Jenna Hazelton, P.Eng
General Manager, CFM and Pumps Plus

Keynote Speaker

Jenna Hazelton has been with J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) since she started as a student more than 10 years ago. As a student, Jenna held various labour positions at Irving Paper. She was offered a position in TMP as a Process Engineer upon graduation. A few years later, an opportunity presented itself to join operations at Irving Tissue as a Machine Specialist. She spent four years learning operations management, the consumer products industry and was involved in a variety of operational projects along the way.

In 2017, Jenna became the General Manager of Irving Wallboard, part of the JDI Construction and Equipment Division. Irving Wallboard produces a variety of wallboard products to Atlantic Canada, the Northeastern United States, and as far west as Calgary, in partnership with the United States Gypsum Company and the Canadian Gypsum Company.

In January 2022, Jenna took another step to further grow her career by becoming the General Manager of CFM and Pumps Plus. CFM is a JDI company comprised of multiple, very different business units that include mechanical repair and fabrication, machining, repair and overhaul, as well a technical service group specializing in engineering, surveying, and non-destructive testing. Pumps Plus was recently acquired by CFM and is a pump distribution company that provides pumping solutions to its varied customer base across Canada.

Jenna is a certified Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with a Chemical Engineering degree from Dalhousie University and received her Executive MBA through the JDI program with Ivey Business School at Western University in 2018. 

Dr. Larissa Vingilis

Founder & President at Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS)

Keynote Speaker

Jemeela Thomas

Speaker

Jemeela is an aspiring medical professional who recently gained admission to Dalhousie University’s Medical School with the Class of 2025. She began her journey to medicine at a very young age with the constant intention of working with the youth population. Jemeela earned an honours Bachelor of Science degree from Ryerson University where she studied Biomedical Science as medicine became a significant part of her identity. Through work and volunteer opportunities, Jemeela placed her knowledge, alongside her community work skills, into broader domains and expressed their relevancy into her everyday life. Jemeela began her work with the youth population as a volunteer with Visions of Science and since progressed to become a facilitator, a program lead and most recently a program coordinator. In fall of 2021, Jemeela started her first year of medical school in Atlantic Canada while continuing working as a Program Coordinator for Visions of Science.

Shanté Blackmore

Speaker

Ojaswi Joshi

Speaker

Born and raised in the country of Himalayas, Nepal, Ojaswi arrived in Canada four years ago as an International student. Ojaswi Joshi is a final year Computer Science student with a minor in Business and aspires to be a leader in entrepreneurship and technology. Over her four years at UNB, she has advocated to elevate student voices, shift the narrative and provide space for marginalized people. She is also the co-founder and Executive Director of the International Students’ Association New Brunswick and the VP

Advocacy at UNBSU. She completed her co-op work term from NB Power as a developer and is currently looking for a full-time job.

Randi Parks

Speaker

Randi Parks is a scientist with a company called Abiomed, striving to improve native heart function in patients with cardiovascular disease. She obtained her BSc in Biology-Chemistry at UNB in 2009, followed by a PhD at Dalhousie University in Cardiac Pharmacology and Electrophysiology in 2014. During her PhD she published six articles investigating the difference in heart muscle function between males and females, and obtained studentship awards from the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation. Randi then did a Postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC, where she published 9 articles on the role of mitochondria in mediating cell death in patients experiencing heart attacks. Randi has been a Principal Scientist at Abiomed in Boston, MA since 2018, where she performs translational and clinical research into the use of temporary heart pumps to improve outcomes in high-risk patients.

Jharana Luitel

Speaker

Jharana is a recent graduate from the Computer Science Faculty with a minor in Business Administration. From striding through the classrooms at Head Hall to dancing her rhythm on stage, Jharana’s optimistic blend of her learnings in STEM has made her discover her career path. Jharana’s focus on improving her soft skills within the university curriculum led her to the opportunity to work with companies such as IBM and Nokia. Jharana is thrilled to begin the new chapter of her career with Microsoft in the summer. Her positive attitude helped her progress through the different challenges within her university life. In her free time, Jharana likes to make videos, travel, and enjoy a nice warm cup of French vanilla with her friends.

