveraging partnerships, philanthropic expertise, community knowledge, and over 5B in financial assets to champion issues that matter to Canadians and help them invest in making our communities better places to live, work and play. Prior to joining CFC, JP supported the partnership and communications efforts for NorthStar Alliance, a public-private partnership founded by the UN World Food Program and TNT Express.
John Borrows is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Victoria Law School in British Columbia. His publications include, Recovering Canada; The Resurgence of Indigenous Law (Donald Smiley Award for the best book in Canadian Political Science, 2002), Canada’s Indigenous Constitution (Canadian Law and Society Best Book Award 2011), Drawing Out Law: A Spirit’s Guide (2010), Freedom and Indigenous Constitutionalism ((Donald Smiley Award for the best book in Canadian Political Science, 2016), and The Right Relationship (with Michael Coyle, ed.). John is Anishinaabe/Ojibway and a member of the Chippewa of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario, Canada.
Navi Brar is Senior Manager of Social Impact at RBC where he is responsible for developing RBC’s global environmental donations strategy. Prior to RBC, Navi was the Head of Advisory Services, Middle East & Africa at the consulting firm AccountAbility. At AccountAbility, Navi led engagements with companies such as McDonalds, Walmart, Saudi Aramco, and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT). Navi has also worked as a Senior Specialist in the CSR Division of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and as an Advisor with Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR). Navi graduated with a M.B.A. from the University of Nottingham, specialized in Corporate Social Responsibility. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Catherine Brown is regarded as one of Australia’s most influential leaders in philanthropy. With more than 20 years-experience in philanthropic strategy, governance, charity law and grantmaking, Catherine is also well known for introducing global philanthropic trends to the Australian sector. As Chief Executive Officer of Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation in Melbourne, Catherine has led the transformation of the Foundation over the past six years to become a contemporary community foundation focused on the key challenges facing the community: climate change and sustainability, homelessness, youth unemployment and social cohesion. LMCF has an annual grants program of $9.8 million and also runs programs and Initiatives in its areas of interest.
Rob Buffler is a life-long hunter, angler, forager and cook, with forty year’s professional experience as a naturalist, outdoor educator, conservation biologist, and restoration ecologist. Formally educated in biology, environmental education, and non-profit business management, Rob is an experienced and passionate non-profit leader, with a successful history of innovation, collaboration, and community building. He has delivered community-based conservation and youth at risk programs at the local, regional, and international level for various NGO’s, including the YMCA, Wilderness Inquiry, Great River Greening, and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. Rob is currently the Executive Director of the Banff-Canmore Community Foundation, serving the Bow River Valley, and the Principle Ecologist at Buffalofish Solutions, providing social and ecological restoration strategies for land, water, wildlife, and people.
Desmond G. Bull is an elected councillor for the Louis Bull Tribe of the Maskwacis nation in this treaty 6 territory of Alberta. Starting in the field of education, Desmond began working for Maskwacis in 2002, and continued till 2013. The employable responsibilities in education began with his role as a teacher’s assistant. With continued training he added responsibilities such as: youth career development, events coordinator and I.T. personal. During his training, Desmond has successfully completed the Aboriginal Leadership, Governance and Management at the Banff Art Centre in 2012. With these tools Desmond campaigned and in the spring of 2013 Desmond was elected to his first term for the community of Louis Bull Tribe and is currently in his second term.
With 15 years of experience working and doing research in collaboration with indigenous communities, Véronique Bussières has developed expertise on protected area governance and environmental stewardship. Her main research has been done in partnership with the Cree First Nation of Wemindji, in Northern Québec and explores indigenous stewardship in coastal and marine environments. She has interdisciplinary academic training in conservation biology, geography and political science. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University. She has also recently started working as Project Manager in Conservation and Political Analysis at SNAP Québec (the Québec chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society).
Mark Butler is Policy Director with the Ecology Action Centre, Atlantic Canada’s largest environmental organization. He provides support and direction to staff and volunteers as they work on a wide range of issues from oceans to energy. Prior to joining EAC, Mark worked in the commercial fishery and as a marine educator and consultant in Canada and overseas. Mark has sat on a number of provincial and municipal advisory bodies including on the Province’s Roundtable on Environment and Sustainable Prosperity and sees the integration of ecology and economy as key to achieving a more sustainable and just future. He lives in K’jipuktuk/Halifax with his family and enjoys catching mackerel and squid in sight of his doorstep.
Jessica Clogg is the Executive Director & Senior Counsel of West Coast Environmental Law. She has worked there as an environmental and Indigenous rights lawyer for close to two decades and is the founder of West Coast’s RELAW (Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air and Water) program. Through stories, community dialogue and legal support, RELAW seeks to advance Indigenous-law based strategies to better care for the planet and people. Jessica holds a joint Masters in Environmental Studies and law degree from Osgoode Hall, York University, and an Ashoka fellowship recognizing her work bridging between Canadian and Indigenous legal traditions.
