2022 Cohort

About Cindy Baldwin

Cindy Baldwin is the daughter of Nick Baldwin of Kalsag and Patty Baldwin of McGrath and grew up in McGrath, Alaska. She moved to Fairbanks in 1999 where she raised her son, Nathan King, and lived most of her adult life before moving to Anchorage.

In May 2005, Cindy earned her Bachelor of Art in art from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). In 2009 she began work as a financial aid advisor at UAF and enrolled in the MBA program focusing on capital markets. She completed her MBA in 2016. Cindy started with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) in May 2018 and is a current senior project manager in the Rural Energy Program in the Department of Rural Utility Management Services (DRUMS). Cindy is passionate about the mission at ANTHC’s Division of Environmental Health and Engineering and the direct contact she has with the communities they serve. “I love learning new information every day,” she said. Cindy received her Provisional Water Treatment – Level One in April 2019.

The Division of Environmental Health and Engineering (DEHE), a division of ANTHC, serves many communities which she has been welcomed into and “most have been happy to talk about how the components of the systems work together and observations they’ve made about how the different environments impact them.”

“I feel like I could spend years in this field with our villages and still have more to learn.”

About Niels Erik Hagelqvist

Niels Erik Hagelqvist is a staff officer and technical special advisor within Renewable Energy in Nukissiorfiit - Greenland’s national utility company. Niels has been with the company for six years and currently manages feasibility studies for renewable energy such as solar, wind, micro hydropower, geothermal, tidal and other projects. 

Living in Greenland for more than 25 years, Niels has extensive experience with energy supply in the Arctic and arctic conditions. He has worked for engineering consulting companies within the energy sector for three decades. Niels has been involved in various projects regarding design, installation, operation and inspection. He has been managing director as well as head of department and senior project manager within energy and technical installations. 

Niels holds a Master of Science in civil engineering from the Aarhus University School of Engineering in Denmark. 

“It can be quite expensive to be first movers in the Arctic,” says Niels. He sees participating in ARENA as “a unique chance for knowledge sharing” in the circumpolar north. “By sharing experience and finding solutions without making my own mistakes, it’s possible to save money and time.”

About Tyler Jobb

Tyler Jobb is an ambitious First Nations Entrepreneur from Southend Saskatchewan and is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. He is the founder and owner of Jobb Developments, a rapidly growing contracting company based in Northern Saskatchewan.

Tyler views clean energy projects as a means to expand economic opportunities, sustainability, job creation and energy sovereignty in communities throughout the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and beyond. He looks forward to meeting new people through the ARENA program and learning more about advancing renewable energy systems in the North.

Outside of work, Tyler goes to his family camp off-grid to reset and enjoy the outdoors. He is also an Indigenous Off Diesel Initiative Finalist and an alumnus of the 20/20 Catalyst Program.

About Jackson Savikataaq Karetak Lindell

Born and raised in Arviat, Nunavut to an Inuk mother and Southern father, Jackson Lindell grew up with a one foot in each world and credits his multicultural upbringing with making him who he is today. Jackson has a strong cultural connection to the land and was taught to be conscious of the environment. His connection with the land and his interest in anything mechanical naturally drew Jackson towards renewable energy systems and technology. He finds work in renewable energy to be gratifying as both an intellectual pursuit but also as a service for his community, region and beyond. Jackson sees his work in renewable energy as an opportunity to preserve and protect the lands that provide for his most enjoyable memories and activities.

Being somewhat mechanically inclined - a self-described DIY’er – and very resourceful, Jackson frequently repairs and repurposes what is available to him to find homegrown solutions. With modern technology, information and tools at our fingertips thanks to the internet, Jackson believes Northerners can come up with ingenious solutions to energy challenges and much more.

About Brendan Matto

Brendan Matto is a member of the Deh Gah Gotie Dene First Nation from Zhahti Koe (Fort Providence NT). He has worked in forestry for the past 15 years in many capacities, including wildlife fighter and forest management. Brendan earned a degree in forest management from Aurora College in 2015.

His interest in renewable energy began in 2017 when he worked with the Arctic Energy Alliance to produce a community energy plan for his community. Brendan continues to work in the clean energy sector for Northern Loco, helping community members with energy literacy and retrofits. Brendan says he “looks forward to learning more about how clean energy can benefit my community, help ease reliance on diesel fuel, and to help promote greater energy independence in the North.”

