Ready, Set, Network!

Elia is a Director on Associated’s Group Board, Vice President – Integrated Water Solutions, Senior Infrastructure Specialist, Senior Process Engineer and our Ontario Strategic Advisory Services Leader with over 28 years of experience in the municipal infrastructure sector. Elia provides valuable insights into major capital infrastructure planning and implementation, supports clients in their climate resilience, low-carbon and digital transformation journeys, and leads the development of infrastructure performance assessment tools. He has strong industry relationships through his work on projects across Canada and involvement in technical associations, supporting alternatives evaluation, agency and community engagement, structured decision-making, and implementation considerations including the use of alternative collaborative delivery models. Elia is long-standing member of the OWWA and is most proud of his receipt of the Michael R. Provart award at the beginning of his career. Outside of ‘water’, Elia spends as much time as possible with his partner and four children enjoying an ever-eventful life at this point in time – often at a soccer pitch, swimming pool or a concert hall. Elia also remains active in various local community efforts.

Natasha Pozega is the Water Conservation Coordinator for the City of Cornwall, where she spearheads initiatives focused on sustainable water management, including projects like universal water metering and AMI implementation, and promoting drinking water quality. Beyond her professional role, she is deeply engaged in the Cornwall community, actively participating in and organizing events such as the Cornwall Triathlon. Her combined expertise in environmental sustainability and community engagement makes her a valuable contributor to discussions on water conservation and local development.

I hold a master in civil engineering and have over ten years working across six countries in regeneration, sustainability and public space through water. I am focused on supporting the global movement towards sustainable communities and have a strong commitment to collaborate across sectors and organizations to address climate change and improve our neighbourhoods, starting from the community. I share my thoughts in a newsletter at www.josetorcal.substack.com

Soy un ingeniero de caminos con más de diez años de experiencia trabajando en seis países en proyectos de regeneración, sostenibilidad y espacio público a través del agua. Estoy comprometido a colaborar con profesionales de otras disciplinas y organizaciones para contribuir al movimiento global de comunidades sostenibles. Mis proyectos abordan el desafío del cambio climático y buscan mejorar nuestros barrios, partiendo de la comunidad. Comparto mis ideas en mi boletín, www.josetorcal.substack.com

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.

Layla Staats is an inspirational and creative multidisciplinary Artist based in the Six Nations, whose works stem from her journey of understanding and reclaiming her Indigenous strength as a generation survivor of residential schools. As an Indigenous Film Maker, Musician, Speaker, and Activist, she advocates for Indigenous rights, and utilizes her mediums to provide a platform for the stories and movements of her community.