Speakers

John Boesel, President & CEO, CALSTART

John Boesel is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CALSTART. The public/private nature of CALSTART is reflected in John’s background. Upon graduating from the University of California, Davis, in 1982, John worked in the California legislature as a legislative aide to then Assemblyman (now Congressman) Sam Farr. In that position he managed energy and environmental legislation for nearly four years. He received his MBA from the Haas School at UC Berkeley in 1989. After graduating from business school he worked as a commercial banker in Wells Fargo’s Corporate Headquarters building in San Francisco. In 1993 John joined CALSTART as the Vice President of Technology Programs. In 2001 the Board of Directors promoted him to the position of President and CEO. John serves on the Advisory Board for the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center (PEEC) at Stanford University and is also a board member of the Clean Vehicle Foundation.

 

Stephane Couroux, Transportation Director, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Stéphane Couroux is the Director of the Transportation Division at Environment and Climate Change Canada. The division administers the following regulations under the authority of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999to reduce air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from on- and off-road vehicles and engines.

  • On Road-Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations;
  • Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations;
  • Heavy-Duty Vehicle and Engine Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations.
  • Off-Road Small Spark-Ignition Engine Emission Regulations;
  • Off-Road Compression-Ignition Engine Emission Regulations; and,
  • Marine Spark-Ignition Engine, Vessel and Off-Road Recreational Vehicle Emission Regulations.

Stéphane cumulates over 18 years of experience with the Transportation Division of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Over this period, Stéphane has occupied various positions of increasing responsibilities developing, administering and conducting compliance verification on the above listed regulations. His achievements have been recognized by peers and management on several occasions, including for the advancement in regulatory design for the Heavy-Duty Vehicle and Engine Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations, team work on the in the case of alleged defeat devices on diesel vehicles and for is significant contributions to many of the above listed regulations. Stéphane is also actively engaged leading ECCC’s contribution to many domestic and international forums to reduce emissions from the transportation sector, including the Pan-Canadian Framework, the Canada-US Air Quality Agreement, the World Forum for Harmonization of Regulations under the UNECE and the International Summit on Vehicle Emissions Compliance.

 

Virginia Covo, Global Director, Sustainability Supply Chain, Anheuser-Busch InBev

Virginia Covo is the Global Director of Supply Chain Sustainability and non-financial disclosure at AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer. In her role, she leads the Climate Action agenda, responsible for GHG emission reduction across all 6 zones, providing guidance to achieve AB InBev’s 25% reduction goal by 2025. She was responsible for setting AB InBev’s Science Based Target and setting the strategy in emission reduction across the supply chain. Virginia has over 10 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, working in roles from research and product development, to sales, supply chain, and sustainability. She holds a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from University of Virginia, Darden School of Business.

 

Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America at The Climate Group

Amy Davidsen leads the delivery of The Climate Group’s work and impact in North America to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future. She works with leaders in business and state and regional governments on collaborative programs to deliver impact on a global scale through actions taken today, such as the RE100, EP100 and EV100 campaigns and the Under2 Coalition.  In addition, she oversees The Climate Group’s flagship annual summit Climate Week NYC, held each September during the week of the UN General Assembly to highlight climate action and solutions. She has over 20 years of banking experience and was the founder and first Director of the Office of Environmental Affairs at JPMorganChase, responsible for creating and implementing the firm’s global environmental and social risk management policies. In addition, she held various positions at JPMorganChase advising clients from banks to high net worth individuals. Earlier in her career she was the Finance Manager of Women’s World Banking, an international microfinance not-for-profit dedicated to providing poor women access to credit. In 1997, she took a leave of absence to work in Bosnia on a USAID job-creation loan program. Amy speaks frequently on the opportunities for a more prosperous and low-carbon world and spoke at TEDx in Michigan. Ms. Davidsen holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Brown University and lives in New York City with her husband and son.

 

Russell Davies, Manager of Transit Fleet, City of Calgary

Russell Davies graduated from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology and is a Professional Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in Telecommunications, Simulation, Medical and Transportation industries. For the last 15 years, Russell has worked as the manager of the transit fleet for Calgary Transit managing a group of talented staff to ensure that Calgarians are able to get where they want to go, when they want to get there. Russell’s role as manager of the transit fleet compels him to not only ensure that the vehicles are suitable for the job that needs to be performed on a daily basis but that the fleet is reliable and operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. Over the last 10 years Russell has led Calgary Transit to review and trial, diesel/electric hybrid, full electric, compressed natural gas and other technologies with the view to improving the overall environmental footprint of Calgary Transit.

