2024 Speakers

Craig Taylor

Speaking At:

• Opening Ceremony and Keynote

Craig has been a Director and the CEO of Defense Metals Corp since 2018. He has helped advance the project from the exploration stage to a robust PEA. From 2007 until 2016, he was a director of Advantage Lithium Corp, a TSX-V listed junior exploration company. From April 2012 until April 2016, he was a director of Clear Mountain Resources Corp., a TSX-V listed company, now named Patriot One Technologies Inc. Mr. Taylor has also served as director and officer of several other public companies engaged in mineral exploration and development throughout his career.

Dr. Robert Quartermain

Speaking At:

• AME Keynote Lunch

Dr. Robert Quartermain serves as the Co-Chair of Dakota Gold Corp. and was most recently Founder and Executive Chairman of Pretium Resources Inc., which developed the Brucejack Project from exploration to Canada’s 4th largest gold mine in less than 8 years.  Pretium was acquired by Newcrest Mining in October 2022 for C$3.5 billion.  Prior to Pretium, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Silver Standard Resources Inc. (now SSR Mining Inc.) for 25 years from 1985-2010. Dr. Quartermain holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of New Brunswick, a Master of Science from Queens University, his Professional Geoscience certification from the Engineers and Geoscientists BC and Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of New Brunswick. In addition to his focus on Dakota Gold, Dr. Quartermain has a number of education, wildlife and social justice philanthropic interests that he supports.

Dr. Quartermain was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame (“CMHF”) in August 2022 for his significant contributions to the mining and exploration industry in Canada and internationally over his career.

Dr. Amy Parent

Speaking At:

• Reconciliation Keynote Breakfast

Dr. Amy Parent’s Nisga’a name is Sigidimnak’ Noxs Ts’aawit (Mother of the Raven Warrior Chief) Named Ts’aawit). On her mother’s side of the family, she is from the House of Ni’isjoohl and is a member of the Ganada (frog) clan in the village of Laxgalts’ap in the Nisga’a Nation. On her father’s side of the family, she is of settler ancestry (French and German). Dr. Parent is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. She is also the Co-Chair for the Indigenous Research leadership Circle with the Tri-Agency (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) and the Inaugural Associate Director for the SFU Cassidy Centre for Educational Justice.

In June 2023, Dr. Parent received the BC Historical Federation Certificate of Merit for the Ni’isjoohl rematriation research project with members of her House for their exemplary efforts to bring the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole back to the Nisga’a Nation from Scotland. The research project set an international precedent for the first totem pole to be rightfully returned from the United Kingdom on September 29, 2023 after being stolen for over 94 years. Please visit Dr. Parent’s website to learn more about her research, films and publications https://amyparent.ca/

Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser

Speaking At:

• BC Cancer Foundation: Exploring for a Cure

Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser is a four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Wickenheiser is a titan of sport and a leader both on and off the ice with seven world championships, six Olympic appearances, and five Olympic medals. A first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Wickenheiser’s hockey IQ is highly respected in both the male and female game. She has played in/coached at four NHL development camps with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Edmonton Oilers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2018, Wickenheiser joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as assistant director of player development in 2018 before being promoted to assistant general manager in 2022. Alongside her career in the NHL, Wickenheiser is a medical doctor practicing family and emergency medicine in the Toronto-area — a pursuit she had dreamt of her whole life and began in 2017 following her retirement from the National Women’s Team after 23 years. She is also the author of Over the Board: Lessons from the Ice. In addition, Wickenheiser is a member of the Order of Canada, a retired member of the International Olympic Committee’s Athlete’s Commission, member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and founder of The Canadian Tire Wickenheiser World Female Hockey Festival.

Peter Grosskopf

Speaking At:

• Finance Keynote Lunch

Peter Grosskopf is Chief Executive Officer of SCP Resource Finance. With over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, Peter served as Chief Executive Officer of Sprott Inc. for 12 years from 2010 to 2022. During that time, he led the Company’s growth from $5 billion to more than $20 billion of assets under management. Prior to joining Sprott, Peter was President of Cormark Securities. He has a track record of building and growing successful businesses including as co-founder of Newcrest Capital, which was acquired by the TD Bank Financial Group in 2000. Peter serves as a Director for Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd and the World Gold Council. Peter is a CFA® Charterholder and earned an Honours Degree in Business Administration and a Masters of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Steve Fraser

Speaking At:

• Environment, Health and Safety Awards Breakfast

Steve Fraser is co-author and Lead Trainer of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Resilient Minds® mental health education and is active in nationwide research groups dedicated to firefighters’ health and wellness.
Steve committed 28 years to fire service, is an approved instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation and is a certified Field Traumatologist and VFRS CISM/Peer support team coordinator, managing over 100 defusing in a given year.
Recently retired from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, Steve was Captain of Mental Health and Wellness, the first full-time position of its kind in Canada.

