Manitoba Women in Trades Conference | 2024 “She Builds”

Kerry Mealey-Holmes is a seasoned workplace trainer with a passion for cultivating leadership success. In her work for over a decade as a corporate trainer, speaker, and facilitator, she shines a light on awareness around topics such as effective communication, building trust, as well as social and emotional intelligence. She is also a Civility instructor, receiving her certification through Civility Experts Worldwide.

Her flexibility to adapt to various learning styles, personalities, and contexts has enabled her to earn a reputation for delivering training that changes how people think, how they interact, and how they work.

Outside of her day job, Kerry loves to explore! You will find her skiing at a park, swimming, or paddling across a lake.

Leah is a Red Seal Carpenter and currently a Site Superintendent for Bockstael.  Leah worked for 6 years in residential renovation and restoration for Doll Construction and was mentored by master carpenter Brian Doll. Since then, Leah has been working in commercial construction for 7 years starting as an apprentice and working her way up.

Leah showed interest at a young age in building and grew up completing home renovation projects with her handyman Father. From a young age Leah was taught the importance of doing things right and quickly developed a love for building. She bought her first house at age 16 and continued to use the skills her father taught her to renovate. When her parents decided to move to Africa to build their own dream with Dashir lodge and Safaris and their non-for-profit organization Dashir Cares Leah was determined to keep learning and set out to find a new mentor. While it was a struggle to find a job with no professional experience Leah was eventually taken on by Brian Doll and was able to continue learning to build.

Leah has gained a great deal of experience and expertise along every step of this journey and hopes to help educate and mentor the next generation of Women considering a career in construction, and to help break down barriers that many face along their journeys.

Jaime Mann is a partner in a commercial construction company, busy mom of 3, and founder of The Amaryllis Project, a coaching and advisory firm focused on building better leadership through connection – both to self and others. Jaime is committed to helping high-performance leaders transform themselves on topics like mental health, self-leadership, confidence, emotional regulation and reframing the internal narratives that hold them back from truly living.

Utilizing research-backed methodologies and proven tools and techniques, Jaime brings a fusion of positive psychology, leadership psychology, behavioral science, mental health science, and self-belief work to her clients.

Jaime is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Canadian Positive Psychology Association (CPPA), Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree of Professional Studies (MPS) in the Psychology of Leadership at Penn State University.

A lover of all things sparkly, Jaime is hard-pressed to leave vintage rhinestone brooches in their display case, or resist the allure of anything sequinned (much to her kids’ dismay.) She adores reading, and loves karaoke and cats (not necessarily at the same time.)

https://theamaryllisproject.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/theamaryllisproject/

Shannon is a seasoned executive leadership coach and team facilitator with over 20 years of diverse experience in education and business. Her corporate leadership journey culminated in the C-Suite of a prominent Crown Corporation, where she served as the Chief Human Resource Officer and Vice President of Product, and was identified for CEO succession. She led people-strategies that enabled the successful adoption of many multi-million-dollar business transformation programs. Shannon was a trusted advisor to the President and CEO driving a swift and impactful culture shift across the Corporation. She firmly believes that effective leadership requires strong strategy and ultimately emanates from within, a philosophy she imparts through her coaching and facilitation practice.

Shannon partners with leaders and teams, facilitating transformative learning experiences that foster trust, clarity, and results. Whether virtually, in-person, or at Red Chair Ranch where she partners with her horses as co-coaches, individuals experience profound shifts as Shannon helps them explore leadership from the head and the heart.

Shannon holds a Master of Education (Adult Education) from the University of Manitoba, and the Executive Certificate in Management from the Smith School of Business, Queen’s University. Her coaching certifications include Certified Professional Coach (CPC) through the College of Executive Coaching, and a Certification in Equine Facilitated Learning and Coaching (EFLC) through the Academy for Coaching with Horses in Colorado.

Alanna Marklund from UA Canada. She’s National Manager for Youth, Diversity, and Indigenous Relations for the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Canada. (She is extremely well presented on the topic of UA Canada’s Maternity/Paternity benefits and many others)

The Munro Group is a Canadian collection of development-focused businesses. It consists of Hugh Munro Construction – a heavy civil construction company, FortWhyte Lowbedding – a specialty hauling company, Lily Field Quarry – an aggregate resource supplier, and ClearSecure Distribution & Manufacturing – the distributor for RockGlass, and Security Screens.

