Event

Richard Paul

Chief Operating Officer, Membertou First Nation Corporate Division

Louie Porta

JPAC Chair

Louie Porta is the Executive Director of Oceans North. With extensive experience living in, working in and exploring Arctic Canada, he oversees projects related to marine conservation, oil and gas, Arctic shipping, indigenous protected areas, coastal stewardship, and plastics. He formerly served as lead political adviser to Mary Simon during her appointment as Minister’s Special Representative for Arctic Leadership. He was appointed to serve on Canada’s National Advisory Panel—charged with recommending how Canada can meet its international conservation obligations.

Louie is also an adviser to the Students on Ice Foundation, is a senior associate for the International Institute for Sustainable Development, serves on the governing council of the Ocean Tracking Network and sits on the research oversight committee for Genome Canada’s investigation into oil spill countermeasures for the Arctic. He has a master’s degree from Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies, and lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with his wife and three children.

Jorge Daniel Taillant

CEC Executive Director

Jorge Daniel Taillant is a seasoned global advocate for environmental justice and environmental protection. His career spans several decades, working with international development agencies, as an advisor to governments and with civil society organizations in Latin America and around the world promoting innovative approaches to environmental protection, fostering sustainability criteria in international development finance, and by working to promote greater corporate accountability in the area of sustainable development.

He has worked for the last decade to tackle the escalating climate emergency through aggressively reducing the rate of global warming in the short term by phasing out the most intense climate pollutants, such as methane, black carbon and HFCs, while building climate resilience and strengthening adaptive capacity in the most climate-vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.

Most recently, Mr. Taillant served as Climate Justice Policy Advisor at the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) promoting more ambitious climate action targeting short-lived climate pollutants and worked closely with the UN’s Climate and Clean Air Coalition as an advisor on strategies to reduce methane and black carbon emissions.

Mr. Taillant brings to the CEC a breadth and depth of experience in sustainable development, environmental justice, and climate policy through community engagement and public participation.

Andy Fillmore

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada

Timothy Halman

Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Nova Scotia

Antonio Santos

Federal Climate Policy Director, Pacific Environment

Antonio Santos is the Federal Climate Policy Director at Pacific Environment. Based in Washington, DC, he brings over 20 years of federal and state regulatory experience. Previously, he worked with the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA), a nonprofit trade association of the world’s leading manufacturers of emission control and efficiency technologies for mobile sources, where he served as technical expert, convener, and advisor for industry stakeholders, government agencies, and environmental justice groups on federal and state air quality laws, regulations, and programs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Systems from Swarthmore College.

Daniel Dagenais

Vice President, Port Performance and Sustainable Development, Port of Montreal

Orlando Cabrera-Rivera

Head of Unit for Environmental Quality, Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Head of the Environmental Quality Unit at the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC).

Mr. Cabrera-Rivera oversees the development, planning and implementation of North America-wide environmental quality projects and initiatives, and capacity building efforts under the CEC’s cooperative work program related to, air quality, climate, chemical management, pollutant releases and transfers registers (PRTR) systems, and environmental health.

Part of this work has included the evaluation of air quality and health impacts of ship emissions over Mexico, the development of technical guidance for updating and collecting ports and ship emissions data in North America, and a strategy for the implementation of an emissions control area for ships in Mexico.

Mr. Cabrera-Rivera has over thirty years of experience in the environmental management field and in the development and implementation of environmental management and policy initiatives.

Mr. Cabrera-Rivera has a bachelors of science degree in meteorology from the Department of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a masters of science degree in land resources management from the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison.

Octaviana V. Trujillo

Moderator
JPAC member

Alisa Kreynes

Deputy Director, Ports and Shipping, C40 Cities

Alisa Kreynes leads C40’s Ports and Shipping Program and is responsible for the development and delivery of a global strategy focused on reducing emissions from ports and maritime shipping. The Program is currently focused on implementing the world’s first trans-Pacific green shipping corridor connecting the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Shanghai, and on the development of the recently announced Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Singapore green and digital shipping corridor.