Helen Copeland is from the P’egp’ig’lha (frog) clan within St’át’imc Nation (Interior Salish of British Columbia). Helen has been working with decolonization and indigenous knowledge since 1993. Helen was supported by her Band Manager to put into action what she learned in university. She was one of four P’egp’ig’lha that made up the Self-Governing Working committee. This group documented its traditional governing system and did research on contemporary governing structure to come up with its own constitutional framework. The P’egp’ig’lha Council, Elder’s Council and Youth Council was implemented in 2002 and the P’egp’ig’lha Constitution was ratified in 2007. Helen sits on the P’egp’ig’lha Council representing her family. Last year, Helen worked for St’át’imc Chiefs Council as a Researcher / Facilitator. This work gave Helen the opportunity to meet with many Elders and St’át’imc Knowledge Keepers within St’át’imc Nation. They read and analyzed over 60 St’át’imc stories from an environmental legal perspective.
Valine Crist is a researcher, writer, community organizer, fundraiser, and Haida citizen. Her academic and advocacy work uphold Indigenous title and rights and strives to achieve climate justice. She has a Master’s degree in anthropology and has dedicated her community work to defending her homelands from oil and fracked gas projects. When she’s not working on the financial sustainability of ICA, Valine appreciates spending time on the lands and waters of Haida Gwaii. She sits on various boards and steering committees, and is a co-founder of CoAst and Swiilawiid. Swiilawiid’s goal is to see Haida Gwaii achieve energy sovereignty, and this is Valine’s passion project.
Eriel Tchekwie Deranger was appointed as the first Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action in August 2017. Deranger was a founding member of Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) and spent two years in the role of interim director, helping to build the strategic direction of the organization. A member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), Deranger has a far reaching reputation for challenging fossil fuel development and championing the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Eriel has an extensive experience working within the Environmental Justice and Indigenous Rights field with organizations like the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), and with her home Nation the ACFN. She is also a wife and mother of two.
Carolyn DuBois is the Director of the Water Program at The Gordon Foundation. In this role, she has worked with partners across sectors to improve freshwater stewardship through citizen engagement and the use of the best available evidence. Carolyn is a passionate advocate for open data and has led the development of Mackenzie DataStream, an online system that provides access to information about water quality. Carolyn holds a BSc in Biology from Mount Allison University and a Master’s in Environmental Management from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Jason Dudek is an Economist with an MSc from the London School of Economics (UK) and has spent the last 15 years working towards a just economy in both Canada and Sierra Leone. He has gained international recognition for the innovative agri-business he co-founded which helps smallholders grow using sustainable agricultural practices that sequester carbon, enhance food security and improve livelihoods. This impact business, Mountain Lion Agriculture won the 2014 Canadian Social Finance Awards as well as the 2013 Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund Awards. Jason has business experience in Canada, the UK, West Africa and Iraq, co-founding the firm employed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization to conduct Iraq’s Official Investment Map.
Simon Dyer is the deputy executive director of the Pembina Institute and regional director for Alberta. A registered professional biologist, Simon has worked on natural resource management issues in western Canada since 1999. Simon holds a Master of Science degree in environmental biology and ecology from the University of Alberta, and a Master of Arts in natural sciences from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. Formerly director of the Institute’s oilsands program, Simon is the co-author of over 40 Pembina Institute publications and has represented the Pembina Institute at many regulatory and parliamentary hearings and multistakeholder processes.
Stephen Ellis grew up twice. He spent his childhood in Winnipeg, MB, and his early forays into the Canadian Shield and prairies fostered a great love of the land. He then spent his early adulthood in Lutsel K’e, NT amongst the Denesoline, and there adopted a deep appreciation for the land and culture. There he and his wife Tracey started raising their family, and he worked with indigenous peoples to address critical land and resource issues for fifteen years. Now living with his family in Yellowknife, NT, Stephen works as Program Lead, Northern Canada for Tides Canada. He is focused on working with northerners to amplify next generation northern leadership, foster sustainable livelihoods, achieve wise land and water stewardship, and catalyze cultural resurgence.
Qajaaq Ellsworth is an Inuk, born and raised in Iqaluit, Nunavut. His professional experience includes work in communications, community wellness, language & education and film production. Qajaaq enjoys spending time with his family and spending time on the land, hunting, fishing and camping. As Senior Associate, Inuit Nunangat, with Tides Canada, Qajaaq is primarily focused on providing service and support to our community partners, especially with respect to promoting sustainable livelihoods, advancing Inuit stewardship of land and sea resources, and fostering community well-being through cultural promotion and land-based programming.
Jayne Engle leads on Cities for People and Future Cities Canada at the McConnell Foundation. She previously practiced participatory city planning and policy innovation in cities throughout North America, Europe and the Caribbean. Her experience spans a Peace Corps tour of duty in Slovakia post-fall of the Berlin wall, to economic development in US cities, to transnational planning and collaborative governance design in the European Union. She is passionate about bridging innovative community action on the ground with policy and systems change, particularly in ways that foster freedom and flourishing of people. She serves as Adjunct Professor in McGill University School of Urban Planning, on the Participatory City Global Advisory, and on the Intelligent Communities Forum international jury.
