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MALKINSON RECEIVES IEEE-SA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Terry Malkinson (INTR ’98, ITP ’99, BAI ’01) has received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standards Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his commitment to standards development within the IEEE and other national and international standards activities, and for his significant technical contributions to the IEEE-SA, which is a leading consensus building organization that nurtures, develops and advances global technologies.
ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS
SAIT was named one of Alberta’s top employers for 2018 — the eighth time in nine years. The annual list, put together by MediaCorp Canada Inc., recognizes employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work.
WERKLUND R ECEIVES NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL HONOURS
In January, David Werklund (HOND ’10) was appointed to the Order of Canada for his business acumen as an entrepreneur and industry leader, and for his philanthropy in support of youth leadership programs. Last November, Werklund received the Alberta Order of Excellence in recognition of his successful career in Alberta’s oil and gas industry and his contributions as a farmer, an entrepreneur, a CEO and a philanthropist.
2017 ACCESS RECOGNITION AWARD
The City of Calgary’s Advisory Committee on Accessibility presented SAIT’s Accessibility Services department with the 2017 Access Recognition Award for its support of students with disability and accessibility needs. In the 2016/17 academic year, approximately 1,400 students received support through the department, which makes SAIT more inclusive by offering webinars about inclusive learning, a social skills coach, adaptive technology and even a “chill room” for students with sensory challenges.
96 YEARS
The School of Construction’s Geomatics Engineering Technology program celebrates 96 years in 2018.
1970s
LARRY McGREGOR (STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING ’71)
“Before graduation I was already working in heavy construction and was introduced to cranes and pile driving, which became my passion. After graduation I moved to the Okanagan and started my first business in pile driving, which I did for 20 years. I moved to Vancouver and worked for a larger pile driving company for 25 years, first as a superintendent, then general superintendent. I retired in 2015. I spend half the year in Belize and half in Canada, and it all started on the Crowchild Trail bridge in Calgary and a great experience at SAIT.”
HUGH RICHARDSON (BA ’73)
“I’m now retired and living in Ecuador after spending my career in the Northwest Territories, first with the cooperative movement in Deline and Igloolik, then as area manager and on building projects. Then worked for the federal government doing economic development with First Nations. I spent about 10 years negotiating land claims and self-government agreements, and was privileged to sign a final agreement, several agreements in principle and intergovernmental agreements. I managed the team that negotiated the devolution of land and resources from the federal government to the Government of the Northwest Territories. I have travelled extensively and plan to travel in South America.”
WILLIAM PRINGLE (CTSR, TSR ’77)
William has been appointed to the national board of directors of the Canadian Mental Health Association as chair of the National Council of Persons with Lived Experience, an advisory council bringing the perspective of persons with lived experience in mental illness to the association’s agenda. He was recently elected as co-chair of the National Network for Mental Health and administrator for a peer-run support group with more than 7,000 members worldwide. Before retiring he was a pyrotechnician and manager of public relations divisions for the City of Calgary.
DOMINIQUE MARCHILDON (AT ’79)
“While living in Saudi Arabia, I met my future wife in Norway after missing my flight out of Oslo. We got married near Amsterdam and headed off to Ottawa. After 14 years there, we returned to Holland in 1997. Still there. Not a bad “funny little country” to live in. No real winter and barely a ‘normal’ summer. Great location for venturing out
on local or international experiences.”
1980s
ROBERT PFISTER (CTSF, TSR ’80)
“I started working with CKY in Winnipeg, then returned home to Calgary to work with CFCN TV news as a cameraman. I did a six-year stint with the city police in the training academy and worked on various films and commercials over the years. I worked in France, Germany, England and California but I am currently living in Nairobi, Kenya and working as director of photography in feature films.”
ROSS WARNE (MACHINIST ’80)
“I completed my journey machinist program and went to work for Petro-Canada in research and development for heavy oil extraction. After going back to school to complete a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, I have worked for various consulting engineering companies. For more than 20 years, I have been with Anvil Corporation in Washington State where I am currently the engineering manager.”
NOREEN ARTHUR (NEE COOPER, TSR ’81)
“After graduation, I worked first at Q91 Radio in Drumheller and then in public relations for the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Fine Arts. Next I moved to Australia, where I continued to work in television and magazines. My career blossomed while working with Australian Consolidated Press in the 1990s. Currently I am working in agricultural logistics in South Australia. I’m still learning and have no plans to retire!”
