Dr. Anne Hicks is an associate professor in Pediatric Respiratory Medicine and the clinical lead of the Stollery Children’s Environmental Health Clinic, a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, at the University of Alberta. She founded the Stollery Pediatric Complex Asthma clinic and collaborates on provincial and national asthma care pathways. Her interdisciplinary research group studies how air pollution and other exposures, affects lung health and development, and what steps people can take to prevent or mitigate those harms.

Sammy Lowe is a Research Lead with the Climate Health and Environment Epidemiology Research Lab within the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. He graduated with an MSc in Epidemiology from the U of A’s School of Public Health, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Drama from the U of A’s Augustana Campus. He is passionate about working collaboratively with others, interdisciplinary research, and striving to bring an equity-focused lens to all that he does.

Tianqi Zhao is a third year Ph.D. student in Epidemiology, under the supervision of Dr. Shelby Yamamoto and Prof. Gian Jhangri, at the School of Public Health, University of Alberta. She is also a graduate research assistant with the Climate Health and Environment Epidemiology Research Lab within the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. Her research interests include climate change, air pollution, environmental epidemiology and mental health epidemiology, and her thesis is about heat exposure and depression in South Africa. She graduated with an MSc Degree in Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, the University of Alberta in 2022. She obtained a Bachelor of Public Health Degree at Monash University in 2019. She has also experience working at the Gauteng Department of Health, South Africa, focusing on health promotion program monitoring and evaluation.

Crystal Parrell has worked in the air quality field with the Government of Alberta for the past 20 years. She is currently the Director of Airshed Sciences, leading a team that focuses on the monitoring, evaluation and reporting of ambient air quality and atmospheric deposition. She has always had a passion for making data and information available to the public and promoting use of the Air Quality Health Index.

Stephen Vallee has 12 years of service as a Meteorologist with the Meteorological Service of Canada – Environment and Climate Change Canada. He is a Program Supervisor at the Prairie and Arctic Storm Prediction Center in Edmonton, where he manages the Air Quality and Health portfolio.

Adrian Dybwad, CEO, founded PurpleAir after creating his own air quality sensor to measure the particulate pollution coming out of a gravel pit near his home in Utah. He quickly discovered great interest from the community as he made additional sensors. After extremely favorable evaluations from regulators and researchers, PurpleAir grew rapidly in popularity. PurpleAir is now the largest public air quality sensor network in the world. An immigrant from South Africa, Adrian believes that his previous experience with computer programming and electronics, along with a significant investment of time, allowed him to create the sensor and build many of the backend systems that support it.

Dr. Anna Farquhar is R&D Team Lead at Aeroqual Ltd, a New Zealand based company that specialises in sensor based real-time ambient air quality monitoring. Aeroqual designs and delivers integrated hardware and software platforms to reliably measure the air. Anna has a PhD in chemistry from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and completed a Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta. Both her PhD and postdoctoral work focused on advanced energy storage solutions. Anna returned to New Zealand in 2019 and began work as a senior scientist in the R&D team at Aeroqual. Her initial work focussed on electrochemical gas sensors and improving their performance for ambient air monitoring. She now manages the R&D team at Aeroqual. The team is currently focused on developing new solutions for monitoring methane and benzene.

Mike Andrews is a Certified Electrical Technologist (CET) and holds a diploma in Electrical Engineering Technology from the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). He has been working in the clean technology sector for over 5 years, with a focus in smart city sensing and data collection, smart grid technology, renewable energy and storage systems. Mike joined Liveable Cities and LED Roadway Lighting Ltd. in 2019 and is responsible for leading smart city projects in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Miguel Escribano is the Director of Business Development at Bettair, specializing in greentech, IoT, AI, and sensor systems for environmental management. He promotes a multistakeholder approach, to accelerate the adoption of sensor-based technologies. Previously, he led World Athletics’ Clean Air Project and helped grow leading companies in sensor systems and AI-driven intelligence. He received an honorable mention from the 2018 US EPA Wildland Fire Sensors Challenge and has been part of award-winning teams at the Airlab Challenge, including Bettair’s win in 2023. He is a member of CEN/TC264/WG42 (Gas Sensors) and CEN/TC264/WG41 (Odour Monitoring Systems) standardization groups.

Melissa Masse works for the City of Edmonton as the Extreme Weather Response Coordinator, where she is responsible for planning and implementing measures to keep residents safe from poor air quality, extreme cold, and extreme heat. Not only does she navigate the impact of extreme weather on residents, but she brings the perspective of a Social Worker within the Affordable Housing and Homelessness Section. Melissa also participates in the Sector Emergency Response, a collaboration between the City, Homeward Trust and more than 25 system and partner agencies working together to keep our vulnerable citizens safe and warm on a daily basis.

Jocelyn Thrasher-Haug, M.Sc., P.Ag., P.Biol. is a Professional Biologist with over twenty years of municipal experience with Strathcona County. She is currently the Manager of Agriculture & Environment, responsible for a diverse team focused on environmental planning, invasive plant management, wildlife management and agriculture initiatives. She has been a municipal representative on the Alberta Capital Airshed Board since 2012, and is the current President. She fosters a strong connection between the municipal realm and the Airshed to support the community, ensuring easily accessible, high-quality data, and the expertise to interpret and translate so we can all make good decision that positively affect the air we breathe.

Michael Hancharyk is the Environment Manager for the City of Leduc. In this role, he leads waste management, wetland restoration, environmental assessments and executes action within the Environmental Plan. Previously, Michael worked with organizations and municipalities enhancing sustainable living. He is also an active board member of Green Kids Inc. Michael also represents the City of Leduc on ACA’s Community Collaboration Committee

Lisa Jackson is the Executive Director of Environmental Emergency Management with the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas. She has a BSc with specialization in Meteorology from the University of Alberta. Lisa has a long career in environmental management including forecasting fire weather, air quality consulting, working with airsheds, and manager for the Capital Region Cumulative Effects program. Lisa is an executive coach and accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF). Lisa is passionate about working with stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of environmental issues, respond to environmental emergencies, and build resilience to prepare for our future.

