Leadership Team
Academic Director | Troost ILead | emilyl.moore@utoronto.ca | Tel: 416-946-4031
Professor Emily Moore was appointed Director of Troost ILead in October, 2018 after more than twenty years in industry. Emily started her career at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada scaling up new materials and processes from the lab to manufacturing. In her 11 years at Xerox, Emily learned a great deal about leading teams and developing new products, becoming a manager and Principal Engineer. Emily then spent 10 years at Hatch, a global engineering firm serving the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors. Emily led international teams to develop new product and service offerings and to deliver major projects, first as the Director of Technology Development and then as Managing Director, Water. Emily was also the inaugural chair of Hatch’s Global Diversity and Inclusion efforts. Emily holds a Bachelor Degree in Engineering Chemistry from Queen’s University and completed a Doctorate in Physical Chemistry from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. In 2016 Emily was recognized as one of 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining and received the SCI Canada Kalev Pugi Award.
Managing Director | Troost ILead | estelle.oliva@utoronto.ca
Estelle Oliva-Fisher is a passionate leadership educator with close to 20 years of experience in higher education. Estelle first joined the team in 2010 as a Leadership Education Specialist. After 4.5 years of supporting the development of ILead, she went on to other positions within the Faculty that led large-scale initiatives that supported students’ experience and success. Estelle did her Masters degree in Adult Education and Community Development with a specialization in Organizational Learning and Change. She is passionate about fostering systems and environments that facilitate transformative learning and positive change. Estelle rejoined the ILead team in July 2022 as Managing Director, supporting the Institute’s strategic direction and operations.
Associate Director, Research | cindy.rottmann@utoronto.ca | Office: Myhal 785
Professor Cindy Rottmann brings extensive research, teaching and curriculum development experience to her work as Associate Director, Research at Troost ILead. In January 2023, she was appointed Assistant Professor, Engineering Leadership in ISTEP and has joined the teaching team for our introductory undergraduate course—TEP343 Engineering leadership. Cindy joined Troost ILead in 2012 as a staff researcher and has since taken responsibility for leading an interdisciplinary team of engineers and social scientists on research projects investigating engineering leadership in professional practice contexts, engineers’ career paths, and ethics and equity in engineering education. Findings from these projects have been integrated into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, laying the foundation for Industry-based professional development. Professor Rottmann currently serves as the Division Chair of ASEE-LEAD, the Engineering Leadership Development division of the American Society for Engineering Education.
Associate Director, Undergraduate Curriculum | Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream | patricia.sheridan@utoronto.ca | Office: MY762
Professor Sheridan is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream at ILead focusing on integrating teamwork and leadership learning into the engineering curriculum. She has previously taught leadership and teamwork courses at Northwestern University, where she is a Leadership Fellow.
Prof. Sheridan teaches teamwork and leadership in the first-year cornerstone design courses and oversees integration into the upper-year courses. She previously designed an online team-based self- and peer-assessment system that was used in multiple Canadian universities.
Prof. Sheridan holds a BASc and MASc in Mechanical Engineering, and a PhD in Engineering Leadership Education. She has previously worked on large plant-design teams in industry, and on algorithms to develop co-operative multi-agent systems in robotics.
Research & Outreach Team
Senior Research Associate | andreanw.chan@mail.utoronto.ca
Andrea brings to ILead her dubious sense of humour and over 10 years of experience with community-engaged research, primarily with social enterprises and more broadly with social economy organizations. Her previous research focuses on the structural and relational supports within organizations that promote employment outcomes and overall wellbeing of people who experience social and economic exclusion. Her current research includes situated workplace learning for engineering leadership, youth and work integration social enterprises, and social procurement. Andrea has an MA in Public Policy and Administration from Ryerson University, and a PhD in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Toronto. She is co-editor of the book, Social Purpose Enterprises: Case Studies for Social Change, published by University of Toronto Press.
Assistant Director (Acting) | Community of Practice | m.siah@utoronto.ca
Melissa Siah joins Troost ILead in the role of Assistant Director, Community of Practice. She has 14 years of expertise in business development and external relations within the post-secondary and recruitment sectors. Most recently, Melissa worked in Employer Relations at the Engineering Career Centre at the University of Toronto, stewarding collaborations for work-integrated learning between employers and PEY Co-op students. Through her background as a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and recent completion of a Master of Adult Education and Community Development degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Melissa brings an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access lens to her work. Her role at ILead will strategically mobilize the exchange of knowledge and research with industry partners.
Assistant Director | Community of Practice | On-Leave | julietta.saberian@utoronto.ca
With over a decade of experience in the post-secondary sector, Julie brings her passion for delivering transformative learner experiences to each engagement.
She is driven to build mutually beneficial University-Industry partnerships, design enriching professional skill development programming, and foster a culture of leadership in learners and industry partners alike.