Sharyn Alexander

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Tania Demchuk

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Keerit Jutla

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Michael Goehring

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Sam Lee

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Peter Wijtkamp

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Paul Blom

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Robert Phillips

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Shannon Baskerville

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Chief Byron Louis

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Bio coming soon.

Mike Klassen

Speaking At:

• Opening Ceremony and Keynote

Mike Klassen was first elected in 2022 as a Councillor for the City of Vancouver. His track record includes initiatives that support economic growth and to create an affordable and age-resilient city, as well as promote civic pride and excitement about the City’s future. Mike is UBC graduate as well as being a husband, parent, and community leader.

Elizabeth Miller

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Elizabeth Fillatre Miller is Vice President of Environment and Social Responsibility (ESR) for Seabridge Gold. Mrs. Miller has been responsible for the environmental, reclamation and community programs for Seabridge Gold, including liaising with contractors, Federal and Provincial governments, indigenous communities and public interest groups for the past 13 years. Mrs. Miller holds a Master of Science degree, a Bachelor of Science, and is a Registered Professional Biologist in BC.

Mrs. Miller has over 20 years’ experience managing and implementing projects in British Columbia and Canada’s north. Originally from Newfoundland and a member of the Qalipu First Nation, she grew up in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut and currently resides in Smithers, British Columbia (BC).

Marc Serré

Speaking At:

• Opening Ceremony and Keynote

Marc is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt. His family comes from a long line of community volunteers who have dedicated their lives to strengthening their communities.

Tim Michell

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 3/3

Hello, My name is Tim Michell. I am a proud Lhtako Dene member currently living in the community. I have worked at Stantec for 6 years and learned a great deal. In the recent time, I was voted in as a band council in 2019. I am truly grateful to work with my community and getting to know the band members on a different level.

Christina Smith

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Christy is a member of the K’omoks First Nation and a highly skilled, innovative and accomplished professional with 25 years of proven expertise. Her work is deeply rooted in reconciliation and decolonizing the approach to ways of doing business. She specializes in developing long lasting relations, consultation, and engagement, socio economic and land use assessments and baseline reports, and management plans that accompany permits and the Environmental Assessment process. Christy has experience in negotiations, strategic planning, risk assessments, facilitation, and mediation. She is recognized for her professional and personal understanding of Indigenous worldviews. She recently authored a book called Weaving Two Worlds – Economic Reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and the Resource Sector.

Marcella Munro

Speaking At:

• Government-Industry Forum

Marcella Munro is the Head of Government & Regulatory Affairs for Teck. Marcella is a former journalist who worked in government relations and strategic communications consulting prior to joining Teck. In her role, she leads Teck’s strategic planning and engagement with government officials. Current priorities include regulatory reform, decarbonization implementation, and critical minerals policy.

Madelynn Albert

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Madelynn is from Cook’s Ferry Indian Band. Her mother is Annette Albert, and father was Joe Thomas. Her grandmother is Cookie Jules and her grandfather is Ross Albert. Madelynn’s partner’s name is Vince McDonald and her children are Aiyanna, Matoska, and Nahpeyo. Madelynn is a Secwépemc/ Nłeʔképmx woman, born in the secwépemcùĺecw. She spent her younger years living and traveling in the secwépemc territory, where she was blessed to learn to harvest from the land, travel to traditional gatherings and play stick games (lahal). In 2004, Madelynn was able to move into the nłeʔkepmx territory and graduate from Ashcroft Secondary. She has since graduated from NVIT and has been happily living in the Nicola Valley since 2018. Madelynn is proud to be living and working within her community, as this has always been a goal of hers.

She started with Citxw Nlak’pamux Assembly in June of 2020 and throughout her time she has learned effective capacity strengthening strategies that are built from community-based approaches that honor the knowledge and expertise within our communities. Madelynn has been developing administrative skills over the past few years, demonstrated by supporting various levels of management over a diversity of settings, constructive communication, complex problem-solving, and information management. Madelynn believes these give her the building blocks to make a meaningful impact, working towards language revitalization and building nłeʔkepmx identity. Her goal within the nłeʔkepmxcin Department is to contribute to our communities, to share our ancestor’s knowledge and important teachings, and to build resources to be available for our children and their future generations.

