Photography from Together2017
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Photography by: J Ashley Nixon Communications
Photography by: J Ashley Nixon Communications
Ricardo has been Executive Director of the Parkland Institute – a public policy research institute at the University of Alberta – since May 2002, and has been Chair of the Board at Oxfam Canada since September 2016.
Before joining Parkland, Ricardo worked for nine years as Projects Coordinator for Change for Children Association – an Alberta-based charitable organization supporting grassroots community development projects internationally, and a program of global and justice education here in Alberta.
Ricardo has over 25 years’ experience volunteering for and as an occasional consultant to a number of local organizations in the fields of international development, multiculturalism, advocacy, and popular education.
He has a degree in Political Science and History from the University of Alberta, and is a regular speaker to students, teachers, and community groups around Alberta. His key interests are in the areas of Alberta politics, public policy, citizenship and democracy, the provincial economy, energy policy, and international development. He is a regular media commentator on public policy issues and writes a column on provincial affairs for VueWeekly in Edmonton.
He is currently Treasurer of the U of A’s Academic Staff Association, and is on the board of Public Interest Alberta. He is also an advisor for the Next Up Youth Leadership programs in Edmonton and Calgary.
Steph has been involved in sustainability initiatives for over 15 years. She has worked for and with Alberta municipalities over the years and until recently was Calgary’s Office of Sustainability Lead. In this role, she focused on the local food system, sustainability reporting, and supporting the launch of programs such as the Canadian Urban Sustainability Practitioners Network, and Calgary’s Climate Program and Innovation Program. Today, Steph is leading McElhanney Consulting’s Community Planning and Engagement team to support communities across Alberta. Steph has a young family and they give her extra reasons to think about multi-generational decisions and the importance of community.
After a successful but brief career in Civil Engineering, Mr. Avilés went back to school to complete a degree in International Studies (French) at the University of Calgary. His now unveiled passion for people took him to all four corners of the globe to manage green field, sustainable projects and serve as a cross-cultural diplomat in some of the most challenging socio-political systems in the world.
His years as an overseas Project Manager provided him with more than a decade’s experience in communicating, training and negotiating with Indigenous groups in Latin America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. A true citizen of the world, Mr. Avilés not only makes good use of the 4 languages he’s fluent in, but he also trains other professionals in the art of cross-cultural communications and negotiations. He also takes the time to volunteer as a Mentor for the University of Calgary’s Haskayne graduate students program. This year, his alma mater asked him to develop part of a curriculum on Indigenous Relations and Consultation for the School of Engineering.
Farah is experienced working cross-culturally and across different sectors. She recently completed a year-long placement as an Entrepreneurship Advisor in Tamale, Ghana with Canadian project EQWIPHUBs. Farah worked directly alongside youth entrepreneurs who were on the look-out for opportunities in their communities and developing business plans. She also spent time working in business development and marketing for an Albertan construction company, where her interest in environmental sustainability was sparked. While completing her degree in International Relations and Economics at the University of Calgary, Farah worked at the Centre for International Students and also completed an internship in northern Ghana under what was then CIDA. As a first-generation Canadian Lebanese-Syrian, Farah is motivated to continue working internationally, in entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability.
Perry Stein is a Community Planner at the City of Lethbridge, a position he has held since 2014. Perry takes a leading role at the City integrating social and environmental outcomes within planning and community engagement processes. At the heart of his work is developing stronger relationships with the City’s neighbouring First Nations, the provincial government and diverse community groups. Perry also participated in Lethbridge’s Reconciliation Action Plan, recently endorsed by Lethbridge City Council. Perry holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Regional Studies from the University of Lethbridge and a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies from Simon Fraser University.