Colleen has worked in the family business, Hugh Munro Construction (HMC), since 1977. She was named Secretary/Treasurer in 1982 and became President in 2008.

HMC has been in operation since 1959, some of the high-profile projects include:

– Red River Floodway Expansion (2002)

– CentrePort Canada Way x West Perimeter Connection (2012)

– Lake St. Martin Outlet Channel Access Road (2016)

Colleen has developed many partnerships with Indigenous peoples and has signed partnership agreements with a multitude of communities and is working with Manitoba Construction Sector Council in training newcomers. Through her expertise and industry knowledge, Colleen provides education and training opportunities for community members on remote job sites to help promote economic development.

The Munro Group has worked throughout Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Colleen is a pioneer for women in the industry. She was the first woman to be appointed Chair of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association Board of Directors (1996), and she is the current (2022) Chair of the Manitoba Construction Sector Council and the Manitoba Women’s Advisory Council and appointed an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the 38th Engineering Division.

Andrea Aiello is an experienced HR professional, Andrea Aiello has spent more than two decades delivering people services in privately owned manufacturing operations, advising all levels of the organization. In her current role as Director of Workforce Development at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, Andrea and her team work to ensure Manitoba manufacturers are able to grow their businesses through the supply of skilled individuals for the jobs of today – and tomorrow.

 

With a focus on expanding the view of who can be successful in manufacturing, Andrea relies on her own experience and an innovation mindset toward people processes as she engages with industry Executives and HR teams, government, educational institutions and service providers to deepen the talent pool in Manitoba.  Appointed in 2022 to the Province of Manitoba’s Immigration Advisory Council, Andrea is advocating for immigration improvements as one key solution to the talent shortage facing manufacturers today.  Born and raised in Manitoba, Andrea lives in Winnipeg with her husband and son.

Alyssa has been with Manitoba Women in Construction (MWC) since 2017 and is the current Chair of the volunteer board. She began her career in the industry as a Project Coordinator with Bird Construction after graduating from the Civil Engineering Technology program at Red River College. She then moved into estimating where she achieved her Gold Seal certification and has since taken on the role of Pre-Construction Manager. “Growing up I never really considered a career in construction” she explains of her decision to get involved with MWC. “I joined MWC to connect with other industry professionals and to help promote to young women and girls that the construction industry can be a valuable and fulfilling career option.”

Andrea is proud Metis woman from the north end of Winnipeg.  She is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg, holding a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in Political Science. She has a Graduate Certificate in Instructional Design from Athabasca University and is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies (Equity Studies focus) program at Athabasca University. She is a Certified Life Coach and has completed a Certificate in Mediation from the Resolution Skills Centre in Winnipeg.

With her passion for education and training Andrea teaches with Red River College, Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology and Workplace Education Manitoba.  She currently services on the Board of Directors of the Community Education Development Association of Winnipeg (CEDA) and the board of Skills Manitoba.

Employed by Manitoba Hydro for 26 years, Andrea was recognized as a leading expert in the recruitment and retention of Indigenous employees in the trades and other Hydro careers. She was a training consultant for the Manitoba Construction Sector Council, facilitating Job Readiness training for Indigenous workers in northern Manitoba. Most recently, she served as Project Coordinator for the Office to Advance Women Apprentices in Manitoba.

Trisha Kulathungam was born and raised in Winnipeg and has been involved in th e manufacturing and philanthropy industries in Manitoba. She proudly works for her father’s companies, SCT Welding, Laser and Manufacturing Co, and Strong Electric Manufacturing. She began working for her dad as a teen receptionist and has worked her way up to a management role at both companies. Philanthropy has played an important role in Trisha’s life since elementary. She began volunteering at a young age and continues to volunteer and fundraise for various community projects and important causes. Trisha’s philanthropic interests inspired her to create her own charity centred around scholarship access and student well-being. She created The Higher Learning Foundation Inc. in 2013 and since then, she has dedicated most of her charitable resources to stude nts, schools and after school programs. Since building Higher Learning Foundation, Trisha is now in the process of becoming a certified Yoga and Meditation teacher. Through HLF, Trisha will be facilitating a yoga, meditation and self -care program at various schools in Manitoba. She will also be teaching these skills to students as a way to raise donations for HLF. Outside of HLF, Trisha’s philanthropic efforts are directed at creative place-making in the inner-city, supporting local women’s shelters, hosting various food and clothing drives for local charities, and most recently, establishing a research lab to test how mindfulness and meditation can improve students’ well-being and academic performance.