Board Members And Executive

The CCEMC is an independent not-for-profit corporation (with representation from a range of industry sectors, government and academia). It is governed by a Board of Directors.

Chair

Eric Newell is the retired Chancellor of the University of Alberta, a position he held from 2004 to 2008. He is the retired Chair and CEO of Syncrude Canada Ltd., positions he held from 1994 and 1989, respectively, until 2004. He served as President of Syncrude from 1989 to 1997. Prior to that, he worked with Imperial Oil Limited and Esso Petroleum Canada Ltd. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence.

Board Members

Doug Beever, Fertilizer Industry
Doug Beever is Senior Director, Corporate Relations, Agrium. In his current role, Mr. Beever is responsible for Agrium’s Government Relations, Corporate Social Responsibility and Communications. Prior to joining Agrium, Mr. Beever worked for Monsanto Canada Inc. He is involved with several industry associations and also sits on the boards of ICO2N, the Nutrients for Life Foundation Canada and BIOCAP (no longer in operation).

Jim Carter, Mineral Manufacturing
Jim Carter retired in 2007 as President of Syncrude after a 28 year career with the company. His efforts were critical in making advances in oil sands productivity and environmental performance. Mr. Carter is the Chair of the Alberta Carbon Capture Council and serves on the boards of EPCOR, Finning International, Clark Builders and the Alberta Research Council. As former Chairman and Director of the Mining Association of Canada, he championed an initiative to help improve the mining industry’s environmental and social performance.

Paul Clark, Chemical Producers
Paul Clark is President, VisionGain Consulting Inc., a company that provides support with vision and strategy building, research and technology management, and advanced technical-based facilitation. Previously he was Vice President, Research and Technology for NOVA Chemicals Corporation and President, NOVA Chemicals Research and Technology Inc. His career includes building extensive relationships with universities to create and manage collaborative research projects which had significant commercial impact.

Aaron Falkenberg, Public at Large
Aaron Falkenberg is Chair, Mercantile Life Insurance Board, board Chair for Edatanetworks, and a board member of Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions. He has been involved in numerous business enterprises, including poultry farming, farm construction, real estate development to name a few.

Charles Fischer, Conventional Oil and Gas
Charlie Fischer is a former President and CEO of Nexen. His academic background includes chemical engineering and a masters degree in business administration. He began his career as a natural gas processing engineer and has held senior management positions with TransCanada Pipelines and Encor as well as Nexen. Mr. Fischer currently Co-Chairs the Alberta Climate Change Central board and is a member of the Alberta Economic Development Authority.

Paul Galachiuk, Oil Sands
Paul Galachiuk is the President of Bow Engineering Ltd in Calgary, Alberta. He has 27 years of oil sands and refinery experience predominantly with Suncor Energy Inc. He has served as a board member with Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions since 2001. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Alberta with APEGGA.

Dr. Brenda Kenny, Pipeline Industry
Brenda Kenny is President of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) where she works with industry on issues including safety, climate change, regulatory efficiency and financial competitiveness. Dr. Kenny has extensive experience in energy regulation, sustainable development and strategy. Prior to joining CEPA, she worked with the National Energy Board where she provided executive leadership in policy, regulatory reviews and finance. Dr. Kenny holds a doctorate in resources and the environment, a masters of mechanical engineering, and a bachelors of applied science.

Dr. David Lewin, Electricity Generation
Dr. David Lewin has led a decade of research and development to identify technological solutions to reduce emissions from coal.  That work led to a $33-million Front-End Engineering & Design (FEED) study, co-funded by the company and the federal and provincial governments, to determine the feasibility of gasifying coal to facilitate emission reduction through carbon capture and storage.  Based on the FEED study, Dr. Lewin led Capital Power’s planning for a next-generation power plant at Genesee. The plant would produce power from coal through a process called Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), and incorporate Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) through a partnership with Enbridge.   The company’s proposal is the only one of its kind in Canada and one of a handful in the world.  Planned to enter service in 2015, the plant would produce 250 megawatts of power (net) and emit 80% less CO2 per MW than a conventional coal plant, along with near-zero levels of other air pollutants.  Prior to this work, Dr. Lewin led EPCOR’s Environment Department. He developed a climate-change strategy for EPCOR as early as 1996.   Dr. Lewin formally chaired the Canadian Clean Power Coalition.  He is an Honours graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sheffield, England, with a Doctorate from the University of Aston, England. He is a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in England, and the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta.   He serves on the Board of the Alberta Emerald Foundation and the Foundation of the Edmonton Space and Science Centre (Telus World of Science Edmonton).

Dr. David Lynch, Academic Representative
David Lynch is Dean, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta. He has provided leadership to major initiatives such as National Institute for Nanotechnology and the Imperial Oil – Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Oil Sands Innovation. He is a member of the board of directors of Micralyne Inc., and a member of the board of Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions, Climate Change Central, Science Alberta Foundation, and the National Institute for Nanotechnology Board of Trustees.

Dr. Robert Mansell, Public at Large
Robert Mansell is Academic Director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, Professor of Economics, and Founding Director and Senior Fellow of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy. He holds a Ph.D. in economics, specializing in econometrics and regional/resource economics. He has served on many committees and boards including the Energy Strategy Advisory Committee for the Government of Alberta, on the board of directors of Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutionsand the Canadian Energy Research Institute.

Patrice Merrin, Public at Large
Patrice Merrin is an independent consultant and corporate director. She is a former President and CEO of Luscar Ltd., Canada’s largest thermal coal company, and former EVP/COO of global mining and refining corporation, Sherritt International. Ms. Merrin has been a Director of the Alberta Energy Research Institute since 2004, and is a Director of CML Healthcare Income Fund and The New Brunswick Power Group of Companies. She has been a speaker and moderator on North American energy issues. She was a federal appointee to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy and served on the Government of Canada’s Natural Resources’ Ministry’s Expert Panel on Energy Science and Technology.

Roy Neehall, Municipal Representative
Roy Neehall has 30 years experience in the environmental sector. He led the development of Edmonton’s world leading waste management systems and the Edmonton Waste Management Centre of Excellence, a non-profit corporation focused on research, technology demonstration and practitioner training. With a long-standing interest in controlling greenhouse gas emissions, he was instrumental in establishing one of the early initiatives in Alberta, the capture of landfill gas for power production at Clover Bar, Edmonton.

Aleasa Tasker, Forestry Industry
Aleasa Tasker is Vice President of the Weyerhaeuser pulp mill in Grande Prairie. She holds a bachelor of science in chemistry from Dalhousie University and has been employed by Procter & Gamble and Weyerhaeuser since 1979. Ms. Tasker is a member of Weyerhaeuser’s Grande Prairie Site Leadership Team, Alberta Management Council, Cellulose Fibers Business Leadership Team and Canadian Leadership Team.