Meet OUR 2021 Award Finalists
We are happy to announce this year’s lineup of distinguished environmental professionals and organizations’ or something along those lines.
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We are happy to announce this year’s lineup of distinguished environmental professionals and organizations’ or something along those lines.
With over 10 years of experience in EHS Andrew has developed advanced skills in the areas of health &safety, water & air quality, waste diversion, and sustainability in addition to his many years of education and professional designations. He has worked for several different local municipalities and in the manufacturing industry and currently holds the role of Environmental Health & Safety Manager at Napoleon.
Monique Simair is CEO and Founder of Maven Water & Environment. She has a doctorate in microbiology, a post-doctoral specialization in biogeochemistry, and decade of experience in founding and growing businesses.
For the past 10 years she has been revolutionizing water treatment around the world, resulting in her former company being acquired in a multimillion-dollar acquisition. Through her work, she is challenging the way that businesses are structured and developing new approaches to systems innovation.
She has been named by Profit Magazine as one of Canada’s future entrepreneurial leaders, to Chatelaine’s W100 women entrepreneurs, and was the youngest person ever appointed as an advisor to the science, technology, and innovation council of Canada.
Monique is a leader in water reclamation, removing chemicals and decreasing carbon footprints for dozens of mines at home and internationally and also cleaned contaminated abandoned sites. Her leadership has caused her company to be called the Tesla of water treatment. She has taken old tech and modernized the approaches with the goal of preserving the world’s water systems.
Birgit Isernhagen, works as a Program, Planning and Evaluations Officer for the Health Hazard Response Unit at Ottawa Public Health, a department within the City of Ottawa. She holds a Master of Science degree from McGill University and holds the Environmental Professional Designation. She worked 18 years for the City in environmental management and policy, development review, and public health. This gave her a great deal of insight on how the physical environment affects sustainability and health. She is now co-located with Public Health and the Planning, Infrastructure, and Economic Development Department at the City of Ottawa working on integrating health into the Official Plan, the Climate Change Master Plan and other key policy areas.
Carlee is the Program Lead for the Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP) at the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre. Carlee has over five years experience in the environmental sector in government and non-profit organizations. Before joining the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, Carlee supported the development and delivery of residential, non-profit, and small business energy efficiency programs at Energy Efficiency Alberta.
Carlee is leading the design and delivery of CEIP working in collaboration with municipalities to deliver this innovative financing tool to property owners across Alberta. Carlee graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. She holds two professional designations, Environmental Professional in Training through ECO Canada, and Energy Manager in Training through the Association of Energy Engineers. Carlee is passionate about the environmental industry and strives to develop her knowledge and experience in the sector.
Brittany Lange is an environmental professional working in the public sector as an Environmental Planner with the Regional District of Central Okanagan. Brittany’s career focus is to promote sustainable development through community based and professional land use planning. As a life-long resident of the Okanagan Valley, Brittany’s goal both personally and professionally is to ensure the unique and natural environment of the Okanagan is protected now and into the future.
Brittany continues to expand the Regional District’s Environmental Planning Program by completing projects such as the Okanagan Climate Projections Report, Okanagan Lake Responsibility Planning Initiative, as well as the Regional Floodplain Management Plan. Brittany is forward-thinking, innovative, and driven to provide impactful solutions to complex environmental issues.
With 30+ years of environmental auditing Michael DeWit stopped counting audits at 1000 in the late 1990’s and he has continued auditing for his 22 years at ICF consulting where he has led environmental auditing for 20+ years. He has spent 30+ years developing and implementing compliance and conformance auditing programs, for public and private sector clients, as well as training auditors and audit teams. He has worked in and conducted audits in more than 50 industry sectors (e.g., waste management, utilities, petrochemicals, aerospace, food, consumer products, metals, agricultural, mining, and pulp/paper/forestry). This includes developing large audit programs, training auditors, and overseeing the development of new and unique audit schemes. He was ICF’s lead audit trainer for the firm’s ANSI accredited EMS/ ISO 14001 Lead Auditor course and has also trained EHS auditors and internal EMS auditors for the public and private sector.
In addition to conducting environmental compliance audits and environmental due diligence audits for 30+ years and conducting EMS audits for over 20 years Mr. DeWit has worked in the development of auditing best practices, audit standards development and unique audit programs that expand the audit practice.
Kevin Pendreigh is a Certified Environmental Auditor with over 30 years of experience in the Canadian environmental industry. He conducts both Environmental Management System (EMS) and Environmental Compliance audits. Kevin has held the Certified Environmental Auditor designation for 18 years. He is proud to promote hiring of environmental auditors by producing audit deliverables that boil down complex regulations and regulatory findings so they are easily understood and can be readily addressed to both protect the environment and make organizations more successful.
Kevin believes his greatest contributions have been in openly sharing auditing skills and experience with those he works with.
Gregory Caldwell is a registered professional engineer, educated at the University of Alberta, specializing in Petroleum Engineering. He also holds a CPA designation.