Sarah Desrosiers

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Sarah is grateful to be living in the nłeʔkepmx territory for the past ten years. Sarah is a Professional Agrologist and has a MSc from the University of British Columbia. She believes that to make sound decisions, Indigenous knowledge and western science must be woven with care and according to the needs of communities involved. Sarah has worked with First Nations, the Province of British Columbia, and in academic research settings that contributed to the development of tools and processes that bridge the two ways of knowing to support developing meaningful relationships through environmental management, regulatory engagement, and impact assessment. She owns and operates Coquihalla Apiaries with her husband. Sarah enjoys beekeeping not only because she and her family eat copious amounts of honey, but it brings her closer to and makes her a better steward of the land.

Trevor Hall

Trevor Hall is the host of Mining Stock Daily, a brief look into the most important news from the mining and mineral exploration industry each business day.

Virginia Aspinall

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Virgnia is an nłeʔképmx woman, born in Vancouver but raised in the Nicola Valley. She grew up off reserve leaning a lot from her yeyeʔ. After graduating Merritt Secondary, Virginia spent the last decade gaining various work experience, making new connections to her community and volunteering in several different programs. Virginia started with the Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly in September of 2021 in the Employment and Training Department. Then in January of 2022, she stepped into the role of Program Coordinator.

It has been a welcome challenge to navigate how we interact with each other post covid-19. Since then, the team has grown and she is honoured to now be leading the department in bringing people together, learning new things and finding support in community. Our goal within the Programs Department is to support wholistic wellbeing, taking care of mind, body, and spirit. We have a large focus on food security and are continuously looking for ways to facilitate nłeʔképmx food sovereignty. Sustainable and responsible harvesting along with proper food preservation anchors us to this important work.

Candice Appleby

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 3/3

Candice Appleby is the Manager, Strategic Projects at AME. She is a communications professional with over 15 years of industry experience working at exploration, mining and non-profit organizations. Previously, she was a member of the AME Roundup Committee. Prior to joining AME, Candice’s previous positions focused on a wide range of activities including: website and social media management, marketing and communications, event planning, investor relations and corporate governance.

In her role at AME, Candice is responsible for organizing events, communications and stakeholder engagement for the BC Regional Mining Alliance and managing various AME projects.

Henry Lazenby

Henry is an international journalist with over 13 years experience heading up North America-focused resource news desks for several multinational media houses.
Back in native South Africa, he was an award-winning community journalist before the B2B media market exposed him to mining. A secondment to Toronto, Canada, soon became permanent.
Besides frequent visits to mining and exploration project sites and regularly participating in industry conferences, Henry specializes in coverage of the North American and international mineral exploration, mining and metals markets.
In his role as Western Editor and based out of Vancouver, BC, Canada, Henry writes and produces multimedia content for industry-leading publication, The Northern Miner.

Allen Edzerza

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Allen Edzerza is an Elder of the Tahltan Nation. He has led mining reform discussions with the Government of British Columbia on behalf of the First Nation Energy and Mining Council, and has served as an advisor on Aboriginal issues to the Premier and cabinet of Government of British Columbia and the Yukon.

Anita Balakrishnan

Anita Balakrishnan is an automotive tech journalist, covering EVs, batteries and critical minerals with in-depth features and a weekly The Shift newsletter about the transformation of the auto sector. Anita has been a business reporter and editor at the Canadian Press, Thomson Reuters’ Law Times, and CNBC.com.

Nick Reinhardt

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 2/3

Nick Reinhardt is a Registered Professional Forester with Chartwell Resource Group. He is the 2023 recipient of the Canadian Forest Industries Top 20 Under 40. With 15 years’ experience, he collaborates with First Nations from Squamish to Haida Gwaii, driven by a passion for enhancing efficiency through communication and technology.

Kelsey Dodd

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 3/3

Originally from Vancouver, Kelsey moved to Wells, BC in 2011 where she started working at the local mining project. Growing within the company, she led community and Indigenous relations, permitting and compliance, obtaining multiple permits through the BC regulatory process including the first BC Environmental Assessment through the new Act.

Emily Bailey

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 2/3

Emily Bailey (she/her) blends her passion for emergency services and community engagement at Osisko Development, Cariboo Gold Project. She is a volunteer Fire Chief, member of the 2022 Diamonds in the Rough Mine Rescue team and was named one of the Top 25 safety professionals under 40 by OHS Canada.

Sage Langston-Stewart

Speaking At:

• Critical and Base Metals

Ms. Langston-Stewart, has a M.Sc. in Geology and a B.Sc. in Geology and Geological Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. Sage completed her master’s thesis at the Caribou-Cross Mine in Nederland, Colorado. Sage has been working with WAM for the last 5 years. With the geologic team at WAM, Sage lead the drill hole targeting for the 2022 and 2023 drilling seasons and now she continues to work on the geologic interpretation, geologic modeling, training and management of the core processing team, conducts geologic studies, and continues to expand the geologic understanding at Waterpump Creek.