 

Karen Hamberg, Vice President, Sustainability and External Affairs, Westport Fuel Systems

Westport Fuel Systems engineers, manufactures, and supplies advanced clean-burning engines, systems, and components that enable the deployment of low-carbon fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, and renewable natural gas (RNG). Headquartered in Vancouver, Westport Fuel Systems serves customers in more than 70 countries with leading global transportation brands. Ms. Hamberg is the Chair of the Board of Directors of CALSTART in Pasadena, California, the nation’s largest non-profit, member-driven coalition accelerating the growth of a clean transportation technologies industry. She was named to Canada’s Clean 50™ in 2017 for her contributions to advance sustainability in the transportation sector and to Canada’s Clean 16TM in September 2018 for her work on enacting stringent clean transportation regulatory frameworks. She was a member of the Government of Canada’s Economic Strategy Table on Clean Technology and championed the Table’s work streams on regulatory agility and building a diverse and inclusive clean technology sector. Ms. Hamberg holds a Master of Arts degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba. An active volunteer, Ms. Hamberg is also Chair of the United Way of the Lower Mainland’s 2019 Campaign Cabinet, a group of business executives tasked with raising millions of dollars for critical social programs in metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. She received the 2016 United Way President’s Award of Distinction for her ongoing commitment and dedication to building a strong, healthy, inclusive community.

 

David Hochschild, Chair, California Energy Commission

David Hochschild was appointed Chair of the California Energy Commission by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2019. He fills the environmental position on the five-member Commission where four of the five members by law are required to have professional training in specific areas – engineering or physical science, environmental protection, economics, and law.Chair Hochschild’s career has spanned public service, environmental advocacy and the private sector. He first got involved in the solar energy field in 2001 in San Francisco as a Special Assistant to Mayor Willie Brown where he launched a citywide $100 million initiative to put solar panels on public buildings. He went on to co-found the Vote Solar Initiative, a 60,000-member advocacy organization promoting solar policies at the local, state and federal level. He served as executive director of a national consortium of leading solar manufacturers and worked for five years at Solaria, a solar company in Silicon Valley. In 2007-2008, he served as a commissioner at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. For his work to advance clean energy, Chair Hochschild was awarded the Sierra Club’s Trailblazer Award, the American Lung Association’s Clean Air Hero Award, and the Department of Energy’s Million Solar Roof True Champion Award. Chair Hochschild holds a bachelor of arts from Swarthmore College and a masters of public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and was a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs.

 

Matt Horne, Climate Policy Manager, City of Vancouver

Matt Horne is the City of Vancouver’s climate policy manager. He is responsible for delivering on the City’s commitment to have 100% of the energy used in Vancouver come from renewable sources by 2050. He also advises senior management, and mayor and council on climate change policy issues. Prior to joining the City, Matt worked for the Pembina Institute helping to advance climate change policy in B.C. and across Canada. He has a Master of Resource Management degree from Simon Fraser University, and a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree from Dalhousie University.

 

Angela Hultberg, Global Head of Sustainable Mobility, Ikea Group

Angela is leading the IKEA Group efforts in relation to the sustainable mobility agenda, reducing customer and co-worker travel emissions as well as achieving zero emission home deliveries and services. Previously, Angela was leading the sustainability work within Customer Fulfilment, focusing on creating a truly sustainable multichannel network for IKEA Group. This included lowering emissions, working with circular initiatives and waste reduction, supply chain management and much more. Angela holds a masters of law degree from Lund University and has worked for PwC and Scania before joining IKEA Group.

 

Don Iveson, Mayor, City of Edmonton

Since his election as Edmonton’s 35th Mayor in 2013, Mayor Iveson has led Edmonton’s transformation into a more uplifting, resilient and globally competitive city. Alongside his remarkable partner Sarah Chan, they both serve our community while raising two young children, working to make things better for all our kids and grandkids. Harnessing a new confidence among Edmontonians, he is focused on the priorities of growing an opportunity economy, building a more family friendly city, accelerating our leadership on energy and climate, and planning for a million people – all while strengthening integrity and performance at City Hall. Prior to entering public life, Iveson studied Political Science at the University of Alberta, then served as president of Canadian University Press in Toronto. He returned home to a city that appeared to be exporting young, smart leaders, thinkers, creators and entrepreneurs faster than it could attract them. As a proud Edmontonian, the challenge of attracting and retaining more people inspired Iveson to run for City Council in 2007. As a result, one of his key performance indicators – as both a Councillor and Mayor – is to build the kind of city that, when the time comes, his children will never want to leave.

