Berry Vrbanovic

Mayor Vrbanovic brings more than three decades of municipal leadership and a strong track record in advancing sustainability at both the local and global levels. He has been actively involved with FCM since 2000, including serving as FCM President from 2011 to 2012, and is currently a member of the Big City Mayors’ Caucus. He previously served on the GMF Council and the FCM Environmental Issues and Sustainable Development Committee.

He also brings meaningful experience in climate and sustainability to the Council, including through his role as Co-President of United Cities and Local Governments — the global network representing local and regional governments — having been elected to this role by his peers globally. In this position, he has focused on bringing the voices of Canadian cities to the United Nations, including to the forefront of debates such as the COP21 Paris Climate Change agreement and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Shanon Zachidniak

Shanon is serving her first term as the Ward 8 City Councillor in Regina, SK. In that role, she is the co-chair of the Community Advisory Group for the city’s Energy & Sustainability Framework. A passionate community builder, her work has included management roles with several organizations. She has a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor’s in Journalism.

She has served on the board of several non-profits and is the founder of Regina’s award-winning EnviroCollective & co-founder of Food Regina. Shanon and her husband, John, have two sons—Wylie and Ivan—and a dog named Penny.

Brittany Merrifield

Brittany Merrifield is the Mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield, President of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, and a dedicated community leader known for her advocacy in sustainable growth, fiscal reform, and climate action. She contributes to national policy as an active member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors and brings local insight to broader conversations.

A small business owner and mother of four, Brittany also co-leads 100 Women Who Care of Greater Saint John, helping raise over $1.1 million for local charities through collective community giving.

Claire Holloway Wadhwani

Claire is serving her first term on Council in Port Hope, Ontario, where she chairs the municipality’s Environmental Advisory Committee. She championed the development of Port Hope’s first Community Climate Action Plan and is working with staff and residents to lead its implementation.

Claire also chairs Community Power Northumberland, a renewable energy co-op advancing community-owned sustainability projects. With over 15 years’ experience as a consultant to NGOs and community initiatives, her work centres on equity, climate resilience, and community-led development.

Alison Gu

Alison Gu is a Chinese settler born to first-generation immigrants and currently serves as a second-term Burnaby City Councillor. Alison's priorities include building decarbonization, community energy, affordable housing, active transportation, anti-racism, and climate resiliency.

Alison's recognitions include being a 30 under 30 leader in 2025, Queen's Platinum Jubilee Award recipient in 2022, 25 under 25 leader in 2020, and as a Greville Smith Scholar from McGill University. Alongside municipal experience, Alison has also worked for provincial and federal elected officials.

Ben Copp

Ben Copp is the Director General of the Office of Energy Efficiency at National Resources Canada. Prior to this role, Ben was Senior Director of the Strategic Policy and Analysis Division in the Office of Energy Efficiency.

Ben has worked for the Government of Canada for 19 years, and prior to his current role, has held positions as the Director of Resource Division at Treasury Board Secretariat, as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at Natural Resources Canada and as Senior Advisor in the Priorities and Planning Sector at the Privy Council Office.

Prior to joining the federal government, Ben worked in the Ministry of Finance with the Government of British Columbia and in two municipal governments in British Columbia.

Jeff MacDonald

Since 2021, Jeff MacDonald has been the Director General, Climate Change Adaptation at Environment and Climate Change Canada. His directorate includes climate change adaptation policy and the Canadian Centre for Climate Services and is responsible for the development and implementation of Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy.

Jeff has held several executive positions over the past 20 years at four federal departments and agencies. He is a skilled negotiator with international, intergovernmental and indigenous experience.

Ramsey Wright

Ramsey has spent the past 5 years developing and implementing national programs at Environment and Climate Change Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As the Acting Director General of the Programs Directorate, he currently oversees the administration of the Low Carbon Economy Fund and the Output Based Pricing System Proceeds Fund.

Outside of his federal experience, Ramsey serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Just Food, a nonprofit supporting sustainable food and farming systems in the Ottawa region.

Alexandre Prieur

Alexandre Prieur is the Acting Director General of CanmetENERGY in Varennes, Natural Resources Canada’s leading research and technology organization for clean energy innovation. CanmetENERGY in Varennes supports Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy through cutting-edge work in buildings and communities, renewable energy, industrial processes, and the globally recognized RETScreen energy management platform.

Alexandre brings nearly 17 years of experience in clean energy innovation within the federal government, having joined the public service in 2009. He has led national research and development programs in renewable energy integration, smart grids, and advanced energy systems, aligning scientific excellence with policy and industry needs.

Prior to his public service career, Alexandre spent almost a decade in the private sector in the telecommunications industry, working with both startups and large enterprises. This combined public- and private-sector experience has equipped him with a rare blend of technical depth, strategic vision, and operational leadership.

Ursula Eicker

Ursula Eicker is the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities and Founder and Director of the Next-Generation Cities Institute at Concordia University in Montréal.

She works on decarbonization strategies for cities using living labs and urban digital twins for scenario modeling, user engagement and operational optimization. Her research interests cover zero emission and smart cities, renewable energy integration, and sustainable urban infrastructure.

With a team of about 50 graduate students and software developers she is working on multiple eco-district projects in Canada and builds the urban modeling and data analytics platform Tools4Cities.

Jonathan Frank

Jon has expertise in sustainability-focused finance, development, engineering, construction and M&A in the areas of renewable power generation, energy efficiency retrofits, geothermal heating and cooling, electric vehicle charging and energy storage.

He has worked in start-ups, large private and public companies, and regulated financial institutions. Today, Jon is the Chief Development Officer at CABN, a cleantech company advancing prefabricated, net-zero and zero-carbon material buildings.

Prior to this, Jon was Vice President at StoneWood Group, a boutique executive search firm, Head of Clean Energy Finance at Vancity Community Investment Bank and Managing Director and Head of Project Finance at CoPower.

Parminder Sandhu

Parminder Sandhu is an entrepreneur with over 25 years experience operating at the intersection of public policy needs and private sector innovation to deliver market-based solutions.

His experience includes starting and scaling businesses, managing investment portfolios, and public service. He has served on several boards and advocates for governance, outcomes orientation, and being mandate driven.

Nancy Desrosiers

Nancy Desrosiers is a committed leader in sustainability, governance, and organizational strategy. An expert in ESG, sustainable finance, and transformation, she has worked with institutional investors and now develops innovative approaches at an engineering consulting firm to support leaders and organizations.

A certified director (ASC) with international climate and ESG credentials, she actively contributes to climate governance initiatives. Passionate about positive impact, she works to build more responsible and resilient business models.