|
La Société canadienne
de géotechnique
The Canadian
Geotechnical Society
|
|
La Société canadienne de géotechnique
Facebook
LinkedIn
The Canadian Geotechnical Society
The Canadian
Geotechnical
Society
Facebook
LinkedIn
|
|
|
|
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee
Email
About the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee
The Committee’s mission is to foster a professional community that is equitable, inclusive, and representative of the diverse identities and experiences within Canada’s geotechnical profession. The Committee will focus on institutional change and embedding EDI principles into CGS’s governance, operations, and decision-making frameworks.

The Committee will take on two main objectives — to ensure CGS’s governance framework supports EDI and to create opportunities for CGS members that are accessible, equitable, and inclusive. Governance initiatives will include (1) promoting fair and transparent governance practices by identifying systemic barriers within CGS policies, (2) encouraging representation of diverse perspectives in CGS decision-making, and (3) recommending EDI training for CGS leaders and volunteers. Potential opportunities the committee will initiate include (1) developing programs that reduce barriers to participating in CGS activities; (2) amplifying the voices and contributions of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and experiences; and (3) supporting CGS events that are accessible and inclusive of all members, such as conference sessions, webinars, etc.
Executive Committee
Chair
Kathryn Dompierre
Membership Lead
Leanne McLaren
Communications Lead
Amirali Khanjani
Events Lead
Chelsey Guenther
Governance Lead
Jack Park
Outreach Lead
Alireza Yaseri
YP Lead
Kia Cachero
Member-at-large
Jocelyn Hayley
Member-at-large
Athena Bahrami
Member-at-large
Mohsen Naservand
Member-at-large
Liza Packer
Member-at-large
Katy Diederichs
Member-at-large
Ali Waring
Member-at-large
Heather Brooks
Member-at-large
Jillian Usher
Member-at-large
Shawna Munn


Recent EDI Activity: Special Session at GeoManitoba 2025

The Wednesday lunch plenary session at GeoManitoba 2025, “Stronger Together: Increasing Inclusivity from Practitioner and Legal Perspectives”, provides a great example of an opportunity that members of the CGS EDI Committee supported. Five case studies were presented in the session where “you” experience one or more forms of discrimination or harassment in the workplace. The session amplified the voices of CGS members from diverse backgrounds by collecting input on harassment and discrimination from GeoManitoba registrants prior to the conference. This feedback was used to generate the five case studies. You can read more about this initiative in the Spring 2026 issue of Canadian Geotechnique.

Reports / Documents
Upcoming Events

Year:

Please contact the chair of the EDI Committee if you have any comments or suggestions at info@cgs.ca.