The Canadian Federation of Students (CFES) is a bilingual, national, student organization representing Canadian engineering students, and a valued strategic partner of Engineers Canada.
On May 10, the 15 members of the CFES’ incoming and outgoing Leadership teams came together at Engineers Canada’s office for their annual Spring Leadership Transition meeting. This annual meeting allows Engineers Canada to learn more about CFES’ upcoming plans and priorities, and allows the CFES Leadership team to learn more about Engineers Canada’s role as the national voice of the profession and our purposes. It’s also an opportunity for the CFES Leadership team and Engineers Canada staff to connect.
Gerard McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, and Jeanette Southwood, Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, provided an overview of Engineers Canada’s role, our 2024–2025 strategic priorities, and the nature of our work.
There was a lively and engaged discussion among the CFES Leadership team and Engineers Canada staff about the partnership between the two organizations. Kim Bouffard, Manager of Belonging and Engagement, and Eileen Sowunmi, Associate, Outreach and Belonging, also presented their portfolio — Belonging and Engagement. The students discussed how we engage with diversity, conduct outreach, and ensure that we weave equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and belonging into all of our work.
Mya Warken, Manager of Accreditation, outlined the accreditation process, and the CFES students conversed about the processes involved and how it might impact them both as students and future engineers.
To complete the event, CFES introduced their new President, Kalena McCloskey, who is taking over from Duncan Lamont as CFES President for year 2024–2025. Kalena presented their strategic priorities, as well as potential areas for collaboration with Engineers Canada.
Engineers Canada greatly values its partnership with the CFES and is looking forward to working with Kalena and the entire team this upcoming year. It is always a delight to meet the CFES Leadership team in the Engineers Canada office and engage in insightful and meaningful discussions.