ALEEM GILLANI (BA ’81)
“I’ve had a remarkable career since graduating from SAIT. I’ve worked on every continent except Antarctica and I have just retired this summer as chief financial officer of SunTrust Banks, the tenth largest bank in the U.S. with $205 billion in assets and more than $2 billion in annual net income. My wife, Cindy, and I are about to spend the next few years travelling the world from our home bases in Orlando, FL and Lake Martin, AL.”
IBRAHIM RABIU (ACCT ’81)
“After graduation I became the head of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning department at a technical school in Kano, Nigeria, then proceeded to Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California for a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology. I am now back in Kano and working at Bayero University, where I also earned my Master of Engineering.”
DAVID GAUDET (CTSR ’83)
An instructor with SAIT’s School of Business, David worked as digital content editor and producer of the fourth Canadian edition of MKTG, one of the country’s best-selling post-secondary marketing textbooks.
GRANT HARVEY (WET ’84)
“On Jan. 1, 2018 I became the Vice President and General Manager of ITW Shakeproof Automotive, based out of Elgin, Illinois. My wife, Germaine, and I will be moving to the Chicago area mid-year from our present location in Troy, Ohio.”
GLEN McLEAN (IIT ’84)
“After working for Gulf Canada for 12 years, I was transferred to Indonesia where I worked for Gulf Indonesia, PetroChina International, and ConocoPhillips for 11 years. For most of that time, I lived in Bali. Since 2007, I have been working for Occidental Petroleum in the desert of Oman and I rotate monthly out of Ottawa.”
DONALD BERGER (COOK APPRENTICE ’85)
Based in Hanoi, Vietnam, for 18 years, Donald is the founding partner, general director and chef patron of Don’s Bistro & Don Viet JSC, an iconic restaurant that has been rated in the Top 50 Restaurants in Asia, ranked Number 1 Restaurant in Vietnam by Diners Club, and named 2017 Best Luxury Restaurant in the Vietnam Scenic category. A pioneer in many cities, his international experience with fine wine, food and cigars spans 38 years, and he holds the Award of Merit from the Escoffier Society. He has worked in major restaurants in North America and Europe and, since 1993, in Bangkok, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
TARLOCHAN SINGH (WET ’85)
“I worked in Canada in Quality Assurance for 17 years. Today I am living in Chandigarh, India and running my own company, Goodwill Infinity Group, which provides study abroad and immigration consultancy.”
KEVIN DAVIES (BXT ’86)
“Following three years at City TV in Toronto, I moved to Bermuda to take a job with the Bermuda Broadcasting Company where I worked until 1997. I now own and operate a consumer electronics business.”
EDWARD CANTWELL (ACT ’88)
“Heating ventilation and air conditioning took me to North Carolina near Raleigh and Kitty Hawk, where I worked in nearly every part of the several branches of employment. I then started at a supply house and transferred to Myrtle Beach. I retired, went back to school and I am looking at a possible return to Calgary and university.”
1990s
PATRICK NOVECOSKY (CTSB, TSR ’92)
Patrick has worked as editor-in-chief of Legatus magazine in Southwest Florida since 2005. In 2017, he was appointed vice president of coalition relations for the Cardinal Newman Society. He is also president of his own company, NovaMedia. Patrick credits his study at SAIT — including three years as editor of The Emery Weal — for his career successes.
SHARON McREE (RT ’94)
“I moved to Asheville, North Carolina and had a job as soon as I passed my exams, working at a 600+ bed hospital. I worked in the neuro trauma intensive care unit and later the emergency room. In 2012, I was named North Carolina Respiratory Therapist of the Year for a protocol I created for organ donors. It dramatically increased the number of lungs we were able to procure and lives we were able to help save. The protocol is now deemed best practice. I am proud to say I am a SAIT graduate.”
SHIRLEY GOROSPE (CONE ’95)
“I worked as a projects lead for an oil and gas construction company before switching to the field of safety. I studied to become a national construction safety officer, then an environmental health and safety administrator. I am now working as manager of technical support for World Safety Organization Philippines, and I also develop and facilitate safety courses throughout the Philippines.”