 

Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor, City of Oslo

Governing Mayor is the head of the City Government and appoints up to seven Vice Mayors. The role of the Governing Mayor can be compared to that of a prime minister while the role of the Vice Mayors may be compared to that of national government ministers. The Governing Mayor coordinates the City Government’s work, and is responsible for cross cutting policies and coordinating staff functions. Governing Mayor Johansen determines the portfolios of the Vice Mayors and coordinates the City Government’s work. He also has the responsibility for civil protection and security in Oslo as well as international cooperation and policy. Governing Mayor Johansen (born 1961) has lived in Oslo for most of his life. He has to adult twin-sons and is married to Christin Kristoffersen.  Johansen is educated as a plumber, but most of his working life has been dedicated to politics. At the age of 30 he was appointed to the City Government in Oslo as Vice Mayor for Transport and Nature Preservation, then representing the Socialist Left Party. Since joining the Norwegian Labour Party in 1997 Governing Mayor Johansen has served as State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under both Cabinets of Jens Stoltenberg. Johansen served as the Secretary General of the Labour Party from 2009 until 2015 when he resigned to run for Governing Mayor of Oslo. Governing Mayor Johansen has gained broad experience from working with international development from his work as Head of Department in the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and as Secretary General for the Norwegian Refugee Council. The Governing Mayor’s interests also cover areas such as sports, and Johansen was previously member of the board of Vålerenga Football Club in Oslo.

 

Julie Johnson, Manager, National Business Development, Ryder Systems

Julie Johnson is Manager, National Business Development – Advanced Vehicle Technologies for Ryder System, Inc., a $7.3 billion FORTUNE 500 commercial fleet management, dedicated transportation, and supply chain solutions company with more than 36,000 employees. Ms. Johnson is responsible for helping leading companies intelligently convert their fleets to advanced vehicle technologies such as electric vehicles. Her mission is to leverage Ryder’s investment and industry leadership to establish and grow the use of advanced vehicle technologies in both large and small truck fleets. Ms. Johnson believes that advanced vehicle technologies are the key to energy independence for the United States. Ms. Johnson has held a variety of impactful roles. Prior to assuming her advanced vehicle technology role, Ms. Johnson was a Senior Sales Specialist for Janssen Pharmaceuticals & Quintiles Inc where she was responsible for sales and marketing to a variety of healthcare stakeholders in the San Francisco Bay Area. During her career, Ms. Johnson has served in a variety of key sales management and marketing executive positions at leading companies, including Salix Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, JCP Disclosures/First American Title, New Leaf Paper, Solbright Inc., Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Delaware.

 

Stella Li, President, BYD Motors, Inc.

Stella Li is presently the Senior Vice President of BYD Company Limited, and also is the President of BYD Motors Inc., a Southern-California based company that imports renewable power products, green-energy products and zero-emissions vehicles from China. Stella received her Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics from one of China’s Top 3 Universities (Fudan University) in 1992. In 1996, Stella joined BYD as the marketing manager for all global exports. In 1997, she opened BYD first overseas office in HK, then found the first European office in Rotterdam in 1999. In 2011, she set up BYD NA Headquarters in Los Angeles. In 2010, she has been assigned to be president of BYD Motors Inc. and started promoting the BYD auto business into the North and South American Markets.

 

Randy MacEwen, President & CEO, Ballard Power Systems

MacEwen has been the President & CEO and a member of the board of directors of Ballard since October 2014. He has held executive roles in clean energy companies for over 15 years, including in fuel cells and solar. From 2009 to 2014, Mr. MacEwen was Founder and Managing Director of NextCleanTech LLC, a cleantech consulting firm. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. MacEwen served as President & CEO of Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc., a commercial rooftop solar company. From 2001 to 2005, he served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development of Stuart Energy Systems Corporation, a leading supplier hydrogen generation systems. Mr. MacEwen began his career as a corporate associate at Torys LLP, a leading business law firm, where he specialized in M&A and corporate finance from 1995 to 2001. Mr. MacEwen holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hon) degree from York University and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Western Ontario.

