Join us for the Engineering for Change Leadership Series

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OSPE’s research has shown that despite the amount of talent within the profession, barriers persist for engineering graduates and engineers who are looking to pursue leadership positions. These barriers are especially evident to women and members of other underrepresented groups. Biases in the workplace continue to hold these individuals back from pursuing or succeeding in the pursuit of leadership roles. This culture of exclusion threatens the future of the profession.

In 2020, OSPE launched Engineering for Change, a new campaign focused on advancing diversity and inclusion in the profession. Our objective is to unite the engineering community on an issue that affects everyone. As part of this effort, this series brought to you by OSPE’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, is intended to provide early to mid-career professionals from underrepresented groups with tips and strategies on a variety of leadership-related topics. Further, it is curated with the objective of developing relationships, networking, and knowledge sharing amongst participants.

How to Participate

  1. Watch a 15-minute video presentation where experts will provide actionable strategies on the below topics. A new video will be released every Tuesday from March 30-May 4 (except for April 5th).

The videos will cover a range of important leadership topics through a diversity and inclusion lens, below you will learn more about our fantastic speakers:

Building confidence and influence

Description: Understand how to navigate doubts when pursuing a leadership role, building your emotional intelligence and capacity.

engineering for change leadership 1Susan Hollett, MSc., CE is President of Hollett and Sons Inc., a consulting firm based in Clarenville, NL specializing in strategic planning, group facilitation and program evaluation since 1996.  Over the last number of years, Hollett & Sons Inc. has focussed a lot on women in leadership. Susan is the National Coordinating Consultant for the Women in Science, Engineering Trades and Technology Leadership program for women in SETT, she was instrumental to the growth of Women Presidents Organization (WPO) in NL as the facilitator for seven years, and she created a unique peer advisory network for women in management (WOO).

Susan earned her Masters degree in Political Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science, has been professionally credentialed in Canada as a facilitator, program evaluator, management consultant and board director and currently serves on the boards of Newfoundland Power and the Canadian Evaluation Society. 

For more information:

shollett@hollettandsons.cawww.hollettandsons.ca, (709) 466-1373

Negotiation

Description: Understand how to negotiate at work, whether you are negotiating a promotion, new contract, or re-negotiating an existing contract.

engineering for change leadership 2

Sarah Flint is a Project Manager and ICF Certified Performance Coach and with 15+ years experience in the healthcare, telecommunications, and residential real-estate sectors.  Through her own experience studying and working in STEM fields, Sarah developed her passion for coaching women who are carving out their own path in the world – especially when they find themselves juggling their careers and families. She strongly believes in the importance of emotional intelligence and communication skills to allow individuals to achieve their full potential. 

Sarah holds a B.Math, Business Administration from the University of Waterloo.

Conflict management and resolution

Description: Learn how to resolve conflicts related to issues of diversity and inclusion through a reasonable and professional approach.

engineering for change leadership 3Yasmeena Mohamed was called to the Ontario bar in 1997 and has attained a LLB from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, LLB from Queens University and an Alternative Dispute Resolution Certificate from the University of Windsor.  Mrs. Mohamed currently works as a Member at the Immigration and Refugee Protection Board of Canada and as an arbitrator, mediator, and workplace investigator in the areas of labour, employment and human rights. Prior to this, Mrs. Mohamed worked as an adjudicator at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and Ontario labour Relations Board and as senior civil and labour counsel for the Ontario government. In her spare time, Mrs. Mohamed is a Co-Chair for a non-profit charitable organization called International Development and Relieve Foundation and loves to read and travel.   

Navigating Biases and their resulting barriers

Description: Address insecurities that result from bias and feeling like a “minority” at work. Learn to call out bias and microaggressions effectively.

Brenda Okorogba is a maximizer with a strong sense of purpose, courage, and willpower. Brenda is the Strategy Development Consultant and Learning Experience Designer at Momentswithbren Consulting, a global  education, strategic intelligence  and management consulting company that supports a variety of clients including Startups, Higher Education Institutions, Non Governmental Development Organizations (NGDO) , SMEs, Developmemt Education Centers (DECs) and other business firms through customized in-house training on design thinking, strategic intelligence, process design, organizational improvement, transdisciplinary skillset, career readiness solutions for employees and students, knowledge mobilization and evidence-based practices, result-based management and business impact analysis, 4th industrial revolution leadership, and a co-prosperity framework for development. Brenda supports individuals, organizations, and communities in clearly identifying areas needing reawakening, growth, transformation, strategic execution and focused goal creation. Brenda is currently facilitating a career readiness and job search assistance program for newcomer women in Canada who face a number of employment barriers. 

Understanding your identity and approaching balance

Description: Finding balance between your work and home life to build a career that works for you.

Kinia Romanowska is a well-traveled award-winning journalist turned entrepreneur, maternity leave strategist, and working mom whisperer. A wife and mom of two, she is the founder of Pros&Babes and host of the MoMBA, Canada’s only 360-leadership and personal development program designed for the busy, ambitious mom. She helps brainy, perfectionist moms make leaps and bounds in career, finances and family happiness. 

Passionate about making sure the next generation does not experience the “motherhood penalty”, she is known for her work with women who are pursuing careers in high-demanding fields like STEM, diplomacy and finance. Kinia is a sought-after facilitator and speaker for public institutions, including Foreign Affairs Canada, and STEM networks, including APEGA, WES, and media.

Understanding and navigating Canadian business culture

Description: Discover the cultural nuances of the Canadian business environment. Learn about communication styles, everyday interactions, and bridging across differences.

  1. Dive deeper into the video topics by attending a weekly virtual discussion

These discussion sessions will take place every held live online via Zoom weekly from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. The schedule can be found on the event page by clicking here. These discussions will be a fantastic opportunity for you to connect with likeminded individuals, network, and share experiences. The objective is form relationships that will help you as you undertake your path into leadership in the future. You will also meet members of OSPE’s Diversity and Inclusion Task force who will be there to facilitate the discussion and support your breakout groups.

Click here to register, diversify your toolkit of skills and network with like-minded individuals by April 6, 2021. Let us enable you to pursue leadership roles and have a support system to empower you! 

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