Sharon K. Singh

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 2/3
• Government-Industry Forum

Sharon Singh provides advice on environmental, governance and Aboriginal law matters to the natural resources, infrastructure, and other important sectors. She is the chair of the AME Mineral Tenure Act advisory committee and has previously worked for an international mining company.

Aldea Lavallie

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 3/3

Aldea Lavallie is an experienced mining professional with the past two decades working in Northern BC and the Yukon. Additionally, she has over 35 years of working with many northern Indigenous communities in various capacities. Aldea has received recognitions and awards from Barrick Gold and Yukon Chamber of Mines.

Werner Antweiler

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Werner Antweiler is an Associate Professor at the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia. He specializes in environmental, energy, and resource economics with a focus on new technologies and innovation. He is a frequent commentator in the media on matters of public policy in British Columbia and in Canada.

Roger Beckie

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Roger Beckie, P.Eng., is a geological engineer who teaches courses in groundwater hydrology and geochemistry. His research focuses on the prediction and management of drainage from mine waste, and the impacts of fugitive natural gas on near-surface aquifers in NE BC. He has worked at field sites in Canada, Peru, India and Bangladesh.

Carol Liao

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Dr. Carol Liao is an Associate Professor at UBC Allard Law and the UBC Sauder Distinguished Fellow of the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics. She is Principal Co-Investigator of the Canada Climate Law Initiative, dedicated to advancing director knowledge on the latest in climate science and fiduciary obligation.

Stephen Quin

Speaking At:

• Critical and Base Metals

Mr. Quin, a Royal School of Mines graduate with a BSc (Honours) in Mining Geology, brings 41 years of extensive expertise in the mining industry, covering exploration to operations and closure. Currently, he directs Kutcho Copper Corp. since late 2017 and serves as a director for West Vault Mining for West Vault Mining, Inc. (since 2022) and Hot Chilli Ltd. (since December 2022). Formerly at the helm of Midas Gold Corp. as President, CEO, and Director from February 2011 to December 2020, Mr. Quin also led Capstone Mining Corp. as President (November 2008 to December 2010) and COO (November 2008 to May 2010). His leadership extended to Sherwood Copper Corp., where he served as President and CEO from September 2005 until its merger with Capstone in November 2008. With 18 years at Miramar Mining Corp. as Executive Vice President (January 1994 to September 2005), Mr. Quin boasts a remarkable financial track record, raising over US$1 billion and facilitating more than US$750 million in M&A activities since 1990.

His impactful career includes retiring as a Non-Executive Director of Chalice Mining Ltd in November 2021, contributing to its PGM-gold-nickel-copper development project in Western Australia. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Quin held director positions in various exploration, development, and operating companies, demonstrated leadership in industry associations, and chaired the Yukon Government’s Mineral Advisory Board.

Philippe Tortell

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Philippe Tortell is a Professor of Oceanography at the University of British Columbia, and Head of the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. He leads the UBC Future Minerals Working Group, an interdisciplinary team working with Indigenous and industry partners to re-imagine the future of the minerals resource sector.

Katherine St. James

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 3/3

Katherine has worked at the BC EAO for 6 years, conducting environmental assessment processes for a variety of projects. Most recently, she led the first assessment completed under the 2018 Environmental Assessment Act, for the Cariboo Gold Mine. She focuses on developing open and strong relationships with First Nations, proponents, technical advisors, and the public.

Martyn Golding

Speaking At:

• Advances in Geoscience

Martyn Golding is a Research Scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada – Pacific Division, where he has been based since 2016. Specializing in the conodont micropaleontology of the Canadian Cordillera, his research focuses on Mesozoic biostratigraphy and utilizing paleontology to provide improved constraints on tectonic and paleoclimate models.

Geoff Owen

Speaking At:

• Geoscience Innovation

Geoff is the Structural Geology Manager at Teck Resources with two decades of global technical experience supporting exploration and operational environments. His expertise lie in implementing best practices and innovative approaches in structurally complex environments and contributing to geoscience and ore body knowledge.

Cassady Harraden

Speaking At:

• Geoscience Innovation

Cassady is a postdoctoral research fellow with the Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU) at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Her research is focused on porphyry exploration and vectoring in BC with a specific focus on mineralogy and mineral chemistry from LIBS data. Before joining MDRU, she spent 4 years with Corescan interpreting hyperspectral data as well as developing new geometallurgical and geotechnical applications of data collected using Corescan’s automated core logging technology outputs. In 2018, she completed her PhD in geometallurgy with the CODES group at the University of Tasmania in Australia developing methods for geotechnical rock mass and gain size assessment using multi-sensor systems and various microanalytical methods.

