Speaker Bios

Senior Business Development Manager
Burns & McDonnell

Joanna Osawe is the Sr. Business Development Manager at Burns & McDonnell and the President & CEO of WiRE – Women in Renewable Energy. Joanna attended Western University studying Languages, graduating with an Honours BA. Joanna has used her language skills in a focused, 15+ year management career at leading renewable and energy sector companies in Canada and the United States. By carrying complex projects through many stages she has seen firsthand the vital role renewable energy and emerging technologies serve in moving the Canadian, American and global energy mix forward.

Joanna has been appointed to the Federal Sustainable Development Advisory Council, led by Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault. She looks forward to continuing to engage and contribute to the Council’s success. The Council is made up of the Canadian public that represent the views of different provinces and territories, Indigenous peoples, as well as environmental non-governmental organizations and business and labour organizations.

SEE THE FULL LIST OF COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE

Market Strategy, Energy and Process Industries
Black & Veatch

Shinu Thomas drives strategy for Black & Veatch’s Energy Utilities, Grid Solutions and Advance Power Generation teams. Her 20 years of professional experience span market and program design work, implementation and integration of utility demand response programs, DER integration and utility customer engagement programs. She’s worked with utilities across the US, Canada and globally. In addition, she has supported Integrated System Planning initiatives from both a planning and an organizational level. Shinu has worked with stakeholders from all corners, leading with a deep passion for addressing utility and climate challenges through market-based solutions. She holds an MBA in sustainable technologies from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and lives in Denver, CO.  

David Kelly, Founder and CEO
SkyFire Energy Inc

David Kelly is a solar veteran with 20 years in the solar business. David is a professional engineer and leads a diverse team at SkyFire Energy, the largest pure play solar EPC in Western Canada. David has served on the boards of CanSIA and SESA and continues to participate in the industry associations. SkyFire services the West and North from our offices in Calgary, Edmonton and West Kelowna. David and his wife live in Calgary and their home is partially solar powered.

President and CEO
FortisAlberta

Ms. Sullivan brings more than 20 years of leadership and utility industry experience to her role as President and Chief Executive Officer and corporate director of FortisAlberta. Prior to this, she held multiple Executive and Director positions with both FortisAlberta and at a Fortis utility Newfoundland Power, guiding those organizations through complex developments in utility regulation and implementing effective financial and operational strategies.  Ms. Sullivan serves on the board of directors of FortisBC, Electricity Canada and Western Energy Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Memorial University and is a member of the Institutes of Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador.

President
ENMAX Power

Jana Mosley is the President at ENMAX Power, the regulated wires business of ENMAX Corporation that owns, operates and maintains the transmission and distribution system in and around Calgary.

She has over two decades of industry experience with an educational background in engineering and leadership, including the recent completion of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Jana sits on several boards and is a 2022 Calgary Influential Women in Business award recipient.

Partner
McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Kerri Howard is a partner with McCarthy Tétrault located in Calgary and is co-head of the firm’s national Energy group. Her practice focuses on corporate/commercial matters in Canada’s energy and power sectors, with specialization in the oil & gas and power industries. In addition to conventional upstream and midstream oil and gas arrangements, Kerri also advises on the development of energy transition projects, including CCUS, hydrogen and geothermal, and other power projects, such as gas, wind, solar and hydro-electric.

Executive Director and Advocate
Utilities Consumer Advocate

Christopher Hunt was appointed Alberta’s Utilities Consumer Advocate in March 2015. He leads a team that: ensures residential, farm, and small business consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions about their utility services; mediates disputes between consumers and their utility providers; and represents the interests of electricity and natural gas consumers at regulatory proceedings to ensure they receive reliable services at reasonable prices.  The team’s work has contributed to consumer savings of over $1.2 billion since 2015.

Since joining the Alberta Public Service 15 years ago after a full-time military career, Chris has held several Director and Senior Management roles with the Government of Alberta, particularly in the Departments of Energy and Environment. He has worked on a wide variety of policy, legislation, and regulatory projects related to energy development, environmental management, and consumer protection. 

Vice President, Technology
Pathways Alliance

Wes Jickling assumed the role of COSIA Chief Executive in August 2019 and became the Vice President, Technology Development and COSIA under the Pathways Alliance in May 2022.  Prior to joining COSIA, Wes was the Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Saskatchewan and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs for Saskatchewan. Wes has held senior roles in corporate, government, and international organizations, including United Nations postings in Brazil, Swaziland, Ukraine and Sudan.

Wes was born and raised in Estevan, Saskatchewan. He and his wife Shelley have three children. He earned his master’s degree in Denmark and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary.

President and CEO
Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA)

As the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA)’s president and CEO, Todd Snitchler represents companies that own competitive power generation assets and advocates for policies that focus on achieving and maintaining well-functioning and properly regulated competitive wholesale electricity markets.

Prior to joining EPSA, Todd served as the Vice President of Market Development at the American Petroleum Institute where he worked with industry, government, and customer stakeholders to promote increased demand for and continued availability of our nation’s abundant and clean natural gas resources.

Prior to that, Mr. Snitchler was a principal for Vorys Advisors, LLC in Ohio where he led the government affairs efforts in the energy and utility space where he represented competitive suppliers and independent power producers and developers. In that role he established strong relationships in Ohio and nationally with policy makers and industry participants supportive of competitive markets.

Mr. Snitchler previously served as chairman of both the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Ohio Power Siting Board. He was elected twice to represent the 50th House District in Stark County, Ohio.

Mr. Snitchler has published on numerous topics including the benefits of competitive energy markets; cyber security issues; electricity deregulation difficulties; and the role of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Snitchler received his J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law and his B.A. from Grove City College.