Edwin Makkinga is the Manager of Carbon and Energy Efficiency with Enbridge Inc., a Calgary-based energy delivery company. He leads corporate strategy in response to carbon policy and climate change. Mr. Makkinga has nearly 20 years of professional experience, which spans from consulting, environmental management and corporate sustainability. He is an active participant in various government, multi-stakeholder and industry groups with a focus on carbon pricing, corporate governance and innovation. Edwin is currently serving as the vice-chair of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association’s Climate Change Work Group which assesses the potential impact of carbon, climate and air emissions related regulations and policy on midstream pipelines. When he’s not analyzing the latest climate change related regulations Edwin can usually be found on his road bike.
Aatif Baskanderi is a Newfoundlander who received both his electrical engineering bachelor & innovation management master degrees at Memorial University, and a social policy & international development MSc degree at the London School of Economics & Political Science. He has worked and volunteered his time with various engineering, government, and not-for-profit organizations across Canada, UK, and Sierra Leone. He is passionate about the potential of society for positive change through collaboration with a relentless pragmatic optimism. With lifelong interests in social justice, global development and STEM, volunteering with Engineers Without Borders was a natural fit… getting to about 10 years now. He currently works as a Commercialization Manager for Kinetica Ventures at Innovate Calgary, as well as Co-President of the Engineers Without Borders Calgary City Chapter, Founder of the #YYCSDG Engineering Change Lab, and Writer & Producer of “Salaam B’y – A Story of a Muslim Newfoundlander” speaking tour and documentary. His goal over the next year is to build collaboration across Calgary engineering community towards the SDGs, #YYCSDG, with a particular interest in social justice facets of all SDGs. He loves playing basketball/soccer/ball hockey, dancing, and nerding out on any topics with passionate people.
William Snow is a member of the Stoney Nakoda Nation, Wesley First Nation, as well as a Dual Citizen of Canada / United States of America, and is of Stoney Nakoda / Yuma Quechan descent. Since 2012, Bill has been the Consultation Manager for Stoney Nakoda First Nation. This work involves the assessment of industrial resources projects within Stoney Nakoda Traditional Lands, that involve many consultations with industry, the provincial and federal governments, in the Southern Alberta.
Recently in 2016, Bill assisted in coordinating ceremonies for Stoney Nakoda Nation for the Bison Reintroduction at Banff National Park & Elk Island National Park, as well as for the proposed renaming of Tunnel Mountain. Also, Stoney Nakoda Nation completed a Traditional Knowledge Study of Grizzly Bears in the Kananaskis Provincial Park for Environment Canada. The activities have been instrumental in regional land planning with the Government of Alberta.
Bill is also an advisor to the Chiniki Lecture series at the University of Calgary, and at the University of Alberta, an advisor to the First Nation Lecture series, the Thinking Mountains Conference (2015 and 2018), and the Canadian Mountain Network. In September 2017, Bill accepted the Ted Smith Conservation Award from Yellowstone to Yukon on behalf of Stoney Consultation. Bill lives in Calgary, and works at the Stoney Indian Reserve at Morley, Alberta.
Shauna Curry
CEO – CAWST, Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology
Shauna is CEO of CAWST, Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology, a non-profit engineering consultancy based in Calgary, Alberta. CAWST addresses the global need for safe drinking water and sanitation by building local knowledge and skills on household solutions people can implement themselves.
She joined CAWST in 2004, led CAWST’s global training and consulting services, and became CEO in 2011. Shauna led the development and expansion of CAWST’s service delivery from two countries to its current network of over 5000 clients spanning every country of the world, reaching 15.4 million people with better water or sanitation.
Shauna has worked in 14 developing countries, has experience in environmental engineering prior to CAWST, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Bio-resource Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. She traces her interest in humanitarian work to her parents, who volunteered overseas.
Dr Blade is Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences (ALES) at the University of Alberta. The Faculty is made up of 500+ faculty and staff, 1600 undergraduates and 550 graduate students. ALES is focused on teaching, research and community service in its departments and schools: Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, Renewable Resources, Human Ecology, Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology as well as the University of Alberta Botanic Garden and the Alberta School of Forest Science and Management. The Faculty has an annual budget of $85m, with approximately $45m of that composed of external research support. The Faculty has a large research infrastructure which includes 25,000 acres of farm and ranchland in key ecologies across Alberta. Dr. Blade is a full professor in the Faculty’s Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Science.
