On May 9 2009, Catherine Karakatsanis, M.E.Sc., P.Eng., assumed office as the 90th President of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). She is the fourth woman to be elected president of the association.
This is a volunteer role for Catherine. She continues to be Senior Vice President of Morrison Hershfield’s Buildings and Facilities Division and a member of our Board of Directors. The Division provides multidisciplinary engineering expertise and sustainability services to the commercial, institutional, residential, industrial, and public sectors.
As a practicing engineer, Catherine cares deeply about the profession and its obligation to the public. In addition to her diversified career, she has actively volunteered within the engineering community for almost two decades. Catherine has served on numerous PEO and Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) committees; on the board of OSPE for five years and as OSPE president and chair. She also currently serves on the board of the Foundation for Education, and the UWO Faculty of Engineering Advisory Committee.
Professional Engineers Ontario administers the Professional Engineers Act by licensing Ontario’s 71,500 professional engineers, granting temporary, limited and provisional licences to practise professional engineering, and authorizing businesses to provide engineering services to the public. It sets standards for and regulates engineering in Ontario to protect and serve the public interest.