Our Team

Neil Wildgust is the President and CEO of Carbon Management Canada (CMC), responsible for leading the organization in supporting industry, governments and other organizations attempting to reduce emissions and meet their net-zero goals.

Neil has championed geologic carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies for more than two decades, bringing over 35 years of geoscience expertise to our team. Prior to joining CMC, Neil served as Director for Cordilleran Research at the British Columbia Geological Survey, before consulting independently on CCS and risk assessment. He has held past roles within the IEA Greenhouse Gas (IEAGHG) R&D Programme, the Petroleum Technology Research Centre leading the IEAGHG Weyburn-Midale Program, the Global CCS Institute in Calgary, and the Energy & Environmental Research Center in North Dakota. Neil also served as an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control between 2016 and 2021 and was a recipient of a Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership (PCOR) Partnership Pioneer Award in 2015.

With Neil’s guidance, CMC strives to position Canada as a global leader in carbon management, providing deep expertise and CCS research and recommendations where they’re most needed.

Karim Teja is the Chief Financial Officer at CMC. Karim is an accomplished financial and operations executive with more than two decades of success in technology commercialization, operations management, financings, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions.

With an extensive background in bringing new products in health and green tech to market, Karim has travelled to the U.S., China, Korea, India and Western Europe to negotiate distribution contracts and conduct business.

In 2006, Karim was one of the winners of the coveted Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his instrumental work in rapidly commercializing and distributing a new healthcare product globally.

Karim capitalizes on his strong business acumen and experience to resolve critical financial and business decisions. He is acknowledged as a trusted business advisor with integrity, credibility and character.

Shamez has held roles in strategic planning, program management, project management, and technical leadership. Shamez has worked in both private and not-for-profit companies, covering a wide range of projects in industries such as telecommunications, defence, energy (i.e., oil and gas, pipelines, and utilities), agriculture, manufacturing, security, labour and health.

Shamez graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and holds a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Tamara is the Director of External Relations and Communications at CMC. She is a communications and marketing professional with extensive experience in brand and strategic communications management, public, stakeholder and rightsholder engagement, and content creation. Tamara specializes in communicating about Canada’s energy industry, including emerging clean energy sectors.

She applies a consistent communications approach driven by research-based and insightful audience analysis to align with business goals. Tamara is a co-host of Not Your Grandpa’s Energy Industry podcast and supports the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in a variety of volunteer roles. She has won awards for brand representation and website development in online publishing.

Kenna holds a Bachelor of Computer Science Degree as well as an Associate Degree in Information Systems. Prior to joining CMC, she held positions at the California State Government, Robertson College and Optional Rehabilitation Services. From developing curriculums to teaching computer programming to students and staff, Kenna is well versed when it comes to managing groups of people.

Kaylyn Christina Lockhart is currently serving as the Administrative Assistant at Carbon Management Canada (CMC), bringing with her over 8 years of diverse experience across both private and public sectors in southern Alberta.

Kaylyn graduated from the University of Calgary in 2025 with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology and English, with a concentration in risk assessment, justice reform, and communication studies. Her academic pursuits align seamlessly with her practical experience in team/operations management, grants and policy administration, and detailed data analysis. In her most recent position as a contracted administrator within the External Grants division of Research Services and Operations at the U of C, Kaylyn specialized in managing NSERC funding opportunities and communication efforts. She also contributes to CMC’s communications strategy, supporting outreach initiatives, digital content development, and public engagement. Looking ahead, Kaylyn is eager to continue her professional growth, with aspirations to further her education in law, focusing on contributing to the public sector.

Dr. Marie Macquet is Director of Operations and Research at CMC. Marie leads the CMC Containment and Monitoring Innovation (CaMI) program and focuses on the geophysical monitoring of the subsurface applied to CO₂ sequestration.

Marie completed her M.Sc. in Planetology in 2011 at the University of Nantes (France) and graduated with her PhD in Geophysics in 2014 from ISTerre laboratory, University Joseph Fourier (Grenoble, France). At the time, Marie was working on the crustal tomography of mountain ranges. By 2016, Marie changed her focus toward geologic CO₂ monitoring and storage, starting at CREWES (University of Calgary) and CMC.

Brendan Kolkman-Quinn is the Manager, Subsurface Research at CMC, responsible for the processing and analysis of seismic monitoring data gathered at the Newell County Field Research Station.

Brendan completed a B.Sc. with Honours in Physics from the University of Alberta and a B.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of Calgary. Moving forward, Brendan worked in oil and gas exploration and development with ConocoPhillips Canada, interpreting 3D seismic data covering dozens of townships in Alberta’s Deep Basin, before returning to the University of Calgary to complete an M.Sc. in Geophysics with CREWES.

Kirk Osadetz is the Programs Development Manager at CMC, responsible for developing and demonstrating technology and practices that further assist Canadian corporations with carbon management, fugitive methane emissions monitoring, and subsurface containment issues and requirements.