Dr. Blade was born in Alberta, Canada where he was raised on a dairy and grain farm. He attended the University of Alberta for his first degree (B.Sc.) in genetics. He obtained his M.Sc. (Crop Science) from the University of Saskatchewan for a breeding/physiology study on wheat. Dr. Blade’s doctorate was awarded by McGill University (Montreal, Canada) for work done at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture on a Canadian International Development Agency Ph.D. Scholarship. The thesis topic was a plant breeding/farming systems approach to improving an indigenous grain legume (Vigna unguiculata L.) for use within the complex cereal-legume cropping systems of the West African savanna.
Dr. Blade is a 2012 graduate of the Wharton Business School’s Executive Development Program (University of Pennsylvania). In 2012 Dr. Blade was named by Alberta Venture as one of “Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People”.
Dr. Stan Blade was the founding Chief Executive Officer (2008-2014) of the Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions Corporation (AI Bio). Dr. Blade previously served as the Deputy Director General (Research) for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). IITA is a world-class research organization that is part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. Dr. Blade was a member of the Alliance Deputy Executive of the CGIAR. IITA is based in Ibadan, Nigeria, and has additional research stations in eastern and northern Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. IITA has 150 internationally-recruited research and technology transfer experts based in fifteen countries within Africa.
Dr. Blade has published 90+ research articles, ten book chapters, 170+ conference abstracts and has edited four books. He has been the winner of several awards from the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. Dr. Blade is a member of several professional societies and international committees and has served on the editorial boards of several international journals. Dr. Blade has worked and travelled in 90+ countries.
He currently serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Trustees of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, a Nairobi-based agency supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Blade also serves as a board member for Edmonton Global (regional economic development agency), Genome Alberta, the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute and the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
Councillor Andrea Reimer has led the City of Vancouver’s award-winning efforts to be the Greenest City in the world by 2020 and was instrumental in Vancouver becoming the first major city in North America to commit to 100% Renewable Energy.
First elected to Council in 2008 with Mayor Gregor Robertson, Ms. Reimer previously was elected to the Vancouver School Board under the Green Party banner, a first in Canada. She was Vancouver’s first permanent Deputy Mayor and currently chairs the City’s Policy and Strategic Priorities Committee.
Ms. Reimer is also appointed to Metro Vancouver Regional District board, where we serves as the Vice Chair of the Climate Action Committee and a member of the Regional Planning Committee. Nationally, she sits on the Green Municipal Fund Council which awards federal dollars for green infrastructure.
Prior to being elected, Ms. Reimer ran the largest membership-based environment group in Canada. She has won a number of notable awards including the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal and the World Green Building Council Chairman’s Award. She was also chosen as one of the first Canadians to be trained by Al Gore for his Inconvenient Truth presentation.
Brian is the Program Director for the Banff Centre’s Indigenous Leadership and Management program area, which designs and delivers leadership development and organizational development programs and applied research for Indigenous leaders. Brian is Cree and a member of the Sucker Creek First Nation in the Treaty 8 area of northern Alberta. Brian is married, a father of two grown children and grandfather of two grandsons and one new granddaughter. In August, 2009 Brian received a Blackfoot name, Apahto’kii which means Pine, as in pine tree, for his community work.
Brian holds a B.A in Political Science, an LLB and an LLM from the University of Alberta. Brian has published several articles and chapters in books of his research. His research interests include Indigenous leadership, self-government, economic development, and treaty rights.
