Keynote Luncheon Speaker

Honourable Shirley Bond

MLA Prince George, Mount Robson

Minister of Education & Deputy Premier

Vijay Basdeo
President and Director – Innerlink Training Seminars Ltd.

Patti Nitsch
Work Leader, Planning & Design Department,Terasen Gas Inc.

Patti Nitsch is one of two Work Leaders in the Planning and Design Department at Terasen Gas, responsible for the training and quality controlfor 35 Planners, Province wide.  Patti has been employed at Terasen Gas fortwenty years.  In the early years of her career at Terasen Gas, Patti attended BCIT on a part-time basis for 4 years, while working fulltime in various departments.  In 1991 Patti joined the Planning Department.  In 2003 Patti was awarded CTech certification from ASTTBC. In 2006, Patti became Work Leader in the Planning and Design Department.  She also relieves as Manager of the Planning and Design Department when required.  Patti is
married and lives Surrey.

Jan Marston
Vice President, Human Resources & Operations Governance,Terasen Gas Inc.

Ms. Marston has been with Terasen Gas since 1996. She has extensive knowledge in the oil and gas production industry in Calgary where she held a variety of roles with Dome Petroleum, Amoco and Sceptre Resources Ltd. Currently, her area of responsibility includes all aspects of Human Resources, Enterprise Risk, Engineering, Environment, Health and Safety Governance. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary, Alberta, and has completed the Executive Program at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. She serves on a number of business and community service Boards.

Meagan Harrington

Meagan Harrington
GradTech, Building Technologist, Stantec Architecture

Meagan graduated from the Engineering Design and Drafting Technology program at Thompson Rivers University with a diploma in Building Technology. She has recently changed jobs, moving from a small residential design company, to Stantec Architecture, a company with more than 150 offi ces across North America. With 1 1/2 years of work experience, she is fresh into the technology industry and is enjoying every minute of it. Meagan is looking forward to receiving her AScT designation in the coming year.

Nancy Fowler
AScT, Retired Senior Manager Telecommunications, Council Director, ASTTBC

After a successful 30+ year career in Telecommunications, Nancy has recently taken early retirement. At the point of her retirement, she was a Director in TELUS Network Operations, responsible for the expansion of the Broadband Network. Nancy began her career as an Engineering Technologist (Electronics) with New Brunswick Telephone and progressed through several senior management positions in Bell Canada and TELUS. Nancy is a Council Director on the Board of ASTTBC and dedicates her time to "Careers In Technology" and specifi cally, to "Women In Technology".

Heather Martin
Skills Development Officer, Women’s Enterprise Centre

Heather Martin is the Skills Development Officer of Women’s Enterprise Centre, the leading business resource centre for women business owners across BC. Women’s Enterprise Centre provides loans, business skills training, mentoring and business advisory services to women business owners across the province from its three offices in Kelowna, Vancouver, and Victoria.

Prior to joining Women’s Enterprise Centre in 2007, Heather was a Development Officer with Blue Water Community Business Development Corporation providing business counseling and loans to small businesses in rural Nova Scotia.

Heather received a Master of Development Economics (MDE) in 2006 from Dalhousie University and a BBA from Atlantic Baptist University in 2004. She is interested in promoting and supporting entrepreneurship as a component of economic growth in rural Canadian communities.