2023 Alberta Climate Summit Bringing Albertans together to lead the energy transformation

Bea Bruske

Bea Bruske was re-elected for a second term as President of the Canadian Labour Congress at the CLC’s 30th Constitutional Convention, held in Montreal in May of 2023. She was first elected to the position at the 29th Constitutional Convention, which was held virtually in 2021. She is only the second woman to hold the position.

For more than three decades, Bea has served workers and their families as an activist, workers’ advocate, negotiator, community organizer and labour leader. Her experience has served her well as President of CLC in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before her election as President, Bea served as Vice-President of the UFCW Canada National Council, which sets the strategic direction for the national union and its more than 250,000 members across the country. She had previously served as Secretary-Treasurer for UFCW Local 832, where she was responsible for the largest private-sector union local in Manitoba.

Bea’s passion for the rights of working people was ignited in 1987 when she and her UFCW Local 832 co-workers held the line for 125 days to achieve a fair contract at the Westfair grocery chain in Manitoba. Over the next seven years, Bea took on roles as a shop steward, health and safety committee member, and was elected by her fellow members as a vice-president of the Local’s executive board. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba’s Labour Studies program. 

Danny Cullenward

Danny Cullenward is a climate economist and lawyer focused on the design and implementation of scientifically grounded climate policy. He is a Senior Fellow with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, a Research Fellow with the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University, and the co-author of Making Climate Policy Work (with David G. Victor). He holds a JD and PhD from Stanford University. 

Sara Hastings-Simon

Dr. Hastings-Simon serves on the Pembina Institute's board of directors. She is a professor in the department of physics and astronomy 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 at the intersection of technology, business, and policy, and how policy responses can improve outcomes.

Sara is 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 also an expert member of the panel for Clean Growth with the Canadian Climate Choices Institute, and a member of the board of directors of Emissions Reduction Alberta and 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.

Dave Kelly (Host)

Dave Kelly is an award-winning host, writer, and interviewer who creates intelligent and deeply human moments for events and keynote conversations around the world. From his beginnings as a TV Host, Dave has spent decades leading conversations with business and political leaders across North America and beyond, from Stanford School of Business in California to Amman, Jordan and everywhere in between. Ellen Degeneres selected Dave as the moderator and interviewer for her multi-city tour across Canada, he hosted a conversation with President Barack Obama in Calgary and sat down for a conversation with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in Montreal.

Dave’s conference work now includes full emcee services, with consultation on program flow, in depth panel discussions, hosting of awards shows, and maintaining pace and flow of the event. He is now seen regularly at single and multi-day conferences across North America in various industries including annual gatherings of the Canadian Credit Union Association, Celero, Global Business Forum, Scale AI, Lowes, Bayer and Modivcare.

Dave is the co- founder of Kelly Brothers Productions, a video and entertainment company.

Jennifer Livingstone 

Jennifer Livingstone is the Vice President of Enterprise Climate Strategy at RBC, responsible for accelerating the execution of RBC’s climate strategy and actions, coordinating across bank, leading on climate disclosure, and ensuring that the strategy is meeting evolving stakeholder expectations for this strategic priority. Jennifer brings over 15 years of experience in Climate, Finance, and ESG to RBC. In her prior role at a leading financial institution, she advised the CEO on key climate initiatives, including coordination across leading European and American banks. She holds a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University, a Bachelor’s of Commerce from Queens University, as well as a CMA designation.  

Na'im Merchant

Na'im Merchant is the Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada. He is passionate about the potential for carbon removal to meet climate goals while driving positive economic and social change. He previously founded Carbon Curve, a consulting practice focused on scaling up carbon removal working with start-ups and non-profits in North America and Europe. He is a Policy Fellow with Elemental Excelerator and hosts the Carbon Curve podcast on scaling carbon removal. Na'im brings 10+ years of leadership experience in non-profits that expanded access to health innovations around the world. He holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. 

Premier Danielle Smith

https://www.alberta.ca/premier