Expert Guests and Speakers

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.

Bryan's Bio

Bryan Helfenbaum is the Vice President of Clean Energy at Alberta Innovates, where he oversees programs in Clean Technology and Advanced Hydrocarbons with key initiatives in hydrogen, CCUS, digital energy, bitumen beyond combustion, and others. Before joining Alberta Innovates, he spent 20 years in technical, business, and innovation roles in the private sector.  Bryan has taught courses at the University of Calgary and worked on innovative community residential development projects.  

Bryan has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Waterloo and an MBA from Calgary.

Alberta Innovates

Dale's Bio

Dale Hansen is the Dean in the MacPhail School of Energy at SAIT, providing leadership for its academic programs that span across the energy industry.

Prior to joining SAIT, Dale spent 25 years in the oil and gas and mineral resource sectors. Through the course of his career in oil and gas, Dale filled a wide variety of leadership roles across many functions, including time spent in field locations such as the Oil Sands near Fort McMurray. This has provided him with a well-rounded perspective on the industry and an absolute passion for energy in all of its forms. Dale is an experienced facilitator and speaker who holds a Chartered Professional Accounting (CMA) designation and a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Royal Roads University.

Holding a very strong belief that post-secondary education has a pivotal role to play in ensuring a supply of well educated, talented people across the energy system, Dale spends much of his effort building strong relationships with industry leaders. These relationships support SAIT’s effort to remain current in a rapidly changing environment as the industry seeks to transform itself on the path to decarbonization.

MacPhail School of Energy

Valerie's Bio

Valerie Miller (she/her) holds a PhD in land reclamation from the University of Alberta, which focused on building soils using mine waste at a diamond mine in northern Canada.

As Outreach and Engagement Lead for Future Energy Systems, a research program at the University of Alberta, Valerie manages the Energy Explorers training program, coordinates the extensive outreach and engagement program, and works with numerous external partners to provide public access to research and researchers. She is the author of The Energy Adventures of Tommy and Remi series.

Future Energy Systems

Lisa's Bio

Lisa has worked for nearly 20 years in the energy sector, gaining valuable field experience in health and safety and collaborating with various teams at Energy Safety Canada. Since joining the Careers in Energy team in 2018, Lisa has enthusiastically shared her knowledge of opportunities in both traditional and emerging energy technologies. She brings a comprehensive expertise that covers many facets of the industry. Lisa’s credentials include a Bachelor of Science and the Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation.

Energy Safety Canada

Aspen's Bio

Aspen Dudzic is the Director of Communications at the Alberta Forest Products Association and has been working with the association for over 5 years. She supports media and government relations at the AFPA, but most of her work is centered around public engagement and educational initiatives including leading AFPA’s award-winning campaigns, Work Wild and Love Alberta Forests.

Aspen serves on the leadership team of the Forestry Together alliance, an initiative that works to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in Canada’s forest industry. She is also the host of AFPA’s podcast, Forestry Talks, which explores all things forestry in Alberta and can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

Alberta Forest Products Association

Sabrina's Bio

Sabrina Huot is the dynamic Communications and Engagement Specialist at the Alberta Emerald Foundation, a registered charity that accelerates environmental excellence by recognizing Alberta’s leaders and driving the adoption of best practices through educational storytelling. With a Bachelor of Commerce, Bri specializes in digital marketing, content creation, and public outreach.

In addition to spearheading the AEF’s social media and website management, Bri manages the Foundation’s four programs, including the What On EARTH Can We Do? Podcast. With over eight episodes per season, she engages in impactful conversations with environmental leaders to explore actionable solutions against climate change and environmental challenges.

Alberta Emerald Foundation

Jaeson's Bio

Jaeson Cardiff is the CEO and visionary behind CleanO2 Carbon Capture Technologies and the inventor of the innovative CarbinX micro-scale carbon capture system. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Jaeson leads a dedicated team of 20 staff members committed to reducing carbon emissions and making a positive impact on the environment. With a strong background in the HVAC industry, Jaeson combines his passion for innovation with his expertise in heating technologies to create solutions that improve lives and promote sustainability. He is a published author who shares his experiences and insights to inspire others to pursue their dreams and leave the world better than they found it.

Clean02

Rajko's Bio

Rajko Pavic is a business professional with two college degrees in Marketing, who has been passionate about EVs since around the time of the movie “Who Killed The Electric Car?” With past experience in Customer Service, Management, and Global Logistics across a few different industries, Rajko finally got to work with Electric cars 10 years later.

GoElectric Vehicle Corporation

Adam's Bio

Adam works at the Bank of Canada Museum where he helps students and teachers explore economics regionally, nationally and globally. A former classroom teacher, he has developed resources on green economics, expectations, bank note symbolism, and Economics 101.

Bank of Canada Museum

Vittoria's Bio

Vittoria Bellissimo is President & CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA). Vittoria leads a member association focused on ensuring that wind energy, solar energy and energy storage play a central role in transforming Canada’s energy mix.