Witnessing first-hand the value and innovation that University-Industry partnerships creates, she is a strong advocate for the intentional and meaningful engagement of alumni, industry partners, and other stakeholders in University programming and strategic consultation.
As the Assistant Director, Community of Practice at the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering, Julie fosters a community network of industry partners & mobilizes ILead research into professional development programming to enhance engineering leadership education and empower early career engineering professionals to meet their own intrinsic leadership potential.
Program Coordinator for Business Development & External Partnerships | norris.ma@utoronto.ca
Norris Ma is the Program Coordinator for Business Development & External Partnerships. In this role, Norris is instrumental in driving ISTEP’s growth by conducting market analysis, developing strategic marketing plans, fostering key partnerships, and advising working professionals who engage in our programming. He also promotes our programs and identifies new collaboration opportunities.
Norris brings over a decade of experience in the social enterprise sector, specializing in business development and partnership building within the non-profit space. Notably, as the former Director of CNIB SmartLife, he successfully launched Canada’s largest social enterprise serving the blind and low-vision community, leading strategic rebranding and go-to-market efforts.
A mission-driven and naturally curious individual, Norris is passionate about engagement and balance. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring good food and maintaining his well-being through swimming.
Programming Team
Leadership Education Specialist | On-Leave | vivian.trumblay@utoronto.ca
Vivian holds a MA in Child Study and Education from OISE and has a decade of experience in program design, curriculum development, community building, and youth engagement. At ILead, she supports highly-engaged student leaders to participate in programming designed to deepen their leadership learning. Before joining the ILead team, she led the development and delivery of community-based programs and services for children, youth and families across Canada. In her spare time, Vivian enjoys traveling to new places, trying new recipes, reading a good book, and spending time outdoors.
Experiential Learning Specialist | jennifer.galley@utoronto.ca
Jennifer is an Experiential Learning Specialist at the Troost Institute for Leadership Education. For over a decade, Jennifer has been supporting University students to develop their leadership capacity and gain a sense of belonging on campus. With experience working in the non-profit area coupled with dynamic roles in co-curricular engagement and student development, she strives to inspire students to be engaged in meaningful ways and identify as a “leader”. With a Master’s degree in Adult Education & Community Development from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, she is committed to evolving her facilitation through critical reflection, transformative learning pedagogy and strength-based approaches. She believes that everyone has unique talents and through humble curiosity and empathetic inquiry people can learn to lean into these strengths.
Leadership Education Specialist | munaam.naveed@utoronto.ca
Munaam has a strong passion for supporting and purposefully engaging students, collaborating on creative projects, and finding ways to serve the community. At ILead, Munaam supports students in their holistic growth by overseeing co-curricular programming aimed to expand their leadership skills and learning.
Munaam holds a Masters in Education in Student Development and Student Services in Higher Education from OISE and has over six years of experience as a leader of student staff teams at both the UTM and St. George campuses, where she focused on the professional and personal development of students. Her experience spans across a number of functional areas including: mentorship, residence life, orientation, leadership development, co-curricular instructional design, career education, and CCR administration. In all her roles, Munaam ensures to integrate equity and inclusiveness, while supporting students in better understanding and expressing the intersectional aspects of their identities.
Outside of work, Munaam enjoys spending time by the water, watching movies with family and friends, reading, and photography.
Communications & Operations Team
Communications Officer | mason.subotich@utoronto.ca
Mason joined the ILead team in January 2024 as the Communications Officer to help ILead programming reach as many people as possible. He completed his undergraduate degree in Professional Communications at Toronto Metropolitan University, and blends this with his passion for STEM to inform his unique approach. Previously, Mason worked in BioZone within Chemical Engineering as a Science Communication Assistant. He is passionate about science communication, storytelling, and is constantly working towards fostering new skills.
Departmental Assistant | istep.admin@utoronto.ca
Shana is originally from New York City with an educational background in Early Childhood Education. Prior to joining ISTEP, Shana worked as a hospital administrator at Women’s College Hospital, Princess Margaret and Sick Kids, where she supported multiple physicians and researchers. In her spare time, Shana volunteers with Heritage Toronto on walking tours and likes to create macramé designs.
Academic Team
Assistant Professor | a.olechowski@utoronto.ca | Office: MY764
Professor Olechowski is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (ILead) and the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering. She completed her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) studying the tools, models and decisions that teams of engineers use during complex industry projects. She has observed first-hand the importance of leadership skills in designing and delivering innovative new products. Prof. Olechowski completed her BSc (Engineering) at Queen’s University and her MS at MIT, both in Mechanical Engineering.
