“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
Audrey Hepburn
Volunteering is at the core of WCE’s beginnings and remains essential for the successful operation of the organization. We are grateful to have a phenomenal team of dedicated leaders from various technical backgrounds volunteering to serve the organization and advance its mission.
Amy Scott, EIT
Co-Chair
Structural Restoration | RJC Engineers
Amy is a Design Engineer at RJC Engineers with a focus on structural restoration and specialty structural engineering. Amy earned her Civil Engineering degree from the University of Victoria, where she co-founded a Seismic Design Team that travelled to San Diego to compete in an international competition shortly before COVID-19 halted travel. Since moving to Vancouver, Amy has become eager to connect with women in the industry and looks forward to providing opportunities for others. Outside of work, Amy has been part of the Girl Guides of Canada for most of her life and is now a leader for a unit of young girls who continually inspire her with their zest for learning and “sky’s the limit!” attitude.
Neda Naderi, EIT
Co-Chair
Structural | Weyerhaeuser
Neda is a Structural Engineer-In-Training with previous experiences working in the mass timber wood industry. She has been involved in educating engineers and contractors in connection design standards for tall wood buildings including participating in new research that assists in pushing the construction industry in a more sustainable direction. Neda earned her BASc degree in Civil Engineering and MEng in Structural and Earthquake from the University of British Columbia. She is an avid podcast listener especially about media analysis and Greek mythology. Neda is also passionate about empowering more women to join leadership roles and is excited to help WCE create a safe and accessible engineering community.
Chunpreet Sahota, MEng, P.Eng
Board Advisor
Structural | WSP
Chunpreet is a Structural Engineer at WSP in the Buildings group with over 12 years of experience in the engineering industry. Her focus is mainly on light industrial projects, however she has had the pleasure of working on a variety of projects including schools, cultural sites, transit and transportation, and government projects. Chunpreet is an active advocate at WSP and in the engineering community to curate spaces where all feel safe and welcome to bring their whole selves to everyday. She is specifically proud of the success that WCE has had in its first couple of years and cannot wait to see where this organization goes and the impact that it has on current and future engineers!
Chazel Solamo, EIT, RPF
Communications Director
Civil | Allnorth Consultants
Chazel Solamo is a Civil Engineer-in-Training at Allnorth Consultants. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry from UBC, specializing in operations and remote access engineering. Since graduating in 2020, she has worked all over Northern BC taking roads and bridges from conception to construction for the forestry and mining sectors. A huge advocate for women and young professionals in the workplace, Chazel also serves as a mentor for the Tri-Mentoring program at UBC and is an active member of the ACEC Young Professionals Group in the Okanagan. She hopes to continue empowering young women to take up more space within the industry and promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. When she’s not at work, she enjoys trying out new restaurants, going on long road trips with her dogs, finding waterfalls, and taking cool photos with her drone.
NAZLI AZIMIKOR, P.ENG, PMP
Finance Director
Structural | Metro Vancouver
Nazli is a Structural Engineer with a passion for improving business processes in managing infrastructure. While practicing as a structural engineer, she worked on a variety of projects including high rise buildings, hospitals and dams. As a certified Lean Six Sigma and Change Management practitioner, Nazli has stepped into a Continuous Improvement supervisor role at Metro Vancouver Water Services. Nazli is an active advocate of women in STEM fields, acting as the events manager as part of BC Hydro’s Women Network and more recently as part of Metro Vancouver’s AWSTTEM (Advocates for Women in Science, Trades, Technology, Engineering and Math). She is thrilled to be joining WCE as the Finance Director and has lots of ideas for increasing engagement with the engineering community and adding to the value that WCE brings!
Evelyn Playle, P.Eng
Logistics Director
Environmental | Thurber
Evelyn is an environmental engineer at Thurber Engineering Ltd. with over nine years of experience working on contaminated site investigations and remediation projects across British Columbia and the Yukon. Evelyn graduated from Queen’s University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Chemistry before starting to work in the contaminated sites industry in 2014. She has worked on a variety of projects including municipal and provincial projects, land transactions and developments and linear infrastructure projects. Evelyn has participated in STEM outreach since University, primarily through Engineers & Geoscientists BC. Outside of work, she lives in Squamish where she enjoys the huge variety of outdoor activities.
Christine Hughes, P.Eng
Membership Director
Mechanical – Plastics Recycling | Advisian
Christine currently leads the Resource Recovery and Recycling team at Worley. Passionate about sustainable design, she’s currently focused on circular economy projects, from plastics recovery to electric vehicle battery manufacturing and recycling. With a visual arts background, Christine seamlessly blends her creative touch into engineering, adding a unique flair to her work and hobbies. Outside the office, you can usually find her in the workshop, where she is often painting or teaching herself a new carpentry skill.