Eli Enns is a Tla-o-qui-aht Canadian political scientist and internationally recognized knowledge holder in biocultural heritage conservation. Co-founder of the Ha’uukmin Tribal Park in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and past Coordinator for the Tyhistanis Equilibrium Community project, Eli has a broad range of experience in Nation Building. Having recently served as co-chair of the Indigenous Circle of Experts (ICE) for the Pathway to Canada Target 1, Eli is co-creating a network of Reconciliation Zones across Canada to support the implementation of the ICE Report and launch a series of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) pilot projects.
Judy Fairburn is a trailblazer, business leader and eco-system builder for Canadian innovation, with a particular focus on cleantech. Judy has over 30 years of experience in the energy sector with executive and senior leadership roles in business innovation, digital, venture capital, joint ventures, safety & environment, portfolio management, operations and technology development. She sits on the board of directors of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), Calgary Economic Development, Tundra Oil & Gas, Veerum Inc. and the Public Policy Forum, an organization focused on tackling Canada’s most complex policy challenges through constructive dialogue across sectors. She is also on the “Resources of the Future” Economic Strategy Table for the Canadian federal government.
Nicolina Farella is a Program Director at the McConnell Foundation focusing on energy and economy and social innovation. She sits on the board of the CEGN and Imagine Canada and is a member of various Quebec based funder groups, involved in social change, inclusion, collective impact, and city transformation. She also contributes to other pan-Canadian coalitions, aiming to increase the social enterprises impact and reducing the use of toxics. Prior to working at the Foundation, she was Science and Innovation Officer with the British Consulate-General in Montreal, she coordinated Ashoka Canada’s fellow selection process and worked as a consultant to several environmental and international development organizations in Canada and Brazil. She has a PhD in environmental sciences.
Emma Gilchrist is editor-in-chief of DeSmog Canada, a non-profit online news outlet dedicated to making complex energy and environment news accessible to Canadians. DeSmog’s investigative reporting has sparked coverage by the New York Times, the Globe and Mail and CBC News. Emma has a degree in journalism from Mount Royal University and has worked as a reporter and editor in Canada and the U.K., including stints at the Cambridge Evening News, Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald. She’s the recipient of an Alberta Emerald Award, a Great Ideas Award from the Canadian Newspaper Association, a Mount Royal University alumni award and she was named to Canada’s Clean50 list of emerging leaders in 2018.
Guy Greenaway is a Senior Project Manager with the Miistakis Institute where he develops and manages projects related to landscape level ecosystem analysis and management, conservation policy, and sustainable land use planning. Guy’s areas of specialty include private land conservation, conservation planning, conservation communications, municipal conservation, conservation policy development, eco-fiscal analysis, and conservation tool development. In 20 years of working in ecological conservation, Guy has worked with over 20 Alberta municipalities, helping them to develop policy and tools in support of conservation. Guy is a past Executive Director of the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society, past chair of the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, founding chair of the Alberta Land Trust Alliance, and co-chair of the Small Change Fund.
Delaney Greig is the social issues specialist in SHARE’s shareholder engagement program. Before coming to SHARE, she articled in environmental and administrative law. In the past, Delaney has done legal, research and policy work for Mikisew Cree First Nation, Natural Resources Canada, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre and the Parliament of Canada. Her work seeks to understand and address the challenges that arise at the intersection of business interest, human rights and environmental concern. Delaney holds a BCL/LLB from McGill University, an MA in Political Economy from the University of Toronto, and an Honours BA in International Development and Economics from the University of Guelph.
As Manager, Project Investments, Ashley Hardill works with First Nations to develop sustainable economic development projects. In this role, Ashley provides support for business and financial planning, financial reporting, and outcome measurement. Ashley holds a Masters in Resource and Environmental Management and is a designated Chartered Professional Accountant. Prior to joining Coast Funds, she worked as Finance Manager for Engineers Without Borders Canada providing financial support for their programming and venture work in Canada and Africa. Ashley has also worked as a public accountant, mainly working with non-profit organizations and charities. She also has experience in education, teaching courses on sustainable community development, entrepreneurship, and financial management.
Sara Hastings-Simon is the director of the Pembina Institute’s clean economy program in Alberta. Sara has expertise in clean tech, electricity grids and markets, and emissions reduction policy. She sits on the board of Emissions Reduction Alberta and was a member of the Alberta Clean Technology Task Force. She has worked with governments (provincial and national), utilities, renewable energy developers, financial institutions, and oil and gas companies. Her work has included development of a detailed model of the North American power sector, research on the cleantech industry, and development of international and domestic policy for climate change and emissions reduction. Prior to joining the Pembina Institute, Sara was the manager of the cleantech practice at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. She holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Geneva.
Chris Henderson is Canada’s pre-eminent Clean Energy Advisor to Aboriginal communities. He advises Chiefs and Councils, Tribal Groups and Aboriginal Economic Development Corporations on how to effectively secure and leverage partnership positions in clean energy projects across Canada. Chris also guides utilities, financial firms, corporations and governments on engaging and partnering with Aboriginal communities. Chris has catalyzed clean energy projects in every Canadian province and territory. His book, Aboriginal Power, was published in 2013. Chris is also Program Designer and Lead Mentor of the Indigenous Clean Energy 20/20 Catalysts Program, and Chair of the GLOBE Series of Conferences and Exhibitions.
