Laura Lochman

Consul General Laura Lochman is a career American diplomat with over 20 years of experience in policy analysis and implementation.  She has served in various overseas assignments with the Department of State, including as Deputy Economic Counselor and Chief of the Trade and Investment Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and Deputy Economic Counselor and Environment, Science and Technology Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. Earlier, she served in Caracas, Venezuela and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Laura has served as the Consul General of the United States in Calgary since June 2009, covering Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories of Canada.  She graduated with a B.A. in International Studies and French from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She also studied at the Université de Montpellier, France.  Laura, her husband Joseph Schaefer, and their son Nicholas enjoy skiing, hiking, and the outdoors. Laura holds a black belt in karate, and her foreign languages include French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.

Anne Drinkwater

As a member of BP's Exploration and Production Executive Team, Anne was formerly the Group Vice-President responsible for Egypt, North Africa, Azerbaijan and Asia Pacific, and held accountability for Exploration & Production's external and non-technical risk profile.  Prior to that assignment, she served as President of BP Indonesia.

Anne joined BP as an operational researcher in 1978 and later served in a variety of commercial and operating roles.  During her career she has led upstream production businesses in the Gulf of Mexico and Norway and BP's Alaskan pipeline and shipping business.

She holds a BSc in Applied Mathematics from Brunel University in London.  Anne and her husband, Jim Collier, have been based in Calgary since January, 2009.

 

Jean Merriman

is Executive Vice-President of the White Iron Group of Companies - White Iron Pictures Inc., White Iron Productions Inc., and White Iron Digital Inc.  She is also Vice-President of Stampede Entertainment Inc., Stampede Concerts Inc. and Stampede Live Inc.

With 35 years in the film and television industry, Jean's creative leadership skill includes knowledge and production expertise as a graphic artist, senior writer, creative director, producer and film director.

Jean has been responsible for the creation of numerous international award winning documentaries, television series, variety programming and commercials. Her work has been broadcast domestically and internationally on major networks including Discovery Channel, A & E, The History Channel, CBC, PBS, TNN, CMT, CTV, Global, HGTV, NBC, FOX, ABC, ESPN, TLC, Slice, Outdoor LIFE, Vision, Much Music, and MTV.

Very active in the Calgary community, Jean currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Banff Television Festival Foundation, The Board of Governors of The Glenbow Museum, The Mount Royal College Communications Advisory Board, and The Business Industry Committee for Calgary Economic Development.  She is also currently supplying her expertise to the United Way Communications Committee.

Brenda Kenny, PhD.

Brenda Kenny is President and CEO of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) where she works with industry partners to develop industry positions and advocacy related to a wide range of issues including safety, climate change, regulatory efficiency and financial competitiveness. Brenda has extensive experience in energy regulation, sustainable development and strategy. Prior to joining CEPA, she spent a number of years with the National Energy Board where she provided executive leadership in policy, regulatory reviews and finance.

Brenda is an adjunct professor in the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, and a part time Fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE).  She serves on the Board of WaterSMART, she is a special advisor to the Energy Sector Team of Enterprise Saskatchewan and has been active in a variety of business and community groups including past Board member of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Sustainable Calgary and roundtable member of imagineCALGARY.  In 2009 she was appointed to the Board of the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC), an Alberta independent not-for- profit organization that will invest in projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Brenda holds a Doctorate in Resources and the Environment, a Masters of Mechanical Engineering, and a Bachelors of Applied Science.