An international development expert, with over two decades of experience in international development and the education sector, with senior advisory, consulting and management experience in Asia, the United States and Canada. Specializing in organizational development, stakeholder engagement and strategic management of multi-million dollar projects, Savera has a M.Sc. in Development Studies, from London School of Economics and Political Science, and is pursuing doctoral studies in social construction and change. Her areas of interest including role of higher education and research in international development, capacity development and organizational change. Savera has worked with the World Bank, Queen’s University, Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), CANADEM, United States Agency for International (USAID), Aga Khan University, Cowater International, University of Ottawa, and the International Youth Foundation.
Her geographic experience includes Asia, North-Africa and the Middle-East. At the University of Calgary, Savera is responsible for the Programs and International Development unit at the University of Calgary’s International office. The unit is responsible for implementation of international development strategy, and collaborative academic programming, and is recognized for its impact in terms of new programs, fundraising and developing capacities of internal and external stakeholders, and drawing attention to international and. Savera is also the President of the Canadian International Council’s Calgary branch chapter.
Keke Phooko is from the mountain kingdom of Lesotho where she and her family are small-scale farmers, owning 1.4 hectares of land for vegetable production. She holds a diploma in Forestry and Natural Resource Management from Lesotho Agricultural College and has trained in conservation agriculture, a farming system that addresses soil infertility and promotes this among smallholder farmers. She is experienced in training and facilitating farmer groups. Keke is currently serving as co-facilitator of Mennonite Central Committee’s Southern Africa Seed program which consists of young people, mostly from southern Africa, who are committed to improving food security based on sustainability and care of creation.
Kimberly Manalili is a PhD student at the University of Calgary, in the Departments of Community Health Sciences and Pediatrics. She is the former Canadian Coordinator for the Healthy Child Uganda Project (2012-2015), and continues to volunteer with the project in Uganda, as well as the recent expansion in Tanzania, with the Mama na Mtoto Project. Kimberly holds a Master of Public Health in Global Health, and has worked and volunteered in community and international development, and research for the past 10+ years in the areas of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, water and sanitation, and HIV/AIDs.
Jeffrey D. Sachs is a world-renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, senior UN advisor, bestselling author, and syndicated columnist whose monthly newspaper columns appear in more than 100 countries. He is the co-recipient of the 2015 Blue Planet Prize, the leading global prize for environmental leadership. He has twice been named among Time magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders. He was called by the New York Times, “probably the most important economist in the world,” and by Time magazine “the world’s best known economist.” A recent survey by The Economist ranked Professor Sachs as among the world’s three most influential living economists of the past decade.
Professor Sachs serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. He is University Professor at Columbia University, the university’s highest academic rank. During 2002 to 2016 he served as the Director of the Earth Institute. Sachs is Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the Sustainable Development Goals, and previously advised UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on both the Sustainable Development Goals and Millennium Development Goals and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria.
Sachs is currently Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network under the auspices of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and a Commissioner of the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Development. He is Chair and Founder of SDG USA, a non-governmental initiative to promote the Sustainable Development Goal concepts in the United States. Sachs is also co-founder and Chief Strategist of Millennium Promise Alliance, and was director of the Millennium Villages Project (2005-2015).
Sachs has authored and edited numerous books, including three New York Times bestsellers: The End of Poverty (2005), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008), and The Price of Civilization (2011). His recent books include: To Move the World: JFK’s Quest for Peace (2013), The Age of Sustainable Development (2015) and Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair & Sustainable (2017).
Professor Sachs is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development, global macroeconomics, and the fight against poverty. His work on ending poverty, overcoming macroeconomic instability, promoting economic growth, fighting hunger and disease, and promoting sustainable environmental practices, has taken him to more than 125 countries with more than 90 percent of the world’s population. For more than thirty years he has advised dozens of heads of state and governments on economic strategy, in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He was among the outside advisors to Pope John Paul II on the encyclical Centesimus Annus and in recent years has worked closely with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on the issues of sustainable development, especially in the context of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.
