Water Canada's 2025 Advisory Board

Water Canada is proud to announce its 2025 advisory board. We are honoured to have an amazing group of passionate water experts whose depth of knowledge will not only help shape content, and provide direction, they will also take leadership roles as part of the judging committee for this year’s Water Canada Awards!

We thank you for the time, dedication, and support that you’ve shown by offering up your time, ideas, and expertise to help Water Canada further educate and inspire our readers!

 

Stephen Braun

Stephen has over 30 years of water resources, consulting engineering, and product development experience. He is past president of the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA), is a principal engineer at Vanguard Water, and is a founding partner of CB Shield Inc., a clean tech firm that develops and manufactures stormwater quality treatment devices.

Melissa Dick

Melissa is a management consultant with Esri Canada with over 10 years of comprehensive experience in program development and management across diverse sectors, including academia, government, non-profit and private sectors. She focuses on leveraging technology solutions to support business needs and optimize processes. Her expertise spans GIS, mapping, CRM software, and data dashboards. With direct experience working at all levels of government and as an advisor to water technology companies, Melissa applies a collaborative approach to working with organizations. Her methodology involves identifying needs, designing and developing new programs, and implementing strategies that streamline operations, expanding user engagement and maximizing resource efficiency. Melissa has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and industry magazines on technological innovation for improved water resource management, monitoring techniques for at-risk salmon populations, and multidisciplinary approaches for developing sustainable solutions. 

Gregary Ford

Gregary is the Vice President with Swim Drink Fish and the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Gregary has built his career on bridging connections between people and water. As a board member and advisor of numerous environmental groups, Gregary continually advocates for cross-sector collaboration in the water industry in North America. Operating at the confluence of science, storytelling, and innovative new technology, Gregary works within the industry to better achieve collective impact through the amplification of local action.

Jonathan Grant

Jon has been at the forefront of Smart Water throughout his career. He leads commercial efforts at SENTRY meaning sales, marketing, and growth. In one line, Jon has helped companies generate early success and leverage that into ongoing growth. He translates complex concepts in the water sector to client needs. He led the growth of an AI company in the water sector, winning contracts on multiple continents. Through working with multiple clients Jon developed tailored go-to-market strategies and local, regional, and multinational partnerships. Earlier, Jon oversaw research of the water sector in Ontario and supported Ontario water technology companies to grow through export. He has an undergrad from Cincinnati and graduate degrees from LSE and Dundee (with coursework at IHE-Delft). In his spare time, he is on a number of boards and committees in the water sector as well as coaching a women’s rugby team.

Robert Haller

Robert is the executive director of the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, serving as the national advocates for the municipal water and wastewater sector in Canada. Robert has led the CWWA since 2012 after almost 20 years as a senior municipal administrator – most of those years serving as a CAO for small and medium-sized communities. Based in the nation’s capital, Robert leads the CWWA with a desire to facilitate national networks and to promote collaboration between all the water organizations across Canada.

Linda Li

Linda is an Environmental Engineer with Dillon Consulting who specializes in water and wastewater treatment system design and construction. Linda conducted her Master’s research on the sustainable treatment of wastewater in resource challenged regions. Since beginning her career in consulting, she has served both Canadian and International clients. She has been heavily involved in complex and multidisciplinary projects in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, Linda has been supporting the pharmaceutical industry with wastewater management and water reuse. Linda has been a dedicated volunteer with several water associations. She currently serves on the International Water Association’s World Water Congress Programme Committee where she represented Canadian Water and Wastewater Interests in Copenhagen recently. As a Young Professional who is passionate about knowledge sharing, Linda has been a guest lecturer at Ryerson University and a past panelist at University of Toronto on multiple occasions. Outside of work, Linda enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, and exploring food and cultures.

Michael Lywood

Retired and enjoying the memories of 50 fabulous years in the water and wastewater industry and looking forward to new adventures.  Statistics: Over his career, Michael has managed the O&M of both municipal and private water and wastewater facilities.  He has directed design and construction projects across Canada, in the U.S., and the Caribbean – including the development of strategic plans for the restructuring and reengineering of water and wastewater utilities.  He holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Queens University and an MBA from McMaster.  In August 2024 the Canadian Association on Water Quality together with the CWWA hosted the International Water Association’s World Water Congress & Exhibition in Toronto.  Over 7,000 water professionals from more than 100 countries attended this global event.  Michael had the privilege of chairing the Local Organizing Committee.

