Bill Hunter is president and owner of Northern Opportunities Facilitation Inc., a consulting service focused on northern economic development, bio-based economies, environmental enhancements, business planning and mentoring, and Aboriginal capacity building.

In 2004, he retired as president and COO of Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac), after 13 years with the company. He has more than 30 years experience in the forestry industry in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.

Hunter has been involved with several boards and committees including the Alberta Forestry Research Institute Board (Industry co-chair), the Alberta Science and Research Authority Board, the Alberta Life Sciences Institute, the Alberta Climate Change Central Board, and the Alberta Research Council Industry Advisory Committee. He is the former president of the Alberta Chamber of Resources.

Judith Dwarkin

Judith Dwarkin is chief economist for the Ross Smith Energy Group, a Calgary-based firm providing independent energy research.

Before joining Ross Smith, Dwarkin was senior vice-president, Global Energy, with the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI), where she managed the domestic and international research program pertaining to crude oil markets and prices, as well as CERI’s conference and training divisions.

Prior to joining CERI, she was a managing director with the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, where she was responsible for oil and gas market analysis and energy regulatory interventions on behalf of the Government of Alberta. Earlier in her career, she was director, supply economics for the Alberta Department of Energy, where she was responsible for evaluating Alberta’s oil and gas royalty and incentives system.

Dwarkin’s expertise includes energy market operations and regulation, transportation issues, and energy policy.

André Plourde is professor and chair, Department of Economics, University of Alberta. He received his BA and MA from the University of New Brunswick, and a PhD from the University of British Columbia.

After serving as assistant professor and research associate at the University of Toronto from 1983 to 1987, he joined the Department of Economics at the University of Ottawa. In 1997, Plourde undertook a one-year assignment as director of economic studies and policy analysis with the federal Department of Finance. He joined the University of Alberta in 1998, where he helped launch the Natural Resources and Energy specialization within the School of Business’s MBA program. In 2003-04, Plourde took a leave from the university and was appointed associate assistant deputy minister, Energy, at Natural Resources Canada.

He has served on numerous advisory committees and currently serves as president of the International Association for Energy Economics. Plourde is extensively published in his areas of interest: energy, economics, Canadian energy policy, and energy and the environment.

Kenneth J. McKenzie is a professor in the Department of Economics, University of Calgary. He received his BComm from the University of Saskatchewan, his MA from the University of Calgary, and his PhD from Queen’s University.

From 1984 to 1986, McKenzie was an economist in the Tax Policy Branch of the federal Department of Finance. His first academic appointment was at the University of Toronto in 1990 and he has been at the University of Calgary since 1992. His principal area of research is public economics, with an emphasis on taxation and political economy. McKenzie is also the EnCana Scholar at the C.D. Howe Institute and has been a visiting fellow at research institutes in both Germany and Australia.

He is on the Panel of Experts for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and has provided analysis and advice on tax policy to several developing countries. At the provincial level, McKenzie sat on the Taxation and Finance Committee of the Alberta Economic Development Authority and was a member of the Alberta Business Tax Review Committee in 2000. He was also an expert advisor to Alberta’s Financial Review Commission in 2002 and involved in the research for the federal government’s Technical Committee on Business Taxation in 1997.

Sam Spanglet is currently a member of the Board of Directors at Atco Power.

After earning a Chemical Engineering degree in 1973, he began his career working for Monsanto. In 1981, he joined Shell Canada as operations manager at the Styrene Plant at Scotford, progressing in 1989 to quality manager for Eastern Canada in Toronto. In 1991, he became manufacturing superintendent for the Sarnia Complex, then was promoted to general manager, manufacturing, for Ontario in 1994. He returned to the Scotford Refinery in 1996 as general manager of the Scotford Complex, taking on responsibility for managing Shell’s manufacturing in Western Canada, as well as overseeing the successful integration of a newly constructed upgrader.

In the spring of 2003, Sam moved to the Shell head office as vice-president Operations Oil Sands and president, Albian Sands Energy Inc. There, he oversaw oilsands operations, including the Scotford Complex and Albian Sands. He retired from Shell Canada on May 1, 2006.

Evan Chrapko received his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta and a law degree from Columbia University. He holds a professional Chartered Accounting designation with a CA.IT specialty and is a member of two provincial CA bodies – the Alberta and the Ontario Institutes of Chartered Accountants. He has received numerous awards, including Early Career Achievement Awards from both the University of Alberta and the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Chrapko is the founder and CEO of a number of technology companies. An entrepreneur who has contributed significantly to technological developments, Chrapko is currently the CEO of The Crystal Cougar Group of Companies. Chrapko’s previous company, DDYTech, serves all aspects of the energy sector, tracking all project costs and progress from initial engineering through to capital construction/expansion, operations and maintenance/shutdowns. The system applies to both asset owners and the contractor community. He is the co-inventor of two software patents.

Chrapko is a board member of the 25-year old Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, which co-funds the work of several Nobel Laureates among its 300 researchers. He has also served as an Executive in Residence at the U of A Business School and is an alumnus of the Henry Crown Fellowship. Chrapko is currently an Advisory Committee member for the Alberta Value-Added & Technology Commercialization Task Force, reporting to the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. The Task Force will review and advise, to ensure Alberta leverages its natural, financial and human advantages to develop a diversified, value-added and knowledge-based economy.