Sachs is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Blue Planet Prize, membership in the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Society of Fellows, and the Fellows of the World Econometric Society. In 2017, Sachs and his wife Dr. Sonia Ehrlich Sachs were the first recipients of the World Sustainability Award of the World Sustainability Forum and Sachs was the first winner of the Boris Mints Institute Prize at Tel Aviv University. Sachs’ conversation with Tyler Cowen won the Quartz Podcast Award for best business/economics podcast of 2015. He has received 24 honorary degrees, and many awards and honors around the world. His syndicated newspaper column appears in more than 100 countries around the world, and he is a frequent contributor to major publications such as the Financial Times of London, the International Herald Tribune, Scientific American, and Time magazine.
Prior to joining Columbia, Sachs spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, most recently as the Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Sachs received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard.
Al-Nasir Hamir joined Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) in 2014. In that time, he has managed grants for Government of Canada-funded work in the economic development and education sectors, in Egypt, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Prior to joining AKFC, Al-Nasir worked with Aga Khan Foundation in Geneva and Mozambique. Al-Nasir also serves as AKFC’s Environmental Focal Point (EFP). His EFP responsibilities include working with AKFC Project Leads, field-based EFPs and other partner staff to improve the environmental sustainability of AKFC programming.
Al-Nasir also has a professional background in global energy markets analysis, infrastructure finance and political risk analysis. He holds a BSc from Queen’s University, with concentrations in Biology and Physical Geography, and an MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
Mr. Sloan has actively participated in United Nations sessions and meetings since May 2013 and continues to consult the United Nations on “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and consulted the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) on the 2015 UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) theme of “Managing the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the sustainable development goals”.
Mr. Sloan has participated in teleconferences with President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden, teleconferences with Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Education, Interior, on issues such as the Affordable Care Act, Native American Health issues, the Ebola crisis in Africa, Veterans affairs, and Native Education issues. Mr. Sloan has consulted the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and the U.S. Department of State regarding Indigenous/Native American issues where he attended ongoing consultations with United States Federally recognized tribes and Indigenous Peoples Organizations on Indigenous People’s expert and enhanced participation in the United Nations mechanism, repatriation of sacred objects, the Arctic and climate change and other Indigenous Peoples issues. In November and December 2015, he attended the United Nation’s world Conference of Parties 21 (COP21) conference on climate change and attended UNESCO’s Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Conference in Paris, France. Mr. Sloan was invited by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to attend the Paris Agreement signing ceremony at United Nations Headquarters, New York.
He also participated throughout 2015 in the United Nations Foundation’s action2105 campaign for the Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change. He previously participated in consulting the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, Humanitarian, and Social Affairs Paula Schriefer, on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples 2014. He has also provided his consultation to the United Nations World Conference on Indigenous Peoples organizing committee and attended the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples held at United Nations Headquarters, New York in September 2014.
Mr. Sloan is currently participating with other local New Mexico Native NGO’s in an initiative to help the Navajo Reservation victims of the 1979 Church Rock, Arizona uranium water tilling spill which resulted in the 2015 determination that the Sanders, Navajo Nation Arizona community cannot drink their well water due to Uranium contamination. On May 12, 2016, Mr. Sloan addressed the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on the Gold King Mine Spill that contaminated Southern Colorado’s Animas river with toxic gold mining waste that subsequently flowed into the San Juan River and into the Colorado River, contaminating the Northern part of the Navajo reservation’s water supply. Mr. Sloan also discussed the Church Rock uranium contamination and fracking on the Eastern Navajo reservation.
Mr. Sloan is currently consulting with U.S. New Mexico Congresswoman Michelle Lujan- Grisham on Renewable and Solar Energy initiatives and Indigenous/Native American issues i regards to the Congresswoman’s current work in Congress and in regards to her NM gubernatorial run in 2018.