Ayesha Ahmed

Speaking At:

• Theme Session: Exploring for Value

Bio coming soon.

Jack Milton

Speaking At:

• Geoscience Innovation
• BC, Yukon & Alaska

Jack Milton is driven by discovery and has a passion for testing new ideas and technology in the exploration environment. He brings 15 years of experience in the Canadian north, working on grassroots exploration, resource expansion, and advanced-stage development, mostly for zinc, copper or tungsten projects.

Shaun Barker

Speaking At:

• Geoscience Innovation

Shaun Barker is Director of the Mineral Deposit Research Unit, and has a background in economic geology, geochemistry, mineralogy and structural geology. Shaun has worked extensively on implementation on new technologies into characterising alteration in hydrothermal ore deposits, including core sensing datasets.

Erin Boyle

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 1/3

Erin Boyle is Environment and Permitting Manager for Seabridge Gold, and has been responsible for the management and oversight of environmental programs at both the KSM project and Iskut project (Johnny Mountain Mine) over the past two years. Recently she has assumed the role of Permitting Manager for both projects as well. Prior to that, Erin worked for numerous mining projects, including Seabridge projects, as an environmental consultant since 2003.

Mrs. Boyle holds a Master of Science degree, and a Bachelor of Science. Mrs. Boyle has over 20 years’ experience working on and managing environmental programs throughout British Columbia in the mining industry.

Sabrina Lakhani

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 3/3

Sabrina was born and raised in the Northwest Territories and is now working for operations in BC’s Golden Triangle. Her expertise lies in bridging the gap between mining operations and local and Indigenous communities in creating shared-value and meaningful, positive relationships. She has 10 years of experience in community engagement, development, and Indigenous relations. Sabrina is a master’s graduate from the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Mineral Institutes Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM).

Andrew Robinson

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 3/3

Andrew is a proud member of the Nisga’a Nation and has lived in his home community of Laxgalts’ap in Northwestern BC for most of his life. His position as CEO with Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government (NLG) draws on his strengths and focus on complex indigenous engagement strategies to maximize and enhance the quality of life for Nisg̱a’a citizens and the Nisg̱a’a Nation overall. Andrew has been with NLG as the Industry Relations Manager since March of 2022 and has a wealth of senior managerial experience spanning two decades.

Dr. David Szumigala

Speaking At:

• Regional Overviews

David (Zoom) Szumigala has over 40 years of mineral exploration experience in Alaska. He has worked for major mining companies in the western U.S. and Alaska, with mineral exploration experience at scales from grassroots regional programs to mine feasibility drilling projects. He is a Director of the Alaska Miners Association.

Emil Kalinowski

Speaking At:

• Commodities and Financial Markets

Emil Kalinowski’s research focuses on how socioeconomic and geopolitical trends affect the supply, demand, and price of precious and base metals. His present focus is on the malfunction of the monetary system in 2007 and how its continuing disorder has impacted commodity prices, macroeconomic trends and long-term country risks.

Sarah Ellis

Speaking At:

• Regional Overviews

Sarah is a geologist in the minerals group at the Yukon Geological Survey and is a registered P.Geo with EGBC. Prior to joining the survey in 2022, she worked as an exploration geologist at Newmont on projects in the Yukon and Northern BC and spent three seasons as a mapping assistant at the YGS.

Glen Kuntz

Speaking At:

• Critical and Base Metals

Mr. Kuntz was also President and CEO of Mega Precious Metals Inc., a successful junior exploration company, from 2012 to 2015 which was acquired by Yamana Gold, and its Chief Operating Officer from 2011 to September 2012. Mr. Kuntz gained significant development/production experience in a variety of other senior positions with Runge Ltd., Placer Dome Corporation, and Rea Gold Corporation. Over the past ten years, he has managed over 200 technical studies on various projects and mines around the world. Mr. Kuntz holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Manitoba.

Travis Ferbey

Speaking At:

• Geoscience Innovation

Travis Ferbey is a Quaternary Geologist with the British Columbia Geological Survey. For over 20 years, he has mapped and described surficial deposits in British Columbia and utilized, and further developed, the drift sampling method to assess mineral potential. More recently, he has investigated the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems and sensors in these applications.