Elizabeth Hendriks is Vice-President of the National Freshwater Programme at WWF-Canada, one of Canada’s oldest conservation organizations. She has fifteen years experience working nationally and internationally on water policy and last year, she led the release of the first national assessment of the health and stressors of Canada’s freshwater. With her team she is now working to reverse the decline of freshwater ecosystems across the country with the intersection of policy, technology, and community building. She received her BA in International Development from Dalhousie University and her Masters from the University of Waterloo.
David Hendrickson (PhD, Geography SFU) is a professional planner (MCIP RPP) and manages special projects at the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia. He founded a university community partnership with Tufts University in Boston, MA and has extensive international experience in Asia and Latin America. David was a National Emerging Leader with the US Congress of Community Economic Development. David is an avid vegetable gardener, a striving BC oenologist, and enjoys puddle jumping with his family.
Lori Hewson: Director, Community Investment & Social Innovation Suncor Energy Lori’s career has been defined by being an advocate for environmental and social change. She spent 15 years working for educational and environmental organizations in the non-profit sector before joining the Suncor Energy Foundation and Suncor Energy in 2004. These experiences have given her a deep appreciation for the diversity of perspectives required to truly effect change. In her current role as director, community investment and social innovation, Lori is seeking possibilities and new approaches to solving some of society’s toughest challenges.
Dr. Jodi Hilty, an expert on wildlife corridors, is the President and Chief Scientist of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. For over 20 years she has worked to advance conservation by leading science and community-based and collaborative conservation to advance policy and management. In the last 15 years she focused her work in North America. Jodi has been co-editor or lead author on three books, most recently Climate and Conservation: Landscape and Seascape Science, Planning, and Action. She currently serves on the Board of the Smith Fellowship and as Deputy Chair of the IUCN Connectivity Committee.
Hannah Hoag is an award-winning journalist and editor based in Toronto. She is an editor at The Conversation Canada and a contributing editor at Spectrum. She was the founding editor of Arctic Deeply and a contributor to The Science Writers’ Handbook. Her work has also appeared in The Atlantic, Nature, Science, Wired, bioGraphic, Hakai, National Geographic, Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail, and elsewhere.
Grant Hogg is the Director of Stewardship where he oversees Conservation Funding programs and the Protected Areas programs in the Canadian Wildlife Service. Before joining the federal government, Grant worked for the Ontario Science Centre as a science instructor, in the private sector (communications and marketing), and in the non-profit sector for youth and international development as well as environmental non-profit organizations. Grant joined the federal government in 1998. He has worked in Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada as a policy analyst and manager in a variety of areas including wildlife conservation, the Sydney tar ponds, the Chemicals Management Plan, Indigenous environmental protection, and as the Director of the Environmental Emergencies Program.
Brenda Holder was born and raised in the Rockies in Jasper National Park and is pleased to follow her lineage as a traditional Cree/Iroquois Métis guide from the Kwarakwante of Jasper. She has spent the last 19 years in tourism and has served on many Aboriginal Tourism Advisory Boards and is presently the Chair for the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), and Chair for the new Alberta Chapter Indigenous Tourism Alberta (ITA). Brenda’s main passion is Traditional Medicine and she uses that and other cultural knowledge to build quality programs for guests taking part of her tours and programs. Brenda has spent much of her career as a guide to connect people to the land through Indigenous eyes and through learning about the medicines gifted to all people.
Beth Hunter is Program Director at the McConnell Foundation where she leads the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative (including the Nourish program on the future of food in health care) and collaborates on the Foundation’s energy & green economy program, ReNew. She holds a master’s in rural economics from Laval University, is a co-founder of Equiterre where she coordinated the sustainable agriculture program, and previously led Greenpeace Canada’s Oceans campaign. She sits on the boards of the Academy for Systems Change and the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security, and is co-chair of CEGN’s Low-Carbon Funders Group. When not globe-trotting and purchasing carbon/guilt offsets, she lives in Montreal with her partner and two kids.
Sandra Inutiq is the Chief Negotiator for the Qikiqtani Inuit Association’s Tallurutiup Imanga Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement. Inutiq received her law degree from Akitsiraq Law School in 2005, in 2006, she became the first Inuk woman in Nunavut to pass the bar exam. In the past, she has worked as legal counsel for the Government of Nunavut, as the Director of Policy for the Office of the Languages Commissioner and served as the Official Languages Commissioner for Nunavut. Most recently, she worked for the Tides Canada Foundation as a Senior Associate for Inuit Nunangat.
During Lorne Johnson‘s ten-year stint with World Wildlife Fund Canada, Lorne established and coordinated partnerships with several forest products companies. Towards the latter portion of his WWF tenure he led the organization’s federal government relations efforts as their Ottawa Bureau Director focusing on climate change and oceans conservation. Lorne has served in many governance roles and currently is a director of the Clean Economy Fund (a low carbon economy focused collaborative of philanthropic foundations) and the co-chair of the Cornerstone Standards Council (CSC). He has headed up a number of organizations over the years including FSC Canada, CSC and the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement Secretariat. For the last 4 years, Lorne has been serving as an advisor to the environmental granting programs of both the Schad Foundation and the Ivey Foundation.