Mr. Sloan is also a member of the NGO Black Mesa Trust of Kykotsmovi, Arizona as a Circle of Advisors member and is currently involved with an ongoing effort to stop Peabody Energy from further desecration of Sacred Hopi sites and further development of coal mining activities which have devastated Navajo and Hopi ancestral lands and dried up pristine water aquifers from the slurry of coal to the Mohave Generating Station. Mr. Sloan is also a Board member for the NGO Two Feather’s International Consultancy and a Board member/director with the NGO Indigenous Women’s Knowledge. He was recently named to the Board of Directors of the Jemez Community Development Corporation.
Mr. Sloan had produced the annual Chimney Rock Native American Cultural Gathering, which is held at the Chimney Rock National Monument, Colorado. He assisted in lobbying efforts and town meetings, and presentations with U.S. Congressman Scott Tipton and U.S. Senator Michael Bennett to obtain National Monument Status for the then, Chimney Rock Archeological Area, Colorado.
Mr. Sloan is also a member of the Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, American Civil Liberties Union, The Wilderness Society, Earthjustice, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, the Bio-Methane, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Greater Chaco Coalitions.
Richard Muller is Managing Director of Toniic in North America, overseeing all membership, sponsorship and partnership activities in the region.
Richard is also the Principal of Sum Things Ventured, a private equity and management consulting firm focused on mission-based organizations and social enterprises. He brings thirty years of marketing, business development and strategic planning experience to clients across a range of sectors, including retail, tourism, technology and financial services. He is also an Advisor to GrantBook, a managed services provider to foundations and other grant-making organizations in both Canada and the United States.
Prior to founding his current company, Richard held a number of senior management positions for over ten years across North America with Young & Rubicam (Y&R), a leading global advertising and communications firm. His business units provided customer relationship management, loyalty marketing and analytics services to clients such as Microsoft, Sprint, and Aetna. He began his stint with Y&R after he and a group of partners sold their database marketing company to the agency in 1999. Before that, Richard had also successfully started and managed a marketing research company, serving the needs of community-based financial institutions across Canada.
An MBA graduate from the University of Western Ontario and a BA graduate from the University of British Columbia, Richard has been interested and involved throughout his career in increasing the amount of both individual and institutional capital committed to impact investing. He helped launch Ethical Funds across the Canadian credit union system to provide members with a socially-responsible investment alternative to conventional mutual funds. He has also worked directly with portfolio companies funded by the VanCity Community Foundation operated by VanCity Savings Credit Union, one of the largest community-based financial institutions in the world.
Andréanne Martel is a Collaborative Research Program Officer at the Canadian Council for International Development (CCIC) in Ottawa. Since January 2017, Andréanne is in charge of implementing the Next Generation: Collaboration for Development program, a joint initiative between CCIC and the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID). Prior to joining CCIC, she held a Research Award position in the Policy and Evaluation Division at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Previously, Andréanne was the coordinator of a research centre on international development at UQAM, where she was in charge of an international network working on natural resources (REINVENTERRA), which brings together researchers from academic institutions and actors from civil society organizations (CSOs) from three regions (West Africa, South-East Asia, and Latin America). Andréanne holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Québec in Montréal (UQAM). Since 2010, she has also evaluated several major post-earthquake projects and programs implemented in Haiti by NGOs and international organizations.
Matt Moreau has been with The Earth Group since its inception as Earth Water, in 2005. The Earth Group is an Edmonton based social enterprise that exists entirely to provide food, water, and education to children globally. They do this through a worldwide agreement with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) that sees them donating 100% of their profits to WFP to fund school meal programmes. They are in fact the only products in the world to bear a United Nations logo. He has helped with projects up to and including expansion into the United States & Europe, and the launch of new products such as Earth Coffee and Earth Tea. Matt is also proud to have joined on his parents medical mission to Ecuador for the past eleven years, providing medical care to those who can’t afford it.
