Mr. Sattlegger is a practising professional geoscientist with 36 years of experience within the energy and mining sectors. His career has included senior technical and executive positions within domestic and international private and public firms.
Mr. Sattlegger has been involved in exploration, development, enhanced recovery schemes, vertical & horizontal drilling, field operations, asset management, regulatory compliance and liability mitigation of operating companies for public and private operators reporting to industry regulators across the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and international jurisdictions.
His career has also included the role of technical advisor and business development executive within several international independent reserves evaluation firms spanning all major basins on a global basis.
Additionally, Mr. Sattlegger provides project management, property evaluations and technical advisory services to operating mining companies. Expertise includes due diligence of independent third party evaluation reports & technical/financial corporate information for institutional, retail and accredited investors. Further, Mr. Sattlegger has extensive experience in instituting investor relations strategies, marketing and corporate development initiatives within North American and European jurisdictions.
Mr. Sattlegger participates on a number of Committees within APEGA including Expert Witness Geoscience, Investigations Committee (I/C), ASET Joint Committee, Student Liaison, Mentor Program, Student Science Fair in addition to serving as a member at large within the Calgary Southern Branch Committee serving over 40,000 members.
He is the current President, Calgary Chapter, Carleton University Alumni and is an active member of the CSPG (Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists), SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers), MEGS (Mining Exploration Geologists) and the AAPG (American Association of Petroleum Geologists).
Mr. Sattlegger is an active volunteer with Ducks Unlimited, Royal Canadian Air Cadets, Mining Exploration Geologists Society (MEGS) and has held senior volunteer positions with United Way and Calgary Opera.
The son of Ronald Hall and Corinne Derrickson, Qwispasket is of Nlaka'pamuxw/Syilx/Sinixt/Stuixw ancestry and has attended KPU to pursue a BA in Anthropology with a a focus in Bioarchaeology. Qwispasket has worked in the field of Cultural Resource Management since 2013. As the Collections Registrar, Qwispasket is in charge of the management and preservation of the physical collection housed at Sncewips and its satellite displays. Outside of the museum, Qwispasket enjoys being on the land either on his motorcycle, exploring the mountains and hills that make up the Okanagan Valley, and being face first in an excavation.
Beatrix Bitter is the Administrative and Member Services Manager at MM-ISAC, where she supports the organization’s mission to strengthen cybersecurity and resiliency across the mining and metals sector. With a passion for service and a talent for fostering strong member relationships, Beatrix ensures that operations run smoothly, and members are well-supported with timely resources and communication.
Beatrix is a proud graduate of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), where she graduated with honors and was named the Class of 2023 Valedictorian. Her academic and leadership achievements reflect her drive, determination, and commitment to excellence.
Resilient, resourceful, and deeply committed to her work, Beatrix plays a vital role in building and sustaining the trusted environment that enables MM-ISAC’s members to collaborate, share intelligence, and respond confidently to evolving threats. She takes pride in contributing to a mission that safeguards critical infrastructure and fosters a more secure future.
As Chief Operating Officer of Canada Action, Lynn is responsible for the strategy and execution of Canada Action’s awareness campaigns across Canada. Lynn leads the charge to develop and deploy thought leadership content that influences perception and behaviours surrounding the importance of Canada's resources to our quality of life and economy.
Lynn collaborates with indigenous, youth, community, industry, and business leaders across Canada through speaking engagements, public events and media relations. She oversees Canada Action’s volunteer network, local partnerships, and public relations activities. Lynn is accountable for maintaining the foundational commitment to non-partisan, positive, fact-based messaging across all mediums.
Lynn is an avid volunteer, and has organized nationwide student leadership conferences; charity music and sports festivals; and several non-profit fundraising campaigns. Lynn's broad range of interests have seen her involved with a variety of organizations and initiatives including Children's Charities, Artificial Intelligence, New Canadians, Science, Mental Health, Indigenous Youth, Sports, Environment, Business and Co-Working.
Michael Fox, publisher of the Prospector News is a media relations/ communications professional with 30 years of media experience. Michael’s career began in News Talk Radio in Calgary Alberta Canada. After leaving the radio business Michael transitioned his professional life to a media consultant. In 2002 he started consulting to the Prospector News and eventually becoming its Owner/Publisher in 2008. “The past 22 years have been a whirlwind, when I first started, I thought a 43101 was a zip code. What I know today about the industry is tantamount to the individuals who will willing to take the time to share their expertise and experiences. The key to good story telling is to have great characters. There is no shortage of colorful characters in our business.