ANETA KUCERA (TC ’97)
“I worked in Canada and Czech Republic as a business travel counsellor. I have moved back to Czech Republic where I was born. I loved SAIT and hope my kids will take some courses… wish all the best.”
MARTIN SPRINGL (BA ’98)
“I moved to Czech Republic after convocating from the University of Lethbridge in 2001. I spent five years as a procurement manager, travelling to the United States and China for business. I moved to the United Kingdom in 2009 and came back to Czech Republic at the end of 2009. I have been running my own business for the past eight years, providing translation and interpretation as well as project management and consulting for the auto and machinery industry.”
2000s
NICHOLAS GNYRA (PT ’00)
“After SAIT, I attended the University of Alberta and was offered a job with Encana as soon as I graduated. After five years in Calgary, I was assigned to Dallas, TX to help get the Haynesville Shale into development mode. Next I became responsible for all strategic planning in the Dallas office which connected me to an oil and gas engineering consulting firm called Netherland, Sewell and Associates, Inc., which is where I am now. We do a significant amount of work in Mexico, but also in South America, Asia and Australia.”
MARK LITTLE (APT ’00)
Last December, Mark was appointed chief operating officer of Suncor and is responsible for all operations and many corporate services at Suncor. Prior to this, Mark was president of Suncor’s upstream organization, which included all of Suncor’s operated and non-operated oil sands, in situ, conventional exploration and production assets worldwide. Mark is also the chair of the board of directors of Syncrude Canada and is a board member of Energy Safety Canada and Accenture Global Energy.
TARIK ALSAI (CET ’01, APT ’03)
“After graduating, I worked for four years as a production engineer with Nexen in Yemen, then was transferred to Calgary to work as a reservoir engineer for another four years. I also obtained my Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Herriot-Watt University and a P.Eng status with APEGA. I left Nexen and joined Canadian Natural Resources Limited for less than one year. In 2012, I joined Total, where I started my journey in Dubai for approximately five years. I’m currently the reservoir manager for Total in Nigeria, looking after all assets that are operated by others.”
JASON BOYD (CKP ’01)
Jason has been honoured with the 2017 Distinguished Instructor Award from the Alberta Colleges & Institutes Faculties Association. He is an instructor in SAIT’s Professional Cooking program and is the first SAIT instructor to receive this prestigious award.
NORBERTO FLORES (AXT ’01)
Norberto worked at Western Avionics in Calgary for six years and in Switzerland before moving back to Calgary. He started his contracting job at Bombardier Aerospace, then moved to Seattle to work on the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) — Japan’s first commercial passenger jet — as an instrumentation engineer.
DUKWON CHO (ITP ’03)
“I have been working in the network engineering field in Korea since 2004. Currently I am working for Cisco Systems Korea as a systems engineer and I am in charge of EN solutions such as software-defined access (SDA) and software defined wide area network (SD-WAN).”
TANYA MELL (LA ’03)
“After graduation, I worked at Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer while attending the University of Calgary where I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Society. After earning my undergraduate degree, I moved to Denver and earned a MBA at the University of Colorado. I’m now working for a construction and engineering consulting firm in Denver.”
ZAC TROLLEY (ENT ’04)
Zac was selected by International Space University as the crew engineer for the Mars Desert Research Station, a space analog facility in Utah owned by the Mars Society that supports Earth-based research in pursuit of the technology, operations and science required for human space exploration. Trolley and five other members of MDRS Crew 188 spent two successful weeks on the Mars simulation mission.
CRAIG SNIDER (BA ’05)
“I completed my degree with the University of Lethbridge, graduating in 2007, then departed for London to work in the finance industry. Luckily I landed a good job because, months later, Lehman Brothers collapsed. I went on to work at the Royal Bank of Scotland and spent three years as part of their corporate banking team. In 2011, I transitioned into FinTech, working for a few startups. I’ve been involved in creating new alternative lenders and even a new bank. Two years ago, I married a Scottish girl and we’re planning to return to Canada.”
JULIE (BOYGA) WOOD (AIM ’06)
“I was the first AIM graduate to complete the Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management with Royal Roads University. Now, I’m finishing my Master of Innovation, Strategy and Entrepreneurship from Grenoble Ecole de Management while living in Montpellier, France and working in a French tech start-up. Having spent my entire career in telecom and technology, the skills I learned in the AIM program have served me far, far more than I would have ever thought. I still have fond memories of instructors like Wendy, Phil and Angela, and the skills they imparted upon me.”