 

Ben Mandel, Regional Director, CALSTART

Ben works with private and public fleets to integrate cleaner, more efficient vehicle technologies. Ben leads CALSTART’s work on market acceleration and policy development in the Northeast, including administration of workplace electric vehicle charging and truck voucher incentive programs. Ben also works with regional partners on multi-state, market-driven policy solutions to reduce transportation emissions and elevate advanced technologies. Prior to joining CALSTART, Ben worked under Mayor Bill de Blasio at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, where he led policy development and implementation activities with City agencies on transportation and energy supply initiatives in pursuit of New York City’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. He also previously worked at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and was a fellow at NYU School of Law. Ben holds Masters degrees in Public Policy and Energy & Resources from UC-Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Mathematical Economics and Hispanic Literature & Culture.

 

The Honourable Catherine McKenna MP, Minister, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Catherine McKenna was elected as the first female member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre on October 19th2015, and appointed Minister of Environment and Climate Change shortly thereafter. She helped negotiate the Paris Agreement and secured Canada’s first plan with provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples to address climate change and grow a clean economy. Before entering politics, Catherine practiced competition and international trade law with leading firms in Canada and Indonesia, and was senior negotiator with the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission on the Timor Sea Treaty. She co-founded Level Justice, a charity that levels the playing field and increases access to justice for marginalized communities worldwide. She served as Executive Director of the Banff Forum, a public policy organization for young leaders, and taught at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Catherine is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the London School of Economics, and McGill Law School; and is called to the Bars of Ontario and New York State. Catherine and her husband live in Ottawa with their three children and their dog Skoki. During her free time, she can be found in the water – swimming, canoeing or kayaking.

 

Sonja Munnix, Senior Advisor, Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Sonja Munnix works as a senior advisor at Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, RVO.nl). She stimulates e-mobility in the Netherlands. Sonja is the secretary-general of a Dutch steering committee on the internationalisation of electric mobility, working towards facilitating Dutch companies in their international activities. She is active as the Dutch representative in international networks such as the Electric Vehicle Initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM-EVI) and the Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology Collaboration Programme of the International Energy Agency (IEA HEV-TCP).

Next to her work on e-mobility, Sonja has been involved in electric car sharing, the monitoring of sustainable mobility and the promotion of energy efficient driving behaviour — eco-driving. She is also educated as an internal coach on Technological Innovation Systems.

 

Claude Nahon, Sustainable Development Director, Electricité de France (EDF)

A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, Claude Nahon has worked at EDF since 1978 where she has held senior manager posts in the areas of production and distribution. Since 2003, Claude Nahon has been Director of Sustainability and Environment of EDF Group. Previously she was Deputy Director for hydroelectric generation and renewable energy. In addition to her activities in EDF, she is Council Member, representing EDF’s CEO at WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development). She is a member of the board of EPE (French Business Environment association) office and Vice-President of IDDRI (Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations). She is a member of the leadership council of the United Nations SDSN (Sustainable Development Solutions Network) created by Ban-Ki moon, which focuses on sustainable development goals. She is a Knight of the Legion of Honour and an Officer of the National Order of Merit.

 

Amol Phadke, Lead, India Research Program, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Amol Phadke is a Scientist, Lead of the India Research Program, and Deputy of the International Energy Analysis Department, Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research and technical support activities broadly focus on energy technology, economics, markets, and regulation. Currently, his work is focused on heavy-duty electric vehicles, energy in the India power sector, and appliance and equipment efficiency in several emerging economies. He currently leads LBNL’s support to a multi-country collaboration to accelerate appliance and equipment efficiency. He also leads LBNL’s collaboration with the Regulatory Assistance Project as a Global Best Practice Network on Power where most of LBNL’s efforts are focused on energy policies and programs in India. Amol has published over 40 journal articles, research reports, and conference papers. His work has been featured in the Times of India, Economic Times, The Hindu, Nature Magazine, India and numerous other publications. Amol regularly advises the national government, utilities, and regulators in India on energy policies and programs. Prior to his employment at Berkeley Lab, Amol worked at the Prayas Energy Group and Tata Motors. Amol has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Government College of Engineering, Pune, India, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group, from UC Berkeley.

 

Frank Rieck, Applied Research Professor, Smart e-Mobility, Automotive Center of Expertise

Professor Future Mobility at the Research Centre Sustainable Port Cities of the Rotterdam University of Applied Science. Educated as Mechanical Engineer and Industrial Designer. Frank Rieck has a background in innovation, marketing and management in the Automotive Industry. He is currently responsible for the research and innovation regarding Future Mobility. He is chairman of Dutch-INCERT, a Dutch network of knowledge centres regarding eMobility and is representing the Netherlands as vice president of EU organization AVERE.