About Toku Oshima

Toku Oshima is a hunter and fisherwoman living and working in Qaanaaq, Greenland. She has extensive experience with power production in her community.

Toku brings local expertise and hands-on utility experience to the Greenland-U.S. ARENA team energy project collaboration in Qaanaaq, Greenland. Her team members include Lene Kielsen Holm (Greenland) and Alyssa Pantaleo (U.S.).

About Heather Shilton

Heather Shilton is currently the Director for Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC), Nunavut’s first 100% Inuit owned renewable energy developer. She oversees a number of renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives across the Qikiqtani Region of Nunavut, including a Clean Energy Microgrid on Inuit Owned Land in Iqaluit as well as a Wind and Battery Energy Storage project in Sanikiluaq.

Heather currently lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut and originally hails from Brantford, Ontario. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies, Geography, and History from Mount Allison University and a Master’s Degree in Cultural Analysis and Social Theory from Wilfrid Laurier University. She also has a Certificate in Energy Engineering and Conservation from Dalhousie University. Heather is currently on the Board of the Arctic Renewables Society, is an appointed member to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Sustainable Development Advisory Council, and is the Nunavut Regional Champion with Efficiency Canada. She was recently named one of Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders by Corporate Knights.

Heather recognizes the importance of partnerships, transparency, and knowledge sharing in emerging industries; she looks forward to gaining valuable insight into effective technologies, programs, and policies to enable renewable energy development in the Arctic through the ARENA program.

About Yunona Tkachuk

Yunona (Yuna) Tkachuk is a project manager at InEnergy Group. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Cross-cultural Communication from Voronezh State University (Russia) and her Master’s in Financial Management from Moscow Business School (MIRBIS). 

Yuna has successfully managed administrative and office operations in the oil and gas industry as well as telecom companies to ensure organizational effectiveness and sustainability. 

Yuna has an extensive experience working with multinational groups consisting of international experts and businesses and comes with strong organizational and excellent communications skills. 

Currently she is leading alternative energy projects at InEnergy Group, a company that develops and manufactures energy solutions for various applications and industries.

About Shivani Chotalia

Shivani Chotalia is an engineer and financial professional focused on the intersection of clean technologies and social impact. She works with NRStor Inc. to build, own and operate first-of-a-kind energy storage projects. Those projects include Canada’s first commercial flywheel energy storage facility and the first fuel-free compressed air energy storage (CAES) facility in the world. Shivani helps lead NRStor’s work with remote, off-grid Indigenous communities building partnerships and projects, reducing dependence on diesel fuel while supporting local economic growth.

Shivani is a co-founder of Bold Realities – a platform for dialogue regarding the role of corporate Canada in reconciling indigenous-industry relationships. The discussion series has run events to explore reconciliation in the energy industry and the mining industry. Previously, Shivani worked to develop biogas projects in Ontario and California and worked in finance as an investment banking analyst in Calgary.

Shivani holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science in green process engineering from Western University in Canada and Bachelor of Arts in Honors Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business. She is a Venture for Canada Alumni – a fellowship program focused on fueling the Canadian start-up ecosystem.

About Kristina Hamernik

Kristina Hamernik is from London Ontario, Canada but is now living in Montreal Québec and working for Tugliq Energy. She holds a Master’s degree in International Energy, with an additional specialization in Defence Economics. She first joined Tugliq as an intern, to specialize in renewable energy for remote regions and military applications. Kristina rejoined the Tugliq team after completing her degree. Kristina currently covers business development activities across market segments, project proposal coordination, community-based projects in Canada and abroad as well as legal and permitting activities for energy infrastructure projects.
Having the privilege of working with communities on clean projects in Northern Canada, particularly in Nunavik, Kristina is thrilled to be joining the ARENA 2022 cohort to gain insights, strategies and creative thinking from site visits and program participants that she can bring back to community projects. Kristina is particularly looking forward to hands-on learning, knowledge and story-sharing with the cohort as well as project management skill building.