Terra Kaethler is currently a Manager of Grants and Community Initiatives at Vancouver Foundation, Canada’s largest community foundation serving the Province of British Columbia. In her role, Terra has the privilege to work with organizations to explore the root causes of complex social and environmental challenges and to support the development of social innovations that are needed to influence systems change. Before joining Vancouver Foundation, Terra worked in the public service, academic, and non-profit sectors for over 15 years advocating for sustainable and just food systems. She holds an M.A. in Community and Regional Planning at UBC.
Adam Kahane is a Director of Reos Partners, an international social enterprise that helps people move forward together on their most important and intractable issues. Adam is the author of Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities, Power and Love: A Theory and Practice of Social Change, Transformative Scenario Planning: Working Together to Change the Future, and Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree With or Like or Trust. During the early 1990s, Adam was head of Social, Political, Economic and Technological Scenarios for Royal Dutch Shell in London. He has held strategy and research positions with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (San Francisco), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Vienna), the Institute for Energy Economics (Tokyo), and the Universities of Oxford, Toronto, British Columbia, California, and the Western Cape.
Joanna Kerr is the Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada, part of a global network working to stop climate change, protect precious biodiversity and advance Indigenous rights. A lifelong feminist and activist, Joanna previously served as the first female Chief Executive of ActionAid International, a global federation based in South Africa working in 45 countries for a world free from poverty and injustice. There, she led an organization-wide strategy that put climate resilient sustainable agriculture and women’s rights at the core of its work. Before that, she led the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, transforming it into one of the most significant global conveners and feminist campaigners, for which she was awarded a leadership prize from the Sigrid Rausing Trust.
Gordon Lambert retired from Suncor Energy on January 1, 2015. He is currently the Suncor Sustainability Executive in Residence at the Ivey School of Business and has established GRL Collaboration for Sustainability as a consulting practice. He is an advisor and frequent speaker on energy, the environment and innovation. He was instrumental in the creation of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) and in 2014 was a speaker on Innovation and Collaboration at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin China. With Suncor Energy Gord served as the VP Sustainability and in 2013 he was appointed Executive Advisor Sustainability and Innovation where he supported the CEO, senior executive team and the Board of Directors.
Jen Lash has worked on conservation issues in Canada for over 25 years. In her capacity at Sisu Institute, she works with First Nations and ENGOs to address climate change issues and promote the transition to a clean energy economy. Jen collaborates with partners across Canada to stop the development of fossil fuel infrastructure, implement climate policies that ensure Canada meets its Paris targets, and help shape new environmental legislation. Jen also advises foundations in Canada and the US on strategic opportunities. Jen lives in British Columbia and is often joined on conference calls by her dog Juno.
Danielle Levine is an educator, business advisor, and social enterprise practitioner. Her work focuses on indigenous economic development and accelerating indigenous entrepreneurship across Canada. She most recently worked with the Inuvaluit and Gwich’in in Inuvik, NWT on a food security and local food entrepreneurship program. She is deeply interested in economic reconciliation, economic participation, and resiliency. Danielle operates her own consulting practice where she works with various clients such as Raven Capital Partners as the Director of Technical Assistance. Danielle is Métis and is originally from Winnipeg, MB but now lives in Maple Ridge, BC. Danielle is a proud mother and in her spare time enjoys travelling internationally.
Dr. Leroy Little Bear is mentor and instructor of students and an esteemed advisor on Aboriginal matters at the local, provincial, national and international level, Little Bear was a founder of the University’s Department of Native American Studies, one of the first such departments in Canada. Little Bear breathed life into Indigenous scholarship by developing ethical, respectful and rigorous Aboriginal programs. His educational service did not end with his formal retirement, but rather transitioned into the role of mentor and advisor, guiding Indigenous programming and recognition, and establishing a legacy of inclusivity. Little Bear now serves as the Special Assistant to the President and has played an integral role in breaking boundaries between traditional Indigenous and western sciences, and his writings have influenced legal and policy realms.
Danika Billie Rose Littlechild is a Cree lawyer from Ermineskin Cree Nation in Maskwacis Alberta, Treaty No. 6 territory. Born and raised in Maskwacis, Danika works with Indigenous Peoples in Treaties 6, 7 & 8 (Alberta), in Canada and internationally. Danika’s law practice focuses on Indigenous law, environmental law and international law. Danika served as the Co-Chair of the Indigenous Circle of Experts under Pathway to Canada Target 1. A member of Indigenous Climate Action, Danika also serves as a Director of MiningWatch Canada and is on the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Advisory Committee on Climate Action and the Environment. Danika is currently consulting legal counsel with the International Indian Treaty Council (www.treatycouncil.org), through which she has extensively engaged in various United Nations mechanisms, treaty bodies and special procedures.
