The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – British Columbia (ACEC-BC) elected a new Board of Directors at their June 15 annual general meeting (AGM).
Suzanne Powell, Ph.D., P.Eng., was installed as Chair of the Board. Suzanne is a Principal and Branch Manager at Thurber Engineering Limited on Vancouver Island.
Joining Suzanne on the Executive Committee are Brian Yates, R.P.Bio. (Stantec) as Vice Chair, and Tanya Sadlo (McElhanney) as Secretary, and Richard Bush, P.Eng., MBA, PMP (Binnie) as Past Chair. ACEC-BC’s President and CEO Caroline Andrewes, P.Eng., CPA, CMA will serve on the Executive Committee in an ex officio capacity.
The diversity of ACEC-BCs membership is well represented on this year’s Board. In addition to Powell and Matt Gellis (Northwest Hydraulic Consultants) who were re-elected at the AGM, ACEC-BC members elected four new Directors including Imran Gehlen (AECOM), Erin Martin-Serrano (Hedgehog Technologies), Christopher Scollard (Kiewit Engineering Group Canada), and Hannelie Stockenstrom (SNC-Lavalin).
Joining the new Chair and newly elected Directors are continuing Directors Joe DiPlacito (Ram Consulting), Jay Rao (exp), William Johnston (WSP), and Ian Steele (PBX Engineering). The Board also appointed four Directors for a one-year term including Genevieve Brown (Northwest Hydraulic Consultants), Lillian Siu (Associated Engineering), Tim Stanley (Stratice Consulting), and Jeff McLellan (BFL Canada).
New Constitution & Bylaws and Charter of Membership:
During the previous Board term, members of the Board and representatives from the broader membership worked together to review Association governance including the Bylaws, Charter of Membership, Code of Ethical Conduct (staff and volunteers), and other documents.
Led by Brian Yates in his capacity as Board Secretary, the governance review group recommended changes to all documents and created an additional Code of Ethics for participants in ACEC-BC events.
The new Code of Ethics for events and the Code of Ethical Conduct for staff and volunteers were adopted by the Board in May.
During the AGM, members unanimously approved a Special Resolution to adopt a new Constitution and Bylaws, which have been registered in compliance with the BC Societies Act. Changes to the Bylaws were largely procedural and aligned with evolving technology and practices that have come into use since the last review in 2018.
Members also unanimously approved a renewed Charter of Membership which better reflects the standards of the Association including a commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and to actions addressing climate change. The Charter retains past commitment to professionalism, qualification-based selection, and investment in the next generation of professionals.
In the coming months all Corporate Members will receive an updated Charter of Membership for display at their primary location.
Better Together:
In their reports to members at the AGM, the executive reinforced the principal of ‘better together’ by sharing performance highlights from the past year that support a healthy and diverse industry include actions related to regulation, policy and legislative consultation, and investment in BC communities. Details of the Association’s performance over the past year may be found in the Annual Report.
Learn more about ACEC-BC’s board of directors here.
