Our People

Keren directs and stewards the Energy Futures Policy Collaborative – a multi-leader partnership diving into the intersection of systems change, policy and investment. Keren’s career and specialties have focused on pioneering new ways to solve messy challenges through the use of disciplines such as systemic design, foresight, and design facilitation. She is Co-founder of the Alberta CoLab – the first public sector social innovation lab to launch at a provincial level – and alumni of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 under 40.

Ailsa is a natural storyteller and communicator whose work has focused on connecting people and industry with forward-thinking solutions within the environmental and energy sectors.

Ailsa’s interest in the intersection of energy and environment was sparked while doing communications and marketing for an environmental consulting firm specializing in remediation. She went on to hold marketing and communications leadership roles at a national, environmental non-profit organization. She brings her experience and enthusiasm for written and visual communications, problem-solving, strategy and planning, and community engagement into her role within the Energy Futures Lab.

Ailsa holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Calgary and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Marketing Strategy from Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Mac Radburn graduated from Carleton University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. He also holds an MSc in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics. He brings a passion for communications, environmental policy, and clean innovation to Smart Prosperity Institute.

Contact: mac@smartprosperity.ca

Emily grew up with a passion for food and through her experience working in food service has championed environmental sustainability in the industry. Emily has ample food industry experience ranging from local SME restaurants to luxury properties.

Emily has held a 2-year presidency of an environmental outreach program, completed a fellowship on circular economy with the Ellen McArthur Foundation and is a Board Member for Circular Innovation Council. She has published multiple papers in food service sustainability exploring the impact of COVID-19 on sustainability initiatives, food waste in long-term care homes, the effectiveness of certification programs, and single-use plastic reduction and has done dozens of media interviews on the federal plastics ban. Emily has taught University courses in food service management and food science as Food Education Manager at the University of Guelph.

Emily is a Kostuch Media Top 30 Under 30 Recipient, an OMAFRA HQP Scholar, a D.F. Forster Medal Nominee and a Governor General’s Gold Medal Nominee. She has a Bachelor of Commerce in Hotel and Food Administration and a Master of Science in Tourism and Hospitality. 

David Runnalls is a Senior Fellow and Steering Committee member at Smart Prosperity Institute, and a Visiting Professor at uOttawa.

He also serves as Distinguished Fellow with IISD. He is a member of the Board of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Export Development Canada; a member of the Council for Sustainable Development Technology Canada; and a member of the Ivey Business School Leadership Council. He also serves on the Inquiry Team for Tomorrow’s Global Company, the SAM/SPG Leadership award, the International Sustainability Innovation Council of Switzerland (ISIS), and the Shell Report External Review Committee.

He has served as Co-Chair of the China Council Task Force on WTO and Environment. Runnalls was the Leopold Fellow at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a member of the federal External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation (EACSR). He served as Chair of the Adjudication Panel for the ALCAN Prize for Sustainability.

Runnalls has served as Senior Advisor to the President of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa, Canada, and to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. He was Director of the Environment and Sustainable Development Programme at the Institute for Research on Public Policy in Ottawa. He worked with Barbara Ward to found the International Institute for Environment and Development and directed both its London and Washington offices.

Runnalls was the Canadian Board member of IUCN-the World Conservation Union for six years and the Chair of the Committee for the World Conservation Congress in 1996. He served as a member of the Boards of the World Environment Center (New York), IIED (London) and Pollution Probe (Toronto).

An occasional writer and broadcaster, he has served as environment columnist for the CBC radio program, As it Happens and for CTV’s Canada am. He was a member of the Discovery Channel’s regular environment panel and political columnist for the Earth Times, the paper of record for the United Nations Earth Summit in 1992.

In 2020, David was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, in recognition of his lifelong leadership in advancing sustainable development in Canada and globally.

Paul Shorthouse is a distinguished business leader whose career has spanned three decades, driving sustainability-inspired innovation and impact.
Paul has held executive roles at Generate Canada, including as Managing Director of Circular Construction Canada (CCC) and Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC), as well as the Interim Managing Director of the Canada Plastics Pact (CPP). His experience extends to other impact-focused roles with sustainability strategy consultants (Delphi Group and GLOBE Advisors), as the Conference Director for the GLOBE Forum, and as a researcher and SCUBA dive biologist in the first half of his career.
Paul has a proven track record of providing strategic solutions and engaging with senior leaders from business and government. He has a demonstrated ability to build national-level partnerships and collaborative platforms, which he has leveraged to provide thought leadership and technical expertise for clients and partner organizations across the country.
Paul possesses a unique blend of scientific and business acumen, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Diploma of Technology in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Paul’s career is marked by his capacity to lead and manage complex and diverse projects, inform policy, and advise both corporate and non-profit institutions through board and committee memberships. 
Paul lives in Victoria, BC, with his wife and two children.

