The Council

Having graduated in 1985 with a Diploma in Electronic Technology, Dr. Donald Wilson began his career in technical sales with a local industrial distribution company. Later moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, Don was employed in a technical marketing role at BC Hydro and later employed with SOFTAC Systems in the promotion of systems integration. After being invited to manage a medium-sized electrical repair facility in Winnipeg, MB, Don moved and later took an equity position in the company in 1996. A decade later Don moved to Edmonton where he served with Siemens Canada in several national roles: a business development manager, a segment manager, a director of Large Drives business unit and finally as Country Lead of Portfolio Companies: Large Drives Applications and Process Solutions.

A member of several professional associations, Dr. Wilson has served on the executive of the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET) Council (most recently 2015 to present); Founding member and board member of TAC: Technology Accreditation Canada (2015 to 2019); Chair, NAIT Bachelor of Technology Program Advisory, Edmonton, (2008 to 2019); IEEE, Electrical Safety and Technical Mega-projects [ESTMP], Steering Committee and Various Committee Chair positions, (2007 to present); Ex-officio, IEEE Northern Canada Chapter, Industrial Relations Committee, Edmonton, (2010); Founding member, President and Chair, Grain Elevator and Processing Society, Winnipeg, (1998-2001); and Board Member, Manitoba Electrical League (MEL), Winnipeg, (1997-1999). Dr. Wilson is also a member of the adjunct faculty of the Bachelor of Technology program at NAIT, Edmonton, Alberta, instructing Risk Management in evening and online programs (2009-2019).

Having completed two graduate degrees in business, Don’s work is firmly rooted within the framework of Engineering Technology, having been a Certified Engineering Technologist in 3 provinces. Don also brings a unique passion for educational advancement for technologists and an understanding for students desiring a path toward higher learning. The NAIT BTech program represents a Technologist bridging program for which Don has both personally sought in the past, and more recently supported in terms of assisting other technologists both in assisting in facilitation of and instructing in the program.

Don mentors candidates from ASET as well as other mentoring advocacy groups. Don has several other interests including additional study interests in business and computing, as well as writing, recording, and performing popular music (www.thenameeludesme.com).

Ray started his career in the trades, earning his steamfitter/pipefitter, plumber, and gasfitter tickets through the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology before going on to obtain a NAIT Building Construction Engineering Technology diploma in 1988. An independent contractor since graduation, he was encouraged early on by engineers and other technologists to pursue certification; as a result, he has proudly held the C.E.T. designation since 1992, noting that, “I have experienced occasions when my C.E.T. added value to my professional findings or observations.”

Ray’s efforts as a member of the Board of Examiners drew the attention of ASET’s Registrar, Jennifer Bertrand, who asked if he would consider running for Council. His interest was piqued so he threw in his hat and is now glad he did. “It is a rewarding feeling to be able to participate with the other Council members in the continued growth and development of our professional organisation.” What really stands out is how little he appreciated the level of work and commitment required to keep ASET on track. That said, there is much left to be accomplished and he plans to stick around for a while yet.

Ray’s true passion is traveling Alberta’s back roads, discovering aspects of his province that few ever experience. He likes the pace of knowing that he can just pull over and let someone pass; or, better yet, stop completely and go explore some random, interesting site. This pursuit has allowed him to “discover” treasures like teepee rings, turn-of-the-century (the 20th, not the 21st!) cemeteries, one-room school houses, windmills, working ferries, and abandoned homesteads. But what really grabs this Alberta boy is the chance to see natural wonders such as, “Fantastic looking bush, woods, meadows, foothills, hoodoos, valleys, coulees, gullies, sloughs and a few big sky places where you can ‘stretch your eyes’ and listen to only the wind rustling in the grass.” Our Ray Wilkinson may be a technologist by training but he possesses the soul of a Prairie poet.

Originally from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Kevin Whelan moved to Edmonton in 1977. Thirteen years later, he enrolled in the NAIT EDDT program, immediately joining ASET as a student member.

