Meet the ACEE Board

Brian Callaghan is the chair of ACEE. Prior to joining the ACEE Board Brian was a governance consultant with the Public School Boards Association of Alberta (PSBAA) of which he was a past Executive Director. He also works with the Ke Tas Kee Now Education Authority as a policy and governance consultant. He has supported school boards throughout the province in the areas of board governance, policy review, board evaluation and CEO recruitment and evaluation. He also did similar with the Alberta School Boards Association. Prior to joining PSBAA, he served as a Superintendent of Schools for 25 years with Northland School Division, Mount Rundle and Banff School Division and finally with the Canadian Rockies Public Schools. His return as a trustee completes the journey back to the beginning. He is a past president of College of Alberta School Superintendents and Chair of Council on Alberta Teaching Standards as well as co-chair of Windsong Children and Family Services.

Dr. Jim Sandercock is the Vice-Chair of ACEE, as well as the inaugural Chair of the Alternative Energy diploma program at NAIT. The two-year diploma program prepares highly qualified personnel who design and assemble renewable energy systems such as solar PV, energy efficiency measures such as geothermal, and conservation measures through energy auditing and energy management planning. Curriculum also explores the production of energy and liquid biofuels from waste and agricultural products. Jim has worked with other parts of NAIT to create solar upgrading courses for electricians and engineers in Alberta and Cuba. He holds a PhD in Microbiology and Biotechnology from the University of Alberta.

Tom Gee is the Treasurer at ACEE. Prior to joining ACEE's board, he was an assurance partner with an international public accounting firm from which he retired in August of 2021. He has extensive experience with not-for profit organizations, particularly in governance and risk management, where, over a forty-three year period, he served on boards or as the auditor or financial advisor.

Tanya Doran is the past chair of ACEE. She served on the Alberta Premier's Panel on Energy Efficiency in 2016, and is Sustainability lead for Stantec in Alberta.  She has spent her career championing sustainable building design and seeking synergies between 'green buildings' and occupant behaviour.  From  her first role at an electric utility provider to her recent senior roles consulting for large national organizations and the electric transmission council in Edmonton, Tanya has seen the evolution of sustainable design practice across Western Canada.

Melissa Easton has been teaching Math, Science and Outdoor Education at Arbour Lake School (Calgary Board of Education) for a decade.  She is passionate about getting students outside, and ​works with fellow teachers to connect their curriculum with real life scenarios in the outdoors. Melissa has partnered with CAWST, Alberta Parks, the Mayors Expo, CPAWS, Inside Education, and ​MindFuel among others to increase her students​'​ opportunities. She is an outdoor enthusiast in her personal life and enjoys helping students build a love for exploring and protecting nature.

Tim Weis has been an Industrial Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta since 2017. His work has focused on renewable energy development in Canada with a particular interest in wind energy as well as remote community wind-diesel hybrid applications. Prior to joining the University of Alberta, he spent much of his career focused the interactions of technology, policy and business for renewable energy, including working for the Pembina Institute, the Canadian Wind Energy Association and an advisor to Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Through the Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy and the Environment (CABREE) in the School of Business, his research focuses on the evolution of Alberta’s electricity market price impacts and policy modelling as it transitions off of coal to an increasing role for renewable energy and energy storage, wind energy.

As a member of the Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) team, Jennifer is committed to enabling the adoption of clean technology and promoting innovation throughout the Alberta economy. She is committed to supporting the equitable transition to a clean economy. It’s a challenging journey but with risk also comes opportunity and the ability to influence change. The bulk of her career has been focussed on managing climate risk in the industrial sector and advising on public statements surrounding sustainability metrics. Currently with ERA her focus is on enabling clean technology innovative to further Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reductions and supporting the development of ERA calls for projects.  Jennifer is very excited to join the ACEE Board to support their significant work to advance environmental education in children and youth.

Lesley Margetak is a grade 2 teacher at Horace Allen School in Coleman where she has established an Eco Club. She also began a multi-year project developing "Peaks to Prairies Outdoor Learning Environment,” which embraces place-based learning, forest school ethos and expanding boundaries to foster student responsibility and stewardship through regular connections with nature! Lesley is co-chair, along with the LRSD Associate Superintendent, of the Professional Development Council in Livingstone Range School Division and attends the provincial ATA PD leadership workshops as the representative of Livingstone Range local ATA.  She is often raving about a program or session that she learned about through ACEE! She currently serves as Chair of the Crowsnest Pass Community Swimming Pool Board and previously served on the Friends of the Frank Slide Interpretive Center Board.

Donna Ross is an Indigenous educator with 30 years of experience in Alberta working with Indigenous communities, providing professional consulting, and supporting schools with Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Donna brings passion and deep knowledge of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit histories, the impact of residential schools, and the infusion of Indigenous ways of knowing into the Alberta curriculum and organizational culture. Currently Donna is consulting with post-secondary programs, working with K-12 teachers as an Indigenous knowledge keeper, and as a designer of professional learning. She resides in Calgary, AB and is a proud kokum.

David Kleiman has been a passion-driven high school educator fueled by a love of nature and science for the past 14 years. He strives to empower youth through positive thinking, a growth mindset, and a strong work ethic, but he also makes sure everyone has a good laugh along the way. He lives to use his voice to propagate love for nature. His calling is to bridge ideological divides, build community, and cultivate core values of conservation, sustainability, and regenerative agriculture. David has a thinly-veiled addiction to learning, and has a podcast recommendation for just about everything. If you’re looking for him, you’ll find him with his wife and two daughters somewhere outside either bird watching, hiking, biking, camping, floating, or gardening while talking about cows and farmers markets.