 

Amy Sidwell, Manager of Equipment Services, City of Vancouver

Amy is the Manager of Equipment Services for the City of Vancouver. With approximately 1,850 vehicles and equipment in the Vancouver fleet, valued at over $200 million, she is responsible for technology innovation, asset management, and repair and maintenance programs to ensure the fleet is able to support essential public services delivered by all City departments, including Engineering Services, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, Vancouver Police Department, and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services. Equipment Services is also responsible for the City’s Green Fleet Strategy which aims to reduce fleet emissions 50% below 2007 levels by 2030 through the use of innovative technologies such as electric vehicles and lower emission fuels, and by providing fleet users with data about how their fleet assets are used to assist them with operational decisions about deployment and route planning. To date, Vancouver has 115 electric vehicles in the fleet, making it one of the largest municipal fleets of electric vehicles in Canada. Amy holds a Masters of Mechanical Engineering degree from Queen’s University, and has worked for the City for 13 years. Amy is also an active member of the Canadian Association of Municipal Fleet Manager’s and served on the board for the BC Municipal Fleet Management Group for 3 years.

 

Kees Slingerland, Director, Automotive Center of Expertise, The Netherlands

Kees Slingerland (1960) is a senior executive, who managed big companies and has a position in several supervisory boards of societal organizations. Kees has a master’s degree in agriculture and economics (1985) at Wageningen University and he successfully followed a 2-year post-doctorate course in Business Administration (1991). Kees held the following positions in Dutch industry:

  • 1985 Head of the extension service for poultry farming in Gelderland
  • 1989 Director international business in NEHEM Consultancy in The Netherlands and in Budapest
  • 1995 Director of the Flower Auction in Bleiswijk
  • 2000 Director of ARCADIS Netherlands (engineering, listed company)
  • 2007 Director-General Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University
  • 2015 Business Director at AMS: Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions
  • 2018 Director at ACE Automotive Center of Expertise

With his experience in private companies and in scientific organizations, Kees focusses especially on the design of public-private partnerships in research and education. From that expertise he has a position at Université Paris Est, to advise on the erection of a new research institute I-Site FUTURE and in the Advisory Board of Paris Saclay.

Kees supports a few young entrepreneurs in the set-up of sustainable businesses: Laki laki yoghurt factory in Nairobi, Kenya, NNRGY biomass processing in The Netherlands and OffGrid Biodigestors in Vancouver, Canada.

 

Manfred Schmidt, Senior Director Global Business Development Electric Commercial Vehicles, Siemens AG

Schmidt began his career with Siemens at the Power Plant Division in 1981 after completing his study at Nuremberg Technical University. He then joined the newly formed Transport System sector in 1994 and successfully convinced Siemens’ management to invest in electric traction for inner city road transport that led to the development of Siemens ELFA hybrid system. Since 2000, Mr. Schmidt had helped develop Siemens’ commuter train business in Asia and eastern European where he took part in key projects in: India, Kuala Lumpur, Iran, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and more.   Mr. Schmidt assumed his current role in 2007. He is an established speaker on the subject and actively advocates the business case in fostering hybrid and electric inner-city transport in his line of work.

 

Merran Smith, Executive Director, Clean Energy Canada

Merran Smith is a fellow at Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, and the founder and executive director of Clean Energy Canada, a leading think tank advancing clean energy and climate solutions. For most of her career, she has worked to unite industry, government and civil society organizations to solve pressing social and ecological challenges. Her leadership in the landmark Great Bear Rainforest conservation agreement helped ensure the protection of thousands of kilometres of coastal ecosystem. Merran serves as a Canadian representative on the International Clean Energy Ambassador Corps and as co-chair of the B.C. government’s Climate Solutions and Clean Growth Advisory Council. Her 2018 work as co-chair of Natural Resources Canada’s Generation Energy Council helped ideas from a diverse group of stakeholders coalesce into recommendations that will shape Canadas energy future. She has received numerous leadership distinctions, including the ‘Clean 16’ award in 2014 for leadership in clean capitalism, the 2016 Wendy McDonald ‘Community Catalyst’ award from the Vancouver Board of Trade, and the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from Clean Energy B.C.