Prior to joining C40 Cities, Kreynes championed and managed a ports energy efficiency program for the US Department of Energy’s Better Communities Alliance and supported the technical and advisory teams on the 2050 Masterplan for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She also spent seven years in Southeast and South Asia with an international electric utility, where she was responsible for leadership, project direction and oversight, business planning, and development of critical power and infrastructure projects.

Kreynes holds a BA in International Relations and Political Science from Boston University and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Southern California School of Public Policy.

Salomon Diaz

Coordinator for the Decarbonization of Ports, WWF – Mexico

Salomón Díaz is a biologist who holds a master’s degree in biology and has coordinated various nature conservation and marine and coastal governance initiatives, as well as Mexico’s effort to ratify Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol Convention). He is currently coordinator of the port and maritime sector decarbonization initiative of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico (WWF México), which works to formulate public policy instruments, support port enterprises, and build the capacity of local organizations to contribute to decarbonization of maritime transportation and ports in Mexico.

Michael Berube

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, US Department of Energy

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, US Department of Energy

Michael Berube oversees EERE’s Vehicle, Bioenergy, and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies offices, as well as the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. This portfolio focuses on research and development to decarbonize the transportation sector and increase access to domestic, clean transportation fuels and improve the energy efficiency, convenience, and affordability of transporting people and goods to support US energy security, economic productivity, and competitiveness.

Brennan Sydor

Energy & Sustainability Consultant, Arup

Brennan Sydor is an energy and sustainability consultant for Arup Group Ltd., in their Toronto office, where he provides clients with comprehensive decarbonization strategy across the built environment. His recent contributions to the future of green shipping corridors include analyses of various low carbon fuel pathways and infrastructure for major ports on Canada’s East and West coasts. Sydor works diligently with clients to find creative pathways to realize ambitious carbon reduction goals.

Louie Porta

Moderator
JPAC chair

Allan Gray

President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority

President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority

Allan Gray joined Halifax Port Authority as President and CEO in November of 2019. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Association of Canadian Port Authorities and on the Port Community Liaison Committee in Halifax, a working group he established to foster meaningful communication with the public.

Previously, Gray was General Manager of Fremantle Ports in Australia. He joined in 2006 as Deputy Harbour Master/Manager Marine and Port Operations, was appointed Harbour Master in 2008, and General Manager Port Operations in 2009. Gray was the Federal Master for the Company of Master Mariners Australia from 2009 to 2013 and was awarded life membership for his contributions. He was President of the International Harbour Masters Association from 2018 to 2020.

Gray’s career at sea spanned 20 years. He traded on various vessels from roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO), container, bulk, and LPG tankers. Trading patterns included Japan/Far East, Europe, Africa, South America, and the United States.

Xiaoli Mao

Senior Researcher, International Council on Clean Transportation

Senior Researcher, International Council on Clean Transportation

Xiaoli Mao is a Marine Senior Researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation. She leads and supports research on maritime policies promoting zero-emission vessels, regulating vessel emissions and efficiency, and maintains the team’s modeling tool. She is a co-author of the 4th IMO Greenhouse Gas Study. She has a regional focus on China. Mao graduated from the University of Maryland with a master’s degree in Public Policy and also holds a dual bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Economics from Xiamen University in China.

José Álvarez Rosas

Environmental and Energy Sector Consultant

Environmental and Energy Sector Consultant

Currently a member of the Technical Advisory Council on Chemical Risks (Consejo Técnico Asesor de Riesgos Químicos) of Mexico’s National Civil Protection System (Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil), José Álvarez Rosas has worked as an independent consultant with wide-ranging experience for numerous companies in the environment, health, and safety field. For over 30 years, his professional activities have taken place in the Mexican public sector, where he has held many positions, including Director of Port Sustainability for the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transporte—SCT); Director General of Commercial Management; Director of Conventional Land Resources with the Security, Energy, and Environment Agency (Agencia de Seguridad, Energía y Ambiente—ASEA); and Assistant Director for Risk, Emergencies, Environmental Audits, and Industrial Inspection with the Office of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente—Profepa).

