Standing for Re-election as a BCSEA Board DIrector
Diana Sollner
Diana Sollner is an independent advisor on environmental issues in the mining industry. She provides strategy development for environmental studies to maximize value, forensic chemistry, environmental impact assessment, mine closure planning, waste management planning and due diligence. She has worked on projects in the Arctic, North and South America and Africa. Diana holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in Applied Science from the University of British Columbia and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Toronto. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in several jurisdictions. She is also certified as an independent Board Director by Corporate Directors International.
Paul Rasmussen
Paul has been a member of the Victoria Chapter Steering Committee for 6 years and has contributed to a number of BCSEA initiatives including Changing Gears, the federal and provincial election debates, and the current 100% Renewable South Vancouver Island initiative. Paul holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, with strong industry experience, and is interested in applying his technical skills to contribute to the transition to sustainable energy. Paul is also interested in developing the chapter’s ability to educate the public on sustainable energy ideas and practices, especially those who are outside the typical audience for organizations such as ours. Paul is also a BCSEA Board Director.
Nominees standing for election to the BCSEA Board of Directors
Al Humber
Alan has a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and over 33 years’ experience in engineering design, technical sales and business management. He has strong leadership and communication skills, having built and aligned the expectations of project teams for multimillion-dollar projects.
He spent the early part of his career working with an environmental consulting firm. This theme of environmental protection has woven itself throughout the fabric of his career including a period with a mining consultancy where he field-tested and designed wastewater treatment facilities for mines around the world.
He has been a board member of a non-profit society that produces an annual forestry industry conference for the past 15 years including six years on the executive and two as President and Conference Chairman.
In his current role he is heavily involved in the renewable and sustainable energy fields and has direct visibility into commercial and emerging technologies as well as market trends areas that are fundamental to BCSEA’s purview.
We are standing at a unique crossroads in our evolution and the future for the next several generations will be defined by decisions being made in the next three to five years. Alan believes firmly that our collective future will be reliant on the pathways that are currently being determined for future energy production. He believes that the BCSEA can be an influential vehicle in this pursuit and looks forward to the opportunity to join the board to be a part of it.
Matt Simard
Matt Simard is a construction and energy professional with more than 16 years of experience. He is a Journeyperson Electrician, an Alternative Energy Technologist (C.E.T.), and Certified Energy Manager. Matt started his career as an electrician in the oil and gas industry, followed by years working in commercial construction prior to attending the Northern Institute of Technology’s Alternative Energy Technology program. This is where Matt’s passion for sustainability grew, and eventually became the focal point of his career. Today Matt works in general contracting, and has developed and implemented renewable energy, energy storage, and deep energy retrofit projects across western and northern Canada. He brings expertise in sustainability, engineering, construction, and project development.
John Calimente
John is a policy analyst and transportation planner with a keen interest in decarbonising the transportation system and accelerating the energy transition in British Columbia. He has developed, planned, and led the design and construction of major active transportation and streetscape revitalization projects in both local government and private industry. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Urban Studies, both from Simon Fraser University. He is now working to complete an MSc in Energy Policy with the University of Sussex. John works as a policy analyst for the City of Vancouver with a focus on implementing changes to the City’s by-laws as noted in the Climate Emergency Action Plan. This work includes the elimination of minimum off-street parking requirements, understanding the impact of parking construction on GHG emissions, and enhancing the Transportation Demand Management policy