His career has seen him move several times, first to Calgary through a work transfer, then in 1998, as a result of the downturn, to Waterloo, Ontario, where he served as a manufacturing engineer in an auto parts plant. He returned to Alberta two years later, jumping back into both the oil patch and academics. In fact, over the next decade he earned two certificates from NAIT— Project Management and Lean Manufacturing—and one from the U of A—Adult and Continuing Education. Never one to rest on his laurels, Kevin proceeded to apply what he had learned in school, obtaining his Lean certification from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).

His 25-year career has included oilfield equipment design; oilfield application engineering; oilfield field service supervision and management; automotive manufacturing engineering; domestic and international project management; domestic and international development of employee training programs; sales; and, development of training courses at NAIT.

This last bit, coupled with his wealth of industry experience, led to Kevin’s being offered a fulltime position at NAIT teaching in the Productivity Enhancement Services group.

One of the most important contributors to the success he has enjoyed is Kevin’s professional certification. “Industry recognition of my C.E.T. opened many doors over the years,” he explains. “It has afforded me many good opportunities despite the ups and downs of the Alberta economy. I truly believe that, if not for ASET, technicians and technologists would be considered skilled labour rather than the professionals we are.”

As far as Kevin is concerned, ASET’s value extends far beyond certification. He appreciates the skill and conscientiousness the Association’s staff has applied to building the brand of Alberta’s technicians and technologists throughout the province. This appreciation of the organisation’s purpose and its quality led him to his role as Second Vice President. He is committed to supporting the efforts of his fellow Council members as they strive to build on past successes and make  ASET’s designations ever more meaningful.

Adam has parlayed a strong academic career into a management position with his hometown’s municipal government. Starting off with a diploma in Geomatics Engineering Technology from Lethbridge College, he moved on to a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Lethbridge before earning an MBA from Athabasca University. His early employment saw him working as a survey assistant and drafting technologist in the oil patch. In 2007 he was offered a position as Water & Wastewater Technologist with the City of Lethbridge, a post he held until 2014, when he was promoted to manager.

Adam began volunteering with the Lethbridge chapter. That led to his realising that his professional background and educational credentials made him a logical choice to run for Council. He thoroughly enjoys the challenges that come with the commitment, including meeting with APEGA on legislative review issues and working with other provincial bodies to advance the cause of applied science and engineering technology across Canada.

When he’s not hard at work protecting the Lethbridge water supply and the interests of ASET-certified technicians and technologists, Adam enjoys spending time with his wife and infant daughter and their two dogs, a pug and a bug—that’s right, a pug/Boston terrier cross.

The determination and drive it took for Tara Chahl to become one of Canada’s first battle-ready women soldiers, are the same attributes that, when combined with a remarkable intelligence and capacity for learning, have allowed her to succeed in the technology sector. Breaking down barriers is nothing new to her, and her current role as Project and Quality Manager at Sherwood Park’s Keymay Industries, a pipeline and civil construction materials supply and service company, is in many ways an extension of her time in the military, allowing her to dispel myths and erase stereotypes. Her work has included training, developing, and leading specialised crews, building and maintaining a Quality Management System, monitoring and controlling a wide range of important project metrics, and devoting herself to the corporate R&D program.  

Tara  joined ASET in 2011, two years after graduating with top marks from NAIT’s Chemical Technology Program, a stream she chose for its diversity, an important consideration given Alberta’s uncertain economy. She recognised that her chosen discipline afforded her opportunities in a range of sectors, including O&G, environment, agricultural, and food processing.

Her motivation for obtaining both the C.E.T. and P.M.P. designations was simple: having those letters after her name meant not having to prove to anyone that she possesses the competencies required to do her job. Furthermore, clients gain comfort in knowing they’re dealing with a certified professional who can manage their projects from start to finish. The proof of that particular pudding lies in the success she has enjoyed and in the opportunities that have come her way.

A natural leader whose innate abilities were honed, quite literally, in battle, Tara believes in leading from the front. Which explains why she ran for Council. During her first term, she is seeking to give back to an organisation and a community that have contributed significantly to her career advancement. She is focused on improving relevant policies, standards, practices, and ethics, and is particularly looking forward to growing ASET and encouraging more women in technology to take on senior leadership roles.