Carlos Gorraez Meraz is a Master’s student in Environment and Management at Royal Roads University and an Earth Energy Fellow with Geothermal Rising. His research focuses on energy transition and explores the social acceptance of geothermal systems in Western Canada and the U.S.
A retired Navy Captain from Mexico with over 30 years of service, Carlos also holds a Master’s in National Security focused on energy security. Now living in British Columbia, he combines his leadership background with a passion for advancing geothermal energy as a sustainable and reliable solution in the global energy transition.
Michael Dargie is a storyteller, creative instigator, and author of BrandJitsu: Move Your Brand from ‘Meh’ to Memorable. As the host of the RebelRebel Podcast, a sought-after speaker, and the Executive Creative Director at Make More Creative, he helps people and brands tell stories that actually matter. His motto? Do cool and weird shit with cool and weird people.
BrandJitsu.com | MakeMoreCreative.com | TheRebelRebelPodcast.com | MichaelDargie.com
With a quarter of a century of experience in supply chain, customs and trade compliance, Benita Lee helps companies navigate the complex regulatory landscape of global trade. As businesses expand internationally and technologies reshape supply chains, her work ensures that operations remain compliant, efficient, and future-ready.
A Certified Customs Specialist in both the U.S. and Canada, she has advised companies across upstream, midstream, and refinery sectors on trade compliance governance, risk mitigation, HS classification, free trade agreements, and ERP/GTM system alignment.
She believes trade compliance is not just a checkbox - it’s a strategic advantage. By staying ahead of shifting regulations, Benita helps organizations avoid costly penalties, seize global opportunities, and build resilient supply chains. Her expertise is critical to the responsible development and movement of Canada’s mineral resources.
Adriana Guatame-Garcia is an Assistant Professor in Transdisciplinary Critical Mineral resources at the University of Calgary. She holds a BSc in geology from the National University of Colombia, and a PhD in Resource Engineering from the Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands). In her research, she uses geochemistry and mineralogy to understand the mineral dynamics from exploration to waste management to promote the recovery of critical mineral resources.
Affiliation: University of Calgary, Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment & The School of Public Policy
As the CEO of a specialized consulting firm focused on Indigenous business solutions, Debi brings over 35 years of expertise in Supply Chain Management, with a strong background in transportation, customs brokerage, strategic sourcing, and project management. Her corporate experience includes leadership roles in international freight forwarding companies and Suncor Energy, where she managed multi-billion-dollar projects and led high-performing teams.
With a deep commitment to advancing Indigenous business growth, Debi has spearheaded Indigenous business development initiatives, collaborating with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous companies to drive business expansion and create value beyond monetary transactions. During her tenure leading Indigenous business development teams, she successfully implemented enterprise-wide strategies resulting in spend growth of ~800%. Backing the obligation of corporate Canada to meet the demands of Call to Action #92, is an area that Debi has deep knowledge in and can support companies to fulfill as an imperative of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Debi is passionate about working with Indigenous companies to strategize and enhance their business growth, while also advising non-Indigenous companies on effective engagement practices. Her contributions extend beyond business, including participation in national panel discussions and contribution to various reports on sustainability and reconciliation efforts.
Debi holds professional certifications in logistics and freight forwarding and has been involved in industry associations such as the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association, Calgary Women in Energy, and co-founder of Women in Logistics.
With a strong foundation built through years of on-the-ground experience in northern and central British Columbia, Ange-Aimée began her career supporting Indigenous communities in consultation, referral management, and negotiation processes with mining and exploration companies. Her early work laid the groundwork for a career dedicated to fostering respectful, collaborative relationships between Indigenous Nations and industry stakeholders.
Ange-Aimée advises both Indigenous communities and corporate clients across Canada, helping to build long-term partnerships that reflect mutual respect, shared values, and sustainable outcomes. She brings a strategic lens to Indigenous engagement and consultation, guiding clients through complex regulatory processes while creating inclusive, values-aligned opportunities that benefit all parties.
Deeply committed to sustainability, she also supports clients in integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into operations. Her work includes tailored ESG reporting, implementation frameworks, and strategies that align with both corporate and Indigenous definitions of success.
Ange-Aimée holds her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and is an active member of Canadian Women in Energy, chairing the community and inclusion committee.
