November 27, 2025

EDI Committee: Volunteers Needed

I am writing to give you the very exciting news that a new EDI Committee was created by unanimous positive vote during the CGS Board meeting at GeoManitoba. The proposal for this Committee grew out of the work of the EDI Task Force, chaired by Sumi Siddiqua and has the full and enthusiastic support of the CGS EC. I’d like to take a moment to thank Sumi and her task force members very much for their excellent work over the past few years to build the momentum around this new committee. Numerous EDI related activities at recent conferences have also enriched and informed the discussions, and are the result of excellent work by many people across the CGS. While the focus of the work to date has largely focused on Women in Geotechnique, the committee will also be encouraged to consider all forms of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, including race, disability, gender and sexuality and the variety of work environments CGS members encounter.

At this point, we are seeking volunteers to form the new Committee. There is no formal structure for the Committee yet – that will be one of the first tasks to be undertaken by the Executive group in 2026. However, in order to get the Committee started, we are seeking self-nominations for:

Executive Group:

Chair or Co-Chairs

Membership Lead

Communications Lead

Events Lead

YP Lead

Members at large

As with other Committees, there will be at least one annual meeting, held in the fall during or just after the annual conference. More frequent meetings are encouraged, particularly during the building phase of the committee’s work. The Chair of the Committee will be asked for a formal annual report at the time of the Council meeting held just prior to the Annual meeting, and will be invited to meetings to be convened by the Divisions and Committees Representative to the CGS Executive Committee.

The final report of the EDI Task Force is available upon request to inform you of the outcome of their work, and to give a starting point for ongoing development of strategy and guidance for possible activities. I am also compiling a summary report on the EDI activities at recent CGS conferences that will be available by end of year, and am developing a Code of Conduct for Conferences and CGS activities which I will send to the EDI Committee for input.

Please let me know by email if you are interested in attending a Kick-Off meeting to discuss this new initiative. Everyone is welcome – women and allies are essential contributors to this work. If you do not wish to be considered for the Executive Group, but would like to be informed of progress and events, please let me know that too, and I can add your name to the inaugural email list.

After the Kick-Off meeting, I will be calling for formal Expressions of Interest in the Committee roles, and initiating an election process as required.

With thanks for your consideration of this message and your support of this important activity.

Jean Hutchinson

CGS Vice President, Technical

Email: vptech@cgs.ca

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November 27, 2025

EDI Committee: Volunteers Needed