Vittoria was previously the Executive Director of the Industrial Power Consumers Association of Alberta and worked in renewable energy procurement at both the Ontario Ministry of Energy and the Ontario Power Authority (now the IESO).

Vittoria served on the Board of Emissions Reduction Alberta, as Vice Chair of Energy Efficiency Alberta, and was a founding Board member of Women+Power. She holds a M.Sc. in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Edinburgh and is a licensed professional engineer (B.Sc. Queen’s University). Vittoria is based in Calgary.

CanREA

Rory's Bio

With a background in energy security, Rory uses an interdisciplinary approach to navigate the complex regulatory and commercial ecosystem of project development. Since it’s inception, Rory has helping shape and propel Varme’s mission forward. His role within the company includes government engagement, policy strategy, business development, and grant writing.

Varme Energy

Megan's Bio

Megan Bowen, B.Sc., M.Sc., P.Eng., is a Senior Development Engineer specializing in sustainability with 15+ years of experience in the upstream oil and gas sector. Megan holds a Master’s in Renewable Energy and Engineering Management from the University of Freiburg and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta.

Strathcona Resources Ltd.

Andrea's Bio

Andrea Visser is the Director of Fund Development and External Relations at Iron & Earth. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Geography and working towards her Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE) designation, Andrea has played a key role in building Iron & Earth from the ground up.

She has successfully secured significant funding from government, industry partners, and foundations, leading the organization’s growth. Andrea specializes in advancing renewable energy workforce development and community-based training programs, with a focus on rural and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Iron & Earth

Dante's Bio

Dante is a communications professional with nearly half a decade of experience in foundational communications, digital media, and public relations. He specializes in developing early stage clean technology companies and first-of-a-kind projects. 

Dante currently serves as the communications lead for Carbon Upcycling Technologies, a carbon and waste circularity company and recognized Global Clean Tech 100. His primary focuses are brand management, stakeholder relations, and strategic communications.

Carbon Upcycling

Tristan's Bio

Born and raised in northwest B.C., Tristan is passionate about energy autonomy, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. As President of Massif Energy and CEO of RyuGen energy solutions, he is committed to supporting organizations in determining avenues to grow and develop within the energy transition.

Massif Energy

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.

Janetta's Bio

Janetta McKenzie, PhD, is director of the Pembina Institute’s oil and gas program. Her expertise includes decarbonization pathways for Canada’s oil and gas sector, federal and provincial industrial carbon pricing and cap-and-trade systems, as well as international climate and energy governance, and the future of Canada’s oil and gas industry in the global energy transition.

Pembina Institute

Aaron's Bio

A Grade 12 student currently attending Westmount Charter Mid-High School, Aaron is very excited to lead the MFC Games again this year. Ever since he and his team won two similar challenges in 2020, Aaron has been interested in this innovative new technology. Through the MFC Games, Aaron has been able to improve his communication skills and network with many prominent figures in the environmental sustainability industry.

MFC Games

Shafak's Bio

With over a decade of experience at the intersection of industry, government, and communities, Shafak Sajid is dedicated to building meaningful relationships and driving impactful change.

A recipient of the Young Women in Energy Award, Shafak excels in strategic planning, and relationship building. Currently she is the interim Director, Engagement at the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation.

AIOC  

Janelle's Bio

Janelle Watson has over 15 years of experience from the energy sector across various locations in Alberta, and with exposure to international operations in California, Texas, Colorado, Oman and Holland.

She received an Associate SME designation in Thermal Recovery while at Royal Dutch Shell. Ms. Watson is an entrepreneurial minded leader that is passionate about new business ideas and uses a collaborative, inquisitive approach to solving problems. She spent the past six years launching two startup organisations as Business Development Lead and VP Operations. Notably, she won the Energy New Ventures pitch competition in 2019 worth $125,000 and audience choice award.

Ms. Watson has extensive experience in technical and business operational roles while in energy, tech and the insurance sectors. She has also pursued certifications in data science and analytics, machine learning, and cybersecurity to bolster her knowledge in leading edge technologies to enAlbertale efficient business operations. While new to the renewable energy sector, she has worked with LV and MV power systems, electrical and instrumentation specialists for wellsite and facilities requirements throughout her career and is a strong advocate for sustainability practices.

BBA Engineering

Ron's Bio

Ron is an electrical engineer at TransAlta with over 30 years of experience in the power industry. He has provided technical support to coal, gas, hydro, and wind generation sites. He was the co-founder of the Environmental Management, Accounting, and Reporting interest group, and is actively involved in providing solutions that improve grid reliability utilizing Alberta’s hydro resources.

TransAlta

Neil's Bio

With over 19 years of experience in Alberta’s electricity sector, Neil brings a passion to developing innovative solutions in support of connecting customers to clean, reliable and affordable electricity. He has extensive experience in distribution system planning, interconnections, and renewable energy development.

As a member of ENMAX’s Grid Innovation team, Neil is focused on leading the company’s efforts to support electrification, grid modernization technologies, and new customer programs. Neil holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Calgary and is a certified Project Management Professional.