Terry Rees

Terry has been involved in many aspects of Canada’s private sector and nonprofit natural resources sectors for over 40 years.  He resigned as the Executive Director of the  Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA) in 2024 after 20+ years in the role, managing the largest waterfront landowner organization in Canada, representing 50,000 member families in 520 community associations. Terry has a B.A. in Economics from Western University, and a Certificate in Environmental Management from Ryerson University. Terry is a member of the Trent Source Water Protection Committee, FireSmart Canada Advisory Committee, a Director with Peterborough Green Up, and a longstanding member of the Ontario Biodiversity Council, and numerous other committees. Terry was FOCA’s lead on Ontario’s Lake Partner Program, the largest volunteer water quality monitoring program in Canada, and has volunteered on lake associations and with environmental initiatives for over 30 years. Terry currently consults on a number of rural drinking water and wastewater projects.  Terry was a 2012 Waters Next Award winner.

Emily Stahl

 Emily is the manager, Technical Services in the City of Guelph’s Water Utility. In this role she is responsible for the technical team that supports the operational division. This includes management of capital programs, hydrogeology, water supply management and planning and sourcewater protection. As Guelph is reliant on groundwater for their municipal water supply these roles ensure the long term sustainability and protection of the resource. Emily is a professional geoscientist (P.Geo.) with a Masters in Water Resources Engineering possessing significant government and private consulting based experience in integrated water management, water resource planning, source water protection and associated technical studies and stakeholder engagement processes. Her experience has included working is both the private and public (municipal and conservation authorities) sectors.

Emmanuel Ugwu

Dr. Emmanuel Ugwu is a Part-time Professor at George Brown Polytechnic in Toronto,
ON, and serves as Vice Chair of the Regional Watershed Alliance, Toronto and Region
Conservation Authority. As Training and Capacity Building Coordinator for the Toronto
Community Benefits Network (TCBN), he leads programs on net-zero strategies,
climate justice, and environmental stewardship.

Dr. Ugwu is an MBA (Business Analytics) candidate at the Sprott School of Business,
Carleton University, and holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria.
With 17 years of experience in teaching, research, construction, and consulting, he
specializes in net-zero strategies, energy efficiency, and water and wastewater
treatment design and optimization. He delivers practical, cost-effective solutions that
improve resource efficiency and prevent environmental degradation.

Dr. Ugwu is a Neighbourhood Climate Action Champion with the City of Toronto,
engaging local communities in climate initiatives and promoting sustainable practices
such as energy conservation, waste reduction, and environmental stewardship.

He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles and serves as Section Editor for Water
Resources Engineering at the Nigerian Journal of Technology, University of Nigeria. He
also reviews for several journals. His experience spans private, not-for-profit, and public
sectors, integrating technical expertise, research, and program leadership to deliver
sustainable, climate-focused solutions.

Yogendra Chaudhry

Dr. Yogendra Chaudhry is the Vice-President of Professional Services and ESG at ECO Canada, where he leads national initiatives focused on workforce development, professional certification, and sustainability programs supporting Canada’s environmental and green economy. He also serves as Chair of Ocean Alliance Canada, a national initiative that brings together industry, academia, and government stakeholders to strengthen workforce capacity and collaboration in Canada’s ocean and blue economy sectors.

Dr. Chaudhry has over 25 years of international experience in environmental management, sustainability, and environmental standards, having led projects across more than 30 countries. His relevant work includes extensive engagement in the water and wastewater sector, supporting industrial water efficiency, environmental compliance, and sustainability initiatives across multiple industries.

Kalpna Solanki

Kalpna Solanki is based in Vancouver B.C. and focuses on helping boards move from planning to action. She has served as a board trustee with the Water Environment Federation, and as the president and CEO of the Environmental Operators Certification Program.

Solanki is also the former board chair of the BC Turkey Marketing Board and is the interim president and CEO for Gamechangers, a consultancy for non-profit organizations. She has an MBA from Simon Fraser University and a Certificate in Strategy from Harvard Business School.