Women in Project Management

Women in Project Management:

In an era where gender equality is more prominent, we still witness a huge gap between the number of women occupying leadership and managerial positions compared to the counterpart, particularly in the male-denominated area of Project Management.  

Women tend to face a glass ceiling when it comes to promotions, salary increases, and opportunities in the workplace.

Although many rationalizations can be argued to account for the difference in numbers, such as the majority of the industries that involve project management are typically male-denominated i.e. construction and engineering, we now know that PM has expanded to other industries such as Health Care, Finance, IT, and Government. Regardless, the numbers still do not do justice.

This is the reason why we have created a women’s community within PMINAC to have a platform to learn, engage, connect and support one another in hope of potentially moving the needle, or at least contribute our part in helping to break that glass ceiling.

Who we are:

We are a community that is intentionally created to support & amplify the voices of women & women in the Project Management area focusing in Northern Alberta.

Our purpose is to connect and empower our PM peers through networking, mentorship, and collaboration in order to promote and improve the Project Management industry through education, certification, events and partnerships with other organizations.

We are looking for volunteers, partners, and speakers to help plan and support the next few events that we are lining up for the year.

If you are interested, please contact director_wip@pminac.com

Katherine Deypalubos, CIM, FCSI, PMP
Director Women in Projects 
director_wip@pminac.com

Katherine Deypalubos earned her B.Comm degree at the John Molson School of Business, Major in Management Information Systems. A firm believer of ongoing education, she acquired the advanced Finance Industry designation of Chartered Investment Manager and received the highest honor in Canadian Financial Services, Fellow of CSI.
The passion for managing projects was sparked when Katherine held a youth ministry while leading various workplace initiatives at RBC Direct Investing. In 2013, she obtained her PMP certification and now uses this extra knowledge from the versatile discipline to plan for the next stages in her client’s life. Katherine currently runs the Deypalubos Wealth Management Group of RBC Dominion Securities. In 2018, she was awarded the prestigious Royal Performance Convention Award that represents the top 1% employees of RBC, as she continuously achieved the status of President’s Club.
A huge advocate of diversity and inclusion for women, Katherine envisions WIPM to be a pillar for PMINAC. She also sits on the board as the Fundraising Chair on the Women’s Health Coalition of Alberta and serves as an Area Director with Toastmasters International. Katherine is foodie at heart, loves to travel and explore the hidden gems in any city or town.

Priscilla Eisner, MEng, PEng LEED AP BD+C
Operation Manager
Operations_wipm@pminac.com

"After graduating from the University of Sherbrooke, Qc, with a Bachelor degree in applied science specialized in mechanical engineering and from the Ecole Polytechnique Feminine, France, with a Master degree in structural engineering, Priscilla Eisner started her engineering career in Quebec before moving to Alberta and becoming a well-rounded Project Manager.
Her involvement in a distinct range of projects ranging from LRT stations to office and industrial buildings enabled her to develop acute management, problem solving, and critical thinking skills that allowed her to adapt and thrive in any environment while consistently leading her team and projects to success. Her management style, combining rigorous methodology with an agile and flexible mindset, allows her to foster innovation through team and stakeholder engagement to deliver outstanding projects.
A strong believer in addressing both current and future challenges facing our society, she advocates for a culture of excellence. Believing in the value of a diversified workforce at all organizational levels, Priscilla sees an opportunity in WIPM to make a difference and empower women in project management and in other roles.
Always curious, Priscilla enjoys travelling, reading, and enjoying her garden during the summer.

Amanda Wowk
Communications and Marketing
communications_wipm@pminac.com

Amanda Wowk is an International Baccalaureate graduate and current fourth year business degree student majoring in management at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

She is an international business case competitor who has represented NAIT at three invitational competitions including Alberta Deans, Alberta International Business Competition as well as the Georgetown University Business Strategy Competition located in Washington D.C.
 
She has guest lectured Introduction into Management classes multiple times speaking on business strategy and case methodology in addition to appearing as a guest judge for Project Management courses. Amanda previously co-taught Business Diversity and Inclusion for Junior Achievement alongside a highly esteemed professor.

Her professional experience includes having interned for Enbridge as a project coordinator in their Network Services department. She has been actively involved in PMINAC and is grateful to have been awarded their scholarship for emerging professionals in 2019.

In her personal life Amanda enjoys endurance sports and spending time outside.

Gail Breum
Technology Manager
tech_wipm@pminac.com

Gail is a project professional with more than 20 years of experience leading projects and initiatives that include software development, process improvement, service consolidation, training and IT infrastructure.   She is currently a senior project manager at the University of Alberta, focusing on the development and implementation of technologies that will enhance the student and staff experience. 
Gail’s path to project management was not planned, but it evolved from an initial recognition that even small team initiatives could benefit from a structured approach.  Her interest in project management grew as she took courses and applied those skills and her career path was set.

Gail is passionate about delivering quality solutions within budget and on time, and she is willing to be creative in both project planning and delivery in order to be successful.  Gail embraces her role in providing opportunities for team members to demonstrate and to grow their skills, and she works to create a positive environment where individuals can thrive. 
When she’s not managing projects, or making lists, Gail can often be found reading from any number of cookbooks, and occasionally even trying out the recipes. 
Gail holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta, and is a PMI certified project management professional (PMP).

Tammy Oliver-Snook, B. Comm, CAPM
Strategic Relations

Tammy Oliver-Snook, B. Comm., CAPM, was born and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, where she studied at Memorial University for a Bachelor of Commerce and a minor in Economics. Upon completion of her academics, Tammy received the Chevron Canada Ltd. Term Scholarship in Business, Earth Sciences, Economics, and Engineering. In her young career, she has worked in a variety of industries including banking, oil and gas, security, marketing and event planning. She currently resides in the Northwest Territories. However, due to the benefits of the internet, she can connect globally, enabling her to be a part of PMINAC, WIPM Group and PMINAC Women’s Advisory Board.  

Recently transitioning in her career to the healthcare industry as a Project Manager and Registration Coordinator, Tammy spearheads organizational project operations. She enjoys communicating with others and problem-solving by taking a big-picture perspective without losing sight of the detail. Tammy has always been passionate about inclusion and women empowerment. During her time as Miss Newfoundland and Labrador, she had a goal to encourage women of all age groups and backgrounds to be themselves, unapologetically.  While Tammy is always eager to learn something new and get involved, you can also find her on the hiking trails with her Australian Shepherd, catching up on her "to-read" shelf, and seeking out local coffee shops in search of the perfect salted caramel macchiato.

As Strategic Relations representative for WIPM, if you are interested in collaborating with WIPM on a sponsorship and/or partnership basis, feel free to contact Tammy at relations_wipm@pminac.com