Tara’s devotion both to education and to improving working conditions for technical occupations generally, and for women in particular, has not gone unnoticed. The Government of Alberta obviously goes by the maxim that, “If you want to have something done, give it to a busy person.” Accordingly, Tara has been appointed to a three-year term as a member of the NAIT Board of Governors. And it doesn’t matter that she really doesn’t have the time. She’ll just do it anyway, and do it well.

Corey started his career as a technologist studying at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and holds a diploma in Geological Technology with a Geo-Environmental Specialization. Since graduating from NAIT in 2012, Corey spent his first two years working for a groundwater consulting firm before joining Pinchin Ltd. (Pinchin) in 2014 as an environmental technologist. Corey has rapidly grown from a successful technologist to project manager and is currently Alberta’s business development manager at Pinchin.

Corey enjoys networking, teaching, problem solving and mentoring, and has developed the skills necessary to help grow an organization. Corey has strong ties to NAIT outside of his education and has been a member of the NAIT Geological Technology Advisory Committee since 2017, and helped support the program through its Technology Accreditation Canada certification assessment in 2018. Being an ongoing participant on the advisory committee has given Corey a better understanding on the challenges faced by the next generation of science and technology professionals that are set to enter Alberta’s workforce and how ASET can support them in the growth of their careers.

Corey is currently a member of the Alberta Safety Codes Council, Building Sub-Council and has developed a strong understanding of the importance of volunteer positions in society and the hard work that goes into operating a professional regulating organization. “I believe that volunteer work is essential for a healthy and strong society and I really enjoy doing it. It has inspired me to push further and join the ASET council as I want to help further build the organization and strengthen its recognition in industry. I believe that science and engineering technologists are an essential component in Alberta’s, and Canada’s, workforce and need to be strongly supported by legislation, other professional organizations and ASET itself”. 

Corey also volunteers as a coach for the North Edmonton Minor Football Association and has spent time participating in events for the Edmonton Food Bank, United Way, Mustard Seed, Habitat for Humanity and Win House Foundation and enjoys contributing back to the community in which he grew up.

Dan started his career as a labourer for a paving contractor. After a few years, he worked his way up to a Project Coordinator role. During this time, Dan studied Civil Engineering Technology at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) graduating with honours in 2011. In addition, he earned his Project Management Certificate in 2018. During his career, he has worked for a contractor, engineering consultant, and the Provincial Government as a Designer and Project Manager.

Dan has a passion for defending his profession, and making sure if someone is qualified for a job, that they are afforded a fair opportunity to apply for the job. During his time working in the private and public sector, Dan saw how many arbitrary glass ceilings technologists face. Many times technologists who were capable of being extremely successful in their work are being passed over. Dan would advocate for Technologists in the organizations he worked for, so the move to join ASET Council and advocate for technologists across the province was only natural.

Dan believes that the technology profession is just on the edge of a major breakthrough and is excited to be part of this important time in the history of our profession. He looks forward to building on the work of all the great technology professionals who have contributed to our profession over years.

During his free time, Dan enjoys activities with his wife and two year old daughter. He loves going to the mountains to hike, camp and snowboard.

Norm has over 32 years of experience as a technologist, currently working with Stantec Engineering. Due to his background in Architectural Technology, he is called upon for architectural, structural, and industrial projects for multiple clients across Alberta.

He is an experienced project manager and holds designations as PMP, RSW, CCA and SCO level 3. He has completed many projects working with contract document preparation, preliminary and detailed design, project management, and obtaining regulatory approvals.

Norm thinks the most important issue affecting ASET today is the continued efforts to maintain self-regulation. Since technologists are embedded into every area of industry: industrial construction, oil & gas, mining, residential and commercial, etc., it is the job of ASET to ensure self-regulation continues. Technologists are indeed the subject matter experts in their profession.