Lee Kindberg

PhD, Head of Environment & Sustainability North America, Maersk

PhD, Head of Environment & Sustainability North America, Maersk

Lee Kindberg is Head of Environment and Sustainability for Maersk in North America, responsible for vessel compliance and initiatives, stakeholder outreach and customer support on supply chain sustainability in North America. Kindberg currently serves on the Marine Board of the US National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and on the Transportation Research Board’s Standing Committee on Marine Environment.

She has an extensive background in the chemical industry, where she was Director of Government Relations & Environmental Science for the Hoechst Celanese Fibers & Specialty Chemicals Groups. She was active in national and state industry groups and served on the Boards of several state chemical and industry. She completed the Competent Boards Certificate program and was granted their Global Competent Board Designation (GCB.D) in January 2020. She is also active in the Clean Cargo initiative, a global group dedicated to assessing and improving the environmental impact of shipping.

Jeff Grant

Vice President, Transportation Solutions, HTEC

Jeff Grant has over 22 years’ experience in business and project development, and government relations in the hydrogen sector.

With a passion for electrification of the transportation industry, Grant has been instrumental in developing hydrogen and fuel cell equipment deployments in early markets. As Principal and co-founder of Zen Clean Energy Solutions, he led Zen’s project development and fleet transition in vertical markets with a focus on creating and refining ideas, finding and securing non-dilutive funding, identifying partnerships, and delivering contracts. He has led multiple project development initiatives for Zen, including key partnerships for HTEC’s early-stage light-duty fueling network in BC. Prior to co-founding Zen, he spent 15 years at Ballard Power Systems in several key business development roles, including leading the commercial sector for the North American bus market. At HTEC, Grant is responsible for directing the Transportation Solutions department, which involves fleet transition planning, transportation project development and execution, and vehicle leasing for heavy-duty fleet partners. He also recently served as the vice chairman of Hydrogen BC.

Robert W. Varney

Moderator
JPAC member

Andy Carey

US National Advisory Committee Chair

Andy Carey is the executive director of the US-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership (BPP), a position he has held since 2008. BPP is a binational membership organization based in San Diego, CA, that supports a network of nearly 400 organizations that build prosperity through leadership, collaboration, and philanthropy in the US-Mexico border region. Previously, Andy served for 15 years at Kiwanis International leading volunteer mobilization and fund development throughout the globe. Andy received his bachelor and master of arts degrees from Purdue University.

He is an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Diego in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences where he teaches post graduate courses on International nonprofit management. He was named 2017-18 Adjunct Faculty of the Year by the Dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences. Andy serves in many civic capacities, including as chairman of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s National Advisory Committee, on the US-Mexico Science Foundation Board of Directors, the University of San Diego Kroc School of Peace and Justice Advisory Board, the Independent Districting Commission in Escondido, CA., and on the Advisory Board of St. Mary Catholic School in Escondido. In 2018, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Relations presented Andy with the Ohtli Award in recognition of his long-standing commitment and service to the needs and interests of the Mexican community residing in the United States of America.

Marina Brock

US Governmental Advisory Committee Chair

Marina works as a senior environmental specialist in the Environmental Health Division, Barnstable County Department of Health, and the Environment and as an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Her areas of expertise are public and environmental health and emergency, risk, and safety management. In addition, she is interested in individualized genetic and environmental factors as they influence public health and environmental health exposures and outcomes. She has written and co-authored several articles on these subjects and has lectured and mentored throughout the New England states.

Brock has received several awards, including the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Excellence Award (2000) and the (Massachusetts) Governor’s Award for toxic use reduction in the design and implementation of an innovative initiative for pollution prevention (P2) in the public sector. Her work in this area has served as a template for a national focus on the safety of chemical management in schools. She was also nominated for the Harvard School of Government’s Innovations in Government Award for facilitating collaborative efforts between local, regional, state, and federal government agencies. She holds an undergraduate degree from Simmons College and an MS in occupational health and safety engineering and emergency management. In 2018 she began work on a Ph.D. in public health and emergency management policy.