Instructor, TEP445 | michele.mcgillivray@utoronto.ca
Professor Emeritus | doug.reeve@utoronto.ca
Professor Reeve was the founding Director of the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (Troost ILead) at the University of Toronto serving from 2010 to 2018). In 2002 he established Leaders of Tomorrow, a student leadership development program in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, which led to the establishment of Troost ILead. Before returning to the University, Dr. Reeve worked with industry for 15 years, as a consultant and president of a small consulting firm, frequently on international assignments. He has created and led professional development short courses on over 50 occasions reaching over 5000 attendees. His contributions to the profession and to research have been recognized by numerous awards. He is Professor Emeritus in the University of Toronto’s Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and served as Department Chair between 2001–2011.
Instructor, TEP1029HF | danny.cushing@utoronto.ca
Danny Cushing is an executive coach and leadership instructor with over 10 years experience in coaching and teaching leadership development courses to senior global managers from a diverse range of business and non-business sectors across all professional functional areas. Danny’s teaching and coaching has focused on developing the emotional and social intelligence of managers so that they can be more effective in leading high-performing cross-cultural teams. Danny is the past Director of Leadership Development, Executive MBA Programs at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He has taught leadership and management courses in the Omnium Global EMBA and in the Toronto-based EMBA program at the Rotman School. Danny is currently Senior Executive Coach and Talent Manager at Executive Core, a U.S. global talent management firm. Danny holds a BA from Trent University and he is a graduate of the Executive MBA Program at the Rotman School.
Instructor, TEP1030 | mark@careercycles.com
Mark Franklin (M.Ed,P.Eng) leads the team at CareerCycles, a career management social enterprise that has helped 5000+ people manage their careers for the future. He co-founded narrative tools start-up, OneLifeTools, through which he co-authored the Who You Are Matters! game and Online Storyteller platform. Mark teaches career management at University of Toronto and received the Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Development. Mark consulted with hundreds of organizations in his earlier industrial engineering career. Changing careers, he earned a Masters in counseling psychology and led student services initiatives in two of Canada’s largest universities. Always seeking ways to unlock the power of storytelling, Mark hosts the Career Buzz podcast and radio show showcasing inspiring career stories. His career insights have appeared in Globe and Mail, National Post, CBC and CTV.
Associate Professor, Engineering Communications Program | r.irish@utoronto.ca
Robert Irish was the founder of the Engineering Communication Program at University of Toronto. He directed the program from 1995-2008. During his time at U of T, he has taught in every department of Engineering. Currently, he teaches TEP322 Language and Power, first-year Design and Communication and Engineering and Society in Engineering Science. His recent work explores the intersection of Worldview, Ethics and Engineering. He is the author of two textbooks: Engineering Communication: from Principles to Practice (Oxford, co-authored with Peter Eliot Weiss), and Writing in Engineering: A Brief Guide (Oxford, 2016).
Instructor | robin.sacks@utoronto.ca
Dr. Robin Sacks joined ILead to develop curricular and co-curricular leadership education for the Faculty. She received a Masters Degree in Applied Cognitive Science and her PhD in Human Development and Applied Psychology from U of T’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Robin’s interest in leadership education grew from her own experiences as a young student leader on campus. She is the founder of Peace by PEACE Canada—a student-run not-for-profit organization that teaches conflict resolution, self esteem, and community building skills to primary school students. Robin teaches engineering leadership courses at the undergraduate (TEP442, TEP444) and graduate (TEP1010, TEP1026) level.
Instructor, TEP343 | samina.hashmi@utoronto.ca
Samina joined Troost ILead in 2020 to teach TEP 343 – Engineering Leadership, and in 2024 received the inaugural ISTEP Teaching Award for her impact on the evolution of the course design and student learning experience.
She is an engineer, turned executive leadership coach and consultant in the arena of culture transformation. Before founding Drop Ocean Consulting, she held senior leadership positions in the private and not-for-profit sectors, in a career spanning over 15 years.
Samina believes that these transformational times are calling upon each of us to step into our fullest leadership potential. Drawing from the fields of developmental psychology, complexity theory, adult learning, mindfulness, somatics, and interpersonal neurobiology, she skillfully supports individuals and teams.
She holds a Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvard University’s Derek BOK Center for Teaching and Learning. Samina is an Associate Coach with the International Coaching Federation, a certified LEED® Green Associate, and serves on the Advisory Board of Presence-Based® Coaching. She is also certified to administer a number of leadership assessments, including the best-in-class Leadership Circle Profile® 360 Assessment and the team-based Collective Leadership Assessment. She was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network and is a recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award.
Instructor, TEP1501 | pete.devenyi@utoronto.ca
Pete Devenyi spent his 40-year engineering career working in software and technology development in the fields of networking, telecommunications, and logistics. He held senior executive positions at large global companies like RIM (BlackBerry) and Dematic. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Pete is the author of two books, Decoding Your STEM Career, published in 2022, and The Warehouse Revolution, published in 2024, both by Business Expert Press. Currently, he consults in the field of Warehouse Automation and Logistics and teaches engineering leadership at the University of Toronto.