Ready, Set, Network!

As a Technical Trainer & Project Coordinator at Water First, Keegan spends most of his time planning and delivering water science workshops in Indigenous communities in Canada. Keegan has been working in water science for 8 years, in academic research support and for an NGO. Keegan holds an M.Sc. in Geography from Carleton University.

Winner of the 2023 Water Canada Awards’ Emerging Leader Award

Farokh laqa Kakar is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Civil Engineering department of Ryerson University and an instructor at George Brown College in Toronto, Canada. She is the president of Canadian Young Water Professionals at International Water Association (IWA), President of Graduate Leadership Council at Ontario Water consortium, and Vice President of Young Professionals in the Canadian Association for Water Quality (CAWQ). In addition, she is the Global Ambassador at the Society of Women Engineers. She has won the most prestigious Ph.D. scholarship in Canada, which gives her the privilege of being a Vanier scholar. This competitive scholarship is given based on leadership and academic excellence, only a few per university. During her studies at Ryerson, she has joined more than 25 conferences playing different roles as conference chair and co-chair, and has won seven best presentation awards. Three of them are the best student presentation awards (First place). Also, she has won the TA award of excellence at Ryerson and has served the community at the senate level. While in Afghanistan, Farokh was an Assistant Professor and vice dean of the engineering faculty at Balkh University. She also led women-related projects regarding teacher training at the International Assistance Mission. She has won several teaching developments awards from USA and Germany while in Balkh University.

In 2024 Mr. Goffin joined Toronto Metropolitan University as Water Policy Fellow in the School of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation and affiliated with the Bruce Fellowships in Canadian Freshwater Policy.

Prior to joining Toronto Metropolitan University Mr. Goffin spent more than forty-years in the Public Service of Canada, with Environment and Climate Change Canada, during which time he was engaged in policy develop and program delivery in a wide variety of areas including environmental protection, wildlife management, meteorology, water and ecosystem management, intergovernmental affairs, Indigenous relations and community outreach and engagement.

For more almost twenty years Mr. Goffin was responsible for leading Canada’s efforts to restore and protect the water quality and aquatic ecosystem health of the Great Lakes and in 2012 he was lead negotiator for Canada responsible for negotiation of the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.  In 2020 Mr. Goffin took on a new role, leading the creation of the Canada Water Agency.

Mr. Goffin received his undergraduate training in environmental studies from the University of Toronto, and has a Master of Science degree in Geomorphology, also from the University of Toronto.

As a Regulations Officer at Raisin Region Conservation Authority, I have over 22 years of experience and knowledge in a variety of conservation programs, such as ecological monitoring, stewardship, communications and community outreach. I am passionate about protecting and enhancing the natural environment and its biodiversity, and educating the public about its importance and benefits.

I have worked on many projects and initiatives that have improved the ecological health and resilience of the RRCA watershed, such as restoring habitats, conducting field surveys, and collaborating with partners and stakeholders. I have also delivered environmental education and awareness programs to schools, groups, and individuals, using my skills in communication, organization, and leadership. I am always eager to learn new skills and techniques, and to share my expertise and insights with others.

Kaoru is a senior project manager for the Region of Waterloo’s Water Services Division, where he is primarily responsible for long-term planning of water and wastewater infrastructure.

Prior to the Region, Kaoru worked in many Middle East, Asia, and Caribbean countries as a water supply engineer.

He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at the University of Waterloo and Kyoto University respectively.

Kaoru enjoys discussing career paths in the water sector through his volunteer work with the local chapter of the Professional Engineers Ontario and with the Ten Thousand Coffees initiative, run through his alma mater.