Jessie is a passionate, purpose-driven senior strategic communications executive with deep expertise in sustainable finance, ESG, and climate communications.

As an SVP at Argyle/Believeco: Partners, Jessie led a talented team of corporate communications and public affairs professionals serving clients across multiple sectors and industries (finance, tech, real estate and the built environment). She established the firm’s Sustainable Value portfolio, supporting businesses, NGOs, governments, and academic experts in their work to bring climate and sustainable economy solutions to bear.

Prior to her time at Arygle, Jessie was the founding Communications Director and brand architect for Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, helped launch the Smart Prosperity Leaders Initiative, and was the Head of Strategic Communications for WWF-Canada.

Jessie lives in Toronto with her two teen-aged sons, partner, and gigantic dog (Cooper). Her happy place is the muddy trail along Grenadier Pond.

Barb Swartzentruber is a strategist, catalyst, and connector, working with government and communities to respond to urgent social, economic, and environmental challenges through civic innovation, regenerative practices, and circular economy strategies. She is committed to the power of a shared vision and mission-driven collective action to create regenerative local economies and communities that are inclusive and thriving in harmony with nature.

As a global leader in place-based innovation, system change and community capacity building, she convened and led a collaboration of local governments, business, academic and community leaders to win Canada’s Smart City Challenge. Built on a shared vision and goals, and a distributed leadership and governance model, they co-produced a portfolio of over 60 system change projects for re-imagining a circular, sustainable regional food system. Successfully attracting over $25M in investments, mobilizing national and international collaborations, this work has created new innovation platforms including the Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL), Climate and Circularity Hub, Zero Waste Economic Innovation Lab, and Regenerative Agriculture Program that are testing and deepening regenerative social, economic, environmental practices.

As a system innovator with I&IT expertise, Barb led the federal negotiations, design and implementation of the Ontario Government’s first rural and remote broadband strategy, and the province’s initial open government and open data strategies.

Barb has taught public policy, intergovernmental relations, community development, and system change at several Canadian universities. She was appointed to the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on the Circular Economy in Canada in 2020 which co-produced the Turning Point Report. She acts as an expert advisor to the Canadian Circular Cities and Regions initiative supporting local governments across Canada to develop circular economy strategies.

Ryan is a Senior Research Associate working as part of SPI’s Land Use Team. Ryan completed his M.Sc in Environmental Sustainability at the University of Ottawa and studied Human Resource Management and Psychology at Trent University. His main interest is working to improve the sustainability of Canada’s food system and his research is focused on promoting clean growth and innovation in the agriculture sector.

Ryan’s work with SPI has centred around identifying the barriers that prevent farmers from adopting environmentally beneficial management practices and the policies that can be used to motivate practice adoption.

Michael is a Research Associate with the Smart Prosperity Institute. Prior to joining SPI, Michael worked at Trans Canada Trail, a non-profit organization that supports the development of active transportation routes and recreational trails as fundamental to the well-being of Canadian communities. Michael has also worked at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNSCDB) in subnational and local implementation and with the Office for Disability Issues at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Michael holds a Master of Environmental Policy from the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and his research interests are focused on the nexus between urban nature, human health, and climate change. When not at his desk, Michael can be found cycling, rock climbing or exploring the great outdoors with his growing family.

Marena has over a decade of experience moving the needle on sustainability policy in Canada. She led the programming of the 2021 World Circular Economy Forum on behalf of the Government of Canada and now leads the creation of new research projects and partnerships at Smart Prosperity Institute.

Leveraging her experience working with all orders of government, including Indigenous, she focuses on bringing about real-world changes that benefit people and planet.

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Kaleigh is a dynamic leader and strategic communicator with over ten years of experience spanning the non-profit, public and private sectors. Through the development of accessible communications strategies, she works with purpose-led organizations to tell their stories, engage community members, and drive long-term positive change.

A storyteller at heart, Kaleigh holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is a life-long believer in the transformative impact that well-told narratives can have on individuals, their communities and society at large.

When she’s not story-telling at work, you can probably find her story-reading at home with her young family.