CAWIC Board of Directors 2010-11

A member of NAWIC/CAWIC since 2001, Mira served as secretary on the Board of Directors of NAWIC (2002-04) and on the Founding Board of CAWIC (2005-06). She was Chair of the Bursary Committee (2003-08) and has managed both the NAWIC and CAWIC websites since 2004.

As a self-employed Project Manager, Mira manages internal renovation and relocation projects for clients in high rise office towers. Previously, she worked for Cadillac Fairview at the Eaton Centre coordinating retail and office tenant as well as landlord projects; coordinated new retail tenant projects at Sherway Gardens; and  managed the conversion of some old light industrial buildings on Spadina Avenue to art galleries and offices.

Audrey Freidin is a retired interior designer whose background includes teaching Industrial Arts. She is currently an independent sustainability consultant and educator specializing in the built environment.

What attracts her to CAWIC is the common bond of women working in a male-dominated field - the networking and the support from members no matter how diverse our participation in the construction business. She has participated in both Programming and Bursary committees and is currently Chair of the Bursary Committee, which awards funds to women enrolled in post-secondary construction-related programs. It is rewarding to help young women succeed.

As a member of the board, she will strategize membership attraction and retention, including Bursary recipients as they move through their careers in construction. Because our membership is so diverse we must continue to seek broad member involvement in programming activities. Of course keeping an eye on the bottom line so that we get the best value possible for our member dollars is an important responsibility of a board member that is taken seriously.

Treasurer
Sheila Thompson
Rosenberg & Parker of Canada, Inc.
sheila.thompson@suretybond.com

Sheila E. Thompson is the President of Rosenberg & Parker of Canada, Inc., the newly established Canadian office of Rosenberg & Parker, a surety brokerage that has been in business in Pennsylvania since 1946. Sheila has over 25 years experience as an underwriter and as a broker.

In addition to being a Director and Treasurer of the Canadian Association of Women in Construction, Sheila is a member of the Toronto Construction Association (TCA) and The Risk and Insurance Management Society of Canada (RIMS Canada). She is the past chair of the Surety Association of Canada’s Ontario and Education Committees and currently sits on the Ontario Committee. She is the only broker representative on the Canadian Construction Documents Committee’s Surety Subcommittee.

Secretary
Ruth Bramham
Facilities Planning & Renovations, York University
ruthb@yorku.ca

Ruth Bramham is a 40+ year veteran of the construction industry, starting out as a quantity surveyor in the UK, before emigrating to Canada in 1968. Once here she learned the much less detailed approach to estimating in a hurry and, in the early 1970s, found herself deep in the world of design-build and project management.

Ruth has worked for a wide variety of employers in both the public and private sectors over the years, predominantly with commercial and institutional projects. Barely surviving the deep recession of the 90s, she returned to the Toronto area in 2001. She is now employed in the Facilities Planning and Renovations department at York University in North Toronto. One of six project lead coordinators (and the only woman), she manages a team planning and expediting the interior renewal of many buildings on this nearly 50 year old campus.

Ruth joined NAWIC’s Toronto Chapter 295 in 2003 and subsequently became a charter member of CAWIC at its launch in October 2005. As a member of the Mentorship Committee she hopes to guide and encourage young members as they settle into this wonderfully diverse profession called construction. Being a writer and editor she also hopes to find time to contribute  the odd article to the CAWIC Newsletter.

Director
Kitty Campbell
kitnkids@rogers.com

Kitty Campbell is a Design and Project Manager for a major Canadian Retailer. Although based in Vaughan, Ontario, Kitty travels throughout central Canada overseeing all projects, new construction and renovations, encompassing seven different banners.  She has held this position for six years and prior to this, was instrumental in the start up of a fast food franchise. 

Campbell was recruited from her banking position ten years ago to oversee all operations for the new franchise, including writing start-up manuals for policies and procedures, operations, recipes, franchisee training and, by default, began overseeing store design and construction. This experience was exactly what she was looking for to enter the retail construction industry. 

Campbell has been a member of CAWIC for four years and has enjoyed all the benefits of the membership. For a long time, it seemed she was one of few women in construction and enjoys networking with other women in the industry, especially Retail.

Being elected to the CAWIC Board of Directors is a great honour, says Campbell and feels she will continue to strengthen the Association by being an effective decision maker and ideas person.  Campbell has built a strong foundation for herself within the industry and is well respected by her peers. By applying the same work ethic and passion to CAWIC, she feels she can be a voice to promote the success of women in construction and contribute significantly to the management of the Association.

Tammy is a Partner and member of the ACES and Real Estate Groups at Blaney McMurtry LLP. Her practice is focused in all aspects of condominium development and construction law. Prior to completing her law degree, Tammy spent over fifteen years in the land development industry.

Tammy has been in the construction and development industry since her move to Ontario from Montreal in 1987. Prior to her law practice, in which she specializes in condominium development and construction law, Tammy ran her own project management business for many highrise, mixed use, subdivision and hotel sites across Ontario. Accordingly, she knows the business and the legal side of construction and development. She also was very actively involved with NAWIC back in the early 90's prior to its rebirth as CAWIC, and assisted on many committees and with many association functions under the leadership of the President. She feels that as a mature woman in this still predominantly male industry, it is important for women in the industry and generally to encourage each other’s growth both professionally and personally, by supporting each other as we make progress and as the face of the industry changes; that we create opportunities for networking, education and interaction. It is one of Tammy’s personal goals to increase her efforts in these areas, to ensure in particular that the younger women in the industry have the support and infrastructure needed to excel. 

Director
Nancy Sendell
nesendell@bell.net

Nancy is a program and project design consultant with a social and environmental focus. She specializes in sustainable strategies that integrate social, economic and environmental issues, working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders. She provides strategies for community relations and stakeholder engagement, sustainability research and strategic planning, program/project management services and proposals, and grant and report writing services. A graduate of Ryerson’s Interior Design program, her experience includes over 15 years in commercial real estate construction with 10 years in community economic development and social enterprise. She has sat on the boards of a variety of networks including the Toronto Community Economic Development Learning Network and the Canadian Social Entrepreneurs’ Network.

Current projects include transforming an important social and environmental public asset into a viable multi-use facility that is financially self-sustaining.

.