Harvey Locke is known globally for his work on parks, wilderness and large landscape conservation. He is co-founder and strategic advisor of the Yellowstone Yukon Conservation Initiative and co-founder of the Nature Needs Half Movement. He is chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Beyond the Aichi Targets Task Force and a member of the National Advisory Panel for Canada Target 1. He is also a trustee of the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation which initiated and funded the Bison Belong campaign and spent 20 years working on the reintroduction of plains bison to Banff National Park. Harvey was editor and lead author of The Last of the Buffalo: Return to the Wild (2016), was featured in the CBC film Bison Return (2017), and was the first witness to the First Nations Buffalo Treaty (2014).
Dale Marshall is National Program Manager for Environmental Defence Canada. He has almost 20 years of experience working in environmental protection, the vast majority on climate change and energy issues. Most of his work has been in policy advocacy and campaigning. However, Dale also developed VSO International’s climate change strategy, with a focus on adaptation, and spent two years in Cambodia building the capacity of local NGOs to integrate climate change impacts and adaptation into their programs. Dale has a Master’s in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University, a B.Sc. in Environmental Science and Biology from the University of Western Ontario and a Mechanical Engineering degree from McGill University.
Shannon McPhail lives and works in the Skeena watershed in northwest BC. She grew up on unceded Gitxsan territory on a working horse ranch, spending much of her youth fishing and hunting in the Skeena mountains with her family. She is currently the Executive Director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition an organization Shannon co-founded in 2004 that has twice earned recognition from Tides as one of Canada’s top ten most effective and innovative organizations. She is a past recipient of Wilburforce’s North American Conservation Leadership Award and BC’s Women of the North Community Enrichment Award.
Andrea Moffat is the Vice President of the Ivey Foundation whose mission is to help create a shared vision for Canada’s future that integrates the economy and the environment, achieves resource efficiency, and fosters innovation and investment for a smarter, sustainable economy. Previously, Andrea was the Vice President of the Corporate Program at Ceres, where she led Ceres work with business on sustainability issues such as climate, energy, water, and supply chains. With more than 20 years of experience, Andrea has lead engagements with more than 80 companies to help them meet sustainability commitments and achieve greater performance results. She was the lead author of The 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability and the corporate benchmarking reports based on this framework and has contributed to a wide range of other publications.
A digital pioneer for two decades, Jason Mogus is the principal strategist at NetChange Consulting. He has led digital transformation projects and campaigns for some of the world’s most recognized social change organizations and movements including Human Rights Watch, NRDC, the Tar Sands Campaign, the Australian #StopAdani coal campaign, and the David Suzuki Foundation. Over the years he has worked with almost every environmental group in Canada. A recognized thought leader in the fields of digital strategy, network campaigns, digital teams and organizational change, Jason is also the founder of Web of Change and a Leadership Fellow at the Broadbent Institute.
Shereen Munshi is a first-generation immigrant to Canada migrating with her family from Lusaka, Zambia. Her experiences with wealth disparity and segregation have shaped her outlook on life. She has a compulsion for true equality and cultural preservation. As Communications Manager at The Circle, Shereen is responsible for programming, strategic communications, storytelling, knowledge dissemination and outreach to the key audiences.
Julian Norris is a guide, educator and facilitator based in the Rockies. His work focuses on two distinct areas: depth approaches to cultivating human potential and whole systems approaches to complex challenges. Julian holds faculty appointments at the Haskayne School of Business and the Banff Centre, and has worked with senior leaders across the government, corporate, social and philanthropic sectors. He considers himself privileged to have lived in and worked with a number of First Nations communities. Julian’s work is seasoned by his love of the bardic traditions, shaped through a lifetime spent in wild landscapes, honed from a long-standing commitment to contemplative and somatic disciplines, and weathered by a life-long apprenticeship to and curiosity about the complex mysteries of the human psyche and the living world.
Sandra Odendahl is President and CEO of CMC Research Institutes, an environmental tech and innovation company that provides facilities for testing and scaling-up new technologies that reduce industrial carbon emissions. She joined CMCRI in September 2017 with over 20 years of experience in environmental science, engineering, and responsible finance. She previously headed the Royal Bank of Canada’s Corporate Sustainability, Social Finance and Social Innovation teams. Sandra is Chair of the board of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund . TAF is a pioneer of impact investing, using its $43 million endowment to fund projects and organisations — through grants, investments and loans — that reduce GHG emissions and air pollution in the Greater Toronto Area.
Chad Park is the director of Energy Futures Lab. The Lab is a multi-stakeholder forum for innovation and collaboration that has engaged innovators and influencers with very different perspectives on the energy system to shape a shared vision and launch collaborative projects that leverage Alberta’s energy strengths. Chad is a past Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from Edmonton and a recognized national leader in sustainability-driven innovation. As Chief Innovation Officer with The Natural Step Canada and a Trustee with the Future Fit Foundation in the United Kingdom, Chad has led the development and launch of many ground-breaking initiatives in Canada and internationally in the field of sustainable business and social innovation.
