FOR COUNCIL Claudia Villeneuve, P.Eng., M.Eng.
Why join APEGA Council? I will start with the main reason: It was on my bucket list. For 21 years, since I became a student member, I have been fascinated by the work of APEGA — so naturally I became a volunteer. I confess I am still getting used to the dropped second G in the APEGA name, but it definitely makes it easier to spell. After graduation, I volunteered
Furthermore, I have extensive governance experience in the charity sector. My first board role started 12 years ago in a local mother support group called Edmonton VBAC Support Association ICAN of Edmonton, where later I was President for seven years. Then for two years I joined the board of ICAN International, based in California, with the role of Education Director due to my ability to review heavy medical research and translate it into common language for our mothers' membership. I created white papers, brochures, and articles in English, Spanish, and French for ICAN chapters around the world. Four years ago, I joined the board of Synchro Alberta, the regulatory body for the sport of synchronized swimming in Alberta, for one term of two years. I was chosen because of my long experience as a judge in the sport. This past summer I was welcomed to join their task force to upgrade all governance documents. Finally, for the last three years I have been Vice President of Education, President, and Area Director for two local chapters of Toastmasters: Pipe Up (at Enbridge) and Club Bilingue D'Edmonton (at Faculté Saint-Jean). Toastmasters are public speaking clubs where professionals improve their communication abilities. Overall I have a diverse governance and organizational management resume that shows my commitment to my career and my community. My participation will make for a stronger APEGA Council, one that is more than ready for the challenges of a varied membership. My suggestions will make for a more effective Council too, because it is in the multitude of perspectives that the best solutions can be found. I like to say that a problem may have three different solutions — or 39. You will never know until you get your best minds together. I fulfill the required knowledge and experience in the areas listed by the Council: at least 10 years of business and organizational work experience, complete with a background in governance, regulatory, risk management, and strategic planning. Joining APEGA Council at this midpoint of my career will be timely as well as exciting for me. It will also be a bonus for the APEGA membership that I will appeal to because of my background: women in engineering and geoscience, immigrants, and working parents. It will be my great pleasure to join the APEGA Council.
with two APEGA programs that fulfilled a strong desire in my heart: the desire of being a teacher. Those programs were APEGA Outreach and the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE) committee. As an E.I.T. volunteer through APEGA Outreach, I visited six different schools and demonstrated to Grade 1 students how strong construction materials are by relating to them the story of The Three Little Pigs . It was an incredible experience to form future engineers. Then as a P.Eng. through the NPPE committee, I became an exam question author, where using my many years of engineering work experience I was tasked with creating five to 10 questions per month. I chose topics that I knew would guide future professionals because they helped me in the trenches of my project management job in oil and gas construction. These days the dream of being a teacher has been fulfilled — because on September 6, 2016, I joined the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) as a sessional instructor teaching building products and materials. I have 30 students taking their diploma in construction management, and I can't wait to tell them, with some variations of course, the story of The Three Little Pigs , too. I have come full circle, eh? Teaching Grade 6 and now college. Now that I am finally a teacher, I wish to expand my engineering horizons and join my beloved APEGA Council. My qualifications include: • almost 16 years as an engineer in the oil and gas industry • an APEGA volunteer for a combined eight years • my incredible experience of nearly three years as a female in management • being a proud Hispanic woman (born in Colombia, South America), a working wife, and mother of three bright kids
27
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker