Laleh Behjat, BSc (Eng.), PhD (Eng.) is the current NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the Prairies Region. Since 2002 she is a Professor in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. Laleh has acted as an academic advisor for of Google Technical Development Guide and has won several awards for her efforts in education including 2017 Killam Graduate Student Supervision and Mentorship Award. Her team, Schulich Engineering Outreach Team, was also the recipient of the ASTech Leadership Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness Award in 2017. Her other interests include raising awareness about issues related to diversity and inclusion and promoting diversity in engineering. She received the Women in Engineering and Geoscience Award from APEGA in 2015 in recognition of her work in this area.
Meghana Valupadas (she/her) was the 2020 Chair for the Women in Engineering Summit (WES). In 2019, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Alberta and currently works as a Transportation EIT at ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. She is the Co-Creator of Diversity in Engineering, an organization that supports traditionally underrepresented groups in Engineering at the University of Alberta, and a founding member of the Women’s Advocacy Voice of Edmonton (WAVE) committee. In her spare time, Meghana works as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Workshop Facilitator and as a part-time children’s entertainer, performing roles like Moana and Princess Jasmine for various events and fundraisers. She was born and raised in Edmonton and is passionate about encouraging dialogue and sparking change.
Ingrid Pederson, P.Eng. is our Chair for WES 2021. Ingrid is an engineering specialist helping to maintain the integrity of Enbridge’s crude oil pipelines. Ingrid started her engineering career working on offshore oil rigs. This experience motivated her to encourage young women to pursue STEM careers and when Ingrid moved to Edmonton in 2008 she increased her volunteering with STEM organizations. She was awarded the 2020 Alberta Women Science Network (AWSN) Athena Outstanding Volunteer Award for her long-standing volunteer service to the AWSN community and other non-profit organizations. She also won an APEGA Summit Award in 2019 as Champion for Women in Engineering and Geoscience, which she shared with the CCWESTT 2018 Conference committee. In 2014 Ingrid was also recognized by the Government of Alberta, Culture and Tourism with the Stars of Alberta Volunteer Award. Also in 2014 Ingrid was awarded the AWSN Minerva Award for Mentorship.
Eva Cheung is a Supervisor of Project Management in the LRT Expansion & Renewal Branch with the City of Edmonton Integrated Infrastructure Services Department. She holds degrees in Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering from the University of Alberta. Eva has played a lead role in the planning of the Valley Line LRT over the past 12 years. She was the Valley Line West LRT Project Manager preparing this $2.6 billion project for execution. Eva is STEM advocate and past Chairwoman of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Edmonton. Eva recently became a new mom and is taking this year to explore the world of motherhood from the unique lens of a project manager.
Gail Powley. B.Sc.(Eng) is currently the President of Technology Alberta and has more than 30 years of progressive experience as an engineer, manager and executive, retiring from Willowglen Systems as VP Corporate Development in 2016. A 2017 Alumni Honour Award recipient by the University of Alberta, she believes more women should pursue careers in engineering and their employers should support them. As volunteer chair of Women in APEGA, Gail led the development of a groundbreaking policy, Managing Transitions Before, During and After Leave: A Planning Resource Guide for Employees and Employers. The policy was republished by Engineers Canada and Geoscientists Canada in 2016 and is seen as an important ingredient in achieving the national goal of 30 by 30 Initiative.
Dr. Emily Marasco, PhD (Eng.) is an Instructor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Calgary, where she also received her PhD in electrical engineering. Dr. Marasco’s research-informed pedagogical practice integrates cross-disciplinary, entrepreneurial aspects with cognitive diversity and creative technical experiences. Dr. Marasco is active as a science communicator and outreach speaker in the local education community. She has been recognized as the 2018 ASTech Outstanding Leader of Tomorrow and received the 2016 Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Graduate Award for women in engineering. She was most recently recognized as one of Calgary’s 2019 Top 40 Under 40 recipients..
Dr. Mina Alyani, Ph.D (Eng.), EIT. is a Technical Startup Lead at Imperial Oil and previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Berkeley. Apart from her main role as a chemical engineer and scientist, she is leading the Personal & Professional Development team in the Women’s Interest Network (WIN) organization at Imperial’s Strathcona refinery, all with a focus on women empowerment and increasing diversity and inclusion (D&I) throughout the company. She is the Edmonton team lead of Women Of MENA In Technology, a non-profit organization which is aiming to close the gender and diversity gap in STEM/Tech to elevate the profile of successful Middle Eastern and North African women in STEM/Tech and also to inspire the younger female generation.
Deanna Burgart, P.Eng. is both an engineer and technologist who began her career in 1998 as a technician analyzing oil sands in a Calgary laboratory. She is a Senior Instructor at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering in Chemical and Petroleum engineering; and is the first Teaching Chair focused on integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Engineering. Deanna is co-founder and president of IndigeSTEAM, an Alberta based non-profit focused on creating ethical space for Indigenous youth and professionals in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). She serves on the Board of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) where she co-leads the Education committee.
Kinia (Adamczyk) Romanowska is an award-winning investigative journalist turned entrepreneur, maternity leave strategist, and working parent whisperer. She helps career-driven, perfectionist moms and their partners make personal and professional leaps and bounds, without them having to compromise family happiness or health.
As the founder and CEO of Pros&Babes, and creator of the MoMBA, Canada’s only 360 personal and professional leadership development program for the busy mom, she is a champion of engineers balancing motherhood. A wife and mother of two, Kinia has helped hundreds of women pursue leadership, develop stronger, more intimate relationships with their partners, bond more closely with their children, and take the right actions to consistently achieve their career goals.
Matthew Oliver, CD, P.Eng. is the Deputy Registrar and Chief Regulatory Officer of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, regulating engineering and geoscience in Alberta for 72,000 members. Matthew served in the military for 20 years as an aerospace engineer. He holds degrees in computer engineering, electrical engineering, divinity, and a graduate certificate in restorative justice. Past work included appeal commissioner and a forensic engineer. In this role he oversees all regulatory activities at APEGA: investigation, discipline, protection of right to title and right to practice, professional practice, examinations and registration. Matthew is Michif, and a citizen of the Métis Nation.
Edie Bates, P.Eng., MBA, PMP, CCP is the Manager of Lands & Right of Way Operations Canada for Enbridge, an alumnus of the Governor General Canadian Leadership Conference and the current chair of the Enbridge FEMINEN Employee Resource Group in Edmonton. In her 20+ year career at Enbridge, Edie has held several technical and leadership positions in engineering, project management, construction, controls, and corporate services. With two young daughters, Edie is passionate about inspiring and empowering our next generation to lead positive change.
Tina Uribe (P.Eng.) is a Chemical Engineer with over 20 years of design, construction and project management experience in both the midstream and downstream oil & gas sectors. She is passionate about mentoring young talent in the fields of STEM and is a firm believer that you get out of your industry what you put into it. Tina has been on the Enbridge FEMINEN Employee Resource Group Committee (ERG) for over 6 years. Tina has led various ERG speaking events highlighting topics such as innovation, advocacy, allyship, unconscious bias and encouraging other female leaders to share their stories. She also co-chairs the Engineering Futures Program, where female engineers/ technologists mentor Indigenous female youth and promote STEM careers.
Andrea (Latos) Suffern, P.Eng., ARWP, SAS earned her Geomatics Engineering degree from the University of Calgary in 2005 and has enjoyed working as a project manager in the oil & gas industry for the past 15 years. She discovered entrepreneurship in 2007 which ignited a new passion and has led to her building 4 companies during that time. She is passionate about continuing to grow, empowering others to create a life they love, and educating them on entrepreneurship. Andrea loves developing relationships, because she believes that we can do incredible things when we work together.
Alvin Pilobello is a Professional Leadership Development Coach based in Toronto, Ontario. For over 10 years, he held roles in strategy as an infrastructure engineering professional with global engineering firms. Today, he helps technology company leaders, and technical professionals, leverage their emotional intelligence and make decisions that build trust. They learn to create a balance of empathy and productivity by getting to know their own logic and emotional decision processes. He helps clients tap into the diversity within others and themselves for innovative approaches to problems. Alvin proudly embraces his introverted self when facilitating leadership development programs across the US and Canada, and teaching salsa dancing to thousands of people in the Before times.
Claudia Gomez-Villeneuve, M.Eng., P.Eng., PMP, DTM is a professional engineer, university instructor, and EDI champion. Before switching to academia, she worked at Enbridge managing petroleum pipeline projects for over 15 years. Today, Claudia works in different universities teaching courses in pipeline construction and project management. In April 2019 she shared the APEGA Summit Award, as a Champion for Women in Engineering and Geoscience, with the CCWESTT 2018 Conference Steering Committee. Claudia is also the founder and two-time Chair of WES, Women in Engineering Summit, a non-profit organization, which debuted with WES 2018 after learning how many women leave their engineering careers – after many years of education and work experience – when there are many workplaces solutions available to retain them.
Justin Pritchard, M.Des., M.Sc., CCDP is past-President of the on-campus Mindfulness Meditation Student Group at the University of Alberta, where he has led hundreds of people on meditation sessions. This leadership experience motivated him to do a master’s thesis project on mindfulness and creativity in education. He is currently a Sessional Instructor in the Department of Art and Design, as well as a Career Coach at the University of Alberta Career Centre. His designations include: • Master of Design (MDes) • Bachelor of Design • Design Diploma • Master of Science (MSc) in Curriculum and Instruction • Certified Career Development Professional (CCDP) • Certified Master Coach Practitioner and • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Training.