Alanah Bartlett

Speaker

Alanah is a senior technician at Fort Folly Habitat Recovery and is based out of Mactaquac Biodiversity Facility (MBF). She is responsible for providing care and maintenance to Fundy Salmon Recovery fish at MBF, supervising juvenile Inner bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon collections in the Petitcodiac watershed, and program coordinating with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Alanah holds a BSc in Biology from the University of New Brunswick, and currently is a MSc candidate at the University of New Brunswick.

Siobhan Fitzpatrick

Speaker

Siobhan Fitzpatrick received her Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in 2018. Upon completion she was accepted into the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of New Brunswick under the supervision of Dr. Janine Olthuis. Siobhan’s research interests are highly influenced by her many years of participating in varsity athletics. In particular, her focus is on investigating factors that influence athlete mental health as well as exploring athlete help-seeking tendencies. Siobhan is currently in the midst of completing her Masters Research Apprenticeship Project which looks to examine substance use tendencies among Canadian varsity athletes.

Erin Flood

Speaker

Erin is an entrepreneur, designer, writer, and speaker. Prior to joining the world of entrepreneurship, Erin studied psychology and sociology at St.Francis Xavier, and quickly realized the value in applying the social sciences to the business world. The first startup venture Erin was a part of explored designing a mobile parking application with a focus on enhancing the citizen experience. She is now CEO at GoDo, a design firm that helps organizations drive action with data and design. In 2015, Erin was listed as Top Tech Women in Canada by C100. Erin’s personal philosophy is rooted in two words: Go & Do. Erin's mission is to share this philosophy in hopes to inspire many others to chase their curiosities toward doing truly meaningful work. Erin has spent her career focused on working with organizations focused on building solutions that contribute to more sustainable futures.

Monica Mckendy

Speaker

Monica McKendy is a Registered Professional Forester who works in Fredericton, NB, for NB Power. She graduated with her Bachelor and Master of Science in Forestry degrees from UNB in 2010 and 2014, respectively. As a student, Monica worked for the private (J.D. Irving, Tembec, and Domtar) and public (NRCan and UNB) sectors in field-based and research and teaching-based forestry positions. After starting a family during graduate school, she opened a consulting company and began working jointly for NB Power and the Maritime College of Forest Technology on developing a new college program. An opportunity to work full time in vegetation management opened up for NB Power in 2016, and she has been happily working for the utility since that time. Monica shifted career directions four years ago after being trained as a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Green Belt while working as a GIS Forester. After her certification project, she applied to a position to work as a LSS practitioner (Black Belt) full time and is now the lead for the Continuous Improvement group and is working towards her Master Black Belt certification. 

Ann Timmermans

University Panel Moderator

Dr. Ann C Timmermans is a geologist, Teaching Professor, and Curator in Earth Sciences at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Ann grew up in Ontario and was passionate about science for as long as she can remember. Museums were her second home growing up, and in her youth gained experience through her volunteer and employment work at Natural Science Museums across Canada. Ann completed her BSc in Earth Science from the University of Waterloo in 1995, and after backpacking overseas for many months, worked in Geophysical Exploration for 5-years – traveling to remote sites in North America and Africa. An interest in Igneous Petrology, Volcanology and Geochemistry led her to return to academia completing her MSc and PhD at Carleton University. She accepted her current position at UNB and the Quartermain Earth Science Centre in 2014. Through her work with historic geologic specimens, education, outreach and research, she has had the privilege of meeting and collaborating with other researchers, museum curators and educators in New Brunswick.

Jill Lamb

University Panelist

Jill Lamb started her STEM journey as a child on her family farm, where she fostered her curiosity and passion for lifelong learning. She completed her Biology degree at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) where she made the most out of every learning opportunity UNB had to offer. During her time in Fredericton, she became passionate about supporting children with complex care needs and breaking down barriers for women pursuing STEM fields. Jill is currently completing her MD at Dalhousie University, continuing to remain curious in the STEM space through her interest in the intersectionality between medicine, the social determinants of health, and advocacy.