Sykes Powderface is from the Stoney Nakoda Nation in Morley, Alberta. Sykes attended residential school in Morley, attended Mount Royal College, where he majored in Business and Communications, and graduated from Coop College Saskatchewan. He has researched and studied Indigenous, Aboriginal and Treaty Rights for many years and is always working for acknowledgement of and adherence to Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. He has many years of experience working in various capacities with the Stoney Nakoda Nation, federal and provincial governments in Alberta. Sykes has also appeared in numerous movies from 1949 to 2010 as a stunt man and performer. Sykes has recently served a two year term on the Alberta Child and Family Services Appeal Panel hearing disputed cases for resolution. He now has his own consulting business, offering assistance in treaties and the Canada Constitution, traditional cultural teachings and policy analysis.
Melissa Quesnelle, Naatoi’Ihkpiakii, is a passionate advocate for ensuring that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and communities gain full access to meaningful participation in emerging opportunities across the renewable energy spectrum. A significant portion of her work is with the evolving concepts of community engagement, social & collaborative enterprise, and Indigenous entrepreneurism. She brings this passion to a leadership position with the Indigenous Sustainable Structures Collaborative. In her role as Executive Advisor, Melissa is honoured to be working with a diverse group of industry professionals committed to a common goal: Developing sustainable building systems that are culturally appropriate and clean energy compatible. She and her team believe that access to affordable, high-quality, resilient buildings is a critical factor to overcoming many of the social, environmental, and economic challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples across Canada.
Tonio Sadik is Director of Environment at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), and has more than two decades experience working with First Nations across Canada. He has a PhD from Simon Fraser University (2008) and teaches in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa.
Stefan Schurig is the Secretary General of the Foundations-20 platform (F20), a network of some 50 foundations and philanthropic organizations from different parts of the world advocating pathways towards truly sustainable development within the context of the G20 countries. He is an architect by training and has worked for some 20 years with governments and parliamentarians around the globe on sustainability subjects primarily on climate change, renewable energy and sustainable cities. Before he joined the F20 platform in 2017 he was at the Executive Board of the World Future Council Foundation (WFC) and served as their Director Climate Energy and Cities for 10 years.
Kim Scott is founder and principal investigator of Kishk Anaquot Health Research (KAHR), an independent Indigenous owned and operated consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, program design, performance measurement, partnership development and environmental sustainability. Her career spans a broad spectrum of activity related to public health, governance, comprehensive sustainability planning as well as international, organizational and community development. Ms. Scott holds a Master of Science from the University of Waterloo. Her professional interests include advancing democracy through distributed, community owned clean energy systems, reinforcing moral independence and self directing freedom for Indigenous communities through energy independence and amplifying the nexus between human health, energy and environmental integrity.
Thea Silver, Ontario Trillium Foundation Thea Silver has worked in the not-for-profit environmental sector for more than 20 years. She is currently the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s (OTF) Strategy Lead for the Green People Action Area, where she provides knowledge and leadership to promote knowledge mobilization and enhance the impact of OTF’s investments to support a healthy and sustainable environment. Thea also sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network (CEGN) and is co-chair of the binational Great Lakes Funders Collaboration. Prior to joining OTF in May, 2014, Thea held senior roles in a number of environmental organizations including the Ontario Land Trust Alliance and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Susan Smitten is the executive director of R.A.V.E.N. (Respecting Aboriginal Values & Environmental Needs) a non-profit charitable organization based in Victoria, BC that provides financial resources to assist Aboriginal Nations within Canada in lawfully forcing industrial development to be reconciled with their traditional ways of life, and in a manner that addresses global warming or other ecological sustainability challenges. Since 2009, Susan created and has managed the only non-for-profit corporate charity in Canada with a mission to raise legal defence funds to assist First Nations who enforce their rights and title to protect their traditional territories and the environment. Susan is also an award-winning filmmaker and writer whose recent projects communicate the connection between environmental issues and First Nations’ stewardship of the land.
Andrew Stegemann is the Project Director for Our Living Waters, a collaborative network of freshwater groups working to achieve the ambitious goal of all Canada’s waters in good health by 2030. Andrew also provides consulting services to mission-driven organizations with his expertise in strategic planning, group facilitation, and collective impact & network building. Over the past decade, Andrew has worked with funders, non-profits, socially responsible businesses, and government organizations in addition to his time leading the grantmaking of both MEC and the Pacific Salmon Foundation. Andrew also holds a Master of Resource Management (Planning) degree from SFU and is currently the Board President with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society- BC Chapter.
Janet Sumner has more than 25 years of experience as an environmentalist. She has been the Executive Director of CPAWS Wildlands League since 2003. In 2017 Janet was appointed as a co-chair of the National Advisory Panel, which is mandated to produce a report with recommendations on how Canada can meet its Aichi Target of 17% natural areas protection across Canada by 2020. Janet has led the Wildlands League team in the achievement of a number of substantial legislative reforms.
Delyse Sylvester has three decades of social innovation expertise, connecting thousands of social entrepreneurs with corporate leaders, government, thought leaders, funders and new media partners. With the Natural Step Canada she designed and led the breakthrough Energy Futures Lab public engagement strategy. With Ashoka’s Changemakers, she led over 60 co-branded global campaigns with partners such as National Geographic, G-20, Nike, GE, EBay, Google, and the Robert Wood Johnson, Rockefeller and Gates Foundations. During her tenure she assisted in raising directly over 16 million to scale innovations globally and develop new media collaborative initiatives with The Monitor and New Yorker.
