Marla Orenstein is Director of Energy, Environment and Economy at the Canada West Foundation, a research organization that provides nonpartisan, pragmatic direction on policies that matter to the West. In this role, she focuses on how policy can be used to maximize both sustainability and prosperity as the world transitions to cleaner forms of energy. Marla first joined EFL as a Fellow and then as an Ambassador, and values the opportunity to promote evidence-informed and nuanced conversations on Canada’s energy future.

Yasmin is President and Co-founder of Kambo Energy Group, a social enterprise that reduces energy poverty and improves housing in communities that have been traditionally underprioritized across the Pacific Northwest. For over 14 years Kambo has supported communities through its three flagship programs, each designed to address a unique gap in the market: Empower Me, an education and awareness program designed to support environmental justice communities; the Home Upgrades Program, a first-of-its-kind deep energy retrofit program to reduce energy poverty, and Community Power which works with Tribal and First Nations to take action on housing.

Yasmin is a leading expert in equity-based energy and climate programming, working with governments and utilities across North America to design and deliver inclusive solutions. Yasmin holds an MBA from the Sauder School of Business, a certificate of Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University, has been a Fellow and Ambassador with the EFL since 2020, is a member of the Efficiency Canada Governing Council, a founding member of the National Affordability Action Council, a member of the Faculty Advisory Board for the Sauder School of Business at UBC, and a member of the Zero Emissions Building Task Force at the City of Burnaby.

Yasmin has assembled an employee roster representative of the communities they serve – 83% identify as a visible minority, immigrant and/or multilingual, and 59% of employees are female.

Jane is Managing Director, Sustainability Initiatives at ATB Financial. She is passionate about building a strong, innovative, sustainable Alberta economy. She first joined the Energy Futures Lab in 2018 when she led technology and innovation partnerships for Alberta’s low carbon energy future.

Nathan Maycher is a professional engineer, currently fulfilling the role of Director, Climate, Disclosure & Integration at Suncor Energy, a globally competitive integrated energy company.  Nathan leads a team, which holds accountability for climate strategy and policy advocacy, sustainability disclosure, carbon finance and deeply integrating sustainability into key business decisions.  Nathan was a Fellow at the start of the EFL and transitioned to being an Ambassador in 2022.  Throughout his time with the Lab, he has found the conversations and the impact on Alberta’s energy systems constructive and thought provoking.

Julie is a connector and collaborator working towards a sustainable, equitable, and resilient energy transition. She has over 10 years of experience with innovative and complex projects in the sustainability and energy sector, working with a diverse range of initiatives and players across Canada. Through her work with Stantec’s Power group and then as the Lead for Western Services for QUEST Canada, she built an understanding of the interconnectedness of energy systems – from customers and communities through to the system operator and regulatory bodies. Julie has led or been part of a number of equity initiatives, and she recently became a Board Member for a women-led startup focused on communities and equity in our energy transition. Julie was an EFL Fellow for 3 years before becoming an Ambassador. Currently, she is working as an Independent Contractor for the EFL in a Project Coordinator and Animator role for the Energy.AI initiative. The work looks to mobilize the ecosystem of stakeholders to accelerate collaboration in Alberta’s digital innovation ecosystem to support communities in energy transition.

Ariane Bourassa leads corporate sustainability for the TMX Group, who owns and operates the Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange. Her work focuses on integrating ESG goals to the overall enterprise strategy, while working to bring along publicly-listed companies in this journey. Ariane believes that sustainability leadership is essential to long-term economic growth and that both are possible with thoughtful dialogue between stakeholders. 

Prior to this, Ariane worked as a public policy professional lending her advocacy skills to the finance, building and energy sector, where she evolved as an environment professional for almost a decade. Ariane was an EFL Fellow from 2019 to 2021 after which she became an Ambassador. She was a contributor to the Leveraging our Energy Asset for Diversification (LEAD) project. 

Ariane holds a Master in Environmental Sciences from Université du Québec a Montréal and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and International Law.

Barend oversees product development and strategy for E Source Customer Energy Solutions research and advisory services and data tools. He helps utility members exceed their goals related to energy programs, emerging technologies, and decarbonization. He previously worked as a lead researcher, covering topics such as energy efficiency, demand response, distributed energy resource technologies, and EVs. He has 10 years of professional experience in engineering, policy, and energy transitioning planning from his positions at Energy Efficiency Alberta, the Pembina Institute, and Shell. He’s also developing the Grid Sandbox spun from the Energy Futures Lab. Barend earned a master of sustainable energy technology from the Delft University of Technology and is a Waterloo engineering graduate.

Devin joined the EFL Fellowship in 2019, as a founder of Nutana Power. Since then, he has acted as both a Fellow and Ambassador. He runs a solo legal practice, with clients in the financial industry, electric utilities, and startup ecosystem. He is also the operating partner of a newly-formed venture capital fund, Augur, which works closely with Harvest Builders to establish and build energy technology companies focused on addressing issues that arise as a result of the energy transition.

Eveline Kolijn resides in Calgary. Growing up in the Caribbean, she has experienced both the beauty and demise of coral reefs. This childhood influenced her development as an artist and interest in the connections between art, science, the environment, and climate change. Eveline received a MA in cultural anthropology from Leiden University in the Netherlands in 1986 and a BFA from the Alberta College of Art+ Design in 2008. She has participated in national and international exhibitions, residencies, and public art projects. She has been published in scientific publications. She is an Ambassador of the Energy Futures Lab. In 2019, she received the AUArts Alumni Legacy Award. She is using the arts and her Ambassador experience to promote energy literacy, environmental awareness, and discussion on energy transition. She edited a book, Reimagining Fire, and published the fine-art Energy Futures portfolio in 2023.  Both are a collaboration between 50 printmakers, writers and energy experts.

As mother and lifelong resident of Treaty 7 Territory, Juli has an immense passion for creating the conditions for Alberta to navigate the energy transition in a way that will allow current and future generations to thrive. Juli previously worked as the Director of the Impact Studio and Lead Animator for the Energy Futures Lab after 3 years as an EFL Fellow. She hopes to continue to support the EFL Community and help bring ideas to life. Juli uses her experience in group facilitation, systems thinking, business strategy and petroleum geology to co-create sustainable solutions.