Our team of experts

Yuho Okada

President

Yuho Okada, MBA is the President of Barkley Project Group. In addition to engaging in his current executive management role, Yuho has over 10 years of hands-on experience in project management including project development, financing, strategic planning, economic analysis, and business planning for numerous clean energy projects in BC and Yukon. Yuho has also been leading Barkley’s business interests in the Japanese renewable energy market since 2013. He holds a BSc. in Natural Resources Conservation from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from Royal Roads University. He serves as a chair of the Board of Directors for a clean energy industry association, Clean Energy BC.

John Ebell

Senior Project Manager and Geothermal Team Lead

John Ebell is a co-founder of Barkley Project group. He is a Senior Project Manager and Geothermal Team Lead with more than 40 years’ experience in the natural resources sector. His broad background includes work in fisheries, environmental assessment and regulatory permitting, as well as more than 20 years’ direct experience in the clean energy sector where he has brought hydropower developments from concept to operation and instigated some of Canada’s premier geothermal projects. John’s project management experience spans all stages of development, including renewable energy resource inventory and concept development, feasibility assessment, strategic planning, design coordination, permitting, and operations management.

Ben Whyte

Director and Hydro Team Lead

Ben Whyte, P. Eng. PMP, is a Director at Barkley Project Group and Hydro Team Lead. With 15 years of experience in heavy civil and industrial construction management, Ben has successfully led and delivered multiple clean energy projects in remote locations throughout British Columbia as a Project Manager. Prior to joining Barkley Project Group, Ben was responsible for site engineering as the Owner’s Representative overseeing the spillway program for BC Hydro’s Ruskin Dam & Powerhouse Upgrade project. Ben’s project experience also includes site project engineering and construction coordination of EPC contracts for solar power, nuclear power, and natural gas projects across Canada. Ben holds a degree in Civil Engineering and Management from McMaster University.

Diane Walton

Finance Manager

Diane Walton is the Finance and Administration Manager at Barkley. Diane has more than 25 years of experience in corporate accounting and office administration in the renewable energy, forestry, construction, and service sectors. Diane provides financial and administrative services to Barkley Project Group, operational hydropower companies, and development projects.

Dan Valliquette

Operations Manager and Team Lead

Dan Valliquette is the Operations Manager and Team Lead providing technical and management services in power plant operations, systems management, inspection and maintenance, and plant operator training and supervision. Dan is also experienced in hydrometric data collection, electrical energy load monitoring, project planning, design and construction. Dan is a certified Red Seal Electrician with over 10 years of experience in commercial and residential installations. He is experienced in the installation of grid-tied and off-grid renewable energy systems, including Micro-hydro, PV, wind and battery.

Mary Vasey

Project Manager and the Development Team Lead

Mary Vasey, B.Sc., M.Eng, PMP, CEM, is a Project Manager and the Development Team Lead providing specialized services in community energy planning and the development of renewable energy systems in off-grid communities. Mary holds a Master of Engineering in Clean Energy from the University of British Columbia. She collaborates with a number of remote and urban First Nation communities to develop projects that align with community priorities and objectives. Her diverse experience in renewable energy technologies includes solar, wind, and hydropower development. She is passionate about streamlining high quality energy conservation measures in homes and community building to provide tangible solutions and real results.

Nick Balaban

Construction Manager

Nick Balaban B.Ed., B.A. is a Construction Manager with more than 15 years of experience in construction. Nick has 7 years of experience working on hydropower development projects, including 8 years as a carpentry foreman. He specializes in working with concrete, including suspended slabs. Nick operated his own construction business for eight years, where he managed sub-contract trades and performed estimating and budgeting work for projects. Nick’s personnel management and communication skills allow him to thrive at the interface between design and construction.

Tim Matthews

GIS & Permitting Lead, Hydropower

Tim Matthews is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Permitting Lead on the Hydropower team, with over 10 years experience in the clean energy sector. Tim is responsible for overseeing Barkley’s Regulatory Permitting and GIS services to support hydropower projects from concept through to operation. With a background in Geography, Tim is passionate about applying geospatial thinking to the human and physical world to help solve problems and aid in critical decision making.

