Board of Directors

Allison is the Director of Sustainability at the Municipal Finance Authority, the infrastructure bank to BC municipalities and regional districts. As a municipal member-owned co-operative, MFA provides low cost, customized financial solutions that support BC local governments in building resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

Derek has been working in local government since 2011, he has worked in economic development, community development and climate action. Derek is currently a Community Energy Specialist with the City of Victoria where he focusses on building modernization including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing resilience and energy efficiency.

Denise Chang-Yen is a purpose-driven senior business leader with over 25 years of experience in energy transition and low carbon solutions. She has led ventures and multi-disciplinary working groups in renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation, nature-based solutions, and carbon offset projects. She has worked with corporations, Indigenous communities, environmental organizations, and municipalities. Denise is currently working with the City of Edmonton’s Environment and Climate Resilience team.

As Climate and Sustainability Manager with the City of Kamloops, Glen Cheetham leads a passionate team dedicated to advancing the City’s climate action goals and targets. With 30+ years of experience in local government, Glen understands that ‘thinking globally and acting locally’ requires ongoing, meaningful community engagement with people of all ages, means, and abilities.

Brodie has served in executive and roles and on boards with public and Indigenous funds investing in sustainable development and conservation finance throughout British Columbia. Having served as an advisor to philanthropic organizations and governments across Canada, Brodie has developed expertise in corporate and non-profit governance, ESG and impact investing, renewable energy infrastructure, major gifts fundraising, and facilitating public-private partnerships.

Cecilia is the Climate Action Secretariat Engagement Manager for Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET), where she builds strategic partnerships with rural and remote communities across BC and facilitates alignment between ACET and the Provincial Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions. She holds a Masters in Sustainability Science, is a certified Change Management Practitioner, and brings diverse experience in local, regional, and provincial government including climate implementation, rural innovation, and energy policy and program development.

Gordon Lambert has been engaged in business and sustainability in the energy sector for 45 years. He has served as Interim CEO of Alberta’s Energy Regulator, played a key role in the design and creation of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), helped design the Alberta Climate Leadership Plan, served as the Suncor Energy and Sustainability Executive-in-Residence at the Ivey Business School, and led Suncor Energy’s sustainability strategy prior to his retirement in 2015. He currently also serves on the Board of the Canadian Climate Institute.

John Madden is Director of Sustainability and Engineering at the University of British Columbia as well as an Adjunct Professor in the Masters of Engineering Leadership – High Performance Buildings program. John oversees the development and implementation of UBC’s ambitious Climate Action Plan 2030, which has been recognized by the Times Higher Education Impact rankings for its leadership and impact. John has dedicated his career to working with local governments, non-profits, private sector and international agencies to advance progressive sustainability and climate initiatives.

Paul is a Corporate Director and Principal Consultant at the Brentwood Advisory Group in Victoria, a small local consultancy providing strategic, organizational, financial and climate resiliency advice to select clients across British Columbia.

Sepideh brings over 25 years of diverse industry expertise, with a decade dedicated to market transformation and energy efficiency. Her commitment to socially and environmentally responsible solutions drives her focus on participatory program and strategy development. Sepideh prioritizes building trust within the communities she works with and collaboratively crafting solutions that address all stakeholders’ needs. She is the principal owner of Unrooz Solutions.

Steve has worked at the intersection of community climate action and local governance for over 10 years, most recently as a city councillor, consultant and policy professional.