Meet the Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
Working towards a democratic and clean energy economy in Ontario since 2010.
Management
General Manager
Marion Siekierski
Marion is driven by a sense of urgency about the climate crisis, and over the last few years has focused on environmental education as well as advocacy for more robust climate action in the context of Ottawa’s High Performance Development Standards. She is excited to help grow our impact and work for a more resilient and sustainable future.
“I really am excited to join OREC at this time, joining forces with CoEnergy, working with the Board and the many engaged members. As I experience the effects of the climate crisis this summer: the heat waves in Europe, the devastating forest fires, rivers drying up and also the energy crisis, I am more than ever committed to help establish renewable energy as the only and urgent way forward.”
Executive
President
John Kirkwood
John is a Technology Consultant with over 25 years experience now working directly with inspiring small- and medium-sized organizations to identify, plan and deliver IT solutions to ‘help them you solve problems with technology’. His areas of expertise include business strategy, digital transformation, app development, and cost optimization. He has worked with a wide range of organizations locally, nationally, and abroad and is interested in working more with environmental organizations. See johnkirkwood.ca for details.
John joins us having been a board member of a number of Ottawa-based organisations. He is an electric car (EV) enthusiast and has done many adventurous road trips in his Tesla, including 12,500 KM from Ottawa to Mexico, California and back.
Vice President
Dick Bakker
Dick Bakker has been actively involved in the Renewable Energy Industry since 2002, and a vocal advocate of all renewable energy options for many years. He has been operating a Micro-Fit solar system since June 2010 at his property in Manotick Station and recently installed a solar net-metering system at his home.
Dick has 20 years of sales and management experience in the telecommunications industry with companies such as Telesat Canada, Cisco and several smaller firms. He also operated a family run event retail business and is now retired. Dick has a BA (Politics) and MBA from Queen’s University.
Vice President
Graham Findlay
Graham Findlay has had a varied and stimulating career as an engineer doing hydro-electric operations, an institutional financier, a real estate developer, and for the last 16 years he has been active in Canada’s renewable energy industry. In 2002, Graham co-founded Vector Wind Energy Inc (TSX:VWE) and launched wind energy projects in 10 Canadian provinces, constructed 3 wind projects in Nova Scotia and won competitive energy bids in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
In 2007 Vector Wind Energy was purchased by a large Canadian energy company and Mr Findlay then co-founded 3G Energy Corp, an Ottawa-based energy project advisory company. 3G Energy has worked on many wind and solar projects as well as a wind farm owned by the M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island in Ontario.
Treasurer
Michelle Massicard
Michelle Massicard is a Manager of Contracts at CAE Inc., for the Defence & Security Canada division and is a current council member of the World Commerce & Contracting Association (WorldCC). Prior to joining CAE, she held numerous positions with Boeing Canada, Xerox Canada, and Bell Aliant (now Bell Canada). She has extensive experience in client and supplier relationships, negotiations, and account management.
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Michelle has her BBA through UNB Saint John, a certification in Commercial & Contract Management with WorldCC and is nearing completion of the Accelerated MBA program through Queen’s University, Smith School of Business.
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As an East Coaster, Michelle has seen the damage created firsthand by climate change and is passionate about building a sustainable future.
Secretary
Ron Benn
Ron Benn, a Chartered Accountant/Chartered Professional Accountant, has a long and varied history as a senior financial officer and director. In addition to being a co-founder and CFO of Vector Wind Energy, he has also been the CFO for three other companies that were listed on publicly traded stock exchanges.
He is an Officer, Director and shareholder of Boojum Research Ltd., a privately held company that provides environmental engineering services to companies in the resource industries, with a specific focus on cleaning up active and abandoned mine sites.
Over the course of his four decade career, Ron Benn has played an instrumental role in raising and structuring over C$1 billion of debt and equity transactions. In addition to his business career, Ron has been an active member of the executive of his local community association for over 30 years, and while his children were younger, coached them in both recreational soccer and hockey.
Board of Directors
Director
Colton Pankhurst
Colton Pankhurst, M.A.Sc is committed to supporting a clean, affordable, and reliable electricity system for all Canadians. He has a range of experiences in the electric power industry including time spent in consulting, with a system operator, and with government. He obtained his B.A.Sc and M.A.Sc degrees in
electrical and computer engineering from the University of Waterloo where he carried out research in transactive energy and local energy market solutions.