 

Kass Harbottle

Project Manager

Kass Harbottle, M.Sc., P. Eng. is a Project Manager responsible for the management of energy projects during planning, development, and construction. Kass is a Professional Engineer with a Master of Science in Sustainable Development and a Bachelor of Science in Geological Engineering. She has over 10 years of industry experience working in both non-renewable and renewable energy sectors. She has worked within multiple remote and First Nation communities to develop community-owned energy projects. She has a wide range of project experience, including community consultation, construction management, technical analysis, design coordination, and community energy planning.

Taylor Stubbins

Project Coordinator

Taylor Stubbins, B.Sc., EIT, is a Project Coordinator contributing to hydropower construction project management. Taylor graduated from Queen’s University in Geological Engineering in 2015 and is a Geological EIT registered with EGBC. He has developed strong working relationships with First Nations and contractors in coastal BC and his experience spans the on-site coordination of a variety of energy and transportation infrastructure projects. Taylor is proficient in a wide variety of computer programs and languages utilized in project engineering and management and has proven his ability to complete fieldwork in all conditions and environments with training in Fire Safety and Swift Water Rescue and Safety.

Nigel Moore

Senior Project Coordinator

Nigel Moore, B.E.S., is a Senior Project Coordinator contributing to hydropower development, training and employment planning, community engagement, business strategy and proposal development. Prior to joining Barkley, Nigel worked in academic and research institutes in Canada, Germany and the UK managing multi-institutional research projects in the areas of clean energy, climate change and community development. He is a trained facilitator with experience in the design and delivery of workshops on a variety of topics related to clean energy. He is the author of 13 published reports and articles, including as a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report in 2014.

 

Kai Foss

GIS Technician

Kai Foss, B.A., ADGIS, is a GIS Technician responsible for the development and support of GIS services. Kai is well versed in spatial data management, editing, analysis and the development of web mapping applications. Previous to working with Barkley Project Group, Kai worked at Nova Scotia’s Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture where she gained experience working with stakeholders and managing large data sets for use in online web applications.

Kai is also pursuing their master’s degree in GIS at Vancouver Island University where their research project is on the development of a baseline extent of Blue Carbon on the West coast of Vancouver Island.

Jonathan Venter

Operations Technician

Jonathan Venter, B.Eng, EIT, is an Operations Technician with the Operations team. Jonathan graduated with a Mechatronics Engineering Degree from the University of Port Elizabeth (NMMU) he also has his Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management. He has 9 years of experience in the renewable energy industry with a focus on wind energy. He has been part of renewable energy projects in South Africa, Spain and the United States. His experience spans from the commissioning of wind farms, reliability improvement and back-office technical analysis of plant performance.

Stuart Reiswig

Project Coordinator

Stuart Reiswig, B.A., B.S.E.E, is a Project Coordinator with a degree in Electrical and Renewable Energy Engineering from Oregon Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Barkley, Stuart has worked on the design and installation of numerous solar PV, solar hot water and energy efficiency projects. He also owned and operated a remote off-grid store and bakery in Montana, USA that he led through a clean energy transition from diesel to solar.

Janelle Flett

Junior Project Coordinator

Janelle, Flett B.Sc. ENV is a Junior Project Coordinator, on the Development team, working on hydropower development and community energy planning. Janelle holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Mount Royal University and is a proud member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation located on Treaty 8 Territory. She brings her knowledge of freshwater health and experience of First Nations relations to Barkley Project Group. Currently, she sits on the Indigenous Youth Advisory Council in partnership with Suncor.

Austin Tokarek

Project Manager

Austin Tokarek, B.Sc., MBA, CEA, CAMP, MMP is a Project Manager, with 13 years of experience specializing in strategic asset and energy management planning.  Austin has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Royal Roads University and a Master of Business Administration in Renewables from Beuth University in Berlin.  Prior to joining Barkley, he developed an asset management program and implemented a corporate strategic energy management plan in the local government sector. Here he gained experience with infrastructure planning at all lifecycle stages, including developing financial and operating strategies for sustainable service delivery. Additional experience includes preparing energy assessments, feasibility studies, emissions inventories, and coordinating energy upgrade projects for building envelopes, heat pumps, HVAC, lighting, solar photovoltaic, and electric vehicle charging stations. He is also a Certified Energy Auditor (CEA) from the Association of Energy Engineers, a Certified Asset Management Professional (CAMP), and a Maintenance Management Professional (MMP) from PEMAC Asset Management Association of Canada.  Austin is also a registered Energy Advisor and has conducted over 100 home energy evaluations.

