Chair

University of Alberta

Stephen Johnston has a BSc from McGill and MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Alberta. He worked for Shell Canada and the British Columbia and Yukon geological surveys. His academic career includes professorships at the universities of Durban-Westville, South Africa, Victoria, BC, and Alberta where he is Chair of the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences.

P. Geo., FGC

CEO Geoscientists Canada

Andrea Waldie is CEO of Geoscientists Canada, the national organization of the professional geoscientist self-regulatory organizations. She enjoys speaking and collaborating nationally and internationally on matters supporting excellence in geoscience professionalism. A director of the APGO Education Foundation and treasurer of the Global Geoscience Professionalism Group, she is a registered professional geoscientist, a Fellow of Geoscientists Canada, and PGO Award of Merit (2023) recipient.

Consultant

Former ADM (ECCC, NRCan, AAFC)

Former Interim CEO Ducks Unlimited Canada

Brian currently spends part of his time consulting, writing, speaking as an ally for reconciliation, as well as volunteering as an advisor, executive coach, and mentor.

Secretary

University of Calgary - Professor, Faculty of Science, Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment

Professor David Eaton was appointed 2015-2020 as NSERC/Chevron Industrial Research Chair in Microseismic System Dynamics in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Calgary. Together with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, his work focuses primarily on advancement of research, education and technological innovations in microseismic methods and their practical applications for resource development, with a secondary focus on the deep lithospheric structure of continents. In 2007, he rejoined the University of Calgary as Head of the Department of Geoscience, after an 11-year academic career at the University of Western Ontario. His postdoctoral research experience included work at Arco’s Research and Technical Services (Plano, Texas) and the Geological Survey of Canada (Ottawa). He has recently published a textbook on Passive Seismic Monitoring of Induced Seismicity. His work has been recognized by several major awards including the J. Tuzo Wilson medal from the Canadian Geophysical Union and a 2020 NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation.

Treasurer

Director of Business Development Tourism Calgary

Fraser leads the Champions Program at Tourism Calgary identifying and supporting thought leaders to host major international conferences in Calgary.

CEO and co-founder Saa Dene Group

Ms. Kitto has over 20 years of combined executive management, economic development, regulatory matters, crisis and risk management and governance experience. She is actively involved in her community and currently serves as an advisor, a board of director on several for profit and not for profit, First Nations Group of Companies; and several non-partisan organizations.

Liaison with IGC BDC

Mount Royal University - Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences

International Director - Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences

Katherine is fascinated by the processes that form the “Earth beneath our feet”. She is the Director for the Community Science Liaison program that strives to embed place- and curriculum-based citizen science programs in Canadian kindergarten to grade 12 classrooms. Teachers appreciate these projects because they bring the real world into their classrooms, students feel empowered because they contribute towards improved understanding of their scientific-environmental backyards and scientists get rejuvenated passions for their disciplines through these student’s enthusiasm and energetic approaches to these programs.

Katherine is also a very passionate promoter of the geosciences and has just recently developed a model to change the general public perception of the geosciences through national and international collaborations across these geoscience communities represented by various components of this Canadian bid to host IGC 2028.

In addition to being the Chair for the CNC – IUGS and the International Director for the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences; Katherine developed significant management, leadership and communication skills through her 33 years in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserves (RCNR) where she was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee medal for her combined service to the RCNR and the geoscience academic community.