Thomas is the Director of Sales Engineering at SWTCH, and was responsible for deploying a number of Canada’s first vehicle-to-grid projects.  Thomas comes from an engineering background, and now oversees projects across North America, ranging from Canada’s one of largest EV charging DERMs projects, to private EV charging installations in MURBs.

David Mitchell is a Senior Advisor within the Innovation, Research & Development (IRD) team at the IESO – Ontario’s electricity market and system operator.   

In his current role, David is involved in the design, development, and implementation of innovation funding programs including the IESO’s Grid Innovation Fund and Hydrogen Innovation Fund. Through these funds, David supports pilot projects that demonstrate innovative technologies and business models in the electricity sector including projects exploring DER and EV integrations into wholesale markets. He supports the translation of project outcomes and lessons learned into broader electricity and energy sector policy. 

David is responsible for the development and management of relationships with industry partners, stakeholders, communities, governments and agencies to support the IESO’s strategic objectives and is focused on the potential role EVs can play in supporting the electricity grid. 

Prior to joining the IRD team, David worked in Market and System Operations at the IESO where he gained valuable experience and insights into the day-ahead and real-time electricity markets, intertie trading, ancillary services, reliability programs, grid operations, and regulatory compliance matters. 

David holds a bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. 

Monika plays a pivotal role in driving Addenda’s comprehensive approach to sustainable investing, which encompasses four key pillars: the integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions; the qualification of securities for impact and climate transition; stewardship that promotes sustainable capital markets to address systemic sustainability issues; and active corporate engagement. 
 
She is a member of the leadership advisory committees for both the Responsible Investing Association of Canada and the U.N.-launched Valuing Water Initiative. This latter initiative is dedicated to advancing principles and practices that preserve freshwater resources globally. 
 
Monika’s career in sustainability began with a research project at Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Initiative for Responsible Investing. Later, at Ceres, she launched the Investor Water Toolkit and established a foundation for global investor collaboration on water. Returning to Canada, Monika led the Sustainable Investing department at Mercer, where she assisted asset owners nationwide in their sustainability and climate initiatives. 
 
Monika holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Science from Loyola University Chicago. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Baba Brinkman is a rap artist and science communicator, best known for his “Rap Guide” series of science-themed plays and albums. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, and based in New York since 2011, Baba has toured the world and enjoyed successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and off-Broadway, where he was the 2019 Artist in Residence at Manhattan’s historic Soho Playhouse Theater.

Called “Astonishing and brilliant” by the New York Times, Baba is a Scotsman Fringe First Award winner for Exceptional New Play Writing, and a two-time Drama Desk Award Nominee, for “Outstanding Solo Performance” and “Unique Theatrical Experience”. He performed live on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” and shared stages with science luminaries including Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Baba is also a winner of the National Center for Science Education’s “Friend of Darwin Award” for his efforts to popularize evolutionary biology.

Baba founded Event Rap in late 2020 after performing dozens of virtual custom rap gigs during the pandemic, recruiting a team of skilled rappers to deliver the company’s unique set of services.

Noah is the Business Development Manager of the Vancouver Island based modular manufacturer Nexus Modular. Having grown up in Banff, Alberta, before moving to Victoria, Noah understands the desire and push for circular business practices and environmentally friendly industry standards. His formal education in Kinesiology and his time working in that field have helped him develop a passion for collaboration, creative problem solving, and striving to improve the quality of life for those he works with.

All of these factors have led to his role at Nexus, where he finds great joy in being part of a solution to the housing issues that are so prevalent in BC and across Canada.

Garrett serves as the Senior Director and Service Area Lead for Corporate Sustainability at Delphi, where he plays a crucial role in supporting clients as they navigate the complex and ever-changing sustainability landscape. With a proven track record of leadership and involvement in numerous projects spanning various sectors and services, including strategy development, materiality assessment, and disclosure, Garrett brings a wealth of expertise to his current position.