 

The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi MP, Minister, Natural Resources Canada

The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi is the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Mill Woods and the Minister of Natural Resources. Prior to being elected Member of Parliament, Minister Sohi was a three-term Edmonton City Councillor. This experience taught him the importance of infrastructure as the foundation for strong, sustainable, and inclusive communities. Dedicated to improving Edmonton’s infrastructure and liveability, Minister Sohi represented the city on the Canadian Urban Transit Association and strongly advocated for light rail transit. He also brought forward his passion for inclusive city-building through his representation at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and in leading City Council’s Immigration, Multiculturalism and Racism-Free Edmonton initiatives. Upon assuming the Infrastructure and Communities portfolio, Minister Sohi oversaw the design and early implementation of a plan of more than $180 billion over 12 years — the largest infrastructure investment plan in Canada’s history. This plan invests unprecedented amounts in public transit, green infrastructure, clean water and waste water, affordable housing, trade-enabling infrastructure, rural and northern communities, and more. Minister Sohi was appointed the Minister of Natural Resources in July 2018. His work focuses on developing Canada’s natural resources in an environmentally responsible way. His experience with communities has taught him the importance of building partnerships to advance common goals. Minister Sohi has received several awards in recognition of his community leadership. He lives in Edmonton with his wife and daughter.

 

Bill Van Amburg, Executive Vice President, CALSTART

Bill Van Amburg has over 40 years of experience, including technology development, commercialization and marketing. He is considered an industry expert in advanced technologies for transportation. Bill is the Initiative leader for the medium- and heavy-duty truck and off-road equipment sector, the largest practice area at CALSTART. His responsibilities include heading up strategy and overseeing the Initiative’s portfolio of activities as well as leading business development and other executive management activities for CALSTART. He and his team recently developed with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) a “beachhead” strategy for market transformation of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for zero emission, low NOx and efficiency technology pathways that formed the basis for a multi-year investment plan. His teams also operate, among other projects, California HVIP, Drive Clean Chicago, New York Truck Voucher Incentive Project, High-efficiency Truck Users Forum (HTUF) and multiple technology development, demonstration and validation projects, from high-efficiency, ultra-low emission opposed piston engines for Class 8 trucks to all-electric and range extended drayage and delivery trucks and cargo handling equipment. Bill is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Anthropology, is a graduate of the Executive Management Program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, has a certificate in brand management from Stanford and served on the founding Board of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. Prior to joining CALSTART in 1992 he was an award-winning broadcast journalist focused on science, technology and the environment, which included reporting on the 1980 eruption of the Mount St. Helens volcano.

 

David Warren, Director of Sustainable Technology, New Flyer

David Warren is a preeminent industry leader in the battery-electric and clean propulsion space. He joined New Flyer in 2013 (with the North American Bus Industries or “NABI” acquisition) and leads New Flyer’s sustainable technology strategy, with a specific initial focus on zero emission technologies. David represents New Flyer on technical, industry, and regulatory committees related to clean transportation and evolving technologies, and actively supports transit authorities in the pursuit of public and private grants for low and no-emission propulsions. Prior to New Flyer, David held senior management roles with NABI, overseeing research and development, engineering, field service, and warranty operations. He also has over two decades of executive experience in the medium and heavy-duty truck industry, leading aftermarket, service, engineering and product development teams. David holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from California State University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Washington, and is an accredited Professional Engineer.

 

Dan Welch, Project Manager, CALSTART – Policy & Action Toolkit

Dan Welch is a project manager at CALSTART’s New York office. He manages several regional programs, such as the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program and the innovative workplace Charge To Work electric vehicle program based in New York City. Dan also provides a policy background on clean fuels, electrified transportation strategies, and vehicle technology standards. Prior to joining CALSTART, Dan was a transportation lead at the globally-recognized think tank, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and at the Pace Energy and Climate Center.

Dan holds a master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus on environmental management from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in history and French from Connecticut College. He also holds an advanced open water SCUBA certification.

 

Mark Zacharias, Deputy Minister, British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change

Mark is currently deputy minister (DM) of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. Born in Montreal, Mark grew up in south-east BC and moved to the BC coast after high school. He joined the provincial government in 1995 working on land and marine planning issues and has since worked in eight different ministries in a variety of increasingly senior capacities. Since 2008 he has held ADM positions in post-secondary education, land management, and environment within the BC public service. Mark became DM in 2017 where he is responsible for: parks and protected areas, climate action, environmental protection, environmental sustainability and the conservation officer service.

Mark is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Victoria and Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre. He has published extensively in the field of ecology and conservation and his second book, titled, Marine Policy: An Introduction to Governance and International Law of the Oceans was published in 2014 with a second edition in press for mid 2019.

Mark holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geography from the University of Victoria and a PhD in Zoology from the University of Guelph. He lives in Victoria, with his partner (Karen), 17-year-old son (Sam) and Shayla the dog.