He feels that another issue dominating the narrative is the need to expand scopes of practice. Increasingly, technologists are called to run projects or operations, because of their great wealth of knowledge and experience; and ASET is doing a great job of defining this scope. But with great power comes great responsibility, of course, therefore Norm is a strong supporter of proving technologists can expand their scope of practice while at the same time absorbing the required liability exposure that comes with it.

Norm thinks that being a councilor of ASET will allow him the opportunity to lend his skills while working closely with self-regulation and expanded scope of practice, both essential to ASET's success. He lives in Edmonton with his wife, Claudia, and their 3 children: the oldest is in University, the middle one is in high school, and the youngest is in elementary school.

Like so many successful ASET-registered technologists, Wade Weaver is the product of a family farm. Growing up in Lloydminster, Alberta, he learned very early the value of hard work and determination. He also learned how to run heavy equipment and agricultural tools, sparking an interest in how things work. Jobs as a labourer, operator, and survey assistant helped him pay his way through the Lethbridge College Civil Engineering Technology Program. Upon graduation, he landed with OPUS Stewart Weir (now WSP), an engineering consultancy where he has gone from being a materials technologist, through field project manager and into his new role as Market Sub-Sector Leader, Industrial Geomatics for Canada. Wade enjoys the challenges that have seen him involved in a range of initiatives across the province. His portfolio includes transportation, commercial, and industrial projects, highway, pipeline, and SAGD site construction, and most recently, contributing to Inter Pipeline’s Heartland Propylene Complex which is well underway in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland.

A great believer in lifelong learning and professional development, Wade obtained his C.E.T. in 2009, whereupon he enrolled in NAIT’s Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management (B.Tech.) Program, from which he graduate with honours in 2012. Two years later, he earned his P.M.P. designation, and he followed that up in 2015 with certification as a P.Tech. A strong ASET supporter, he has volunteered with the Association for several years. When approached about running for Council, felt he could not turn down the opportunity to contribute to shaping his profession.

Wade stays active by playing hockey, camping, and participating in watersports but his true happy place is spending time with his wife and two small children, exposing his kids to new experiences such as skiing and skating, and seeing the world through their eyes.

To call Greg Widmeyer educated, motivated, and involved, would be a gross understatement. In 2007, he obtained a Computer Engineering Technology diploma from SAIT. Since then, all he has accomplished is qualifying for his C.E.T., earning a BSc in Computing and Information Systems from Athabasca University, and almost completing that institution’s MSc in Information Systems, a process that will conclude at the end of 2019. All this while juggling the demands of a large family—one wife, two daughters, two sons, and a number of saltwater fish—as well as numerous volunteer commitments with ASET, including serving as a Mentor and acting as an IT/Computer Engineering Technology subject matter expert. Oh, and occasionally he makes it into his job as a Senior Systems Analyst and Manager of Infrastructure with DIALOG, which includes demanding and varied professional duties involving the management of disparate information systems and planning the technology roadmap for future years. To succeed, he must continually determine which of those systems must be improved, which should be integrated, and which should simply be eliminated. All of this is done to preserve DIALOG’s data integrity, keep the company up-to-date technologically, and help Greg align the technology with his employer’s business goals so as to achieve strategic results.

What prompted Greg to become one of few IT-discipline C.E.T.’s was, at first, curiosity. At a previous engineering firm, he began noticing how many of his colleagues had professional designations, including one with which he wasn’t familiar. He did some research and discovered ASET was responsible for a range of disciplines that included his own. Tired of being required to continually prove his competence, he decided it was time to put some letters after his name. Since then, Greg has led the charge for discipline-specific certification of I.T. professionals, and his efforts are allowing ASET to build relevance with Alberta’s rapidly evolving high-tech sector.

In his down time, Greg plays board games, reads voraciously, camps with family and friends, and listens to tunes by, among others, Tycho and Blackmill.

Joel Gehman is Winspear Associate Professor of Business at the U of A’s Alberta School of Business. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in business from Pennsylvania State University. Professor Gehman spent 13 years working in industry prior to embarking on an academic career that has seen him publish dozens of articles, and receive a number of awards and fellowships.