Mr. Caldwell’s professional experience consists of engineering, business strategy, finance, and regulatory policy in the Energy Industry. His most recent experience has been focused in the areas of Business Strategy, Utility Regulation, Energy Policy, and applied Innovation delivering low carbon energy solutions.
Currently participating on national and international committees with the Canadian Gas Association and in partnership with multiple levels of government, Mr. Caldwell is focused on the funding and testing of emerging technologies aimed at combating climate change, promoting energy security, and developing alternative pathways for Canadians to provide for their energy needs. In addition, Mr. Caldwell serves as the Canadian Chair of the International Gas Union’s (IGU) Research and Development Committee, as well as on the Energy Transition Advisory Committee, which advises the City of Edmonton on methods to implement their community energy strategy. Greg’s current focus is leading ATCOs development of a Hydrogen strategy which encompasses the technical, policy, regulatory and economic aspects of the initiative.
Greg is married with two children and enjoys playing ice hockey, scuba diving, adventure travel, and continually learning about new technologies and strategies to solve the challenges currently facing industry and society.
Amber Doney is the Exploration Strategy and Business Relations Manager with Orano and partner in a private consulting company. Amber has over 10 years of mining experience in exploration, primarily working in the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan and Thelon Basin in Nunavut. She has a BASc. in Geology from the University of Saskatchewan and an MBA from Edwards School of Business.
Robert is an experienced executive team member with over 10 years as an executive with roles both in public and private enterprise. For the past four years, Robert has been the President of Delta Remediation but throughout the past decade Robert has demonstrated a dedication to working in the environmental services industry and to” leave the world in a better state than we found it”.
Skilled in Energy, Environmental Compliance, Customer Service, Strategic Planning, and Business Development. Robert is a Strong business development professional with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) focused in Business/Commerce, General from The University of British Columbia.
Mike Blair currently serves as Vice President, Exploration and New Ventures for Crescent Point Energy. He joined Crescent Point in 2009 and has over 20 years of experience as a geologist. Previously, Mr. Blair was Director of southwest Saskatchewan and Alberta exploration and New Ventures. Prior to joining Crescent Point, Mr. Blair worked for Talisman Energy and Canadian Natural Resources Limited.
He graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Master of Science in Geology. Mr. Blair is a member of the Professional Engineering and Geoscience associations in Alberta, Saskatchewan
Geni Peters is an economist with a Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A&M University. As Labour Market Information (LMI) Manager at ECO Canada, she is responsible for the management, execution and delivery of environmental LMI projects, working with an army of professionals comprised of staff, consultants, strategic advisors and subject matter experts.
Before joining ECO Canada, Geni applied her knowledge and skills in a wide range of roles and industries. She worked as a lecturer for 14 years, teaching a wide range of economics courses and supervising student research projects at UC San Diego and Penn State University. More recently, she managed labour market research initiatives including economic modelling and reporting at PetroLMI Division of Energy Safety Canada (formerly the Petroleum Human Resources Council) and conducted economic research and analysis at Brown Economic Consulting.
A senior executive with more than three decades of experience as a business leader in entrepreneurship, sustainability, innovation, consulting, and economic development. The breadth and depth of his experience includes Global 100 enterprises, entrepreneurial startups, scaling companies and the public sector.
At VEC, Bryan has been engaged in leading teams in the knowledge-based, low-carbon, circular economy by leading strategic initiatives, investment, sector development, and programs aimed at supporting innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, businesses, and other stakeholders in the Green Economy, Technology & Innovation sectors.
Bryan is actively involved in the City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan, Greenest City Action Plan, Renewable City 2050, Zero Waste 2040, Circular Economy and Smart City initiatives, and brings the economic opportunity lens to conversations around public policy and program development. From this involvement, Bryan directs the development of programs that support local businesses and promote Vancouver while also understanding how the City can better support innovation and the acceleration to a greener economy.
Kaella-Marie Earle is an Anishinaabekwe from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and Aroland First Nation. She is currently employed as an EIT and Construction Project Manager at Enbridge Gas Inc. in Engineering Construction, System Improvement where she manages construction of natural gas pipeline projects. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Chemical Engineering Technology from Cambrian College as well as a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Laurentian University.
Ms. Earle’s career goal is to weave her Indigenous cultural values into her engineering work in a way that will lead the oil and gas industry to a lower carbon energy future. She works toward this as a member of Young Pipeliners Association of Canada where she serves as Co-chair of YPAC’s Indigenous Inclusion Committee as well as in her role as Vice-Chair to the Indigenous Advisory Committee at the Canada Energy Regulator.
Ms. Earle delivers regular speaking engagements to advocate for Indigenous people and women in energy, is the Director and Founder of Maamiwi Gibeshiwin Indigenous cultural training and allyship retreat, and serves as a delegate on the NWMO Indigenous Council of Youth and Elders; as an Indigenous Advisor to Avatar Innovations Inc.; and finally as a Committee to Council member at Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory Lands and Resources Department.
