Neil Cumming

Nicholas's Bio

Nick Ayre is the Team Lead of Business Development Geosciences at Strathcona Resources Ltd., a rapidly growing Calgary-based company specializing in oil and gas resource development in Western Canada. In his capacity of Team Lead, Nick oversees all Geoscience contributions with acquisition appraisals, regional evaluations, sustainability initiatives such as carbon capture, and Petrophysics.

Before working at Strathcona, Nick has been employed in both large and small Calgary based energy companies establishing multi-year exploration and development drilling programs, mentoring staff, acquisition appraisals, and divestment program.

In addition to his role at Strathcona, Nick has been actively involved with the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association (CEGA) where he served as the Conference Director overseeing all society conferences between 2021-2023, and co-chaired/advised CEGA’s annual Core Conference between 2020-2024. Nick’s roles at CEGA underscore his belief that organizing geoscientific events are critical for the promotion of geosciences to the general public, professional networking, and career development within the energy and geoscience communities.

Strathcona Resources Ltd.

Tamara's Bio

Tamara is the Senior Marketing and Communications Manager at Carbon Management Canada. She is a communications and marketing professional with extensive experience in brand and strategic communications management, public, stakeholder and rightsholder engagement, and content creation. Tamara specializes in communicating fabout Canada’s energy industry, including emerging clean energy sectors.

Tamara is a co-host of Not Your Grandpa’s Energy Industry podcast and supports the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in a variety of volunteer roles. She has won awards for brand representation and website development in online publishing.

Carbon Management Canada

Dr.James's Bio

Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson are renowned as the trailblazing Two-Spirit team on the Amazing Race Canada. Their compelling victory in Season 7 brought pivotal gender, sexuality, and Indigenous issues to the forefront of national consciousness, reshaping societal perceptions. Distinguished in their individual capacities, they bring rich, diverse experiences and a profound depth of expertise to their advocacy efforts, championing the rights of First Nation and LGBTQ2S+ communities.

Residing in Treaty 6 Territory, Edmonton, Anthony Johnson is dedicated to the resurgence of Traditional Cree Medicine practices in Kehewin Cree Nation. Together, they are a formidable force, advocating for systemic change and promoting equity and inclusivity. Their journey transcends the Amazing Race; it’s a continual stride towards societal transformation, galvanizing communities, and allies alike to dismantle prejudices and foster a more inclusive, empathetic world. Their narrative is not just one of triumph but a compelling call to action for unity, understanding, and relentless pursuit of justice.

Jennifer's Bio

Jennifer Chen serves as the GHG Impact Quantification Lead at Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA). ERA’s mandate is to invest in technologies that reduce GHG emissions and grow Alberta’s economy by accelerating the development and adoption of innovative technology solutions. In her role, Jennifer leads the evaluation of GHG quantification of project proposals and supports ERA’s emission reporting.

As a registered Professional Engineer in Alberta, Jennifer’s background includes process engineering design and operations in the oil and gas sectors, and polymer application and research. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BASc in Environmental Engineering, MASc in Chemical Engineering, and an MSc in Sustainable Energy Development with the University of Calgary. Jennifer is also a self-proclaimed “foodie”, who loves to eat and experiment on different recipes.

Emissions Reduction Alberta