Celebrate International Women's Day during National Engineering Month!
Two dozen engineering alumni and students came out on International Women’s Day—which falls during National Engineering Month—to hear about the career experiences of four Concordia engineering alumnae.
The panel discussion on Women in Engineering was moderated by Véronique Tokateloff, BEng 05, and included panellists Madiha Kotb, BEng 76, MEng 81, Maria Valerio, BEng 85, MEng 88, Susan Klucinskas, BEng 91 and Meera Patel, BEng 05.
Many thanks to our panellists and moderator, who volunteered their time and energy to make this event an enriching experience.
Madiha Kotb, Maria Valerio, Susan Klucinskas, Meera Patel and Veronique Tokateloff
Moderator
Veronique Tokateloff, BEng 05 – Technical Consultant and Analyst at Maya Heat Transfer Technologies.
Tokateloff received her BA in Mechanical/Aerospace from Concordia and then her Masters of Applied Science at the Royal Military College of Canada, where she did her thesis work with the Canadian Space Agency. She also participated in a one-year academic exchange in Toulouse, France, at the École Nationale Supérieure de l’Aeronautique et de l’Éspace. Tokateloff has worked as a technical consultant and analyst at Maya Heat Transfer Technologies for the past three years. She was an active member of the Canadian Space Agency’s Astronomy Club, the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, and Toastmasters International. She has been involved in Concordia’s Engineering and Computer Science Alumni Chapter since 2008 and has served as its president since 2009. Tokateloff has just had her first child and will soon face the challenges of balancing work and family life.
Panelists
Madiha Kotb, BEng 76, MEng 81 – M.ing RBQ, Régie du Bâtiment du Québec
Kotb has spent close to 30 years with the Quebec government in the field of boilers and pressure vessels. As Chief Boiler Inspector, she represents the province on numerous technical and steering committees. She’s actively involved with Bureau de normalization du Québec, the Canadian Standards Association, the National Board of Boilers and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, on whose board she is currently serving as a member at large. Kotb has received numerous awards of recognition from her peers, including certificates of achievement and awards for dedicated service and for merit.
Maria Valerio BEng 85, MEng 88 –Vice President, Operations/Customer Service, Pratt & Whitney Canada
Valerio began her career at Pratt & Whitney Canada in 1987 as a planner and soon began earning increased responsibility in Operations, specifically in process control, continuous improvement, quality functions, and the manufacture of turbines, compressors, blades, combustion liners and gas generators. She was appointed general manager of Campus 1 in 2005 and Director, Canadian Manufacturing, the next year. In 2009, Valerio was named Director, Strategic Cost Reduction, responsible for strategic leadership in the development of cost-reduction initiatives to support the company’s growth and financial goals.
Susan Klucinskas BEng 91 – Senior Consultant with Revay and Associates Limited
Klucinskas, a graduate of Building Engineering, has more than 18 years of experience in the preparation and evaluation of construction claims, scheduling and delay analysis, productivity analysis, budgeting and cost control on behalf of owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and their legal counsel. She has been involved in a wide variety of projects, including commercial and institutional buildings, floating production storage, power generation and transmission facilities, paper mills, water treatment facilities, and bridges and tunnels in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. She has given expert testimony before a dispute resolution board in the U.S., and in arbitration in both Canada and the U.S.
Meera Patel, BEng 05 – System Integration Specialist, Tyco-Digital Security Systems
Patel, an electrical engineer, worked for five years at Tyco Research and Development in Montreal, supporting international technicians and representatives in hardware, software and product operations. She is now a system integration specialist at Tyco-Digital Security Systems in Toronto. Patel is also studying project management at the University of Toronto and working towards her PMP certification.She served on the executive of Concordia’s Engineering and Computer Science Alumni Chapter from 2008-2010, and as a judge at last year’s Bell Montreal Regional Science and Technology Fair. Patel currently volunteers for Engineers Without Borders in Toronto.
