What does active allyship look like? How can we meaningfully support our 2SLGBTQI+ colleagues?
As we celebrate Pride Month, join Engineers Canada and partner TD Insurance for a webinar entitled, Allyship in engineering: Amplifying 2SLGBTQI+ voices and driving positive change. The webinar will bring together professionals from across engineering, technology, trades, and finance to discuss the importance of allyship among colleagues in the workplace, and shed light on what meaningful support looks like in practice.
From centering lived experience, to identifying the role of allies and the actions that can be taken towards building more inclusive spaces, panellists will share their insights, highlighting the opportunities that exist and the roles that we all play in supporting 2SLGBTQI+ folks in the workplace.
When: Wednesday, June 11, 2025; 12-1:30 pm ET
Where: Zoom (register here)
Moderator: Jove Nazatul (they/them), Project Coordinator, The Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESST)
Panellists:
- Julia Duhamel (she/her), Senior Manager, Public Cloud Compute, TD Bank Group
- Tim Joseph, PhD, FCIM, P.Eng. (he/him), Principal Engineer, JPI Mine Equipment & Engineering; Engineers Canada Board Director and 30 by 30 Board Champion
- Vanessa Raponi, P.Eng., PMP (she/her), Founder and Manager, EngiQueers; Manager, Manufacturing Engineer, Spin Master
About the moderator
Jove Nazatul is a queer, trans, non-binary immigrant of color living on Lekwungen-speaking land. Jove champions for underrepresented groups in the trades and was the first trans, non-binary person elected to the Board of Directors of CAF-FCA. As a performance artist and producer, Jove works to create platforms for QTPOC, and was named a CHANGEMAKER by Pride at Work Canada in 2024. As a project coordinator for CCWESTT, Jove is focused on creating psychologically safe workplaces for everyone.
About the panellists
Julia Duhamel has spent thirteen years in the IT industry working on a range of technologies from unified communications/mobility to cloud infrastructure. Currently, Julia leads a team of cloud engineers to deliver public cloud computing services at TD Bank. Outside of work, Julia loves exercising, hiking, DIY projects, and cooking/trying new food.
Tim Joseph is the current Engineers Canada Board 30 by 30 Champion. An Alberta Director (APEGA) to the Board and a former university professor and associate dean, he has been a longtime advocate of equity, diversity and inclusion. His commitment to sustainable community engagement, the right to self governance for Indigenous peoples, and the opportunity for all to access STEM careers, not just within Canada but globally, has spanned communities, corporations, and governments, from private to diplomatic circles to the United Nations. Now in failed retirement as an active professor emeritus, engineering consultant, advocate, and moreover volunteer voice, Tim continues to mentor the next generation of women to become engineering leaders with a stronger global presence for a healthier world.
A proponent of sustainable closure for the global resource industry, Tim’s counsel has been sought by the United Nations, Ministers of Energy and Mines in Peru and across Latin America, and Canada’s ambassadors in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. His most recent sustainability work in East Africa was the development of a regional position on green steel in conjunction with the Commonwealth Secretariat.
As Professor Emeritus, Mining Engineering, and the former Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering at University of Alberta, having trained over 50 M.Sc. and PhD graduates comprising 40 per cent women from all parts of the world, and thousands of engineers with 50+ journal and 200+ conference papers, Tim continues to mentor the next generation of resource industry leaders. He is also Ambassador to the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM), a former multi-term vice-president of CIM and one of the founders of the Surface Mining Association for Research & Technology (SMART), now the Global Mining Group (GMG), focused on safety and innovation. Tim was awarded the CIM Distinguished Service Medal for his lifetime contributions to the global mining industry in 2011, a CIM fellowship in 2009 and the SMART Distinguished Service Award in 2013.
Known worldwide for his expertise in dipper and bucket design based on site specific machine performance, the rapid dampening suspension system, tire performance and life metrics, and ground – equipment interactions; Tim remains the Principal Engineer, JPI Ltd. mine equipment & engineering; working for his wife of 33 years, Laura, the chief operating officer of JPI, serving the global mining industry (www.jpicanada.com).
Vanessa Raponi graduated with a degree in Materials Engineering & Management (B.Eng.Mgt.) from McMaster University in 2018. Now, she is a Manager of Manufacturing Engineering at Spin Master — a Canadian founded, international toy company that created such brands as Paw Patrol and Hatchimals (meaning, she brings toys to life for a living!). In her role, she oversees manufacturing in Mexico and Europe, and leads the Product Sustainability Committee. Vanessa is the Founder of EngiQueers Canada (EQ), a national non-profit that advocates for intersectional queer inclusion in the engineering profession. EQ has brought Vanessa from coast-to-coast to present in panels, sessions, and talks as an expert in diversity, inclusion, and equity. Vanessa has received a variety of accolades within the engineering community, most notably the 2018 Engineers Canada Gold Medal Student Award, and the 2023 Ontario Professional Engineers Award for Achievement of the Year. Vanessa is living proof that against all odds that anyone—even a queer woman of colour, and a survivor overcoming mental illness —can thrive in STEM.