Sabaa Khan

PhD, Director General, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, David Suzuki Foundation

Director General, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, David Suzuki Foundation

Sabaa Khan is an international environmental and trade lawyer and Director-General for Québec & Atlantic Canada at the David Suzuki Foundation. She also leads the Foundation’s federal and provincial climate law and policy portfolio. Under the Foundation’s recently launched Climate Conscience Laboratory, Khan conceptualized and directed two environmental justice research projects, on the legal recognition of the Rights of Nature and on institutionalizing environmental justice in Québec. A member of the World Commission on Environmental Law (IUCN) and the Barreau du Québec, Khan has held a number of international and federal legal advisory appointments, including on the National Steering Committee of the National Association of Women and Law (Chair, Climate Crisis Working Group), the NAFTA Advisory Council on the Environment (Government of Canada), and the UN Expert Group on LIRA Guidance (UN Environment). She is also a former member of the Centre for Climate Change, Energy & Environmental Law (Finland) and the Labour Law and Development Research Laboratory (McGill University, Canada). Her contributions on international law, trade, and environment linkages, human rights, and global governance have been widely published, including by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the United Nations University – Institute for Sustainability and Peace, the American Society of International Law, the Leiden Journal of International Law, and by Cambridge University Press.  Khan is also a pianist and a member of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).

Heather Kryczka

Staff Attorney, Environment, Equity & Justice Center, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Staff Attorney, Environment, Equity & Justice Center, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Heather Kryczka is a staff attorney with the Environment, Equity, and Justice Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) based in Los Angeles. Together with environmental justice partners she advocates to advance community-led solutions to environmental challenges. Her work focuses on advancing environmental justice in the freight system, including addressing pollution from ports, railyards, and warehouses. Before joining NRDC, she litigated environmental citizen suits with Earthjustice and Environmental Advocates, and worked on environmental campaigns as an organizer prior to attending law school. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Stanford Law School.

Heather Tomley

Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs, Port of Long Beach

Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs
Port of Long Beach, California

Heather Tomley is Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs for the Port of Long Beach, California, leading the Port’s Environmental Planning, Master Planning, and Transportation Planning Divisions.

Tomley was named to the post in 2019, having served for a year as Acting Managing Director. She had joined the Port in 2005 as an Environmental Planning Associate, was promoted to Environmental Specialist, then Senior Environmental Specialist in 2006, and Assistant Director of the Environmental Planning Division in 2008 before being named Director in 2014.

The Planning Bureau’s portfolio includes efforts to implement Green Port Policy, protect habitat, improve air and water quality, manage stormwater, adapt to climate change, implement the Port’s energy initiatives, manage the Community Grants Program, find transportation efficiencies, seek and manage grants for transportation infrastructure and environmental projects, analyze traffic patterns and identify rail improvements, plan for future land uses, and facilitate strategic planning.

Andrew Espinoza Rhodes

Ocean Coordinator, Undersecretariat for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Secretariat of External Affairs of Mexico

Ocean Coordinator, Undersecretariat for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Secretariat of External Affairs of Mexico

Andrew Rhodes is the Ocean Coordinator, attached to the Undersecretariat for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Mexico, serves as Sous Sherpa for the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, and is the Deputy Chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

He had prior executive positions in the National Commission for Protected Areas of Mexico, as National Commissioner; was General Director of the Pronatura System; as well as Coordinator of the Fund for Protected Areas in Mexico’s Fund for the Conservation of Nature.

Esteban Escamilla Prado

Moderator
JPAC member

Paolo Solano

Director, Submissions on Enforcement Matters and Legal Unit

The Director of Legal Affairs and Submissions on Enforcement Matters (SEM) at the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Paolo Solano is a lawyer trained in Mexico with over 15 years of experience in the field of international environmental law. His responsibilities at the CEC pertain to the implementation of the SEM process under NAFTA/USMCA-CUSMA and also include advising on operational and legal matters of the CEC more generally.

Paolo obtained his law degree from the Faculty of Law at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), a master’s degree on environmental governance from University of Essex (awarded with honors); a diploma on US law from the Georgetown Law Center, and graduate studies on Business Management and Canadian Law at the University of Montreal.

Paolo has also been a visiting law professor in the United States and Mexico and has published academic articles and a book chapter. Since 2008 he has published the annual report for the Yearbook of International Environmental Law and, as of 2015, also reports on the development of environmental law in Mexico.