Speaker Bios

Associate Professor, Dept of Earth, Energy, and Environment, and School of Public Policy
University of Calgary

Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon is an associate professor in the department of Earth, Energy and Environment, and School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary where she directs the Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Development. She is a macro energy system researcher and her work is focused on understanding how low-carbon energy transitions happen within different sectors of the economy, and how policy responses can improve outcomes. Sara is also co-founder and co-host of Energy vs Climate a webinar and podcast that explores the energy transition in Alberta, Canada, and beyond. She is the chair of the panel for Clean Growth with the Canadian Climate Choices Institute and a member of the board of directors of the Pembina Institute.

Her previous roles include Director of Clean Economy at the Pembina Institute, founder of Business Renewable Centre Canada, and practice manager for Clean Technologies at McKinsey & Company. Dr. Hastings-Simon holds a PhD in physics from the University of Geneva.

President and CEO
Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO)

Michael Law was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer for the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) in February 2019. Mr. Law first joined the AESO in 2009 as Vice-President, Operations. Following that, he held the roles of Vice-President, Market Services, Vice-President, Renewables Development and Sustainability and most recently, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to joining the AESO, Mr. Law was Vice-President, North American Power for Direct Energy Marketing Limited in Calgary, overseeing the company’s wholesale electricity portfolio management business. In his previous role with Direct Energy Marketing, Mr. Law had oversight of the Canadian power and natural gas commodity trading operations.

Mr. Law holds a Masters of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance, both from the University of British Columbia.

Managing Principal
Analysis Group

Ms. Chang is an energy economist and policy expert with more than 20 years of experience advising energy companies on regulatory and financial issues, particularly as they relate to investment decisions in energy transmission, clean energy, and energy storage. She is the former undersecretary of energy and climate solutions for Massachusetts, in which role she led efforts to set policies across the Commonwealth’s energy sector and align strategies and plans for decarbonization and climate mitigation. Ms. Chang has testified before US federal and state agencies and regulatory authorities in Canada, Australia, and Singapore on topics related to energy resource deployment; energy contracts; transmission planning, access, and pricing; and electricity market design. She has also testified in arbitration regarding estimated financial damages associated with a breach of a power purchase contract. She has presented her work at industry conferences and academic seminars on energy and environmental policies. In addition to her role at Analysis Group, Ms. Chang is an adjunct lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a senior fellow at the Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government. She serves as an ambassador for the US Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative, which has the goal of advancing women’s leadership in clean energy, and is a founding board member of New England Women in Energy and the Environment.