OSEA GEDO™ 2022 - Speaker Biographies

David Miller, C-40 – Regional Rep North America

Mr. Miller was Mayor of Toronto from 2003 to 2010 and served as Chair of C40 Cities from 2008 until 2010. Under his leadership, Toronto became widely admired internationally for its environmental leadership, economic strength and social integration. He is a leading advocate for the creation of sustainable urban economies.

Mr. Miller has held a variety of public and private positions and served as Future of Cities Global Fellow at Polytechnic Institute of New York University from 2011 to 2014. He has an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Waterloo in Environmental Studies, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from York University and is currently Executive in Residence at the University of Victoria. He is the author of 'Solved, how the great cities of the world are fixing the climate crisis', (University of Toronto Press).

David Miller is a Harvard-trained economist and professionally is a lawyer. He and his wife, lawyer Jill Arthur, are the parents of two children.

Megan Meaney, Executive Director, ICLEI and Adlar Gross, Climate Change Program Officer, ICLEI

Megan is the Executive Director of the Canadian office of an international environmental non-profit organization called ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. She works with local governments across Canada and internationally to advance their climate and sustainability goals. She has been with ICLEI since 1999, over which time she has held many roles in strategic energy planning, climate mitigation and climate adaptation, biodiversity, as well as sustainability management. She aims to build the capacity of local governments and stakeholders across the community through workshops, case studies, and the development of awareness raising and capacity building tools and resources.

Adlar Gross, Climate Change Program Officer, ICLEI

As a Climate Change Project Officer, Adlar coordinates mitigation projects within the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program, supporting members on greenhouse gas emissions accounting, reporting and tracking activities. He works closely with Canadian communities to develop and provide support on GHG emission inventories, and local climate action planning. Adlar is also involved in developing resources and tools to build the climate change action planning capacity of Canadian municipalities.

Prior to working at ICLEI Canada, Adlar has had research experience within the academic, governmental, non-profit and private sectors in the areas of sustainability, land use planning, community energy planning, renewable energy business models and district energy. He has also studied best practices in Denmark at the University of Aalborg Sustainable Energy Planning and Management program as well as at the Nordic Folkecentre for Renewable Energy. Adlar holds a Master’s in Environmental Studies Planning from York University with a focus on Community Energy Planning.

Chris Hamilton, Supervisor, Municipal Energy Solutions, ENBRIDGE

Chris joined ENBRIDGE’s conservation group nine years ago to assist customers with the conception and completion of energy efficiency projects that will help reduce their natural gas consumption. This helps our customers reduce their energy costs and increase their bottom-line profit. It is rewarding work that benefits our customers, and also the environment at large as we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Prior to working at ENBRIDGE, Chris was an executive within the hotel sector. Chris holds a Hons. B.Comm Degree from the University of Guelph.

Vicki Gagnon, MBA, CEM, CMVP, LEED Green Assoc., Business Advisor, Public Sector & Agriculture Planning, Conservation and Resource Adequacy, IESO

Vicki Gagnon is the Business Advisor, for the Public Sector and Agriculture at the Independent Electricity System Operator. She has been with the IESO for 17 years. She works with sector-based organizations and Energy Managers across the province to help customers actively manage their energy, enhance the energy efficiency of their facilities and facilitate participation in Save on Energy programs.

Vicki serves as a Director on the Board of the Clean Air Partners, Fostering Sustainable Cities in Ontario, as well as My Energy Guelph.

Before joining the IESO/OPA, Vicki worked at the Ontario Trillium Foundation (6 years), establishing the environmental granting portfolio of the newly expanded granting foundation. And before that she worked in the industrial/commercial sector helping commercialize newly developed environmental technologies with the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA, now Blooms).

Vicki a holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg Virginia, USA and is a Certified Energy Manager and a Certified Measurement and Verification Professional.

Marianne Griffith, Director of Programs, London Environmental Network

Marianne Griffith is a committed environmentalist and an advocate for local, sustainable food systems and renewable energy. She's worked with London based organizations to promote sustainability and community driven carbon and waste reduction, including Growing Chefs, The Root Cellar and Building Better. She's worked on social justice and sustainable development projects in Indigenous communities in many countries and she works closely with First Nations communities in Ontario to increase access to clean water, clean energy sources and sustainable, affordable housing.

She is a Certified Energy Auditor, a member of the Association of Energy Engineers, a LEED Green Associate, and has extensive building science training including Energy Star and CHBA Net Zero Builder. She is currently the Interim Executive Director where she is committed to help London organizations and residents set and achieve sustainability targets.

