Panel Discussion: A CAREER IN STEM

Linda is a philanthropist and environmentalist who believes in the power of travel to learn about the world and in the power of images to spark curiosity and foster insights and understanding. Linda and her husband David are Executive Producers of the award-winning documentary films "Chasing Coral" and “Chasing Ice” which take viewers along to understand and document the science and effects of climate change. Member of the Producers Guild of America.

Linda received her M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management and has a B.S. from Miami University (Ohio) in Systems Analysis. Linda moved to the northwest in 1989 to work at Microsoft and quickly discovered a love for the spectacular scenery and outdoor activities in the region. She lives in Seattle with her husband David and enjoys travelling the world, photography, sailing and the sport of curling.

Inderjit Takk is a Vice President and Head of FX and Derivatives Trading at Mackenzie Investments. She is a CFA and has an undergraduate degree in Systems Design Engineering from UW.

Inderjit joined Mackenzie in July 2019 from BNP Paribas where she was a director of foreign exchange sales. Inderjit spent a decade on the sell-side covering North American pension funds, asset managers and global macro hedge funds. Prior to working on the sell side Inderjit spent four years at Fortress Investments trading commodity futures and spot fx, forwards/ndfs and various derivative transactions as well as developing and implementing financial models for currencies and interest rates.

Inderjit has also worked as a software developer in the financial industry developing option pricing models and proprietary trading models.

Stephanie Thompson is a Technical Manager in Manufacturing Engineering at General Motors. She graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Chemical Engineering from UW

With an extensive 21-year manufacturing engineering career at General Motors, Stephanie leads the Engineering and Quality Teams to launch world-class production lines for engines and transmissions, managing capital investment projects for high-performance vehicles.

In 2018, Stephanie launched her social enterprise, STEM by Steph. These innovative projects break down barriers by making STEM subjects accessible to all women. Stephanie runs STEM workshops for hundreds of women. With more than 15 years invested in FIRST Robotics, she draws energy from supporting grassroots programs in STEM, particularly for women in her community.

Mary Wells is Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo (July 1, 2020 - ), the ninth dean since the Faculty was founded in 1957. From 2017-2020, she was Dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Guelph. Before her time in Guelph, Wells was a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo for 10 years. She received awards for graduate supervision from both the Faculty and the University in 2017.

An accomplished materials engineer, Wells also served as the Associate Dean of Outreach for Waterloo Engineering between 2008 and 2017, and chaired its Women in Engineering committee for many years. She chaired the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering from 2013 to 2018. Wells began her academic career as a professor in materials engineering at the University of British Columbia from 1996 to 2007, and has worked in the steel industry in Canada and internationally.