David King

Speaking At:

• Critical and Base Metals

David King is a registered professional geologist with more than 25 years of base and precious metal experience, focused on both mining production and exploration. Mr. King’s currently serves as Senior Vice President, Technical Services with Magna Mining Inc., focused on Magna’s Crean Hill and Shakespeare Projects. Prior to joining Magna, he held positions as Vice President, Exploration and Geoscience for TMAC Resources Inc., Senior Manager, Geoscience and Mineral Resources with KGHM International Ltd., and various senior roles with FNX Mining Inc. prior to their merger with Quadra Mining Ltd. in 2010, and sale to KGHM International in 2012.

Rosie Cobbett

Speaking At:

• Advances in Geoscience

Rosie Cobbett is a project geologist in the bedrock mapping group at the Yukon Geological Survey and a PhD candidate at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She holds a B.A.Sc. degree in geological engineering and a M.Sc. degree in structurally geology, both from the University of British Columbia. Cobbett spent several seasons working in the mineral exploration sector in Yukon before starting with the Yukon Geological Survey in 2012 where she has been conducting regional mapping for 9 years.

Maurice Colpron

Speaking At:

• Advances in Geoscience

Dr. Maurice Colpron is Head of Bedrock Geology at the Yukon Geological Survey. He has been documenting the geology of the Canadian Cordillera for more than 33 years and has published extensively on the tectonics and metallogeny of the North American Cordillera and the Arctic.

Dana Imbeault

Speaking At:

• Environmental, Social and Governance Session
• The Gathering Place 3/3

Dana has focused the last fifteen years of her career overseeing MiHR’s Canadian Mining Certification Program – a national program that recognizes the expertise of the workforce. She has led the implementation of National Occupational Standards used by industry to identify and develop the required skills and competencies of its workforce.

Colleen Cashin

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 3/3

Colleen Cashin is Vice President of People and Corporate Culture for Tahltan Nation Development Corporation. She is a human resource executive experienced in full cycle recruitment and retention, performance management, skills development, labour relations, regulatory compliance and disability claims management, with construction, energy and crown corporations, Indigenous governments and communities.

Leah Bradish

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 2/3

Leah Bradish has worked in the BC post-secondary training system for 30 years. She is the Director for Continuing Education at College of the Rockies, based in Cranbrook. Prior to working in post secondary Leah was a journalist. She holds a BA in Journalism and an MBA.

Robert Gordon

Speaking At:

• Geoscience Innovation

Rob has worked in the exploration industry as a Geophysicist for over 40 years. He began his career working with Anaconda in Squamish looking for the Next Britannia mine. Rob is a Queens Grad in Geological Engineering specialising in Geophysics. He later attended the IVEY school of business and obtained his MBA. He currently is head of Marketing and Sales at Quantec Geoscience. Rob provides geophysical consultation and exploration ideas for clients.

J Paul Stevenson

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 2/3

J. Paul Stevenson is founder and CEO of Sego Resources, a Métis community elder, and member of various boards and advisory councils. His career includes owning exploration syndicates, leading the Morrison Project to Preliminary Economic Assessment as CEO of Pacific Booker Minerals, and being a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal recipient.

Phillip Jerry Asp

Speaking At:

• The Gathering Place 2/3

Jerry is one of Canada’s most prominent Indigenous leaders. He is committed to enhancing the quality of life for Indigenous people through the creation of new business opportunities and development of skills and capacity. Jerry was President and founding member of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation (1985), the largest native-owned and operated heavy construction company in Western Canada building it to a $60 million corporation with 8 divisions and 29 joint-venture partnerships in the mining industry.

Jerry has received the Prospector and Developers Assoc of Canada Skookum Jim Award – Aboriginal Prospector of the Year (2011); Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013) for his contributions to the inclusion and training of Indigenous People in the mining industry; Frank Woodside Past Presidents Distinguished Service Award AME BC (2016); Indspire Award for achievement in Business & Commerce (2017); Named Mining Person of the Year (2019) for BC, Mining Association of British Columbia (2020); was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in (2020) and received the Leadership Legacy Award from the Tahltan Nation (2022).

Patrick Sack

Speaking At:

• Geoscience Innovation

Patrick Sack joined the Yukon Geological Survey in 2011 focusing on metallogenic research and working with the exploration and mining community as an Economic Geologist. Patrick began his geological career in the early 2000s with summer employment in the junior exploration industry. After completing B.Sc. studies at the University of Victoria he completed a Ph.D. at the University of Tasmania, Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposit Research on the Greens Creek massive sulphide deposit in southeast Alaska. Patrick recently completed a multi-year study of Jurassic plutons in Yukon and is doing a similar study on Late Cretaceous magmatic rocks in Yukon.