Nouran ElAmir, EIT
Mentorship Director
Geotechnical | WSP
Nouran is a Geotechnical Engineer at WSP. Graduating from UBC University with a Bachelor of Applied Science in 2021, Nouran worked all over BC on various tunneling and trenchless construction projects. Nouran is an active advocate of empowering women and international students in STEM fields. Nouran loves listening to podcasts, working out and traveling. As Mentorship Director, she looks forward to creating events that will inspire women of all backgrounds to the engineering industry.
Soumya Thapliyal, EIT
Outreach Director
Mechanical | BBA Engineering
Soumya Thapliyal is a Mechanical Engineer-in-Training at BBA Engineering, specializing in hydropower, mining, and EPCM. She has contributed to numerous large-scale brown and green field capital projects. Her extensive site engineering experience spans across diverse industries including upstream oil sands, smelters, and underground tunneling. Within the realm of Canadian and USA projects, Soumya specializes in balance of plant (BOP) piping and HVAC design. Additionally, she is an active volunteer with the Association of Consulting Engineering BC and an executive member of EGBC’s West Kootenay’s Branch. Driven by a profound dedication to gender diversity and equity, Soumya is committed to achieving change within and beyond the industry. Her ambition to empower women in STEM while cultivating meaningful relationships has led her to the Outreach Director role at WCE Vancouver. Drawing from her prior volunteering experiences, she aims to continue building the community at WCE Vancouver while providing support and resources for women in engineering.
Christie Corrigan, EIT
Programming Director
Structural (Bridges) | WSP
Christie Corrigan is a Structural EIT in the BC/Yukon bridge group at WSP. She enjoys a wide range of projects from inspection, to rehabilitation, to new design, and everything in between. Christie earned her degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2021. Passionate about the need for community and connection within the industry, she serves as BC Regional Director of her company’s Developing Professionals Network. Outside of work, she loves baking, rock climbing, and playing music. Christie has been an active member of the WCE community since moving to Vancouver. As Programming Director, she is excited to contribute to the work of this wonderful organization planning events that will empower women in the industry, and cannot wait to see how WCE will continue to grow.
Lindsay Hawkins, P.Eng
Programming Director
Industrial | RAM Consulting
Lindsay is a Project Manager at RAM Consulting with a focus on industrial infrastructure and utilities. Lindsay began her career as a Field Engineer on the Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery Project overseeing the construction of YVR’s new Fuel Receiving Facility before shifting focus to support a variety of municipal projects. Born and raised in Ottawa, she earned her Civil Engineering degree at the University of Ottawa before relocating to Vancouver. Outside of work, Lindsay enjoys backcountry camping, live music, and playing with her dog.
Sara Mokhtari, EIT, PMP
Sponsorship Director
Civil/Structural | RAM Consulting
Sara Mokhtari is a Project Coordinator at RAM Consulting in the Project Management group with experience working on utilities, municipal, industrial, and infrastructure projects. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Alberta in 2021 but through the co-op experiences she had during her education, she decided to transition her career to the Civil and Construction Industry. Since graduating, Sara has also worked as a cost estimator and quality inspector which have both helped to strengthen her skills as a future Project Manager. At RAM, Sara leads the Mentorship program and is an active member of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee where she works towards promoting for further pay transparency and creating an environment where everyone feels heard and included. In her free time, Sara loves going on long backpacking trips, baking, playing the violin, and spending time with her family and puppy.
Past Directors
FOUNDERS
CHAIRS
- Kelsie Priest (2021 – 2023)
- Chunpreet Sahota (2021 – 2023)
BOARD ADVISORS
- Mikayla Morrey (2021 – 2023)
- Lauren Semancik (2019 – 2021)
COMMUNICATIONS
- Tracy Huynh (2021 – 2023)
- Sophie Warwick (2019 – 2021)
FINANCE
- Holly Tucker (2020 – 2022)
- Zili Wang (2019 – 2020)
LOGISTICS
- Amy Scott (2021 – 2023)
- Chunpreet Sahota (2019 – 2021)
MEMBERSHIP
- Leona Smith (2021 – 2023
- Karine Poliquin (2019 – 2021)
MENTORSHIP
- Neda Naderi (2021 – 2023)
- Victoria Camp (2019 – 2021)
OUTREACH
- Shahrzad Pedram (2021 – 2023)
- Emily Farquharson (2019 – 2021)
PROGRAMMING
- Miriam Pang (2021 – 2023)
- Kelsie Priest (2019 – 2021)
SPONSORSHIP
- Rimi Plaha (2021 – 2023)
- Mikayla Morrey (2019 – 2021)