Over a decade ago QUEST identified the need to support the establishment of integrated community energy systems. This resulted in much more than collaboration, it initiated a national movement, and engaged a network of leaders across Canada that started working together to build sustainable and integrated energy systems at the community level – or as well call them, “les Collectivités éco-énergétiques intelligentes”.

The Smart Energy Communities approach offers real potential for uniting the country on energy and climate. It is flexible and adapts to the diversity of our Canadian communities. Whether large, medium, or small; urban, rural, or remote; resource-based;  Indigenous, coastal, inland, or in the mountains, each community is unique, as are the energy systems and smart energy solutions for each community. Through this on-the-ground approach, the QUEST network has been advancing climate and energy solutions across partisan, geographic, and sectoral lines, and it is working!

Smart Energy Communities are everywhere and thriving! In 2020, this is how we plan to accelerate Smart Energy Communities:

We have a small but mighty team at QUEST and to achieve these goals some organizational shifts have been made. That’s why today I am implementing certain staff changes, as outlined below. These changes, effective immediately, will help:

It gives me great pleasure to announce the following changes to QUEST’s 2020 team:

Ericka Wicks, former Director, Projects & Advisory Services, has taken on the role of Managing Director. Ericka is tasked with ensuring that all of our business units integrate seamlessly as one, managing QUEST’s operations, and to continue developing strategic partnerships. Ericka has been instrumental in QUEST’s success since joining in 2018. She’s implemented numerous systems and processes to increase our efficiency, has more than doubled our project and advisory services revenues, and has strengthened key partnerships for added value.

Eric Muller, former Senior Lead, Central Canada has taken on the role of Director, Stakeholder Relations – working to build understanding, relationships and partnerships among QUEST’s ecosystem of diverse stakeholders across Canada. Since joining last March, Eric has led the evolution of QUEST’s stakeholder relations programs and activities – including QUEST Subscriber Services, Working Groups, and flagship events such as QUESTpourparlers and the National Smart Energy Leaders’ Dialogue.

Cheryl Ratchford, former Director, Policy & Communications has taken on the role Director, Communications and Marketing to increase QUEST’s focus on elevating the importance of Smart Energy Communities. Over the past 2 years Cheryl has acted as the Chief Communications Officer for QUEST, led the development and launch of a new website for QUEST, more than doubled our national email communications lists, and helped to establish policy as a key pillar in QUEST’s strategic direction moving forward.

Aïda Nciri, former Senior Lead, Advisory Services has taken on the role of Manager, Policy & Research to conduct policy and regulatory analysis and deliver cutting-edge research projects to accelerate the growth of Smart Energy Communities. Aïda joined QUEST last April and showed strong leadership in securing a new project that will accelerate the uptake of Smart Energy Communities in Alberta. Her background in academia and applied research will be key assets to continue raising QUEST expertise in policy building on the organization’s unique on-the-ground work with municipal governments and local stakeholders.

Please join me in congratulating everyone in their new roles. We are excited to see the results of their continued future successes.

Our team is also growing to meet our 2020 objectives and deliver on our vision. Stay tuned for announcements in early 2020 when we welcome new staff into the following roles: Director, Projects & Research; Senior Lead, Stakeholder Relations; Lead, Digital Marketing & Design; Senior Lead Projects & Advisory Services; and, Senior Lead, Community Resilience.

Visit the QUEST Staff Page to learn more about the full team and read staff bios.

Visit the jobs page to see current opportunities with QUEST.