Kendra Johnston

Speaking At:

• Commodities and Financial Markets

Kendra is the Managing Director of PearTree Securities Inc., a Professional Geologist and senior mining executive with nearly 20 years of experience working for, advocating on behalf of and financing junior exploration companies. Kendra has extensive knowledge and experience in the issues that face mineral explorers and developers today, including the continuous challenge to raise funds.

C. Paul Jago

Speaking At:

• BC, Yukon & Alaska

C. Paul Jago is Chief Geologist for Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. and a Professional Geologist with Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Prior to joining Pacific Ridge, Paul was Exploration Manager with Centerra Gold Services Inc. (to June 2022) and Northcentral-Northeast Regional Geologist for Ministry of Energy and Mines (to June 2017).

Robin Tolbert

Speaking At:

• BC, Yukon & Alaska

Graduating from Edinburgh University, B.Sc. Geology, he has over 40 years’ experience in Mining, Project Development and Exploration for epithermal, orogenic and skarn gold, shale hosted and volcanogenic massive sulphides and porphyry copper-gold. In the latter his work has carried him from BC to Mexico (El Pulpo), Argentina (Taca Taca), Mongolia (Manali/Oyu Tolgoi), Alaska (Pebble) amongst others.

Joel Cubley

Speaking At:

• Geoscience Innovation

Joel Cubley is a faculty member in the Earth Sciences department at Yukon University. A petrologist by training, his research now encompasses a wide range of geoscience disciplines from geochemistry to mineralogy to seismology. Joel is passionate about field geology and bringing that experience to students and the general public.

Kit Marrs

Speaking At:

• Critical and Base Metals

Kit Marrs is the Co-Founder, CEO, and President of Western Alaska Minerals, (formerly Western Alaska Copper & Gold). He has more than 25 years experience in mineral exploration and development, property evaluation, and project financing in Alaska and Mexico. Mr. Marrs has worked for major mining companies and consulting firms including Anaconda Minerals Company (Anaconda), Kennecott/Bear Creek Mining, Watts Griffis & McQuat, and Penoles, SA de CV. In 1981, he was the project geologist for the Illinois Creek/Round Top Project for Anaconda and directed the exploration program.

Steve Israel

Speaking At:

• BC, Yukon & Alaska

Steve Israel is a senior project geologist and partner with the geological consulting firm of Archer, Cathro & Associates (1981) Limited. Prior to joining Archer, Cathro Steve worked as a project geologist at the Yukon Geological Survey for 15 years where he carried out regional bedrock mapping and metallogenic programs.

Kay Jollymore

Speaking At:

• Environmental, Social and Governance Session

Kay is a senior archaeologist with 20+ years’ experience working in archaeology and cultural heritage. She has worked with government, industry, and First Nations communities on small-scale mineral exploration to large-scale mine and linear infrastructure developments, including projects in the Environmental Assessment process throughout British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. She is a Registered Professional Consulting Archaeologist (RPCA) and an approved instructor for Resource Information Standards Committee (RISC).

Matthew Brzozowski

Speaking At:

• Advances in Geoscience

Matt Brzozowski completed his PhD at the University of Windsor, and two postdoctoral fellowships at Nanjing University and Lakehead University, all focused on Ni–Cu–PGE sulfide deposits. Matt is now a Mineral Deposit Geologist at the BC Geological Survey focusing on characterizing the Ni–Cu–PGE potential of BC.

Jean-Marc Lulin

Speaking At:

• Critical and Base Metals

As President and CEO of Azimut Exploration, Jean-Marc Lulin has opened vast regions of Quebec to exploration, leveraging innovative targeting methodologies and partnerships. His approach and successes led to his recognition as a leading player in the province. Jean-Marc earned a PhD in Economic Geology from the Université d’Orléans, France.

Conrad Dix

Speaking At:

• Precious Metals

Conrad Dix is an accomplished exploration geologist, presently the Exploration Manager, Nunavut at Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. He manages all aspects of the exploration strategy, focusing on health and safety and environmental management, and sustainability of Agnico Eagle’s Nunavut exploration projects.
In his 26 years in the industry Mr. Dix has worked for both major and junior exploration companies, in both greenfields and brownfields exploration, and had a strong start to his career in the geophysics industry. He has explored for all commodities on exploration projects around the globe, in every possible climate.
Mr. Dix is a Professional Geologist and holds a B.Sc. (University of Windsor). He is a member of Professional Geoscientists Ontario (PGO) and Northwest Territories Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG), sits on the board of directors of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), and is Chair of the PDAC Health & Safety Committee, and a member of the PDAC Human Resources Development Committee.

