Panelists
Earth@UCalgary Grand Opening and Career Night
Moderator: Deborah Yedlin
President & CEO, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
Deborah Yedlin joined the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in July, 2021 with a background that includes experience on Wall Street and Bay Street, and more than two decades as a business columnist for various media outlets, commenting on the nexus of business and politics since 1996. Since moving to Calgary in 1992, she has been very active in the Calgary community - as a board member on a number of not-for-profit organizations including serving as the co-chair of the 2016 United Way Campaign. Deborah served as the 14th Chancellor of the University of Calgary and is currently one of three co-chairs of the $250 million Calgary Cancer Centre fundraising campaign. A first-generation Canadian, born and raised in Edmonton, Deborah is a graduate of the University of Alberta and Queen’s University. She also completed her ICD.D designation through the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary.
Paul Bauman
Principal Geophysicist/Geological Engineer, BGC Engineering
Paul Bauman, M.Sc., P.Geoph. (AB), P.Eng. (BC, AB, SK), has over 35 years of experience. Over the years Paul has trained and mentored countless geophysicists and expanded the group’s capabilities to include geotechnical investigations, groundwater exploration, and archaeological investigations. After completing an engineering degree at Princeton, he spent several years completing and managing borehole geophysical surveys working for Schlumberger in the jungles of Borneo and Indonesia before completing a Masters’ in Hydrogeology and Geophysics at the University of Waterloo. Paul’s pioneering work in near-surface geophysics and his volunteer activities for humanitarian projects has earned him recognition with special awards from APEGA, the Calgary Herald, and the Society of Exploration Geophysics. Paul was named as the 2020 Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysics Distinguished Lecturer and his work has also been featured in television documentaries, newspaper articles, and radio and television interviews.
Colin Frostad
VP Exploration, Tourmaline Oil
Colin Frostad has served as the Vice President, Exploration of Tourmaline Oil Corp. since November 2019. Prior thereto, he was Exploration Manager of the Company’s NEBC and PRH operating areas, and Senior Geologist at Tourmaline, since February 2009. Before joining Tourmaline Colin served as Geologist at Duvernay Oil Corp until its acquisition in 2008. Colin holds a Master of Science (Geology) and Bachelor of Science (Geology) from the University of Calgary. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia and the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists.
Kelly Matheson-King
Co-Founder and COO, BluEarth Renewables
Kelly Matheson-King is a co-founder of BluEarth and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2015. Kelly is responsible for leading BluEarth Renewables operations team across Canada and the United States, ensuring the safe and reliable operations of all of their renewable energy facilities. Kelly also leads BluEarth’s Health & Safety, Communications, and Risk & Compliance teams. Kelly has over 20 years of experience in the North American renewable power sector. During that time, Kelly has provided key leadership in the permitting, development, and operations of many pioneering wind, hydroelectric and solar power facilities across a range of jurisdictions and power markets. Prior to BluEarth, Kelly held leadership roles at TransAlta Corporation and Canadian Hydro Developers, providing oversight of the development of greenfield renewable energy projects and the operations of a diverse fleet of power generation facilities across Canada and the United States. Kelly holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Calgary, and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. She is a mentor with Creative Destruction Lab, and a founding member and mentor with Nature Canada’s Women for Nature.
Leoni Rivers
Indigenous Business Advisor & Negotiator, Founder, CEO, Leoni Rivers Consulting
Leoni Rivers is a member of the Squamish Nation and was born in Kitwanga, BC, part of the Gitxsan Nation. Leoni’s Gitxsan name is Ksigegiasu. Leoni is in the Fireweed Clan, in the Wilp (House Group) Hanamuxw from Gitsegukla, Gitxsan Territories. Leoni has a Bachelor of Arts in Education, UBC, a Diploma of Public Sector Management and a Certificate in Administration of Aboriginal Governments both from the University of Victoria. She has several years of experience in the area of Indigenous Affairs and working collaboratively with First Nations and Métis communities in Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon. Leoni has worked in the private and public sectors and has extensive experience in strategic planning, policy development, financial management, strategic communications, and public administration. Using her 17+ years of Indigenous experience, she quickly established strategic approaches to community relations and corporate responsibility. Leoni’s work with all levels of government demonstrated her speciality to built diverse relationships to manage environmental, social and political risks associated with doing business across Canada. She is a team builder/leader, innovator, partner, communicator with ample experience working nationally and across diverse cultures. Leoni continues to work with Indigenous and Metis communities, industry, governments and other stakeholders to promote social and economic opportunities to enhance the economic reconciliation of Indigenous Peoples and regional and federal policies.
Joy Romero
Executive Advisor, Innovation, Canadian Natural Resources Limited
In her current role as Canadian Natural Resources Limited’s vice-president, technology and innovation, Joy Romero realizes an ideal in which she works for the good of a single company while acting in the best interests of the whole oilsands sector. Joy’s commitment and leadership have landed her key positions including as chair of the Clean Resource Innovation Network, as a board member of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance and Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada, a member of the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council, and as an advisor to several NSERC chairs. Born in Montreal in 1956, Joy grew up around mining. As her career interests took shape, she earned an engineering degree in metallurgy in Eastern Canada (much later, she added an MBA in project management and energy from the University of Athabasca). She spent her early career in iron ore and coal before shifting to oilsands in 1997 with SNC-Lavalin as part of the team that built the Suncor Millennium project. In 2001, she joined Canadian Natural to steward the development, commissioning and operation of bitumen production within the Horizon Oil Sands Project. The company worked collaboratively not just internally but also with other oilsands operators, she said. That model stuck with Joy and informed all her subsequent work. To recast the oilsands in a more favourable public light, she has said, will require an educational component to overturn some of the misinformation about the industry and to set the record straight on the major advances that have already been achieved.