Our Mission

Atlantica Centre for Energy serves as the proactive voice of energy in Atlantic Canada. We bring together industry, government, education and research sectors, and the public to support sustainable energy growth in the region. Through collaboration, we aim to build a strong, informed, and future-ready energy sector.

How we do it:

Improve energy literacy: improving the understanding of how the energy sector works and how it impacts the lives of Atlantic Canadians by providing accessible, accurate and reliable information on important current energy topics.

Facilitate dialogue: actively participating in conferences and events as speakers, panel members and moderators; publish discussion papers and commentaries; and coordinate events and discussions.

Foster partnerships: connecting stakeholders and providing networking opportunities through our broad reach in Atlantic Canada across all sectors related to energy.

Hillside Boularderie – Hilary Hendsbee

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Our Partners

As a non-profit organization, our membership includes some of the region’s largest employers, energy producers, distributors, and consumers. These strong partnerships help us stay connected to the evolving energy landscape across Atlantic Canada.

If you’re interested in joining our network, reach out to us at michelle.robichaud@atlanticaenergy.org .

Atlantic Alliances

Our Team

Stephen D. MacMackin

Chair

A licensed funeral director, Stephen was president of The Brenan Group Ltd. for 30 years. The family business that he owned and operated with his brother Bill provides funeral services from four locations in the Greater Saint John area. While the next generation of the family – two of Stephen’s children – have now taken on day-to-day management of the funeral homes, he continues to play an advisory role and remains active in Select Community Funeral Homes Inc., a firm he and Bill established that facilitates ownership transition in the funeral services sector providing both guidance and investment in support of the new owners.

A graduate of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and the University of Guelph, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics.

Always active in the community, Stephen MacMackin currently serves as Chair of the Atlantica Centre for Energy, Outgoing Chair of Saint John Energy, Treasurer of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Hampton, Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Hampton, Secretary/Treasurer of the Dr. V.A. Snow Foundation Inc. and Chair of DeMille Place, a not-for-profit seniors housing project in Hampton.

Away from business and his volunteer roles, Stephen is an avid duck hunter and manages a family woodlot in Hampton.

Michelle Robichaud

President michelle.robichaud@atlanticaenergy.org

With more than 20 years of progressive public relations and business management experience, Michelle has lead research projects and community engagement initiatives as a consultant for various government and community groups with her own company and as a community volunteer.

Prior to joining the Atlantica Centre for Energy, Michelle was an award-winning instructor at the New Brunswick Community College fostering partnership through Applied Research and Experiential Learning. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Atlantic Hydrogen Alliance and the Atlantic Clean Energy Alliance.

Previously, Michelle worked in media relations and communications for the Financial and Consumer Services Commission, owned a corporate event management and consulting company, and worked in various roles with the regional economic development agency.

Her experience working in and fostering dialogue among industry, government, academia and community stakeholders provides her with solid insight in the role of President for our regional energy think tank.

Jonathan Alward

Vice President, Policy jonathan.alward@atlanticaenergy.org

Jonathan Alward has spent more than a decade working with or within governments at various levels across Canada on policy and economic development.

Prior to moving back to New Brunswick, Jonathan worked for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) as the Prairie Region Director. In this role he oversaw advocacy efforts for small and medium businesses, the backbone of the economy. Jonathan has spearheaded national policy issues to raise regional issues to the forefront at the national level.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Economics) and Master of Business Administration Degree (Concentration in Entrepreneurship) both from the University of New Brunswick.

Jonathan joined the Atlantica Centre for Energy as Vice President and leans on his experience working on government policy and managing stakeholder relationships to help foster the exchange of information and dialogue to further the region’s energy opportunities.

Neil Jacobsen

Senior Policy Consultant neil.jacobsen@atlanticaenergy.org

Neil’s exposure to the energy sector is deep-rooted. Neil previously served as Assistant Deputy Minister with the New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines, where he led the team that managed energy related policy, planning and regulatory affairs activities for the Province of New Brunswick. Neil recently co-led a strategic “value-optimization” initiative with the City of Saint John and Saint John Energy focused on positioning the utility and municipality for sustainable growth through product and service innovation and the pursuit of new renewable energy development opportunities.

Neil has also spent close to two decades successfully promoting economic growth and diversification in the greater Saint John and Fundy regions of New Brunswick, having worked in a management capacity for the Saint John YMCA-YWCA Enterprise Centre, Business Development Bank of Canada, Saint John Waterfront Development Partnership and Enterprise Saint John. Through these organizations he has supported local small business start-ups, coordinated the delivery of a wide range of small business training and consulting programs, managed a growing portfolio of business relocation and investment prospects, and co-launched a nationally recognized multi-million dollar community redevelopment project on the Saint John waterfront.

Neil grew up involved in a successful family business and has owned and operated multiple small businesses. He attended the State University of New York (with honors) and McGill University, where he received his Bachelor of Engineering degree. He later went on to receive his Master of Business Administration degree from the Ivey Business School at Western University in London, Ontario, and recently completed his certificate in Labour Relations from the Industrial Relations Centre (IRC) at Queen’s University. Neil also achieved green belt certification as a lean six sigma process improvement facilitator in 2017 and was appointed as a Graduate School Teaching Associate (GSTA) in the School of Graduate Studies at the University of New Brunswick in 2019.

Fatima Syed Aamir

Communications Manager fatima@atlanticaenergy.org

Fatima is a communications specialist dedicated to crafting clear, engaging messages that bring meaningful ideas to life. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management, with a focus on marketing and communications. With over eight years of experience in UX writing, content strategy, and digital communications, she brings a clear, people-first approach to every project.

Before joining Atlantica Centre for Energy, Fatima contributed to the Government of New Brunswick’s public website redesign. She’s excited to apply her skills to make energy conversations more engaging and accessible for everyone. Outside of work, Fatima enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, and chasing after her two young kids.

Leah Butler

Manager, Energy Literacy Initiatives leah@atlanticaenergy.org

Leah recently held the position of Project Coordinator for Fuel 4 the Future, a project dedicated to teaching post-secondary students about clean fuels. She is a graduate of the Business Administration: Marketing program at New Brunswick Community College, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Brunswick where she studied Media Arts & Cultures and Computer Science. Leah has ten years of customer service experience, and is excited to share her newfound interest in clean fuels for the next stage in her career.

Rohit Biswas

Clean Energy Program Coordinator rohit@atlanticaenergy.org

Rohit supports the clean energy research and literacy initiatives at the Atlantica Centre for Energy. His passion for clean energy began early, leading him to earn a degree in Chemical Engineering from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

When he’s not working on energy initiatives, you can find Rohit fencing, getting lost in a good book or video game, or hiking local trails.