We respectfully acknowledge that we predominantly live and work on the ancestral lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all nations who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta. We thank these First Peoples who have cared for the land since time immemorial and recognize that this land was never surrendered, relinquished, or handed over in any way.
Our work takes us across what is known as “Canada,” and we encourage others to learn the history and territories of the Indigenous nations upon whose land we live and work. See native-land.ca (opens in a new window) for a visual depiction of traditional territories worldwide.
A Leading Canadian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Consulting Firm
Aaron Schroeder is the founder and CEO of Brightspot Climate. What started as a one-person venture has grown over nine years, thanks to the talent, dedication, and passion of the Brightspot team. Aaron created the Board of Directors as a key step toward his goal of transitioning Brightspot to an employee-owned trust (EOT). For Aaron, employee ownership is more than just an organizational change; it’s a way to recognize and share the wealth created by the team’s collective efforts. The Board of Directors begins of a new era of shared governance as Brightspot moves forward.
Aaron’s career has focused on analyzing, quantifying, and auditing greenhouse gas emissions across North America. He’s taught ISO 14064 courses on greenhouse gas quantification and verification at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies and has been involved in standards development with ISO at both national and international levels. Aaron also served a three-year term as convenor of ISO TC207/SC7/TG1 – Climate Change Mitigation, the task group responsible for developing and maintaining ISO’s climate change mitigation and accounting standards.
Originally from rural Saskatchewan, Aaron grew up on his family’s mixed dairy and grain farm. He holds a BSc. in Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and is a registered Professional Engineer in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
Jeanna Brown is a Professional Engineer with experience spanning many facets of the energy industry, including oil and gas exploration and development, power generation, and alternative energy solutions. Jeanna’s passion for the energy transition and climate change mitigation, combined with her diverse experience, makes her well-positioned to drive meaningful change in the field. Her engineering expertise provides her with a solid foundation to address complex challenges, whether technical, economic, or policy-related, within the energy sector.
Since joining Brightspot in 2017, Jeanna has worked on numerous greenhouse gas verifications as lead or associate verifier in the oil and gas extraction and processing, pulp and paper, electricity generation, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors. This work has included emission reduction (offset) projects and annual industrial facility reports under several GHG programs in multiple jurisdictions. Jeanna’s experience also covers scenario modelling for regulatory compliance, protocol development, quantifying corporate inventories, and consulting on offset project development. Jeanna shares her knowledge and experience in GHG quantification and verification as an instructor of a GHG Validation and Verification course offered through the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies.
Before joining Brightspot, Jeanna pursued a career in the upstream oil and gas industry as a drilling engineer, managing well planning and operations for oil and gas projects in Western Canada, the North Sea, and the Middle East. She managed large, complex projects, consistently demonstrating a talent for coordinating diverse stakeholders, managing resource allocation and scheduling amidst shifting priorities, and excelling in risk management and decision-making.
Jeanna has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and is a Professional Engineer registered with both APEGA and APEGS.
Chris Caners is working to better distribute wealth, governance and energy. It is his privilege to be the General Manager of SolarShare, a co-operative that owns, operates and finances dozens of solar projects with the support of more than 2,000 members across Ontario. Independently, Chris advises for-profit and government clients on climate, energy and financial matters and is an enthusiastic instructor of greenhouse gas accounting. A collaborative leader and educator with expertise in energy, finance and climate, Chris is a proud father and lives with his family on Treaty 13 territory in Toronto.
At SolarShare, Chris is responsible to the board of directors for operations, membership, business development, and strategy. During his tenure, SolarShare has doubled its membership, raised more than $50 million in community bonds and invested $30 million in solar assets.
Chris holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University, where he evaluated autothermal gasoline reforming, and assessed use cases for wastewater treatment biogas. Chris is a director of the Ontario Co-operative Association and an Executive in Residence with Foresight Canada. He is also a past fellow of the Just Economy Institute. Chris has served as a member of agencies of the City of Toronto, including the Residual Waste Working Group and the Grants and Special Projects Committee of The Atmospheric Fund. He is also a former director and Treasurer of the Clean Air Partnership.
Katie Elder is a strategic marketing leader with over 20 years of experience driving positive social and environmental impact through purpose-driven initiatives. As the founder of Good Principles Consulting, she partners with founders and organizations to embed sustainability principles into their growth strategies.
Her corporate experience includes serving as National Marketing Director at Andrew Peller Ltd, a leading Canadian producer of wine and spirits, where she led the development and implementation of the company’s first corporate sustainability strategy. Prior to this, she spent 11 years at Procter & Gamble in Canada and Singapore, where she held various brand management roles for brands including Febreze, Ambi Pur, Old Spice, and Olay. Her expertise spans new product development, consumer research, eCommerce, and shopper marketing across both developed and developing markets.
Katie brings valuable governance experience through her six years on the board of Meal Exchange, a former national food security charity, and in a unique Junior Director role at Otter Home and Farm Co-op, a retail and agricultural Co-op. She also provides strategic marketing and positioning guidance to StickerBook by Obliquity, the first gamified and agile ESG training platform.
Recognized as one of Marketing Magazine’s ‘Top 30 under 30,’ Katie holds a Masters degree in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Queen’s University. She combines her marketing expertise with sustainability knowledge to drive meaningful change in business practices and environmental outcomes.
Julie Tartt has over twenty years of climate, energy and environmental consulting experience, providing a wide range of services to public and private sector clients across Canada, the US and the formerly the UK. She is recognized for her extensive experience interpreting climate-related policies, plans and regulations in the Canadian context and subsequently administering and managing complex projects to study their impacts. Julie is an expert in corporate greenhouse gas quantification and assurance and regularly helps clients identify climate risks and opportunities for their businesses and develop climate strategies.
Julie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from Guelph University. In 2021, she completed the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation with The Directors College through the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, in order to support her drive to build climate intelligence on corporate boards. Julie serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for P.R.Y.D.E. Learning Centres, a non-profit organization providing quality childcare through twenty-two centres across the Durham Region.
Julie is a past lecturer on Sustainability Reporting through the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies, School of the Environment, as part of the Climate Change Policy and Practice certificate.