David Isaac, also known as Wugadusk in his traditional name, is a Mi’kmaq originally from Listuguj, Quebec but was raised in Vancouver within the traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples . He has been a long-time advocate for Indigenous health, the environment and has previously served as the Executive Director for the Vancouver Native Health Society as well as the Centre for Native Policy & Research. Most recently, he joined the Canadian Federal government’s Cleantech Economic Strategy Table for the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and regularly contributes to national energy policy formation and debate.
David is the President of the W Dusk Energy Group, which works with Indigenous communities to harness the power of their renewable energy resources in tandem with broader community development initiatives like planning, food systems and infrastructure development. W Dusk is actively deploying megawatt and community scale solar farms throughout North America.
W Dusk is currently working on green hydrogen and has completed two of British Columbia’s largest community owned (distributed power) solar projects and North America’s first Indigenous owned utility scale solar farm in the Fisher River Cree Nation.
When David is not working, he can be found immersed in nature and is an avid ocean yacht racer.
Vincent is a serial entrepreneur and an innovator at heart, with more than 20 years of experience in commercializing enterprise software. As the former Technical Lead at Google Earth, Vincent had the unique opportunity to work with the latest GIS technologies. Later, he joined Dassault Systemes as a Product Portfolio Manager, where he was responsible for the successful delivery of multiple mining-related products.
During the past 7 years, Vincent has been involved in the creation of three different technology startups, and has worked with various oil and gas and environmental companies to improve efficiency and collaboration across their projects.
Kendra MacDonald is the CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster responsible for driving innovation and growth in the ocean economy. Together with a team working across six cities in Atlantic Canada, Kendra is focused on changing the culture of doing business in the ocean, increasing collaboration across ocean sectors and Canada’s global reach.
Kendra was previously a Partner in Deloitte’s Risk Advisory practice and the Chief Audit Executive of Deloitte Global.
Kendra speaks regularly on the topics of innovation, future of work, and disruptive technologies, and also serves on the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and is the Past-Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries.
Over the course of her career, Kendra has both lived and worked in Ottawa, Montreal, Australia and Hong Kong before moving to St. John’s in 2010 where she now resides with her husband and two children.
In her role as head of Sustainable Impact, Frances Edmonds is responsible for driving business from sustainability leadership. Focusing on Canadian’s sustainable procurement practices Frances is working to change how Canada buys. She also oversees HP Canada’s full suite of corporate social responsibility programs including strategic partnerships with key nonprofit organizations and an industry leading volunteer program. Under Frances’s leadership, HP became the most sustainable technology company in Canada1 in 2018.
From being a founder of WWF’s Living Planet @ Work and Living Planet @ Campus programs to her TEDx talk demonstrating the power of collaboration, Frances seeks new and innovative ways to leverage the power of HP to create meaningful change across Canada. Hear more in her recent podcast.
Frances also has a passion for environmental education developing and implementing global environmental education and volunteer programs for HP. She is frequently featured in the news as an expert resource for media on sustainable impact. In 2020 Frances was invited to participate on the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) expert panel on the Circular Economy with the report to be published in 2021.
Frances received her second Clean 50 award in 2017 recognizing her as one of Canada’s top sustainability professionals. She sits on the boards of Learning for a Sustainable Future and the Schulich Centre for Responsible Business advisory council.
Frances started her career with the UK Government as an enforcer of environmental health and safety requirements followed by her role as manager of environmental health and safety in Canada’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Frances has a degree in Environmental science from Bradford University (UK), a post graduate diploma in Occupational Health and Safety and is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP).
Michael Chiasson is a speaker, musician, television host and writer who has been inspiring people for over 20 years. He has been one of the top communicators for students across Canada and the United States. Using his experiences and proven practical strategies, Michael partners with organizations that want to help their leaders and team members make the greatest impact. As the founder of The Chiasson Group and a Canadian registered charity (Access 52), he exudes an unparalleled passion for helping others on and off-stage. It is more than a career, it is his life’s work.
Alanna Mitchell is a Canadian journalist, author and playwright. She is fascinated with the intersection of science, art and society. Her second book, Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis, was an international best seller that won the U.S.-based Grantham Prize for excellence in environmental journalism in 2010. With help, she turned it into a one-woman play in 2014 and has been performing it ever since in Canada and other countries. It’s an odd creature: A non-fiction play performed by a non-actor. Go figure. It was nominated for a Dora award in Toronto for outstanding Indie play.
Alanna is in the throes of making my most recent book Malignant Metaphor: Confronting Cancer Myths: A Memoir into a play. She is also a playwright-in-residence at The Theatre Centre and has just finished her fifth book, The Spinning Magnet, about the Earth’s magnetic field.
Being a journalist, Alanna also writes freelance magazine and newspaper articles and occasionally makes radio documentaries for CBC. She has done work for the New York Times science section, CBC’s Quirks & Quarks, National Geographic, The Guardian, GQ India, The United Church Observer and Canadian Geographic Magazine.
She loves to give talks, as long as they are conversations with an audience. Some of the topics include: Climate change, Ocean change, Cancer, John Franklin’s expedition, Evolution, Charles Darwin, Neonic pesticides, the Earth’s magnetic field.
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