Team

Richard Piche, PMP, ICD.D – President

Richard is an oil and gas professional who has developed complete life cycle oil and gas properties from conception, to construction, to full online production. With more than 40 years of hands on operations, engineering, project management, and corporate development experience, Richard possesses a wealth of knowledge and skills applicable to the development of greenfield and brownfield properties. He has extensive Canadian and International experience in Indonesia, India, Kuwait and Poland, both on the Exploration and Production (E&P) company side and with Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) services.

Richard is a member of the Alberta Metis community with a long history of family roots from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. His Metis and Indigenous ancestry includes Gabriel Dumont on his mother’s side and on his father’s side Pesew, Peechee Louis Piche chief of the mountain Crees and guide to Sir George Simpson in the Banff area during the early 1800’s.

John Corie, BMgt – Vice President

John is a business professional with extensive management experience; he has a Bachelor of Management degree from the University of Lethbridge and has held senior roles in the finance and consulting sectors throughout his career. John has worked with government, Indigenous communities, and corporations of all sizes throughout Western Canada to support business development and operations, provide professional advisory services, and build stakeholder partnerships. Recent clients include corporations in various sectors including oil and gas, forestry, real estate, hospitality, education, manufacturing, and the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada. Projects under John’s leadership have consistently delivered outstanding results.

Scott North, P.Eng. – Engineering Manager

Scott is an oil and gas professional with more than 35 years of Canadian and International experience. He began his career with Gulf Canada, working as a production engineer and project engineer throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan. Much of Scott’s international experience took place in Indonesia, where he was involved in production operations, asset management, and the development of several large gas fields with Asamera and ConocoPhillips. Scott also spent time in the Middle East and Africa, where he was country manager of brownfield operations and exploration assets with DNO.

Scott is a Professional Engineer and member of APEGA.

Allison Smith, BScH, MSc. Management –
Manager, Engagement

Allison is an engagement professional and skilled facilitator who has worked closely with individuals, communities and businesses across Western Canada. Her work in community development and capacity building is grounded in the principles of local empowerment for long-term, sustainable results. As a Business Development Officer with two Community Economic Development (CED) non-profits, Momentum and Haida Gwaii Community Futures, she has delved into the use of small business and entrepreneurial support as a poverty reduction and rural economic development strategy. As an engagement professional in Western Canada, Allison has worked with environmental non-profits, Indigenous communities, economic development agencies, municipal governments and local businesses to address some of the region’s most complex challenges. She is trained in Public Participation Planning and Techniques, International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) and is an active member of the IAP2 Indigenous Engagement roundtable.

Patricia Makokis, Ed.D. –
Indigenous Awareness Educator

Dr. Patricia Makokis resides on the Saddle Lake Cree Nation with her husband Eugene. She is mother of two adult children, Janice and James, and kokum (grandmother) to four-year-old Atayoh. Dr. Makokis is acclaimed as one of Canada’s most outstanding Indigenous leaders. She is an author, speaker and a pioneer for Indigenous education, health and values. She is a community-based leader who traverses the western and the Indigenous world of education and business through professional development. She has built and facilitated training programs that privilege Indigenous knowledge alongside western ways. Most recently, she led the development of the Indigenous Community Industry Relations (ICIR) program in the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta. Dr. Makokis is the recipient of numerous awards for her exceptional work in advancing opportunities for her people. She was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of San Diego amongst others. Patricia has a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.), with a major in leadership, from the University of San Diego. She is a board member for the Circle for Aboriginal Relations (CFAR).

Sydney Schneider, BSCM –
Advisor, Economic Inclusion

Sydney is a supply chain professional with an extensive background in procurement and inventory management obtained through her eight year tenure at Finning (Canada). Throughout her career in the supply chain sector Sydney has gained experience in process development, change management, inventory control, procurement policy, surplus management, and analytics. In her current role, Sydney is responsible for building industry awareness and understanding around the benefits of implementing inclusive procurement practices with a goal of achieving greater socio-economic success through partnership and collaboration. Sydney holds a Bachelor of International Business and Supply Chain Management degree from MacEwan University and is certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) from APICS.