Laura Kennett, M.Sc., P.Eng., PMP
Director, Modernization & Change for Enbridge, Liquids Pipelines
Fellow, Energy Futures Lab Board Member, Human Venture Leadership (charitable organization).
Laura is passionate about designing how we live in this profound juncture in human history: A time when plentiful hydrocarbons, an underpinning of our economy and identity, are creating uneasiness about our future. Laura’s sense of co-responsibility draws her to tough conversations about energy systems and transitions as we navigate unfamiliar and polarizing territory. She has over 21 years of design, operations and project management experience in steel manufacturing, industrial construction, and energy pipelines in the natural resource hubs of Alberta, northern Ontario, and Oklahoma. She studied Environmental Resource Management, Mechanical Engineering and Engineering and Technology Management, but considers life to be the ultimate teacher.
Jean Boudreau, FEC, P.Eng. is the President of Engineers Canada for the 2020–2021 term. She graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree. Jean is a senior consultant at GEMTEC Limited, has over thirty years’ experience in civil engineering, highway planning and design, and civil construction projects, with the largest portion of her work over the last twenty-five years comprised of highway and hydraulic structures design projects. In addition, she has served as the Director for Engineers Canada from New Brunswick, served on the Board for GEMTEC Limited and for ACEC-NB, and has twice served on the board for the New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council. Jean has served on the APEGNB Council (2009 – 2014) including one year as president, and has been serving on various APEGNB committees since 1991.
Kirsten Marcia, B.Sc.(Geo) is both a professional geoscientist and a resource entrepreneur who has participated in the formation and early stage development of several Saskatchewan resource companies. For the last ten years she has been the pioneer and key driving force behind the development of Canada’s soon to be first geothermal power generation site. Kirsten is using her previous experience gained from developing traditional resources to develop an entirely new, clean energy resource for the province of Saskatchewan.
Kirsten has worked in the resource exploration industry for more than 20 years in a number of roles for publicly traded companies – Northern Saskatchewan mapping and prospecting, VP Exploration, International Director of Investor Relations, CEO – while contributing to the exploration and development of resources regarding diamonds, gold, base metals, coal, petroleum and most recently, renewable energy. As an articulate champion of Canadian innovation, Kirsten has long been an active in the community and regularly speaks about geology, the resource industry and geothermal energy.
Kirsten is the founder, President and CEO of DEEP Earth Energy Production (“DEEP”). A private company, DEEP focuses on developing geothermal resources to meet Saskatchewan’s – and Canada’s – increasing energy needs with sustainable, baseload renewable power and industrial heating applications. She is a geology graduate from the University of Saskatchewan and a Professional Geoscientist, registered in the Province of Saskatchewan.
In her free time, Kirsten can be found happily working on yard projects at her acreage she shares with her husband and teenage daughter or camping and fishing. And beyond this global pandemic, she looks forward to hosting dinner gatherings with friends and family.
Margaret Anne Hodges, P.ENG., FEC, FGC (HON), PMP B.A.SC. has worked as an Engineer and Engineering Manager in SaskTel’s Technology Division for more than 30 years. She volunteers extensively with the provincial regulator, APEGS, and at a national level is a member of Engineers Canada’s Qualifications Board. For 30-plus years she has contributed to dialogue regarding women in engineering and actively encouraged young girls and women to consider engineering as a professional career that is challenging, rewarding, and fun. From 2013-17 Margaret Anne served on the APEGS Executive Committee and in 2015-16 was President of APEGS. She has been APEGS’s 30 by 30 Champion for the last three years.
Session Title: Living and Working Mindfully: Bringing Mindfulness Meditation into the Workplace
Session Abstract: Research indicates that people spend approximately half of their waking hours thinking about something other than what is going on in the present moment—and this mind-wandering leads to feelings of unhappiness and lack of focus. Fortunately, mindfulness practice helps us bring our attention back to the “here and now”. In this session, you will learn what mindfulness is, how it is practiced, how to integrate it into your professional life, as well as how it connects to overall well-being. Mindfulness can support individuals during challenging times, including burnout and job dissatisfaction. Short meditations will be discussed and practiced throughout the session.