Prior to leading the sustainability team at Delphi, he served as their Director of Sustainable Finance, spearheading multiple initiatives aimed at integrating sustainability into financial practices. Leveraging his 15 years of experience in various finance roles, Garrett’s dedication to driving positive change extends beyond his professional responsibilities, as he actively contributes to the board of Leading Change. Garrett holds a Charted Insurance Professional Designation and a Master of Management from UBC.

Nathan Cullen was elected MLA for Stikine in the 2020 provincial election.

He previously served as minister of Municipal Affairs, minister of state for Lands and Natural Resource Operations, as chair of the Environment and Land Use Committee and a member of the Cabinet Committee on Economy.

Nathan proudly served as Member of Parliament for the riding of Skeena-Bulkley Valley for 15 years, from 2004 to 2019.  He is a strong advocate for the residents of Northern BC and has worked throughout his career to promote sustainable development.

During his time in Ottawa, Nathan was recognized multiple times by his peers at the Maclean’s Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. He also served as Official Opposition House Leader and held critic roles for Finance, Natural Resources,  Environment, Ethics, and Democratic Reform.  

Nathan has worked to encourage the participation of young people in politics and public policy and has supported young entrepreneurs in the Northwest in starting and growing their businesses. 

Nathan has run a consulting business specializing in strategic planning and conflict resolution. He has previously worked in international development in Africa and South America.

He lives with his wife and twin sons in Smithers.

Julie Dabrusin is the Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth since her election in 2015 who has committed herself to building up strong cities; including work to build a clean energy economy and support small businesses.  She brings this perspective to her role as the Parliamentary Secretary to both the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. 

Julie is working on ensuring Canada is well placed to take advantage of the global transition to a net-zero including modernizing the electrical grid, deploying electric vehicles, and constructing green buildings. She also works on delivering Canada’s goal of conserving 30% of lands and waters by 2030 and delivering plastic pollution regulation. As a person who cares deeply about animal welfare, she has worked with communities to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity, including species at risk. Julie is also actively supporting the advancement of Bill C-49, to create Canada’s first offshore wind industry, and Bill C-50 to create sustainable jobs across Canada’s growing green industries – including here in Vancouver. 

Sitting at the nexus of both Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, she has played a key role in supporting Canada’s emergence as a global leader in clean energy and technology development, sustainable resources management, and conservation. 

Erin is responsible for stewarding the Energy Futures Lab’s Partners Council, seeking new collaborative opportunities and developing strong external relationships with stakeholders across the energy system. Applying a social innovation approach, Erin supports her colleagues and the EFL network to identify transformational solutions that require collaboration and innovation for energy transition. Erin also leads the external relations and communications teams while supporting overall lab design and delivery.

Erin holds a Master’s of Science in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden, where her thesis research focused on the development of indicators for a successful planning process. As a sustainability strategist, Erin excels at planning processes, relationship building and facilitating diverse parties towards achieving a shared and meaningful outcome.

Harlan Schilling was raised in his home community of Lower Post, BC, where he has had the honor to serve the Daylu Dena community as a Councilor from 2017 – 2020, and now serves as Deputy Chief. Before his political career, Harlan served in the Canadian Armed Forces as a combat engineer for seven years. Harlan has served on the BCAFN Board of Directors and is now honored to be the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer for the newly launched BC First Nations Center of Excellence.

After over 40 years of effort, in 2021, the Daylu Dena Council successfully demolished the residential school in their community. As Deputy Chief, Harlan cared for his people as they took this important step toward healing. Harlan is passionate about supporting meaningful and sustainable community healing and economic development. In his time on Council, Harlan led initiatives for community growth, including new social programs such as on-the-land healing and wellness spaces and extensive community infrastructure projects including a new water treatment plant, a green-energy Multi-Purpose Centre, and a recent supportive housing initiative.

As a recent Board Member of the BCAFN, Harlan was honored to represent Northern First Nations and be a part of the critical and impactful work the BCAFN is doing for First Nations Peoples. As of Fall 2023, Harlan has begun his work as CEO of the newly launched Center of Excellence (CoE). Harlan’s passion for economic equity and culturally driven economic development informs his goals for the CoE and a future that sees meaningful and lasting economic reconciliation in BC.