 

Ben Boudreau

Project Coordinator

Ben Boudreau, B. Eng., EIT is a Project Coordinator contributing to the Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal management team. Ben graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Before and during his engineering studies, Ben worked as a Hairstylist in Montreal for nearly 10 years. He has since worked primarily in design engineering on projects related to robotics, construction, and aerospace. Prior to working at Barkley, Ben worked as an Aerospace Design Engineer, helping design wildfire fighting aircraft to combat the effects of climate change all over the world.

Lindsay Pugh

Communication + Culture Specialist

Lindsay Pugh, BComm, is Barkley’s Communications + Culture Specialist and brings a wealth of experience to the company with her entrepreneurial background, training in Hakomi non-violent communication, and experience in managing all aspects of small business. Lindsay’s experience includes facilitating cohesive teams, including being a primary coordinator for the Vancouver Olympics Indigenous Youth gathering of 300 youth from across Canada, and assisting in accessing funding and providing support for First Nations entrepreneurs. She is a member of the James Smith Cree Nation and is passionate about supporting women’s voices and power, human security and peacebuilding.

Stephen Rayner

Infrastructure Development Initiative Lead

Stephen Rayner is a Geomatics Technologist who leads the Community Infrastructure Development Initiative. Stephen graduated form the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology with a diploma in geomatics engineering technology. He spent 15 years working on a range of infrastructure projects in a multitude of rolls from planning, data collection, design, to inspection and commissioning. Previous to joining the BPG team Stephen spent 7.5 years as the Director of Government Services for a treaty First Nation. In this role he oversaw the comprehensive community plan, asset management plan, as well as program development and capacity building. Stephen also oversaw the planning, development, design, construction, commissioning, operation, and replacement of all Nation owned infrastructure.

Mike Murdoch

Project Manager

Mike Murdoch, P.Eng is a Project Manager that delivers projects by leading diverse professional teams to provide solutions to challenging unique problems. Mike holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering Degree from Lakehead University as well as a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology from St. Clair College. Mike is a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng) registered with EGBC. Mike has experience in Project Management, Project Engineering, Design Engineering, Construction Management and Mechanical Field Engineering. He has experience in a variety of industries including Hydro, Oil & Gas, Pulp and Mining.

Daniel Alonso Torres

Geothermal Exploration Specialist

Daniel Alonso Torres, M.Sc., G.I.T. is a Geothermal Exploration Specialist leading the design and execution of early-stage geothermal projects. He holds a Master of Science in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Calgary, and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. In collaboration with remote communities and First Nations, Daniel has advanced geothermal projects across Western Canada, and has over 10 years of experience working on research and exploration projects throughout North America and Europe. Daniel is a passionate science communicator and a member of the Geothermal Technical Division Committee of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists.

Jason Village

Business Analyst

Jason Village B.Comm. is a Business Analyst for the Community Infrastructure Development Initiative supporting communities in identifying, planning, and launching new infrastructure and economic development projects. Jason graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, specializing in Business Operations and Logistics with a concentration in Sustainability and Social Impact from the University of British Columbia. His work experience includes funding for non-profits, geophysics field work, and project management on a Tiny Home with a hybrid renewable energy system. While at UBC, his focus was researching economic, technological, and policy barriers in energy transitions.

Meetika Kher

Project Coordinator

Meetika Kher BASc., EIT is a Renewable Energy Project Coordinator on the Project Development Team at Barkley, contributing to community energy planning for a variety of renewable energy generation projects for First Nations communities. Meetika graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Engineering, with an Energy Specialization as well as a Diploma in Sustainability. She is working to obtain a Master of Engineering in Cities Engineering and Management with an emphasis on Environmental Issues for Healthy Cities and Climate Change. She has experience working within the municipal, federal, international development, and consulting sectors, with a main focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Her main goal is to empower Indigenous communities through development of efficient renewable energy projects and to directly contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions from Canada’s energy sector.