Alisha Lapointe

University Panelist

Alisha-Lynn Lapointe is a panelist at this year’s Girls STEM Up virtual conference! She was involved in GSU as a 2019 Sponsorship Chair and cannot wait to experience the conference as a panelist. Alisha is a UNB alumna and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree with honours in Biology in 2020. She is currently in her second year of studying towards a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in London, Ontario. In her spare time, Alisha can be found painting, playing soccer, hiking, and rock climbing! Alisha is very passionate about inclusivity and equality and believes that the GSU conference does a phenomenal job of promoting these values.

Shanece Wilson

University Panelist

Shanece is a UNB alumna who graduated in 2020 with a bachelor's in electrical engineering and a minor in mathematics. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Sustainable Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh where she is a recipient of the Iberdrola International Masters Scholarship. Before she started her post-graduate academic journey she worked on the automation team with JD. Irving in their Pulp & Paper Division and completed three co-op work terms with them. During her time at UNB she was an active member of the community and had the opportunity to collaborate with many incredible students who inspired and empowered her to pursue her passions.

Cathy Simpson

High School Panel Moderator

Cathy Simpson is an Atlantic Canadian IT leader who has dedicated her career to building the region's tech capacity.  Cathy is the CEO of TechImpact.  She is also the Chair of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit corporation that invests in new growth-oriented companies and applied research activities. Her current work is an extension of her role as one of the co-founders of PropelICT, Atlantic Canada’s original tech accelerator, and she continues to mentor and advise start-up entrepreneurs in the region. She is the founder of UP+GO, a social enterprise building and delivering leadership programs to high school girls, teaching job ready skills, strengthening their leadership mindset, and exposing them to incredible women in STEM and entrepreneurship. From hosting the TechTalks Podcast to nurturing future generations of women leaders, She recently received the 2022 VIVE Award for Excellence in Championing Gender Equality in the Business Category from the Government of New Brunswick.

Simal Qureshi

High School Panelist

Proudly hailing from Newfoundland, Simal first started her journey at UNB in 2015, pursuing a B.PHIL in Interdisciplinary Leadership. She has always been passionate about advocacy and community, and in her time at UNB, Simal co-founded the UNB Mental Health Association, was an Educational Proctor in Neville-Jones, and previously served as the UNBSU’s VP Advocacy. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Simal decided to stay at UNB for round two to complete a Master’s in Applied Health Services Research. Particularly passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare, Simal decided to focus her research on exploring cultural sensitivity experiences of South Asian patients accessing primary health care. This fuelled her desire to advocate for and raise awareness on systemic and intersectional issues impacting BIPOC communities in healthcare. She is now in her first year of medical school at Memorial University and is excited to share her experience of fostering relationships, working alongside others, and her journey to medical school, as well as speak on her experiences with growth and intersectionality, particularly within the community sector.

Reid Sutherland

High School Panelist

Reid is currently wrapping up two undergraduate degrees from the University of New Brunswick Fredericton campus—a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Biology and a concentration in Marine Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in English. Throughout her time at UNB, Reid has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship, the Leslie E. Bruce Memorial Scholarship, and has been inducted into the prestigious Sir Howard Douglas Scholars Society. As a member of the Girls STEM Up founding team, she has been involved with the conference as a Logistics Director, Conference Co-Chair, Bursary Program Founder, and now, as a speaker. From working in a research lab in Jamaica and snorkelling the reefs of Thailand to tagging sharks in the Florida Keys, Reid has gotten involved in research on both local and global levels that include both marine and freshwater biology. Moreover, she has been selected as one of fifty finalists for the McCall MacBain Scholarship at McGill University and currently holds the position of the first Residence Leadership Intern Program Supervisor at UNB.

Ellen Petrie

High School Panelist

Ellen Petrie is a fourth-year student at the University of New Brunswick, majoring in Interdisciplinary Leadership and minoring in Biology. During her time at UNB she came to realize the integral part self-empowerment plays in anyone’s journey towards self-actualization. As a result, she has devoted much of her time to organizations that focus on giving individuals the tools, experiences, and community to engage in self-empowerment. Examples include spreading ideas through TEDxUNB, reaching recreational milestones at Student’s Pairing to Reach Individual Needs and Goals (S.P.R.I.N.G.), and embracing new experiences through UNB Student Union Orientation. 

Girls STEM Up is such an exciting opportunity to further empower individuals, women specifically, to pursue their interests and tap into their curiosity! Ellen is excited to be a part of such a wonderful conference!