Kirk is known as a leader in the Calgary geoscience community, holding positions as the Past President of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG) and Secretary of the CSPG Foundation. Kirk has extensive experience in the field. He was a major contributor to the PTAC Unconventional Gas Technology Roadmap, receiving a PTAC Volunteer Achievement Award in 2009.

Kirk has an accomplished background in providing both laboratory and interpretational support to dozens of Canadian petroleum companies, including Cenovus at Weyburn. He has advised Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) concerning innovative technology opportunities and participated in numerous industrial joint industry partnerships (JIP) conducting research that was subscribed to by Canadian, American and European petroleum companies (e.g., Institut francais du petrole’s “Subtrap” Industrial Consortium).

Kirk has made more than 130 contributions to the peer-reviewed journal, monographic and conference literature working as an exploration geologist for PetroCanada Exploration Inc. and Gulf Canada Resources Ltd., all of which can be found in online databases today under his surname.

Dr. Joanna Cooper is the Subsurface Data Analyst for Carbon Management Canada (CMC), responsible for the management, processing, and interpretation of monitoring data collected at the Newell County Field Research Station for the CaMI program.

Joanna received her PhD from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand in 2021, following an M.Sc. in Geophysics (2010) and double B.Sc. in Geology and Geophysics (2006) from the University of Calgary.  She joined CMC after two years as a Postdoctoral Associate with the Global Research Initiative in Sustainable Low Carbon Unconventional Resources at the University of Calgary, working on improved characterization of geological formations suitable for subsurface CO₂ storage in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin.

Perry Manning is the Field Operator at CMC’s Newell County Field Research Station (FRS), responsible for maintaining the site, operating CO₂ injection and helping organize activities, tours and projects at the site.

Previously, Perry worked for CDN/Inphase, managing their shop, and assisting with solar farm installations. Perry has more than 10 years’ experience installing well-heads, acting as an operator in the oil and gas industry as well as becoming an RV mechanic by trade.

With extensive field experience and a passion for the outdoors, Perry’s helping hands are essential to the ongoing activities happening at CMC’s Newell County Field Research Station.

Dr. Don Lawton is a strategic advisor for CMC and Professor Emeritus in Geophysics at the University of Calgary. He is a sought-after expert advisor and thought leader to industry, government, the research community and other stakeholders involved in the carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) sector.

Don led the development of CMC’s Newell County Field Research Station in Southern Alberta where monitoring technologies are being developed and evaluated to verify the secure geologic storage of CO₂. He was awarded the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (CSEG) Medal in 2000 and received Honorary Membership in the Society in 2014. He also recently was a co-recipient of the 2022 Patricia J. Lee Trailblazer Award from the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association (CEGA) and his team was awarded the 2023 Project Achievement Award from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).

As the Senior Project Manager, Michelle is responsible for the AFE test facility as well as other projects related to technology validation. She supports technology developers who wish to validate and further improve their fugitive emissions monitoring technologies.

Michelle has a Master’s in Environmental Geology, which complements her industry experience in oil and gas, quality assurance in quantitative evaluation, and environmental monitoring and assessment. Michelle’s background also includes the implementation of strategic initiatives in innovation program delivery and optimization with the National Research Council’s IRAP program.

Michelle strives to play a key role in assisting CMC and our partners in deploying groundbreaking carbon management solutions.

Dr. Negar Nazari is a geoscientist with more than 10 years’ work experience in both industry and academic settings. After receiving her M.Sc. in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Aberdeen, Negar began working for the National Iranian Oil Company as a petroleum geoscientist. After six years in the workforce, Negar returned to academia to complete her PhD in Geoscience, focusing on geomechanical modelling of induced seismicity caused by hydraulic fracturing operations in Canada.

Today, Negar is passionate about applying her past experiences from the oil and gas industry into better understanding the detection, quantification, and mitigation of methane emissions in Alberta.

As a GIS professional, Emmanuel has more than 10 years’ experience applying GIS tools in various industries, including GIS consulting, wildlife conservation, oil and gas, and more recently, sustainability. With a bachelor’s degree in Geography, a master’s degree in Geographic Information System (GIS), several ESRI GIS certifications and a land analyst certificate, Emmanuel effectively managed oil sands assets in his most recent role.

Emmanuel is passionate about staying at the forefront of technological advancements, particularly in the cleantech sector.

Hassan is the Methane Analyst for the Alberta Methane Emissions Program (AMEP) at CMC, where he focuses on analyzing and interpreting methane emissions data.

A recent graduate from the University of Toronto with a B.Sc. in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Hassan is eager to apply his academic knowledge to address the challenges of measuring and monitoring fugitive methane emissions in Alberta. As part of the AMEP team, he is committed to expanding his understanding of the broader energy industry while contributing to the development of strategies to mitigate fugitive methane emissions in the region.

Hassan is passionate about using his expertise in GIS to support data-driven solutions that help reduce environmental impacts and promote sustainable practices in Alberta’s energy sector.