Tonse Suresh

Project Coordinator

Tonse Suresh, EIT, EMIT, LEED GA is a Project Coordinator on the Development Team and is bringing with him expertise in energy modelling, microgrid analysis and load modelling. Tonse graduated from Memorial University in Energy Systems Engineering and has an undergraduate degree in electrical and electronics engineering. He is an Energy Manager in Training under Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), certified in ASHRAE HVAC design/drafting, PEGNL EIT, and brings a wealth of knowledge to Barkley, increasing our capacity to provide energy efficiency, community energy planning and microgrid solutions to the communities. Prior to working Barkley, Tonse worked as an electrical field engineer in India, helping clearing transmission line faults and creating budgets for new phases in distribution.

Toby Hewton

Hydrometric Technician

Tobias Hewton is a Hydrometric Technician working in the Operations division at Barkley Project Group. In his role, he uses various field equipment and methods to collect and process hydrometric data for the monitoring of existing hydropower projects and the development of future ones. Tobias holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Victoria and a Geotechnical Diploma from Sir Sandford Fleming College. With broad hands-on experience and a diverse academic background, he makes a valuable addition to the Barkley team.

Raj Khugsal

Financial Analyst

Raj Khugsal is a Financial Analyst on Barkley’s Geothermal team. Raj is a Commerce graduate, certified PMP and current board member of Canadian West Coast PMI Chapter. He is currently working on the Tu Deh Kah Geothermal project supporting the larger team. He comes with broad experience in project management, budgeting, analysis, reporting and working with organizations on process improvement and optimization. His previous experience in renewables includes working with biomass fuel projects.

Dee Street

Fundraising Coordinator

Dee Street, BFA is a Fundraising Coordinator responsible for providing high-quality, professional consulting services to support Barkley Project Group’s clean energy and infrastructure projects, business development, and marketing. Dee holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson). She has over 4 years of non-profit fundraising experience in BC, and over 15 years of experience as a business analysis and HR professional in public and private companies in BC, Ontario and internationally.

Shawn Day

Geothermal Project Coordinator

Shawn Day, BSc (Honors) Geology, is a Project Coordinator with the geothermal team specializing in geothermal exploration and drilling. He graduated from the University of Alberta and is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation, part of Treaty 8 Territory in Northern Alberta. Shawn has spent his career planning and executing field sampling and drilling programs throughout Northern British Columbia and the Western Canadian Sedimentary basin in both the mining and energy industries. He is also an avid science and energy communicator and educator, volunteering  for the Science Olympics and Rock and Fossil Clinics, working with youth. Shawn also holds a 3rd Class Power Engineering certificate with experience in operations and maintenance.

Andrew Medgyesi

Project Coordinator

Andrew Medgyesi, M.E.L., is a Project Coordinator providing specialized services in the development and integration of run-of-river hydro-power projects in renewable energy systems. He has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria as well as a Master of Engineering Leadership in Clean Energy from the University of British Columbia. Andrew enjoys energy modelling, feasibility analyses, and working collaboratively with First Nation leadership, expert consultants, and other project stakeholders.

Chelsey Hay

Geothermal Project Coordinator

Chelsey Hay, M.Sc., MSs, GIT, is a Project Coordinator with the Geothermal Team, providing oversight for the subsurface geological and engineering aspects of the Tu Deh-Kah geothermal project. Chelsey holds a Master’s in Geology from the University of Calgary and a Master’s in Sustainability from the University of Saskatchewan. She brings several years of experience in oil and gas exploration and development, including geological mapping, technical analyses, and drilling and operations.

In Loving Memory of Anitra Paris

1993 – 2022

Anitra-Paris-2021

"I am driven to protect the environment and create a better world for people and nature. I know that climate change is an existential threat already impacting the Earth, and I will do everything I can to contribute to positive change.

I am creative and believe in the healing power of creating.

I lead my life with a sense of adventure and am open to new experiences, and I will not slip into complacency.

I am a constant and loyal friend; my loved ones feel valued and appreciated through my support.

The world is vast and its infiniteness humbles me. I strive to challenge myself intellectually and thrive when I expand my knowledge.

My mind and body are important; I respect myself through sleep, nourishment, movement and spending rejuvenating time in nature."

-Anitra

We’re hiring.​

Barkley Project Group prides ourselves on the quality of work we produce. Our team provides the technical capacity for Indigenous communities to realize their clean energy and sustainable development goals.