Sithara Fernando

Neil's Bio

Neil is a high school teacher at St. Albert High School. Neil is a veteran of many of Inside Education’s adventures, including oil sands and agriculture professional development programs, he’s come with us on A+ for Energy adventures, and as one of Alberta’s leaders in ag-education, really helped us launch our own agriculture education programs in 2016.

In addition to numerous agriculture education projects in his school, Neil also led a group of students from Morinville High to the international Envirothon in North Carolina. Neil’s vast experience and background includes two terms as the youngest-ever Councillor for the City of St. Albert.

Ben's Bio

Ben Cress is a Calgary-based environmental professional with over 15 years of experience in the energy sector. He focuses on finding practical, creative ways to reduce environmental impact while improving performance, bringing a broad perspective shaped by working through a wide range of environmental challenges. While he offers an industry lens, his core passion is environmental stewardship and finding solutions that work in the real world.

 Ben was first introduced to Inside Education at a youth summit and has remained engaged ever since, drawn to its hands-on approach and its focus on curiosity, critical thinking, and the exploration of complex issues from multiple perspectives.

 As a board member, Ben is excited to support Inside Education’s work to help students and educators better understand the connections among energy, the environment, and everyday life.

Billy-Joe's Bio

Billy-Joe has over 20 years of IT experience in the energy, municipal government, and retail industries. Currently, as General Manager, L48 Digital Technologies & Global Strategy, Billy-Joe is accountable for all Digital and IT services for ConocoPhillips.

With her passion for technology, she is also passionate about education and STEM. The opportunity to work with Inside Education to bring tangible experiences to the students aligns with her goals. She leads a volunteer-based organization called Girls Talk Tech, which aims to educate and empower young women to embrace technology for the future.

When she isn’t behind a computer, you can find her climbing mountains and cycling open roads.

Allison's Bio

Allison Mostowich is an experienced engagement and outreach professional in the areas of internal and external communications, energy efficiency, innovation commercialization, conventional resources, regulatory environments and small business start ups.

She has led teams and managed programs at the Energy Resources Conservation Board, the Alberta Energy Regulator, Energy Efficiency Alberta (where we first met Allison), Emissions Reduction Alberta, Efficiency Canada and now with FortisAlberta.

Her experience working with multiple levels of government, multiple leadership levels in organizations and businesses throughout the province has built Allison’s strong focus on an inclusive and practical approach to decision-making and implementation.