Class Notes

RONALD DAVID BAILEY (BA ‘66) published an autobiography in 2022 entitled “I’d do most of it again”, available from White Mountain Publications https://wmpub.ca/1339-Bailey.html The book details Ron’s experiences as a mechanic who worked his way through the University of Waterloo, an educator, an internationally recognized cattle breeder, the first winner of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association Environmental Stewardship Award, a lecturer at New Liskeard College of Agricultural Technology, and a professor at Northern College in Kirkland Lake. ragarden@gmail.com

DEREK COLEMAN (PHD ‘74) was awarded the Ontario Professional Planners Institute’s Member Service Award. Coleman is a pioneer in environmental policy in Ontario Planning with over 1,000 projects in seven provinces and over five decades of work. Coleman states: My longevity in planning is in part, due to being a consultant helping others and where I didn’t face retirement milestones and deadlines. 

ROBERT FURNEAUX (BES ‘77) says: Following a highly rewarding career history leading public & private corporations, I have returned to my solo practice of business, management & executive consulting as CEO of romaco + associates (in addition to serving on various community & not-for-profit boards). 

THOMAS MUNSON (BES ‘80) says: This is a wonderful opportunity to promote a course that I am teaching at the University of Victoria called 'Ecosystems for the Future' focusing on the application of ecological restoration to reduce impacts of climate change and other ecological drivers in local and regional BC ecosystems.  Course is online so students across the country are welcome. Contact me for course outline and more information. 

DALE VAN LOOYEN (BES ’90, MAES ‘97) started a new role as Chief Operations Officer at PAMT Consulting, a proudly Canadian ServiceNow partner headquartered right here in KW! She is also the Managing Partner of Professional Services at Anton Growth Management Corp, which she co-founded 16 years ago, with her husband. Always happy to connect, she can be reached at dvanlooyen@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.  

On June 25, 2022, TODD POKRYWA (BES ‘95) traveled from Florida to participate in the Hockey Helps the Homeless Bay Street Tournament at Scotiabank Pond in Toronto.  Todd played on the boom 97.3 team skating alongside NHL Alumni teammates Georges Laraque and Todd Warriner.  He was also the top fundraiser in the tournament personally raising over $7,500 for the cause that benefitted Eva’s Initiatives, a local youth homeless support agency. 

KARL NIEVA (BES ‘97) says: Still in custom Promotional Products (swag) sales and recommending more eco-conscious swag items to clients. I also celebrated my 1 year anniversary as a YMCA of Three Rivers Board of Directors Member. 

TOSHIKAZU MITO (MAES ’03) says: In addition to promoting industry-academia collaboration at Kitakyushu Science and Research Park in Japan, Toshi is assisting rehabilitation of waste dumpsites in Africa, which are facing severe environmental challenges due to the climate change and rapid urbanisation. 

TANIA DEL MATTO (BES ’98, MES ’07) started pursuing a PhD in Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.  Research focus will be a critical examination of social entrepreneurship education 

DAVE FOX (BES ’08) says: I have so many fond memories from my time in the faculty of Environment and I try to keep up on the recent news. When I saw the ‘Class Notes’ request pop into my inbox I was intrigued. When reading the request I realized that in the past 2 years I was able to check multiple boxes including; winning an award (Clean 50 Emerging Leader), starting an environmental focused company/start-up (Quantify Environmental), starting a new job (part-time lecturer at Humber College teaching Sustainable Resource Development) and completing multiple environmental-focused projects that have significantly reduced water, natural gas (GHG), food and electrical wastage.   
 
I want to share the start of our new business Quantify Environmental. We offer the most cutting edge Industrial IoT/Industry 4.0 technology and we are working with manufacturing plants across Canada to make them more competitive, integrated, profitable and of course sustainable. A recent project with a pharmaceutical company reduced their water use by over 14,000,000L/year savings them $45,000/year in water loss! 

MATT SCOULAR (BES ’03 & MES ’09) shares how SOAR Professional Services’ has a limited partnership with Dillon Consulting. SOAR is setting the benchmark for how to collaboratively work with Indigenous clients. He has the honour of being Dillon Consulting’s Client Team Lead and Account manager working closely with SOAR working on projects such as renewable energy feasibility study for a Manitoba First Nation. 

WILLIAM ZHAO (BES ’11) lives in Toronto and works for a provincial government agency in the HR function. 

