ASME Turbomachinery Technical Conference & Exposition 2026

Melanie Rickard is the Director General of the Directorate of Assessment and Analysis at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Canada’s nuclear regulator. She leads a team that performs safety assessments (design, engineering and safety analysis) of existing CANDU reactors and advanced nuclear/small modular reactors in Canada. Her team produces technical assessments related to licensing and compliance; plans and reacts to nuclear events and emergencies; represents the CNSC as leading experts in various nuclear safety fields and influences and contributes to the development of the regulatory framework. With 23 years at the CNSC, she has had a variety of experience in numerous facets of nuclear regulation. Melanie holds a Masters degree in Chemistry from the University of New Brunswick.

Amy Jo "AJ" McKean began in 2018 at PHMSA as a General Engineer (Inspector) in the Central Region and now serves as an Operations Supervisor in the Central Region. AJ has 27 years in the pipeline industry as an operator and consultant to the industry. She has worked for Williams, Southern Star and TransCanada (Keystone XL) in engineering/operations/project management. AJ holds a bachelor of science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri – Rolla (S&T).

Isabelle Chartier is director of research and innovation assets at the Hydro-Québec research center. She has 20 years of service within Hydro-Québec with experience in the fields of energy efficiency and R&D. For 10 years now, she has been responsible for managing research teams and a research portfolio for production, transmission and distribution assets. Holder of a Master's degree in business administration from the University of Quebec in Montreal and passionate about outdoor sports.