Currently, he is a senior technical advisor with Natural Resources Canada providing science and technology advice in the areas of electrification, power systems, and grid modernization. Colton is passionate about the opportunity for distributed energy resources and new participation models to play a key role in the electricity system transition.
Director
Kelly O'Donnell
Kelly O’Donnell, LEED AP, BScME, is an alumna of the University of New Brunswick. Commencing her career in high tech in Ottawa, she pivoted to specialize in green building and sustainability. Upon earning her LEED AP she has worked globally, including in the esteemed green building market of the UAE.
Kelly returned to Ottawa in 2016 as the Program Manager for the UL Solutions ECOLOGO Renewable Energy certification program. She is recognized as a trusted renewable energy advisor, and boasts a proven track record in providing expert strategic counsel within energy markets, regulatory frameworks, and certifications.
Director
Alain Jegen
Alain Jegen focused in 2005 on sustainable development and innovative technologies that address climate change issues in Energy Exploration, Production and Utilization, Power Generation, Waste Management and Transportation after he co-founded 2 local system engineering companies in aerospace and defense.
Alain’s expertise includes energy efficiency (Green Buildings (2009 CIRS building-UBC), engineered wood buildings, BIPV), sensor and monitoring systems (Water, Electricity), renewable energy (Solar – Wind), energy storage (Solar & Geo Thermal (Drake Landing Solar Community), Fuel cell, Li-Ion/Flow batteries, Flywheels), Electric Transportation, Smart Grid and Advanced Materials.
Director
Fin MacDonald
Fin is a sustainability and carbon management professional with over 10 years’ experience managing sustainability programs and advising clients on sustainability strategy.
As a senior consultant at Urban Equation, Fin assists clients with corporate sustainability strategy, while providing best in class ESG services for programs such as One Planet Living and the Science Based Targets Initiative.
Prior to joining Urban Equation, Fin worked at the Canada Green Building Council where he managed the Zero Carbon Building Program and helped launch the first zero carbon building standard in the world.
Director
Emmet Stiff
Emmet is a professional mechanical engineer registered in the province of Alberta with impressive track record in the energy sector. He holds an MBA from HEC Montreal where he specialized in advanced renewable bioenergy systems. Throughout his career, Emmet has traversed Canada’s natural resource and energy landscapes, providing him with a unique perspective on the country’s diverse energy needs.
A dedicated Ottawan, Emmet is actively engaged in bolstering the city’s resilience to climate change. His commitment to making Ottawa and its communities more energy secure sees him involved with OREC, contributing to local energy sustainability efforts.
Emmet’s environmental dedication is underscored by his past role as a registered GHG Inventory Quantifier and inaugural account agent in Ontario’s Cap and Trade Program, a pivotal initiative aimed at reducing the province’s greenhouse gas emissions. Although the program was halted in 2018, Emmet continues to make a difference in the energy sector, focusing on energy efficiency and automation.
Contractors
Technical Director
Eric Gladu
Eric owns and operates his own operations and maintenance company, EnerGlad Renewables. To this day he has maintained his relationships built from previous work experiences and works to provide Eastern Ontario renewable asset owners with reliable and affordable O&M services. At EnerGlad, Eric maintains over 5MW of solar assets in Eastern Ontario, including OREC’s 3MW portfolio.
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He is currently working to grow his business relationships and is expanding his offering to provide services in other renewable generation assets such as wind and hydropower. Eric is registered with Professional Engineers Ontario as an Engineering Intern and is working towards becoming a fully license Professional Engineer.
Finance Accounting Consultant
Susan Chong
Susan is a finance professional with extensive experience in the financial services industry, covering various management roles within finance. She has deep expertise in accounting, financial and regulatory reporting, financial planning & analysis, audit, IFRS, accounting policies & procedures, and sustainability reporting.
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Susan has also been very active in her community and at work, volunteering as a director and treasurer for a non-profit health agency, mentoring new immigrants to Canada and colleagues on career development, and presenting financial literacy education to communities across the GTA.
Marketing Consultant
Ziming Zhao
Driven by an amazing mentor and the desire for meaningful work Ziming had decided to pursue a career in green tech startups. Since 2020, he has been helping various start-ups towards the goal of a more sustainable future.
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A digital marketer of 8 years, Ziming is well-versed in B2B and B2C advertising, start-up fundraising, social media strategy, and e-commerce.