CMR Consulting Inc. is a dynamic boutique consulting firm with almost 2 decades of experience, partnering closely with clients to deliver impactful results through our expertise in Strategic Planning, Indigenous Inclusion, Stakeholder Engagement, Communications, Research, and Sustainability & ESG.
Bill Cawker joined Nicola in March of 2023 taking over duties for Corporate & Investor Relations, Social Media, and in March 2024 as Corporate Secretary. He is an experienced in-house specialist who has worked primarily assisting small cap / microcap publicly listed companies in the fields of technology and natural resources. Bill has worked at leading Canadian financial institutions and been active with numerous public companies and is a graduate in Economics from the University of British Columbia where his focus was CDN and US Economic History specifically Free Trade.
John Desjarlais is Nehinaw (Cree)-Metis from Kaministikominahikoskak (Cumberland House), Saskatchewan. John has a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and started his career in 2001 in the mining industry and worked in a variety of roles including E&S, maintenance and reliability engineering management until moving onto executive leadership in economic development and construction. John now serves as the Executive Director of the Indigenous Resource Network as well as Past President of APEGS. John also has extensive regulatory, volunteer, governance, and civil society experience serving on a variety of boards, committees, and other initiatives culminating into several awards over his career recognizing his civil service and servant leadership.
Mr. Ross McElroy is an award-winning mining executive and geologist with nearly 40 years of experience in the mining industry. He has been instrumental in the discovery and advancement of multiple deposits, many of which have transitioned into operational mines. Mr. McElroy has delivered major shareholder value growth through his technical and corporate leadership, most recently with the high-profile, $1.14 billion sale of Fission Uranium — of which he was co-founder, President and CEO. His contributions to the mining sector have earned him notable accolades, including The Northern Miner’s Mining Person of the Year and the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada’s (PDAC) Bill Dennis Award for outstanding mineral discovery. Mr. McElroy holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Alberta and is a registered professional geologist in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories.
With over 30 years of experience across oilfield construction, forestry, project planning, site development, logistics, and heavy equipment operations, Brian is a seasoned leader in project and operations management.
His professional focus spans critical mineral mining, transitional energy—including vertical farming—geothermal development, and Small Modular Reactors (SMR/MMR). He is also deeply involved in advancing First Nation equity in energy development and infrastructure projects. A proud Indigenous person and ancestor of the first people of Turtle Island, he actively contributes to the reconciliation and inclusion of Indigenous voices in corporate and governmental spaces.
With a Bachelor of Commerce and Masters in Sustainable Energy from the University of Calgary. Wadhwani has identified the barriers to renewable project generation on First Nations Lands in Western Canada, such as lack of policy development around the laws and financial assurances for reclamation and remediation of RE on FNL, trust building, and access to capital as a significant barrier for some First Nation communities. Wadhwani explores how timely and important it is for First Nations communities to achieve economic sovereignty and development within the contexts of the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Canadian 94 Calls for Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Specifically, he drew on article 3.32 of UNDRIP regarding Indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination and economic development, and rights for development of natural resources, as well as Call to Action #92, which focuses on long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.
“There is an opportunity to renew and foster Canada’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples with a focus on negotiation, self governance, and independence,” Wadhwani said. “From a legal standpoint and with the Indian Act there are a lot of barriers to how land can be used. First Nations are working hard within that framework to create economic development on their lands.”
Boukare is a geologist with work experience and publication on the Precambrian greenstone belts of Burkina Faso, West African Craton, well known for its production of gold and other precious metals from world-class deposits. He is a graduate from the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and National Taiwan University in Taiwan. Among other projects, Boukare worked Reduced Intrusion Gold System at the Polymetallic Au-Bi-Te Bunker Gold Mine Property in British Columbia, the Fe-Ti-V Lac Dore deposit in Quebec and Porphyry Cu-Au-Mo in Mexico. He holds several volunteer positions, including a board membership & president of the Mineral Exploration Group Society in Calgary, Alberta.
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Interested in expanding the scope of your research, innovating your company, or applying your academic skills to a real world problem? Mitacs is a national independent not-for-profit organization that acts as a catalyzing force in the Canadian innovation ecosystem, providing funding and support for collaborative projects between academia and eligible partner organizations. Join Business Development Advisor Hannah Scott as she provides an overview of the Mitacs programs that can directly support your research and innovation, and give helpful hints at nailing the Mitacs application.