Class Notes for fall 2024
Wondering what your classmates have been up to? Find out who's been promoted, launched a new project, published a book or started a family. Catch up, then submit an update of your own for the next issue.
Estimated reading time: 5:30
Derek Coleman (PhD '74, Planning)
Derek was elected to CIP College of Fellows. Email him at dcoleman@agesplan.com.
Diane Beckett (BES '76, Environment, Resources and Sustainability)
Diane spent four delightful years living in Churchill beside Hudson Bay kayaking with beluga whales, getting safely close to polar bears, viewing the northern lights, and hiking and snowshoeing on the tundra. She will miss it, but she is excited about her new opportunity. She recently moved to Winnipeg to take up a position as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Manitoba of Environment and Climate Change. Premier Wab Kinew and his government's approach to Reconciliation is deep and strong and in combination with her environmental portfolio responsibilities, she is thrilled to join the Manitoba civil service. Connect with Diane at dianebeckett@hotmail.com.
Robert Furneaux (BES '77, Environment, Resources and Sustainability)
Robert is recently appointed as President / Board Chair of the Hospice of Elgin. Hospice of Elgin is a new and unique 17,000 square foot green-field professional healthcare facility currently under construction. It is designed to deliver exceptional 'wrap-around' palliative care both on-site and within the community.
Email Robert: rfurneaux@romacoassociates.com
Dennis Helm (BES '79, Geography)
Soon after graduating, Dennis attended the University of Toronto and obtained his Masters of Science: Planning degree (1982). He had a very rewarding career in public service in the area of social policy. While with the Ontario public service, he had a number of senior management positions related to mental health and addiction operational policy and planning. Since his retirement in 2006, he has been enjoying Toronto, his cottage in Haliburton and traveling extensively. Most recently he has been involved with the Toronto Botanical Garden, the Riverdale Horticultural Society and the Friends of St. James Park Toronto. He would like to reconnect with some of his former classmates.
Connect with Dennis by emailing dch55@bell.net.
Guirong Xiao (MES '03; PhD '07, Geography)
For Guirong the study at UWaterloo was a fond memory which has changed her life and career. Since her graduation, she has been working in the field of environment-friendly teaching and research at Dalian University of Technology in China and had a lot of related project cooperation with partners around the world, including UWaterloo. Now she is retired but still makes online vedio clips to spread the initiatives we might take to deal with environmental and human issues. Email her at xguirong@dlut.edu.cn.
Wendy De Gomez (MES '11, Geography)
Wendy is currently entering the second year of her PhD in Management Science and Engineering at Waterloo. Together with a former co-op student of hers, a second year Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineer, they have just been accepted to present at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Youth Endeavours for Social Innovation Using Sustainable Technology conference pitch finals at Tunis Science City, Tunisia. They will present their Artificial Intelligence Public Infrastructure Requirement idea. The idea is for large AI companies to pay into a fund for the development of national level renewable energy infrastructure - similar to a carbon tax.
Connect with Wendy at wdegomez@uwaterloo.ca.
Trystan Goetze (BES '12, Knowledge Integration)
Trystan is still finding ways to integrate knowledge across disciplines twelve years later. They are now the director of engineering ethics at Cornell University and say it's a joy to work with young people who want to build technologies responsibly. Email Tristan at tsgoetze@cornell.edu.
Akua Asare Anim (BES '13, International Development)
It was a close knit community with a ton of memories to savour. Enjoyed the memories shared along the way and across the globe. Connect with Akua at aasarean@uwaterloo.ca.
Jessica Peixoto (BES '15, Environment and Business)
Jessica is celebrating two years as a sustainability consultant for JLL, a global Real Estate company. After over six years growing the sustainability program at Celestica, she now provides ESG strategy consulting as a project manager to other businesses that are trying to grow their sustainability programs. She works on projects ranging from creating ESG standards for entire businesses, climate risk assessments and resilience planning, to green leasing, building certifications, and community engagement programs. Connect with Jessica via LinkedIn.
Armen Poladian (BES '15, Planning)
Armen released his debut feature film entitled Love Is in the Water, which held its world premiere in November 2023 at the Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto and Arpa International Film Festival in Los Angeles. It won the Audience Choice Award at POM and was nominated for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Film at ARPA. Connect with him by email at ajpoladi@uwaterloo.ca.
Zainab Moghal (PhD '16, Geography)
After graduation Zainab worked as climate action consultant and joined the federal government in 2018. She is currently a senior policy advisor with Natural Resources Canada’s Energy Systems Sector, where she is working to implement the Recommendations of the Canada Electricity Advisory Council (CEAC), which advised on de-carbonizing and expanding Canada's electricity sector, a key pathway to a low-carbon future. Connect with Zainab on LinkedIn.
Elvin Madamba (BES '17; MEB '24)
Elvin is now the manager, human rights & social impact at Scotiabank. He also recently completed his Master of Environment & Business degree at UWaterloo. You can email him at eamadamba@uwaterloo.ca.
Priscilla Spelko (BES '19, Environment, Resources and Sustainability)
Following Priscilla’s graduation from UWaterloo, specifically with a major in ERS, she started working in sustainability consulting within the IC&I sectors. She worked her way from an intern to the manager position of the Waste Optimization Division within five years at a Sustainability Consulting Firm in North York. The majority of her colleagues have also graduated from UWaterloo in similar programs. She loves to hear about the development of the Environment programs at UWaterloo and the experiences from work terms that recent graduates bring to the table! Her goal is to continue to look out for new grads and build their work experiences and skill sets in order to find their own niche and interests. Connect with Priscilla by email: priscilla.spelko@cdsonter.com.
Sarah O'Rourke (MEB '23, Environment and Business)
Sarah has recently been promoted to the role of Sustainability Analyst at Morguard, a leading property management firm. A 2023 graduate of the University of Waterloo's Master of Environment and Business program, she will now be responsible for the development and implementation of sustainable practices across Morguard's Ottawa portfolio, with a goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. She plans to foster community building among tenants, encouraging collaborative efforts towards sustainability efforts at work and at home. Sarah's promotion showcases her commitment to environmental stewardship and her potential to drive positive change in the property management industry. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn or by emailing sar.orourke@gmail.com.
Welcome and congratulations class of '24
On Tuesday, June 11, more than 400 Environment undergraduate and graduate students convocated in front of their family and friends. Welcome to the alumni club!