STEVE ZIEHR (CVT ’07)
Steve’s diploma led him to work for the largest supplier of waterslides and rides in the world. His travels took him across the U.S., to Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia with projects in Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Northern China. He now has two companies: one provides global consulting on assisting persons with disabilities to secure meaningful work (paraworkforce.com); the other assists the top talent he’s met in his travels come to Canada for work opportunities and consults with architecture, engineering and construction companies to improve their workforce programs (buildxquality.com).
IVÁN BORGES (RTBN ’08)
“I’ve been working mostly as a reporter. I worked in Calgary as an audio editor at 660 News, then returned to Mexico in 2010 and worked in TV and media. Today I am the owner of Puebla News, the only website in English in Puebla City, my hometown. I also work as a TV reporter for one of Mexico’s biggest stations, TV Azteca. I am a proud SAIT graduate and thank all my classmates, especially Janelle Lane, Sarah Offin, Lauren Paullen, Steve Mclean and teachers Richard Stroobant, Steve Olsen, Shelly and Shane who helped me be who I am now.”
BRANDON DUCHARME (IIET ’08)
“I am living and working in Queenstown, New Zealand for Opus International Consultants Ltd. as a senior project manager involved in municipal infrastructure transportation and water engineering projects. Queenstown is a great place to live and work, and the entire region is experiencing immense growth in water and transportation infrastructures due to the increasing tourism and overall demand to be in Queenstown. One of the most surprising realizations I’ve had since being in New Zealand is how Canadian and Kiwi cultures are so similar yet so far away. Find me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brancouver/”
SPENCER LINDSKOOG (AMWP ’08, APM ’14)
“During my apprenticeship, I worked for an oilfield equipment manufacturer and commissioned and repaired oilfield equipment in Alberta, North America and overseas. After completing the program, I was offered a rotational position to lead maintenance and commissioning of rigs in the Sultanate of Oman. While on rotation, I started my Applied Business certificate, again at SAIT, and obtained my Blue Seal designation. Next I started as service quality supervisor for a global service provider. In 2016, I was offered the operations management position and my wife, two kids and I moved to the Sultanate full-time. I will always remain a proud, Blue and Red Seal Journeyman Millwright.”
2010s
ANESSA MOHAMMED (TVT ’11)
“I graduated from SAIT’s TVT program as an international student from Trinidad and Tobago. I remained in Calgary having obtained a post-graduate work permit; however, upon the expiration of the work permit in August 2014 I was required to return home to Trinidad. I was able to have my SAIT TVT diploma accredited locally after a bit of difficulty but I since have not been able to find suitable employment within my field of study. I do miss Calgary and Canada and would like to return someday if given the opportunity.”
RON MONTGOMERY (TVT ’12)
“After graduating, I packed up my life and moved to Christchurch, New Zealand. I started working with House of Travel and have achieved a lot of success including being awarded the coveted Rookie of the Year award in 2014. I am currently in the process of launching my own escorted touring company with the assistance of my employer — so big things ahead, I hope.”
KAT HASSARD (APBP ’13)
SAIT pipe trade instructor Kat Hassard was interviewed by fellow pipe trade instructor Tim Carson of the British Columbia Institute of Technology for his podcast The Guild, which focuses on life and leadership in the trades.
ROB SHIELDS (ARFP ’15)
“After completing my apprenticeship program, I worked for a couple of years and I have since moved to Spain with my wife and daughter. Currently I am working as a full-time father, raising my daughter and enjoying the chance to see her develop and grow while at the same time taking classes in the Catalan language to help my integration into this new culture.”
MIGUEL BRANCO (FVP ’17)
“Since graduating, I’ve moved to Los Angeles to take a job offer as a trailer editor. I’ve since worked on projects for HBO, Netflix and 20th Century Fox.”
RUTGER VAN DORP (HMGT ’17)
“My first job after graduation was working as a flight attendant for a low-cost carrier. In 2017 I got the job as a flight attendant for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. I apply many of the skills that I learned in hospitality management to the job I have today.”
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