TRYSTAN GOETZE (BKI ’12) says: After going to graduate school to study philosophy, I've come back to my interdisciplinary roots, teaching ethics in computer science courses at Harvard University and advocating for responsible computing and ethical AI practices. 

Since graduating, JEREMY STANLEY (BES ‘13) has built a career in career development. After pursuing graduate studies, he recently started a new role as a Career Consultant at Carleton University. He helps students explore what they can do with their post-secondary education. Connect with Jeremy through LinkedIn.  

SCOTT ROSS (MAES ’14) has been promoted to Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture where he has worked for close to 11 years. Before that he worked as a graduate researcher in regional economic development at the University of Waterloo. 

ARMEN POLADIAN (BES ‘15) says: Since graduation, I’ve dived into filmmaking having directed 7 short films and 2 music videos to date. I’ve started my own production company, Cross Stone Pictures, and am currently working on my first feature film.  

SANATHAN KASSIEDASS (MES ‘16) started his career in the tech sector with RIM/BlackBerry and then crossed the street (literally and figuratively) to pursue an interest and complete a planning master's degree.  While that enabled a career switch, he has now found a way to combine his interests in tech and transportation with a role on the Uber Transit team.  Sanathan is pursuing another interest and recently started a local hot sauce business in memory of his father. Based on a scotch bonnet Trini family recipe, his Red Cap Peppa Sauce hot sauce surpassed its Kickstarter goal and is now available online. tryredcap.ca  

COREY PEMBLETON (BES ’17, MES’17) is an Advisor in the Federation of Canadian Municipality’s Green Municipal Fund program, a $1.7b endowment driving the charge in Canada’s goal to become net zero by 2050. If you’re interested in climate change programming with municipalities in Canada, get in touch through LinkedIn or cpembleton@fcm   

STEPHANIE WHITNEY (MEB ’13, PHD ’18) started a new role as Director, Research & Innovation Partnerships in the Faculty of Mathematics at UW, with a mandate to foster and support intensified industrial collaboration, innovation, and knowledge transfer. Read more here and get in touch through LinkedIn  

ERIC LAM (BES ‘13) is the private finance lead for Team Canada in the Powering Past Coal Alliance, a joint initiative between Canada and the U.K. working to phase out global coal power generation. Eric was recently recognized among the top 30 under 30 sustainability leaders of 2022. Read more about Eric and his journey for sustainability here. 

TRACEY MCGILLIVRAY (MEDI ’20) says: After retiring and completing her master's, Tracey co-founded Axtion Independence Mobility Inc. to design devices to help people age without worry. Their first, patent-pending device helps people prevent and recover from falls and received the RESNA 2022 Impact Award for emerging assistive technologies across North America. 

SYDNEY DITOMASSO (BES ’21) states: Working as a Planner / Project Manager at a New Urbanist consulting firm in St. Catharines and working towards my RPP designation. 

After graduating CARTER EADY (BES '21) completed a master's of Environmental Studies at Western University and recently started a new role as a Sustainability Consultant with WM.  

ERIN MICHELLE MURRAY (BES '21) has published her second book, a poetry collection titled Courageous Conversations. She says "Waterloo will always be some of the best years of my life, but like so many today I struggled with mental illness. Luckily, I had an amazing support system in professors, fellow students, and organizations such as the Environment Student Society and the Ambassador team behind me. These individuals and groups not only uplifted me, but they inspired me to tackle the issue of removing the stigma around mental health and illness. It was with their support that I published my first poetry collection dedicated to destigmatizing mental illness in August of 2020. Waterloo fostered the creative lens in many ways and helped inspire me to write, with alumni like Rupi Kaur paving the way. Courageous Conversations is an ode to mental illness and aims to remove the stigma surrounding mental health and illness. It highlights my experience living with depression and anxiety, trying to give words to indescribable feelings. It is raw and beautiful, full of immense pain and love. This story of self-love and hard discussions will move you to see the world through a different lens. I hope others will read this work and know they are not alone; they are seen and valid in how they feel and will find the strength to keep going. We are a community and collectively need to do better to support and love one another and open up our minds to ‘courageous conversations’." 

ALEXANDRA LABUDA (BES ’22) is completing her master's of Engineering degree at the University of Toronto after graduating from School of Planning in early 2022. Specializing in critical infrastructure resiliency, she hopes to improve the continuity of essential services in cities to adapt to the new reality of climate change. Connect with Alexandra on LinkedIn.