Jason Unger is the Executive Director of the Environmental Law Centre, a charity committed to environmental law education and reform to foster a clean and healthy environment for current and future generations of Albertans. Called to the Alberta Bar in 2002, Jason worked in litigation and regulatory law practice in both Calgary and Edmonton, prior to working for the Alberta Wilderness Association and then joining the Environmental Law Centre as staff counsel in 2005. Since joining the Centre Jason has developed expertise in water law, conservation tools on private lands, species at risk, and administrative law. More recently his work has included law reforms that enable and promote Alberta municipalities to be effective environmental managers and stewards.
Robert Walker is the Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Services for NEI Investments. NEI manages Canada’s largest responsible investment mutual fund family. Robert leads an 8-person team responsible for implementing NEI’s Responsible Investing Program, a set of activities designed to contribute to the creation of long term sustainable value for all stakeholders. Robert has 25 years of experience developing responsible investment in Canada. He currently serves on the board of directors of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN).
In his twentieth year with The Nature Conservancy, Rob Weary currently leads an initiative to assist Small Island Developing States with debt-conversions to finance marine conservation and adaptation to climate change. The first such debt-conversion (approx. US$22 million) was concluded in February 2016 with the Seychelles. He is currently developing additional debt-conversions with several Caribbean countries. Rob’s experiences include work on numerous debt-for-nature swaps in Latin America and the Caribbean, the design and establishment of an eight country US$42 million regional endowment (Caribbean Biodiversity Fund) and the associated national-level trust funds, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in sustainable financing for conservation projects in those countries.
Bryn White is the Program Manager of a unique land and wildlife conservation partnership in the Southern Interior of British Columbia that brings together 50 government, non-government, First Nations and academic institutions together to conserve the rare and endangered South Okanagan Similkameen landscape. Bryn facilitates and fosters collaborative processes for wildlife and ecosystems conservation including recovery for at risk species and ecosystems, resource management, and sustainable land use planning and implementation for the public and private sectors. She was the 2010 recipient of The Nature Trust of BC’s Conservation Champion Award in the Professional Sector and has recently established a local, community based source of funding for environmental conservation projects.
Ed Whittingham is a passionate, results-oriented environmental professional who simply loves attending CEGN annual conferences. His background in climate change, energy policy and corporate sustainability has been developed through 20 years of working collaboratively with companies, governments, universities and non-governmental organizations in Canada and internationally. He is the former executive director of the Pembina Institute, Canada’s widely respected energy/environment NGO. Ed was named one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People in 2016, and his op-eds have been published in newspapers and magazines across Canada and internationally. Currently he focused on advancing clean energy projects through business development, regulatory affairs and public-private partnership advice and support.
Karen Wilkie is the Program Director at the Carthy Foundation. Prior to joining Carthy in 2014, she served as a policy and government relations strategist with The City of Calgary, and as a researcher and policy analyst with the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based public policy think tank. Karen enjoys spending time outdoors and exploring the Rocky Mountains with her family. Karen currently serves on the Board of CEGN.
Steve Williams: President, Constructive Public Engagement PhD Candidate, Resource Management and Environmental Studies, UBC. Steve has extensive professional experience in evaluation, impact measurement, and data visualization for sustainability and social change projects. He combines his experience with information design to design and facilitate public events and collaborative professional development trainings, using data to engage the public and stakeholders in sustainability dialogue, and integrating art and theatre into public engagement. Steve is currently a PhD candidate at UBC evaluating the societal impacts of participatory processes such as the Energy Futures Lab in Alberta.
Chief Kukpi7 Judy Wilson has served her community for ten years as chief and eight years as a council member. She is a strong advocate for recognition of inherent title and rights and self-determination and for the fundamental shifts needed for the survival of all Peoples. These shifts involve transitioning to clean energy (not depending on fossil fuels or pipelines), changing consumer purchasing patterns away from big conglomerates toward local foods and lifestyles, supporting and maintaining traditional food security and harvesting, lessening our footprint on the land, and restoring lands, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Chief Wilson’s education includes public administration with focus on governance, public relations, and media (audio-visual production, book publishing, broadcast journalism, and web planning). She has experience as a data technician, communications officer, project developer, news reporter, broadcast manager, and marketing coordinator.
Dan Woynillowicz is the Policy Director at Clean Energy Canada, an initiative of the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. Clean Energy Canada works to accelerate our nation’s transition to clean and renewable energy systems. They do so by telling the story of the global shift to clean and low-carbon energy sources and conducting original research, hosting dialogues, and inspiring and informing policy leadership. An accomplished analyst and advocate, Dan has significant knowledge and experience in the field of energy and environmental policy, and has authored numerous reports on clean energy and climate change policy. Since 2001, Dan has lobbied for policy change, testified before regulatory and legislative bodies, and commented on energy issues for a wide range of media outlets.
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