The Global Compact Network Canada is led by Helle Bank Jorgensen who was appointed as the UN Special Advisor to the Global Compact in 2013. She was most recently invited by HRH Prince of Wales to serve at his A4S Expert Panel. Helle brings over 25 years of experience advising leading global companies, investors, and governmental and non-governmental institutions, such as the Danish Government and the EU on reporting. She has also advised the IFC, the World Bank Group, and SIDA on Responsible Global Supply Chains. Helle has also served at the Council of DANIDA, while she was based in Denmark.
Prior to living in Canada, she lived in Denmark and the US, where for 11 years she was a partner with PwC, leading the sustainability and climate change practice. Helle has authored several books, penned numerous articles and is a recognized speaker at events. Helle holds a degree as Business Lawyer (1989), Master of Science in Business Administration and Auditing (1994), and is a State Authorized Public Accountant (1998). She has also been interviewed by Forbes on how to Leverage Gender Diversity To Yield High Financial – And Human – Returns and is a frequent contributing author for GreenBiz. As well, Helle was invited to speak at the UN HLP on Women Economic Empowerment and is the CEO of a certified Woman-Owned business.
Kerry Brinkert is College of the Rockies’ Manager of International Projects and Partnerships. The College, which is located in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains, supports partners around the world in building training capacity, developing industry-relevant programs, and providing skills required by emerging economies. Since 2012, the College has partnered with Kenya’s Dedan Kimathi University of Technology in implementing a Government of Canada-funded, community-based, maternal, newborn and children’s health project in Kenya.
Kerry has a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (Carleton University) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Calgary. Prior to taking up his post at College of the Rockies in 2015, Kerry spent thirteen years in Geneva serving as the Director of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention’s Implementation Support Unit (i.e., the secretariat of the 1997 “Ottawa Convention”). In this capacity, Kerry travelled to over 50 countries to provide advice to governments and non-governmental organizations on overcoming the development and other challenges associated with landmines and other explosive remnants of war.
Alli Bunting is a Policy and Governance Officer at the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH), a Canadian coalition of organizations dedicated to improving the health and well-being of women and children around the world.
At CanWaCH, she supports the work of the Senior Leadership team, the Communications team and the Board of Directors. She has a Bachelor of Social Science in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Arts Degree in Global Development Studies from Queen’s University. She has held various research and operational positions in the international cooperation sector, including as the Volunteer Coordinator and HR Manager for Arise and Shine Uganda. Alli lives in Victoria and is a passionate volunteer, serving as Co-Chair on the Board for the Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA).
Alli lives in Victoria and is a passionate volunteer, serving as Co-Chair on the Board for the Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA).
Cara Williams, is the chief advisor of International Relations at Statistic Canada.
Cara manages Statistics Canada’s international initiatives and activities including statistical capacity building projects. Along with these responsibilities, she has also taken on the role of being the Canadian representative on the United Nations Inter-Agency and Expert Advisory Group for Sustainable Development Goal indicators. Prior to this challenge, she worked as Editor-in- Chief of Canadian Social Trends and as Senior Researcher for Perspectives on Labour and Income at Statistics Canada where she published several research papers on various social issues in Canada.
Before making Ottawa her home with her husband and two children, Ms. Williams worked as an Economic Analyst with the Government of British Columbia where she conducted economic impact assessments of treaties under negotiation. She has completed a BA in Economics from the University of Alberta and a MA in Economics from the University of Victoria.
Christina is in her third year at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Business. As a member of Plan International Canada’s Youth Advisory Council, she has been involved in the design and delivery of youth engagement initiatives toward achieving gender equality by empowering girls.
She participated in the 61st Commission on the Status of Women Youth Forum at the United Nations and will be taking part in this year’s Girls Belong Here initiative on International Day of the Girl with Plan, stepping into a leadership role at Snapchat.
Christina has been involved with Rotary, helping organize two playground builds in Belize and has been a Legislative Page at the Alberta Legislature, working with four Premiers. Christina is a currently a Google Ambassador at ATB Financial where she has been working for the past two years. She is passionate about bridging together data, behaviour, and design to bring about positive change between public and private sectors.