Session Title: Busting the Many Myths about Becoming an Entrepreneur
Session Abstract: Have you ever considered starting a business? Perhaps a consulting company, a side-hustle, or a non-for-profit? Maybe you’ve been an employee your whole life and are not sure where to start, what it takes or if it’s worth it. Maybe it just seems too scary, especially amidst COVID-19. But is it? Entrepreneurship is rarely taught in our schools and there are many misconceptions about it, such as “I’m not that type of person,” “It’s too risky,” “I don’t have time,” and “I don’t have enough capital”. With 15 years of experience building 4 companies while also working full time as an employee, Andrea is excited to debunk 10 of these myths in a fun, frank way. You will come out of this session with a better idea if entrepreneurship makes sense for you!
Session Title: Preparing for Paternity and Maternity Leave Transition while Protecting your Career Capital
Session Abstract: This session will help you understand the typical roadmap for working mothers: pregnancy, maternity leave, return to work; and the typical challenges women face, especially in engineering careers. Furthermore, the session will help you create a plan to mitigate career risks associated with motherhood and to develop a transition and communication plan that will enhance your personal brand and allow for a smoother transition to and from maternity leave. Finally, the session will identify a few action items you can take to mitigate the consequences associated with maternity leave: maternal wage gap, career stagnation, financial stress, burnout for stress, and difficulty managing career and family life. A number of tips will be provided for fathers who are considering parental leave.
Session Title: Cowardice – Courage – Cockiness: A Slippery Spectrum for All Genders
Session Abstract: She’s too shy. She’s too bullish. She lacks confidence. She’s domineering…
These labels are applied liberally to others and sometimes to our selves. Although these labels are not endearing, they are important to notice because they indicate a lack of courage in the giver and/or the receiver. It’s persistently tricky to find courage which sits dubiously between cowardice and cockiness. But to become wise leaders who can skillfully carry controversial conversations with family, friends and coworkers, we must master courage.
Laura will cover 3 learning outcomes:
1. Recognize what courage is and isn’t
2. Improve your prospects to find and portray courage
3. Understand why courage is essential for tackling the biggest challenges facing humankind
Session Title: Fostering Male Allyship in the Workplace
Session Abstract: Allyship is not a neat, pre-packaged one-size fits all solution. With men continuing to be the majority stakeholders in organizations, evidence shows that when men are deliberately engaged in gender inclusion programs then 96% of organizations see progress in supporting equity for womxn in the engineering workplace. In this session, participants will learn the neuroscience to activating the courage of male allies, practice the communication skills to improve allyship effectiveness, and foster productive conversations to inspire systemic change. Everyone’s pathway to effective allyship will be different – learn how to navigate yours.
Session Title: Evolution of FEMINEN (Females in Engineering) – Enbridge’s Employee Resource Group Making A Difference
Session Abstract: Want to make a difference empowering females in STEM, but don’t know where to begin? There is power in numbers. The Enbridge FEMINEN Employee Resource Group (ERG) Committee is excited to present their successes of how they led, inspired and grew their membership and ally network to lead change within their organization.
FEMINEN was founded in 2012 as a strategic initiative to further Enbridge’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. FEMINEN’s mission is to increase the organizations ability to attract, engage and retain females in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers by facilitating opportunities for members to network, develop and learn from each other. This presentation will highlight FEMINEN’s evolution from the development of its initial business case from a single female engineer to becoming a recognized and vibrant ERG with various Chapters across North America. Key members of the FEMINEN leadership committee will share some of the challenges and triumphs over the years and how to avoid common pitfalls. You will also learn what FEMINEN is focused on now and how we’re leveraging a virtual world to expand our membership and influence.
Session Title: Inspiring Change, Having Courage to Act.
Session Abstract: coming soon
Session Title: Discover your Core Values and Re-Align your Career for Life
Session Abstract: This session will give attendees a fresh perspective on career planning by asking the question: “do your career and work values align?”. The session will include 3 exercises to help you identify your core values. A misalignment has the potential to make you unhappy and deeply unmotivated as an employee or as an entrepreneur. Your core values are principles that you find desirable or even essential in your life, and examples include joy, warmth, abundance, usefulness, and boldness. An alignment between your career and your core values can produce satisfaction, as well as a sense of happiness and fulfillment, which are key aspects in ensuring more women stay happy in their engineering, or other, careers for life.
Session Title: Tips for Obtaining and Maintaining a P.Eng. or a P.Geo. Designation
Session Abstract: APEGA regulates the practices of engineering and geoscience on behalf of the Government of Alberta. The designation of Professional Member at APEGA allows you to practice engineering and/or geoscience without limitation. This session will include tips on how to improve your odds of earning a professional membership with APEGA, including how to avoid common errors or delays on these applications, and how to maintain your professional membership valid. Finally, the session may offer tips on how to encourage your boss to give you highly technical work to qualify for a P.Eng or P.Geo., and perhaps also pay for your registration. APEGA tries to increase the number of professionally registered engineers and geoscientists in Alberta through APEGA’s 30×30 initiative.
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