The focus of his research is sustainability, innovation, and strategy. In particular, he investigates how concerns related to sustainability and values affect organisational strategies, technology innovation, and institutional arrangements. That blending of science and technology with organisational theory will serve him well on the ASET Council, as will his previous terms on the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta Board of Directors and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta Council.

When he is not busy shaping the minds of the next generation of business leaders or volunteering on boards and councils, Joel Gehman can be found skiing or discovering new wines with friends and family.

A self-described “old codger,” Rick McDonald launched his career in the early 1970s by obtaining a certification as a local government administrator. A strong advocate of personal and professional development, over time he followed that initial designation with accreditation as both a life insurance and real estate agent, in addition to becoming a Certified Management Consultant. Along the way, he found time to complete the University of Alberta’s Senior Executive Development Program and a diploma in biblical studies. He insists there’s no truth to the rumour that he obtained this last parchment to prepare himself better for working with ASET staff (Either way, it’ll help! – Ed.).

Rick’s eclectic professional background includes serving in senior capacities within the Government of Alberta, various municipalities and not-for-profit organisations, partnering in, and managing, a real estate company, working as a life insurance agent, running Preventive Social Services for a regional program in northern Alberta, and, between 1991 and 1997, holding the post of Director of Public Lands. The next year he founded JR McDonald & Associates Inc., the management and governance consultancy whose president and C.E.O. he has been for the past two decades. His many prominent projects include developing the GOA’s landmark 1999 document, Regional Sustainable Strategy for the Alberta Oil Sands. His latest assignment saw him assume the mantle of interim City Manager for the City of Lloydminster, where he was tasked with supporting a governance model change and restructuring the municipality’s leadership and management teams.

He brings to the Association extensive governance experience gained on the Alberta Planning and Municipal Government boards, as well as a recently-completed six-year stint with the Alberta Institute of Agrologists. “I have enjoyed all these opportunities,” says Rick, “And I hope my background and interests will allow me to bring a fresh perspective to the ASET Council.”

Rick and his best friend, Linda, have been married for 45 years and are blessed to have a family that includes four children and seven grandkids. Though they love Alberta, Rick and Linda very sensibly find winters more pleasant elsewhere. Specifically, they prefer Hawaii, as well as their second home in Yuma, Arizona, where they enjoy golf and spending time with their grandchildren and extended family. What’s most telling about Rick McDonald, though, is that after more than four decades, he still feels that, “My work is my favourite hobby."

The term “eclectic” does not do justice to Peter Portlock’s remarkable journey; we’d prefer to call him a renaissance man, given his background and expertise in the military, health administration, accreditation, governance, music, and travel.

Peter’s academic credentials include a pair of degrees from the University of Alberta, a B.A. in French and a Master’s in Health Services Administration, obtained 19 years apart. A career personnel administration officer with the Canadian Forces, he left the military as a Major in 1980  to pursue his interest in health administration. Among his various roles were serving as Western Canada’s first Patient Ombudsman, as well as CEO of the Canadian Diabetes Association (AB-NWT); the Alberta Arbitration & Mediation Society; Swim Alberta; the Canadian Mental Health Association (AB); the Alberta Alliance on Mental Health & Mental Illness; the Alberta Physiotherapy Association; Lethbridge Family Services; and, the College of Alberta Denturists.

In addition to having been a public member of ASET Council since 2007, Peter is the Association’s representative to Technology Accreditation Canada, serving as its Board Chair. A self-proclaimed governance “nut,” he has occupied various roles on the boards of more than half-a-dozen other organisations across Alberta.

He and wife, Linda Long, QC, have three sons, and are also proud grandparents seven times over. In his spare time, Peter plays lounge piano and the church organ, directs a choir, and uses his “portly” figure and white beard to great advantage as Santa in Christmas celebrations throughout Alberta. For good measure, he completed a Travel Counselor certificate program at Medicine Hat College in 2011 and, lest we forget, since 2012, Peter has worked with the NYC-based Council on Accreditation as a peer reviewer and team leader, leading some six to eight accreditation site visits of human service agencies across North America annually.