Our Mission

The Atlantica Centre for Energy proactively engages with industry, government, the education and research sectors, and the public to foster sustainable growth related to energy opportunities in Atlantic Canada.

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 represents the largest employers, energy producers, distributors, and consumers in the Atlantic region. To inquire about membership, please reach out to Atlantica Centre for Energy 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.