ENMAX Power Corporation

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

Shannon's Bio

Whiskey Jack Gallery provides diverse access to information by removing barriers and reaching people who don’t have technical knowledge of environmental advancements. This mobile exhibit educates audiences using articles, videos, virtual reality experiences, paintings, and comics. 

Shannon Carla King aims to engage and educate in a way that is casual, fun and without bias. She is a Canadian painter who is focused on capturing the raw, natural beauty of reclamation, preservation, and conservation success stories in acrylic paintings. Her mission is to ensure environmental projects have a voice by reaching new audiences to inform, connect and instill pride in the great work that is being done to protect and heal the earth. Art can help increase environmental literacy by educating audiences on the acts of care for the land. 

Shannon believes that through art, we can facilitate crucial conversations and critical thinking in a way that is balanced and based on data. Her goal is to help individuals and organizations share their commitment of responsible development and land use using landscape paintings as a driver for curiosity.

Shannon Carla King
Whiskey Jack Gallery

Tanya's Bio

Tanya Richens, P.Ag. has over 24 years of experience working in the field of oil sands reclamation. In 2024 Tanya started her own consulting company and has since authored two children’s books.

The books, Adventures in Land Reclamation: Exploring Jobs for a Greener Future, and From the Earth to Us: Discovering the Origins of Everyday Things, aim to connect people of all ages to the reality of living in a world that relies on responsible natural resource development.

TCR Environmental Consulting Ltd. 

Candice's Bio

Candice is the Vice President – Corporate Affairs at Enhance Energy with over 15 years of experience in technology development and innovation in energy systems. She is passionate about energy technologies, environmental performance and community impact, holding an authoritative voice in the safe, permanent and best practices of CO2 utilization and storage.

Her expertise is sought by governments, regulators, industry partners and the public. She holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta and a MSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary. She spends her free time hiking and snowboarding with her husband and two kids, and loves to do flips on a trampoline with her “gymnastics for grown-ups” group.

Enhance Energy

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

Mike's Bio

Pembina Pipeline

Bronwyn's Bio

Bronwyn is the lead for Energy Evolution at Suncor Energy, with a focus on how responding to changes in the global energy landscape.

Previously, Bronwyn was a lead for clean energy technology with responsibility for the net zero technology roadmap and developing clean energy technology options to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050. Bronwyn is the small modular reactor (SMR) Team Lead for the Pathways Alliance, and also active in the other Net Zero Technology and GHG emissions reduction groups at Pathways and COSIA.

Prior to joining Suncor in 2018, Bronwyn worked at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) first as a reactor physicist and lastly as Program Manager, Small Modular and Advanced Reactor Technologies. In the latter role, she provided leadership in support of CNL’s SMR strategic initiative and participated in a number of national and international expert groups and collaborations, including the Canadian SMR Roadmap.

Bronwyn holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in physics from the University of Guelph and a PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Suncor Energy

Natalie's Bio

Natalie Darrah is a project assistant in the Climate Change and Global Health research group in the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. In this role, she facilitates events, community outreach, and advocacy for climate-health action.

She also works to expand the Climate Change and Health Hub, newly launched at the University of Alberta to advance research to address the health challenges of climate change. With a bachelors degree in environmental studies, she has an interdisciplinary background in ecology, economics, and public policy.

She is concurrently an academic visitor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning’s Climate Adaptation and Resilience Lab, where she supports research on localized climate change adaptation in British Columbia.

Climate Change & Global Health Research Group

Gillian's Bio

With a diverse background as a leader in the energy industry, consulting firms, and non-profit organizations, Gillian is a dynamic force known for forging connections, fostering collaboration, and driving social change.

Gillian is the Director, People and Community at Enhance Energy where she leads Indigenous Engagement, Community Engagement, Community Investment, and HR and is dedicated to shaping a future where CCUS solutions integrate seamlessly with social equity, effecting positive impact for people and communities.

Holder of an MBA, along with a certificate of Social Impact, from Queens University and a CPHR designation, Gillian serves on the Board of the Calgary Public Library, the Calgary Library Foundation, and Ask Her YYC. She is a Fellow with the Energy Futures Lab and coaches emerging leaders to have a seat at the boardroom table through Fora’s Rise on Boards program.

Gillian is a recipient of the Young Women in Energy Award and the Daily Oil Bulletin Rising Star Award, for her focus on social impact in energy. Through all of this, she balances her role as a mom of two young children, spouse of a Calgary Firefighter, is self-appointed foodie, avid world traveller and loves a hot cup of matcha.

Enhance Energy

Brett's Bio

ConocoPhillips

Charlotte's Bio

ConocoPhillips Canada

Michael's Bio

SPE Calgary Section Young Professionals is a vibrant group of Young Professionals that seek to engage junior members, foster growth in the society and develop future leaders in the petroleum industry through continuing education, professional development and by offering opportunities to expand industry networks.

Society of Petroleum Engineers