Chris Enns, International Development Officer, Bow Valley College.
Chris Enns is an International Development Officer at Bow Valley College, with a focus on developing and managing our training projects in East and Southern Africa. He is currently overseeing Bow Valley College’s interests and partnerships in Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda for capacity building of partner institutions in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), entrepreneurship, and workplace essential skills. He has a passion for organizational capacity building, youth and adult skills development, and helping communities living in poverty take charge of their own development. Prior to joining BVC, Chris lived and worked in Mwanza, Tanzania with World Renew to build the capacity of its partner organizations and advise them on the implementation of their community development projects. These projects focused on a range of areas, including sustainable livelihoods, adult education, agriculture, savings and credit groups, gender equality, environmental conservation, and community leadership.
Chris has a joint Master’s degree from the University of Guelph in Rural Planning and International Development Studies, as well as a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary in International Relations. He has travelled extensively around the world throughout his life and lived in Tanzania for six years and Bangladesh for nine years.
Leor Rotchild is Executive Director of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR), where he promotes responsible Canadian business as a force for good in the world. Prior to joining CBSR, Leor was a key architect of the Energy Futures Lab, which is accelerating an energy transition in Alberta.
Leor has a background in international development, working with a water NGO called CAWST in Canada and East Africa. He co-founded a startup B Corp called DIG, which works with the Calgary Stampede and many others to manage their environmental footprint. He also brings many years of experience from Alberta’s energy sector, where he served as Corporate Responsibility Advisor to two of Canada’s largest oil and gas companies.
John W. McArthur is an economist and optimist focused on the sustainable improvement of living standards around the world. He is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a senior advisor to the UN Foundation, and a board governor of Canada’s International Development Research Centre. Previous roles include serving as manager and deputy director of the UN
Previous roles include serving as manager and deputy director of the UN Millennium Project; CEO of Millennium Promise; faculty member at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs; policy director at the Earth Institute; and research fellow at Harvard’s Center for International Development. John has chaired and co-chaired a number of initiatives, including the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice; the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Poverty and Sustainable Development; and a working group convened by the University of Ottawa’s Centre for International Policy Studies, leading to the 2015 report, Towards 2030: Building Canada’s Engagement with Global Sustainable Development.
In 2016 he was an advisor to the Business and Sustainable Development Commission. John completed a BA (Hons) at UBC; an MPP at Harvard’s Kennedy School; and an MPhil and DPhil (PhD) in economics at Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He grew up in Vancouver, where he spent most of this time in swimming pools.
Julie Gelfand was appointed as Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development in March 2014.
Before joining the Office of the Auditor General, Ms. Gelfand held the positions of Chief Advisor at Rio Tinto Canada and of Vice-President of Environment and Social Responsibility at the Rio Tinto Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC).
Prior to joining IOC, Ms. Gelfand was Vice-President, Sustainable Development at the Mining Association of Canada and co-chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Centre of Excellence, under the federal CSR Strategy for the Canadian International Extractive Sector.
From 1992 to 2008, she served as President of Nature Canada. She also founded and chaired the Green Budget Coalition.
Mandate
The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development is appointed by the Auditor General of Canada for a seven-year term.
On behalf of the Auditor General, the Commissioner provides parliamentarians with objective, independent analysis, and recommendations on the federal government’s efforts to protect the environment and foster sustainable development.
sustainable development strategies of federal departments;
2) Overseeing the environmental petitions process; and
3) Auditing the federal government’s management of environmental and sustainable development issues.
Past Commissioners
Neil Maxwell (Interim, 2013-2014)
Scott Vaughan (2008-2013)
Ron Thompson, FCA (Interim, 2007-2008)
Johanne Gélinas (2000-2007)
Rick Smith (Interim, 2000)
Brian Emmett (1996-2000)