Debra Shewfelt

As a Professional Geoscientist, Board member and Co-President of RESPEC Canada, Debra Shewfelt draws on two decades of experience in several critical mineral sectors and geothermal energy projects. She excels at leading interdisciplinary teams that support sustainability in a variety of project types from traditional land use and impact assessments to clean energy and storage.  All of her projects have a common theme of focusing on benefits to local communities.

Debra co-founded the company’s joint venture with the Saskatchewan First Nations Natural Resource Centre of Excellence, which supports the successful inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the resource sector. Her passion for community engagement and responsible development has led her into the clean energy realm, with notable projects such as the DEEP Earth Energy geothermal project in Saskatchewan and the Nunavut geothermal feasibility study. In recognition of her ESG and EDI efforts within and outside of the workplace, Debra has received local and national peer-nominated awards, including CIM Social Responsibility and Education awards for Diversity & Inclusion and Community Service contributions, and the Business & Professions YWCA Women of Distinction Award, coveted nationally as one of the most prestigious awards for women.

Dr. Steve Grasby

Dr. Grasby received a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from University of Calgary in 1997. He has worked on regional groundwater studies in the Canadian Prairies and in British Columbia, including climate change impacts of regional water supply. He has also conducted extensive studies on thermal and mineral springs in western and northern Canada. He is lead author of the 2011 GSC publication, "Geothermal Energy Resource Potential of Canada"