George J. Simandl

Speaking At:

• Commodities and Financial Markets

Dr. Simandl worked for IOC, AECL, Canada Talc Industries, BCGS, and as a critical and industrial minerals consultant. From 2010 to 2020, he was a Science Lead of the Specialty Metals component of the NRCAN-TGI program. Currently, he is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria.

Deanna Higginson

Speaking At:

• Environmental, Social and Governance Session

Deanna Higginson is a Technical Lead at Two Worlds Consulting (TWC), with demonstrated expertise in lands and culture, socio-environmental, regulatory, and engagement-related services. Deanna is passionate about working at the interface of Indigenous Knowledge and Western science. From leading community-based studies to environmental assessments with Indigenous Nations, Deanna fosters best practices to help deliver innovative, cross-cultural projects.

Alexei S. Rukhlov

Speaking At:

• Advances in Geoscience

Dr. Alexei Rukhlov studied petrogenesis of carbonatites and related rocks of the Kola alkaline province through his graduate work at St. Petersburg State University. As a post-doctoral fellow at Carleton University, Alexei used isotopic systematics in carbonatites worldwide to monitor evolution of the sub-lithospheric mantle. Having been involved in exploration for carbonatite-hosted critical metals, Alexei investigates the origin of these fascinating rocks as a Provincial Geochemist with the BC Geological Survey.

Rowena Gunn

Speaking At:

• Commodities and Financial Markets

Rowena Gunn joined Wood Mackenzie in March 2019 as an analyst for the Canada & Alaska Upstream Research team where she focused on building financial asset valuations and commercial analysis of companies. In 2022 she shifted focus to metals and mining and moved onto the Curated Service team where she is responsible for tailoring research that aids the institutional investor community in strategic decision making. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, Rowena worked as a Geologist at CNRL and IHS Markit. As well as extensive experience in development and operations geology, Rowena has also worked on reservoir engineering, company strategy and A&D activities. Rowena holds an M.Sc in Petroleum Geoscience from Imperial College London and a First Class BSc in Geology from the University of Glasgow.

Gabriela Brandao

Speaking At:

• Theme Session: Exploring for Value

Gabriela Brandao is the Director of Orebody Knowledge at Teck Resources. She is a Resource Geologist with 18 years of consultancy and industry experience predominantly in base and precious metals in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Chile. Gabi is enthusiastic about bringing people with diverse skillsets together to lead change.

David Cooke

Speaking At:

• Precious Metals

Professor David Cooke is the Director of CODES, the Centre for Ore Deposit and Earth Sciences at the University of Tasmania. David and his team have been researching hydrothermal and magmatic processes that lead to porphyry copper and epithermal gold ore formation since the mid-1980s.

Gordon Clarke

Speaking At:

• Regional Overviews

Gordon Clarke is the Director of the Geological Survey of British Columbia’s Vancouver based, Mineral Development Office. Mr. Clarke holds a B.Sc. in Geology from Acadia University and a M.Sc. in Geology from the University of New Brunswick. Prior to joining the Survey, Mr. Clarke had over thirty years of industry experience, including consulting and as an officer in public exploration and mining companies.

Jill Tsolinas

Speaking At:

• Environmental, Social and Governance Session
• The Gathering Place 2/3

Jill Tsolinas has a wide breadth of experience having represented exploration, development and operating mines throughout her career. She is executive director of Centre of Training Excellence in Mining (CTEM) which facilitates collaborative and innovative training. She has been on a number of boards and is currently Chair of AME.

Melissa Render

Speaking At:

• Precious Metals

An exploration geologist with 15 years’ experience focused on orogenic gold. Managed exploration projects worldwide from grassroots to advanced stages in greenstone belts including the Abitibi, Eastern Goldfields, Hope Bay, Central Lapland and Banfora for companies such as Kinross Gold, AngloGold Ashanti and TMAC Resources. 3 years as a consultant specializing in target generation, 3D modelling, data management and exploration program design.

Cooper Quinn

Speaking At:

• Environmental, Social and Governance Session

Cooper was still getting his Earth Sciences degree from SFU when he got his first job in mineral exploration in the beer line at Roundup. Since then, he’s worked for a myriad of junior exploration companies in the Cordillera and abroad for most metals. Recently, he’s focused on harnessing geology for carbon management – using certain minerals permanently trap CO2 from the atmosphere, or industrial processes.

Andrea Rutley

Speaking At:

• Theme Session: Exploring for Value

Andrea Rutley is Head of Technical & Analytics at Anglo American’s Steelmaking Coal, with responsibility to combine technical functions and data analytics to drive operational risk reduction. Andrea has 25+ years experience managing teams in Australia, South Africa, Botswana, PNG, Pacific Islands in base-metals exploration, coal operations, sustainability and engineering.