Dr. Amina Hussein is a mom and an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alberta. As a Canada Research Chair in Laser-Interactions, her research team works in interdisciplinary spaces, including addressing issues in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Her academic research, as well as her community involvement on boards of the Michener Park Education Society and the Tomorrow Foundation for a Sustainable Future, are what brought her to her recent work in air-quality monitoring, children’s health, and recommendations for child-care centres. Amina represents the Tomorrow Foundation for a Sustainable Future on ACA’s Community Collaboration Committee.

Erin Olefeldt is the Climate Resilience Advisor for the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL). Erin enjoys supporting Edmonton’s 163 Community Leagues in creating greener, healthier, more sustainable neighbourhoods. Previously, she worked for the Sierra Club of Canada and for the Species at Risk branch of the federal government. Erin has a degree in environmental science from the University of Manitoba, a passion for ecological landscape design and has led multiple community-based sustainability projects, including the creation of Edmonton’s largest community rain garden. Erin represents EFCL on ACA’s Community Collaboration Committee.

Terry Wickham is the long-serving Producer and Artistic Director of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, a position he’s held since 1989. With a Master’s Degree in Economics/Administration from Trinity College Dublin, Terry has a diverse background, including stints as a professional soccer player, piano mover, and even an extra in Superman 3. He produced the Calgary Folk Festival from 1996 to 2005 and has overseen 44 Canadian folk festivals in total. Outside of his professional life, Terry enjoys travel, reading, and tennis, and is dedicated to helping smaller festivals grow.

Dr. Elizabeth Adelakun holds both an MSc and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Nottingham, UK. Her career in the environmental field spans multiple sectors, including consulting, oil and gas, and manufacturing, where she has consistently championed sustainable practices.  Elizabeth is deeply committed to minimizing the environmental footprint of industrial operations, with pollution prevention, energy optimization and waste minimization, as central pillars of her work.

Currently, she serves as the Environmental Manager for Heidelberg Materials Cement Operations in the Northwest Region, where she leads efforts in air pollution monitoring and abatement. Elizabeth serves on the Board of Directors of Alberta Capital Airshed.

Chandra Tomaras is the Environment and Climate Resilience Director for the City of Edmonton. With 20 years of experience in the environmental sector, Chandra leads initiatives focused on environmental sustainability, air quality management, and climate change resilience. Her role in developing the City of Edmonton’s Energy Transition Strategy and Climate Resilience Adaptation Strategy has been pivotal in advancing Edmonton toward a low-carbon and climate resilient future. Chandra is a Professional Engineer, and has a Bachelors of Law and a BSc in Environmental Systems Engineering. Chandra has been actively engaged as an ACA Board Director since 2015.

Peter Bieman has been the lead instructor in Air Pollution and Monitoring, Environmental Law, Waste Management Systems and Sustainability for NAIT’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment diploma program since 2006. With a Master of Science and Master of Engineering degree from Western University, Canada, he worked for environmental consultants for 2 years in Ontario before moving to Alberta in 1984. Over the next 22 years, Peter was employed by major petrochemical refineries in Fort Saskatchewan and Edmonton in their Environmental Departments and engaged in all aspects of Environmental Operations and Management.  He currently serves as Vice-President of the Alberta Capital Airshed’s (ACA) Board of Directors and has been a Board Member with the ACA since 2017.

Colten Nahrebeski has spent his career between Tokyo, Japan, and Edmonton, Alberta, focused on identifying messaging that promotes behaviour change. Whether in the field of marketing, or more recently, the air quality space as the Membership Coordinator at Alberta Capital Airshed, his ability to connect with key stakeholders and get buy-in for large-scale organizational change is a driving factor in levelling up the air quality discourse in the Capital Region. Colten is led by the belief that all members of society benefit from better access to information, and we all have a part to play in taking care of our environment for current and future generations.

Karla Reesor is a Co-chair of the Alberta Airsheds Council and the Executive Director of the Peace River Area Monitoring Program, known as PRAMP. In addition to her work with Airsheds, she has been involved in a broad range of projects in the energy, environment, government, and not-for-profit sectors. As a facilitator, mediator and coach, Karla appreciates the opportunities she has had to work in different sectors with so many great people, especially within the Airshed community.

Melissa Pockar is a creative problem solver skilled at connecting people and ideas. She holds a BSc in Environmental Systems and has 15 years of experience in environmental, regulatory, and social performance in the natural resources sector. Since 2013, she has led her consulting practice, focusing on strategic planning, systems development, and effective communications for small businesses and not-for-profits, ranging from large-scale carbon sequestration projects to small-batch chocolate production. For nearly a decade, Melissa has worked with Airsheds across the province. As the Communications Manager for Alberta Capital Airshed and West Central Airshed Society, she leads initiatives that raise awareness and empower individuals by simplifying complex scientific data, helping them make informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Colten Nahrebeski has spent his career between Tokyo, Japan, and Edmonton, Alberta, focused on identifying messaging that promotes behaviour change. Whether in the field of marketing, or more recently, the air quality space as the Membership Coordinator at Alberta Capital Airshed, his ability to connect with key stakeholders and get buy-in for large-scale organizational change is a driving factor in levelling up the air quality discourse in the Capital Region. Colten is led by the belief that all members of society benefit from better access to information, and we all have a part to play in taking care of our environment for current and future generations.