Meet CEP Calgary's Board
Nisha Saini | Chair
Nisha is a project manager and water resource planner with a wide variety of skillsets and expertise. She received her B.Sc. in Biology from Queen’s University in 2013 and her M.Sc. in Integrated Water Resource Management from McGill University in 2019. Nisha has eight years of experience within environmental consulting, municipal government, academia, and the charitable sector. After her masters, she worked for various global water organizations including Global Water Partnership and UN Environment on SDG 6 monitoring and reporting. Most recently, Nisha has been working at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) to help develop a brand-new Integrated Water Management diploma where she is currently one of the core instructors. During her time at SAIT, she has also worked with the City of Calgary to conduct research on water conservation and watershed health monitoring.
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Nisha is an active member of her community of Bankview and Calgary, and also sits on the Young Professionals Committee of the Bow River Basin Council. She is keen to get out to the mountains whenever she can, and loves to ski, play tennis, and bike.
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Maya Douglas | Director
Maya is a sustainability solutionist and thought leader focused on mitigating greenwashing and legal risk related to the intersection of sustainability strategy, ESG reporting, and corporate liability. She is a Senior Manager in the ESG Legal Risk & Disclosure Practice at KPMG.
After gaining her Master of Laws in International Environmental Law, focusing on Climate Change Law from Edinburgh Law School in Scotland, UK, she moved to Calgary in 2010 and explored a variety of roles before establishing her career as a sustainability advisor. Shortly after joining Deloitte's Sustainability & Climate Change practice in 2014, she became involved with CEP in Calgary. Through CEP Maya created a strong network of friends and trusted advisors who also supported her in taking on the role of Program Director for the 2016 Leading Change Conference in association with the GLOBE Conference in Vancouver.
The magnificent mountains and energy in the incredible people here are what keeps Maya in Calgary. When she's not playing ultimate frisbee, she can be found playing on rock, snow, or ice.
Kate Koplovich | Director/CEP Canada Liaison
Born and raised in Cowtown, Kate's purpose and passion is Calgary. As an Economist with Calgary Economic Development, Kate works on Calgary's economic strategy, Calgary in the New Economy, to make Calgary the city of choice for the world's best entrepreneurs embracing technology to solve the world's greatest challenges. She is most passionate about her placemaking portfolio and its intersectionality with sustainability, innovation, and diversification of YYC's economy.
Before making the leap to Calgary Economic Development in the middle of the global pandemic, Kate worked in Deloitte's Sustainability and Climate Change team for six years supporting Canadian companies to take meaningful action on climate change and sustainability management. With Deloitte, she is most proud of her work with two household-name companies to commit to and set Science-Based Targets, and adopt supporting strategic initiatives.
Kate has an MSc in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment from University College London, specializing in renewable energy systems and energy economics and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Business Sustainability Management and Economics.
Outside of work Kate is an avid outdoors(wo)man and is looking forward to (and a bit daunted by) her first Half Iron (wo)Man in September 2021. Kate is also passionate about music in all its forms: choir, instruments, and musical theatre, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Choir Alberta as the Vice President, Development.
Marissa Hansen | Director, Marketing and Communications
Marissa holds a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary and a Certificate in Digital Marketing. During her studies, she developed a passion for ecology, zoology, and conservation. Marissa has a diverse professional background, including roles in marketing and recruitment at the University of Calgary and visitor engagement at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. She is currently working as the Communications Manager at Calgary Humane Society, where she combines her love for animals—especially dogs—with her commitment to animal welfare..
In addition to her position at CEP Calgary, she writes blogs for the Alberta Institute of Wildlife Conservation. She is also a Jazzercise Instructor in NW Calgary.
Eric Westrum | Director
After completing his undergraduate degree in Biology, followed by stints of extended travel to South Korea and Australia, Eric Westrum migrated north from the U.S. to pursue an MSc at the University of Calgary in Sustainable Energy Development. Calgary’s proximity to world-class natural parks and outdoor spaces proved more than enough to keep him from leaving. Currently, he is a Senior Sustainability Advisor at Suncor helping to integrate sustainability concepts and thought leadership into project development, risk management, corporate strategy and climate disclosure. This work contributes to broader strategic external engagement and advocacy on environmental, social and governance topics.
In addition to his board position with Connecting Environmental Professionals, he's also a Board Co-Chair at Alberta Ecotrust, and continuously tries to pursue other impactful and solutions-oriented volunteering opportunities. Biking and other outdoor pursuits on the weekends or during his free time also help him to re-focus and balance priorities.
Amit Sharma | Director
Amit has 15 years of industry experience as a hydrogeologist and is the Mining Sector Lead with Matrix Solutions Inc. He is committed to supporting the mining sector with sustainable practices, proper stakeholder engagement, and environmental stewardship.
His professional career started as an Electronics Engineering Technologist and was employed with a small Calgary business working on high end audio equipment. He quickly realized that geology was where his true passion lay after working at Teck Resources as a summer student. Amit went back to school and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Saskatchewan.
In his spare time Amit is actively supporting the growth of an Aircraft Maintenance Operation based at the Calgary Airport, where he provides strategic growth planning and operational support. When he is not looking at rocks or in the hangar he enjoys spending time with his wife, two daughters and being active in recreational sports.
Shawna Adams | Director/Treasurer
As a senior environmental advisor with TC Energy, Shawna has over 15 years of experience at the forefront of integrating environmental governance, risk management, planning and permitting, sustainability and ESG in the energy industry. She provides strategic advice on environmental risks and opportunities on energy projects in Canada, the United States and Mexico, at an individual due diligence level, at the asset management level and an enterprise risk level. Earlier in her career, Shawna held technical positions as an environmental consultant and research assistant in both the private and public sectors.
Shawna spends as much time as possible in nature and is an avid hiker and skier. Her passion for nature and love of learning brought her to CEP Calgary, and she is excited to collaborate with the board, its members, and our incredible industry partners.
Diane Spence | Director
Diane is an innovative problem solver and project manager, focused on delivering sustainable solutions in water projects,. She is a Project Manager at Integrated Sustainability.
After gaining her Civil Engineering Technology diploma in Moncton, NB, she moved to Calgary in 2004 and explored various service roles in the oil and gas industry before moving to San Francisco in 1999, establishing her career in municipal water and transportation engineering projects. In 2004, she returned to Calgary and continued exploring municipal engineering projects throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia and obtained her Professional Project Management designation in 2015. Eventually moving back into the oil and gas industry, she developed knowledge and skills in the oil and water management business sector, creating opportunities that provided a strong understanding of the environmental and regulatory components to this sector.
Although Diane's family resides in New Brunswick, and she visits often, the magnificent network of friends and lifestyle developed in the mountain energy has kept Diane in Calgary. When she's not mountain biking, xc skiing or hiking with her dog, you can also find Diane volunteering with seniors and pet therapy and supporting the scholarship foundation within a local Kiwanis chapter.