About Deilah Johnson

Deilah Johnson is an Inupiat enrolled with the Village of Solomon (VOS) tribe. Employed as Solomon’s environmental coordinator and as the grant writer, Deilah has been with VOS since April 2012. She was recently elected to the Tribal Council to serve a three-year term. Deilah recently received an occupational endorsement certificate of sustainable energy from the University of Alaska Fairbanks program. Deilah is one of three children born to Elizabeth and the late Merwin Johnson in Nome, Alaska, and she currently lives with her five-year-old son and one-year-old pup. 

Of her community, Deilah says “our tribe has been diligently working toward renewable and alternative energy to build a green infrastructure in our ultimate efforts of becoming a live city again.” The Village of Solomon is considered a displaced community -  the last full-time resident left Solomon in 2004. Many of the families moved away from Solomon due to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) closing the schoolhouse in 1956 as a cost saving measure.

Since 1994, VOS has maintained an office in Nome to manage projects and programs to keep the Solomon traditional lifestyle, heritage, history and culture alive and to ensure tribal members feel and stay connected to their ties to Solomon. After approving their first Renewable Energy plan in February 2018, they are working to make this plan a reality. Deilah believes that participating in the ARENA program is an excellent opportunity for VOS’s hands-on learning through networking and collaborating, to accurately implement their own program.

About Rachel Mandel

Rachel Mandel is the Clean Energy and Infrastructure Senior Technician at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. She is working on installing the Station’s first off-grid wind turbine, as well as increasing accessibility to renewables in the community.  

She is an engineering graduate from the University of Toronto where she was active in Engineers without Borders and the Robotics for Space Exploration design team. She worked with the university’s Centre for Global Engineering to develop a framework for participatory engineering research partnerships with Indigenous communities.

About Daria Mishina

Daria Mishina is a PhD candidate at the University of Lapland, Finland and a part of the AHEAD team – IAS Snowflake. She has more than 10 years of work experience in the field of organizing scientific and business events, and conferences in different formats.

After getting her Master’s degree in Vienna, she decided to follow the same Arctic research direction and since then she has been developing Arctic related projects, making presentations at various Arctic conferences, actively following changes and trends in the Arctic region. She was born and raised in Tolka, Yamal, Russia, thus her roots and life experience led her to a PhD study at the University of Lapland where she is conducting the research “International best practices of/for the arctic regional development”.

“I do believe that Arctic regions are not and should not be peripheries. Every Arctic region has some experiences to share with; and this is my research PhD project to implement. I am sure that all participants will definitely benefit from the ARENA program and all together we can make our projects to happen”.

About Alyssa Pantaleo

Alyssa Pantaleo is a first-year PhD student studying energy engineering at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. She is a member of the Greenland-U.S. ARENA team working to integrate renewable energy and energy-efficient buildings into Arctic communities. Her team members include Lene Kielsen Holm (Greenland) and Toku Oshima (Greenland).

Alyssa looks forward to learning from the ARENA program and cohort about how to bring community engagement and empowerment into Arctic projects.

About Ekaterina Sofroneeva

As an Indigenous Sakha from the coldest part of the world, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Ekaterina Sofroneeva has a strong interest in the development of the Arctic regions. Her research interests are innovation ecosystems, digitization, and Transformative Service Research (TSR) focused on improving the well-being of the consumer entities of individuals, communities and the ecosystem. 

Ekaterina earned a Master of Science in Strategic Management, Economics and Business Administration, and is currently a PhD candidate in Economics and Business Administration at the University of Vaasa (Finland). 

Ekaterina holds a specialist degree in Circumpolar Studies from University of the Arctic, and a specialist degree in Foreign Economic Activity and Custom Logistics.

Through ARENA Ekaterina hopes to gain deeper knowledge about sustainable energy and meet experts in the field, share knowledge, learn new skills, and create a network for future cooperation.

About Travis Wilson

Travis Wilson is the Environmental IGAP Coordinator for the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments (CATG). He lives and works in his hometown of Fort Yukon, Alaska (Gwichyaa Zhee). Prior to joining CATG, Travis worked jobs in several different regions of the state, including the Copper River Basin and surrounding areas and as an environmental technician for his tribe, the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Government (Native village of Fort Yukon).

Travis enjoys the seasonal variety and challenges that come with environmental work. Having earned several certifications in information technology, I.T. is a personal passion of his and has found it to be very beneficial in his environmental work for monitoring and other field work. Travis looks forward to bringing newly developed skills from the ARENA program to his current position.