Robin Thornton, Supervisor, Energy Management, City of Pickering

Robin Thornton is the Supervisor, Energy Management for the City of Pickering, where he is responsible for the Corporate Energy Management Plan, mechanical and electrical capital projects, and internal net-zero consulting, and advises on the technical aspects of the City’s sustainable development standards. He is a Certified Energy Manager, Certified Measurement & Verification Professional, and LEED AP BD+C accredited. He previously spent 10 years at a mechanical and electrical engineering consulting firm, where he led the energy modelling and sustainability department, while also teaching Design for Energy Efficiency at Seneca College. Robin is passionate about reducing carbon footprint both professionally and personally.

Emily Cormier, Sustainability Coordinator, The City of Sault Ste. Marie

Emily Cormier is an energy management and sustainability professional with over 8 years of experience, in the Canadian private, public and non-profit sector, predominantly in Northern Ontario. She is currently employed at the City of Sault Ste. Marie as the Sustainability Coordinator, where she leads sustainability initiatives across the organization, including the implementation of the Sault Ste. Marie Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan, which was unanimously approved by City Council on December 14, 2020.

Prior to working for the City, Emily worked on large scale energy conservation and demand management projects for commercial and industrial organizations in Northwestern Ontario for Synergy North (an electric utility). She also led the development of the Wawa Municipal Energy Plan, for the Economic Development Corporation of Wawa and the Municipality of Wawa which won the 2017 Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) Community Project of the Year Award for its communication engagement approach. Her experience also includes planning and operations on Forest Resource Inventory (FRI) projects across Ontario for a private consulting firm and working in a policy analyst capacity for the Federal Government including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Public Safety in Ottawa.

Emily holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa and Master’s in International Business with a Specialization in Project Management from Hult International Business School which she obtained in San Francisco, California.

Kristy Sayers, Energy Advisor for Garden River First Nation

Kristy Sayers joined the Economic Resource and Community Development team in October 2021 as the Energy Advisor for Garden River First Nation. She assists in promoting energy conservation initiatives/practices throughout the First Nation, involving appropriate staff, departments, and leadership in key strategies/goals. Kristy leads energy initiatives, conservation activities, as well as assists in the facilitation/implementation of energy changes and improvements. She has 20+ years’ experience in related fields, working for energy companies that completed retrofits and implemented renewable energy technologies.

Lynn Robichaud, Manager of Environmental Sustainability, City of Burlington

Lynn is the Manager of Environmental Sustainability with the City of Burlington, responsible for the Environment and Energy service area. She is the project lead on the implementation of the Burlington Climate Action Plan working with a range of community stakeholders to achieve a net zero carbon community by 2050. The plan includes a number of actions to focus on to work towards this target, including improving efficiency of new and existing buildings, integrated and electric mobility, and renewable energy. Staff have also recently completed Climate Resilient Burlington – a Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather. Engaging and partnering with community stakeholders is a key component to the successful implementation of these plans.

Jamie Skimming, Manager of Energy and Climate Change, City of London, ON

Jamie Skimming is the Manager of Energy and Climate Change at the City of London, Ontario – a position that manages the community energy policies and programs addressing climate change mitigation for London, Ontario. Jamie has been with the City in this role since 2003, and has been an active participant in municipal stakeholder groups such as the Clean Air Partnership, QUEST, and the FCM Partners for Climate Protection program. Jamie has a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University and is a Professional Engineer with over 30 years of experience with previous experience in environmental management systems and air emissions management in industry and consulting. Prior to joining the City of London, Jamie worked in the steel industry for Dofasco in Hamilton, and for a number of consulting firms.

Leanne Henderson, Director, Programs and Client Experience, Accelerator Center

Leanne Henderson is the Director, Programs and Client Experience at the Accelerator Center. She who works with early-stage startups looking to achieve rapid growth and scale. Leanne believes the work she does is critically important in supporting the unique challenges of Startup founders who are solving problems that can change the trajectory of how we live. With her work, Leanne provides opportunities to create programs, resources and connections that will allow founders to be successful at actualizing their ideas and innovations that will solve world problems.

Eric Blaise, Director Applied Research, ARIES, TBC

Dr. Blaise has been working at Centennial’s Applied Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Services Department for almost a decade and, since 2018, has been the Director of Applied Research and Innovation. He has extensive experience managing large partnered applied research projects in the college system, including several multi-year, NSERC, SONAMI and OCE-funded programs in the engineering technology space and renewal energy. He is a seasoned entrepreneur and researcher and holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

Sandra Munoz, Project Manager, Energy, ARIES, TBC

Sandra Munoz is a project coordinator in Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Services (ARIES). For the past five years, Sandra has been overseeing dozens of Aerospace and Renewal energy projects to ensure that the project deliverables are met within the time, quality and budgetary constraints besides being up to the industry partner's satisfaction. Sandra holds a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering and a Certificate in project management.