Catherine Abreu is the Ecology Action Centre's (EAC) Energy Coordinator and Regional Coordinator of the Atlantic Canada Sustainable Energy Coalition (ACSEC). ACSEC members include EAC, Sierra Club - Atlantic Chapter, Conservation Council New Brunswick Action, and the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island. Catherine is committed to work that confronts climate change head-on, wielding bold and creative strategies.

Guided by the small town values of hard work, living within your means, and caring about your neighbour, Jamie believes deeply in public service. 

Premier John Hamm called upon Jamie to serve as his Chief of Staff and Jamie played a key role supporting the Premier Hamm in improving our public education system and balancing budgets. Jamie is also a leader in community service. He co-chaired the record-breaking United Way of Halifax Region campaign, served as a member of the Board of Governors at Dalhousie University, and is a Past President of Prescott Group, a sheltered workshop for intellectually challenged adults.

Jamie is a strong voice for Nova Scotians who share his values of hard work, living within your means and caring about your neighbour.

Gary Bennett acts as the business development manager for the bioenergy business (Power, CHP, Liquid Fuel and Waste to Energy) for Lockheed Martin. In this capacity, he works with internal and external teams to offer technical reviews, evaluate project feasibility and risk assessment while focusing on value proposition.

Mark is Managing Partner at Travelers Capital Corporation responsible for originating and executing renewable energy project financings in both Canada and the US. Mark has over twenty years of project and structured finance experience in the renewable energy and natural resources sectors. He has previously worked for GE Energy Financial Services, Bank of Montreal, ABN AMRO and Citibank. Mark holds a MBA and BSc. Physics degree from UBC and resides in Vancouver.

Michael Bonga is a Mechanical Engineer specialized in optimizing production and energy efficiency by influencing equipment reliability and performance.

Mike is a lifelong advocate for clean energy and carries this fundamental principle into engineering practice.   With a strong commitment to his region, Mike believes that Atlantic Canada will host the industries that provide game-changing technologies and infrastructure to support global energy demand.

John is a chartered mechanical engineer with over 10 years experience in all aspects of wind energy across Canada, Ireland, the UK, Poland, and the United States.  Having completed more than 30 wind farm projects of all sizes from 1 MW to 100 MW projects, John has a vast range of project experience both internationally and in Canada.  Originally from Dublin Ireland, John moved to Nova Scotia in 2011 and is the President of Natural Forces.

Shawna Eason is the Atlantic Regional Director for the Canadian Wind Energy Association. She works to promote the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy here in the Atlantic region and across Canada. Shawna received her BSc in Chemistry, Math and Physics from McGill University and her certificate in Economic Development from the University of Waterloo and EDAC (Economic Development Association of Canada).

Duncan Elliot joined the ENERCON Canada team in 2011. Responsible for sales in Atlantic Canada, Duncan has worked closely with ComFIT proponents across Nova Scotia to provide support and help to work toward successful, low-risk projects. In the analytical part of his work, Duncan works with SCADA data to evaluate turbine performance in real-world operation. Duncan is also an active member of CanWEA’s Atlantic Caucus Steering committee.

Originally from Sackville, New Brunswick, Duncan split his degree in Mechanical Engineering between Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Ronan is Operations Director in The Green Way, Dublin’s Cleantech Cluster. The cluster supports indigenous cleantech companies and facilitates MNC’s in bringing investment to the region. Ronan has a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture (UCD), an MBA (Trinity College) and is currently undertaking a MSc in Sustainable Energy Finance (DCU).

John’s private sector career includes 9 years of sales and marketing management in steel distribution, including Project Management for the Hibernia Offshore Project and as an Enterprise Solution Manager with Atlantic Canada’s foremost telecommunications company.  From 1997-2004, John served as a member of the House of Commons where he was a leading member of the Standing Committee for the Environment, including a term as its Vice Chair.

John holds a Bachelor of Arts from Acadia University and a MBA from St. Mary’s University. John resides in Bloomfield with his daughter Rosemary and son Patrick.

Daniel Kenway, P.Eng is a Canadian technology entrepreneur.  His systems, designs and installations are placed in industries relying on renewable resources throughout Canada and the United States - used widely by major corporations like Georgia Pacific, Lousiana Pacific, Norbord and many others.  Mr. Kenway has focused his efforts on developing a game changing energy storage solution since 2007.   

Recently awarded:

Alexander plays a key role in advancing the business development, project management and modeling efforts at NRStor. He has experience working in the mid-market investment banking and venture capital industries. Alexander holds a BScH from Queen’s University and an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Dana is a key figure in the development of community renewable energy initiatives in Nova Scotia including Fundy Tidal Inc., which is developing COMFIT projects in Digby County & Cape Breton. Dana currently serves on the board of Marine Renewables Canada and is co-chair of the Fundy Energy Research Network’s SocioEconomic Committee.

VP Business Development

Atlantic Hydrogen Inc.

Mike Oliver is an experienced senior executive with 20+ years of experience ranging from system engineering, project management, business development, sales and general management roles in the energy, engineering and military/aerospace industries, in both start up and mature company environments. An electrical engineer, Mike has served on the Board of Directors of the Information Technology Association of Nova Scotia (ITANS), Enterprise Fredericton, and two start up that received New Brunswick Innovation Foundation investment. Mike is also a part-time instructor for UNB's Technology Management & Entrepreneurship program. Mike is currently VP Business Development and Sales of Atlantic Hydrogen Inc.

Co-founder and current Executive Director of CARES. Centre for Agricultural Renewable Energy and Sustainability" (CARES) at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus is a hub for applied and adaptive research, training and education, technology transfer, and rural community development in bio-energy and the bioeconomy. Ex Officio director of the Biogas Association, Past Director of the Ridgetown Campus, Part time farmer, new biogas operator

Rob Sedgwick (a self-proclaimed green-neck) has been passionately involved in sustainable, renewable and efficiency aspects of energy for decades. He is at the helm of SAGE Energy (since 2009), a Windsor-based company offering skilled and knowledgeable product and service support in the renewable energy sector in the Maritimes. Journeyman electrician, renewable energy technician, casual faculty at the Nova Scotia Community College, and public speaker, Rob calls Windsor home along with his business partner/wife and their two young children.

Dr. Lukas G. Swan is an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Dalhousie University where he conducts research, supervises the Renewable Energy Storage Lab, and lectures. He is a professional engineer involved with both R&D and commercial aspects of a broad array of renewable and alternative energy technologies. His passion is sustainable and efficient energy generation, storage, and conversion mechanisms, with the intent of displacing conventional fossil fuel use. Drawing on his experience as a commercial wind developer (MW class turbines) and several years consulting for manufacturers of battery electric vehicles (EV), he has set his research objectives on developing energy storage technologies and management methods to allow for the increased integration of renewable energy with the electricity grid. He received his BSc at California Polytechnic (Cal Poly SLO) and both his MASc and PhD from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. He lives in Lawrencetown Beach with his wife and young son.

Eduardo Vaz is Director of Project Development with LightSail Canada, a large-scale storage integration company working with LightSail Energy’s Regenerative Air Energy Storage systems.  He is also founder of ACRE - Advancing Community Renewable Energy, a Nova Scotia clean energy consulting firm.  Dr. Vaz holds a PhD in physics from Dalhousie University.

Tony Wright is Director, Marine Operations at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE). He currently oversees the installation of marine common facilities at the site and is the project lead developing the FORCE sensor platform project, a subsea instrument testing and data collection facility. Tony also works with current and prospective berth holders at FORCE to increase site knowledge and develop requirements for future installation and subsea cable connection projects.