Board of Directors
The WTS Toronto Nominations Committee has selected the best balance of individuals who reflect the principles of the Board and who will work together to further advance the WTS Toronto Area Chapter. These individuals serve as the 2021 Board of Directors.
PRESIDENT
Kirsten Watson (AECOM)
Kirsten Watson joined AECOM in 2022 as Vice President of Government Relations and Transit Market Sector leader for AECOM's Canadian transportation business. In addition to her transit responsibilities, Kirsten works across all business lines to increase AECOM’s profile in Canada with its government partners and clients.
Prior to this, Kirsten was the Deputy CEO at the TTC, the third largest transit agency in North America and a multi-modal system of buses, streetcars, and subway, carrying roughly 534 million trips annually, providing 85% of the Greater Toronto Area’s transit ridership. She joined the TTC in 2000 as Director of Employee Relations and later became Senior Director of Human Resources. She gained invaluable operations and service delivery experience, through a secondment to the position of Superintendent of Bloor-Danforth Subway. In 2010, Kirsten left the TTC and joined the Ontario Ministry of Labour where she was Deputy Director of Dispute Resolution Services and later Acting Director of Dispute Resolution Services. Kirsten returned to the TTC in 2013 to service delivery. She has held the positions of Senior Manager of Wheel Trans, Head of Bus Transportation, Deputy Chief Service Officer and Chief Customer Officer.
Kirsten is a long-term member of the WTS Toronto Area Chapter including serving as the WTS Northeast Region Council representation for the Chapter. Kirsten holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor.
VICE PRESIDENT
SARAH CURRIE (TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION)
Sarah is a Project Coordinator at the TTC. She is experienced in project management and strategic communications, with 14 years of experience in the transit and transportation industry. In her professional roles, Sarah has gained a wealth of experience in successfully executing projects, developing relationships with influencers and stakeholders, managing public consultation events and guiding issues management initiatives, among others, to support the achievement of strategic objectives.
Sarah is active in the WTS Toronto Area Chapter and serving as a Board Director since and most recently as Vice-President. Sarah holds a bachelors’ degree in communications and psychology from Laurier University, a postgraduate degree in public relations from Humber College and a diploma in labour relations from the University of Western Ontario
PAST PRESIDENT
CATHY BENJAMIN-OSTRANDER (AECOM)
Cathy is the Associate Vice President – Marketing Director/Strategic Marketing Lead at AECOM, responsible for the Canada Region marketing group and coordinating/executing global and regional strategic initiatives across Canada. Prior to this role, Cathy was the Director – Major Projects where she was responsible for the strategy and management of the major projects/pursuit teams and the Transportation Marketing Director where she managed and directed the marketing team for AECOM’s transportation business line, as well as developed strategies for P3, major and strategic pursuits.
Before relocating to Toronto in 2013, Cathy was the Chair for various committees within the WTS Chicago Area Chapter, including Professional Development and Communications. In addition, she served as the WTS Northeast Region Council representative for the Toronto Area Chapter. Cathy was recently elected as the 2nd Vice President for the Toronto Railway Club and is actively involved in the Canadian Urban Transit Agency (CUTA). In her pass time, you will most likely find Cathy on the golf course. Cathy earned her Executive MBA and bachelor’s Maridegree in business from the University of Illinois.
TREASURER
Saloni shah (hdr)
SECRETARY
KATHRYN DESCHAMPS (CITY OF TORONTO)
Kathryn brings over a decade of experience in the transportation industry, with a significant portion of her career spent in diverse roles within the City of Toronto's Transportation Services. Graduating from Mohawk College with an Advanced Diploma in Transportation Engineering Technology, Kathryn has established a strong foundation in the field. Her dedication to professional development is evident through her attainment of the Certified Engineering Technologist designation with OACETT.
Throughout her tenure at the City of Toronto, Kathryn has consistently demonstrated her expertise and commitment to excellence in transportation-related projects. Her roles have encompassed various aspects of transportation management and planning, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved. In 2021, Kathryn further expanded her knowledge and skill set by completing a Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from Western University. Currently pursuing her Master's in Public Administration, she remains dedicated to advancing her qualifications and staying abreast of the latest developments in the field.
In her free time, Kathryn volunteers at WTS. She also enjoys running, rowing, and kayaking, as well as dragon boating, spinning, and yoga.
DIRECTOR
maya caron (deloitte)
Maya is a Senior Manager within Deloitte’s Risk Advisory Practice. She is a professional planner with 18 years of experience in the transportation industry, including leading the development and execution of transportation planning policy and transportation planning projects, and research and development of government policy and legislation. Maya’s professional focus is the intersection of transport and climate, including helping industries, including transit and aviation, achieve net-zero and climate objectives. She seeks to form partnerships between ministry and inter-jurisdictional stakeholders to break through barriers and develop shared solutions to difficult problems.
Maya was the programs chair for Women in Transportation (Toronto), a and has been a long time mentor in the WTS Toronto Mentorship program, and was a former Vice Chair of the Transportation Association of Canada’s (TAC) Environment Council and a member of the TAC Urban Transportation Council. Maya lives in Bloor West Village with her husband, two boys, and dog Riley.
DIRECTOR
maria doyle (metrolinx)
Maria has several years of demonstrated passion and leadership in thinking forward and teamwork throughout the lifecycle of complex transit projects. Her experience includes transportation planning, property acquisitions, project delivery and risk management in both public and private sectors.
Maria is currently the Director, Real Estate Property Management in the Development team at Metrolinx. Previously she worked as Senior Manager of Metrolinx Property Acquisitions for the SSE and YNSE projects, and she has acted in senior capacity roles on LRT and BRT planning projects. Prior to joining Metrolinx, Maria worked for the City of Toronto as a Senior Project Manager in the Transit Expansion Office, and as a Senior Transportation Planner in Transportation Planning.
Maria holds a professional degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and holds a previous undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Athabasca University. She is a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) and a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP). Maria has been a member of the WTS Toronto Area Chapter since its inception and has previously served as Chair of the Scholarship Committee and Co-chair of the Programming Committee at different times.
DIRECTOR
tara erwin (HDR)
Tara Erwin is a Vice President at HDR where she is the Transportation Manager responsible for leading the transportation market operations in Canada. For two decades she has implemented her servant style leadership to establish a people focused culture of collaboration that has produced forward thinking solutions to transportation challenges throughout the Greater Toronto Area. A longtime supporter of WTS, Tara has fulfilled the role of sponsor, mentor, presenter, and facilitator for the Toronto Area Chapter to help open industry doors and to take accountable action towards progress.
A driven mom who is the poster child for the “sandwich generation,” she passionately coaches others on how to manage a fruitful career while balancing your “life” needs and making the most of your 24hour day. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Applied Science both from the University of Waterloo.
DIRECTOR
rebecca farrugia (ghd)
Rebecca is an Engineering Manager for the Engineering Design Organization at GHD. She dedicated
Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional with over 19 years of experience who thrives in technically focused environments of engineers, designers, and technologists and contributes to a transportation and civil design community through demonstrated technical delivery excellence. She has held various roles including project manager, project director and lead engineer for a variety of bridge and culvert design and rehabilitation assignments with responsibility for assessing repair/replacement strategies, for clients including MTO, 407 Express Toll Route and many municipalities.
Rebecca is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity and involved in the broader transportation
community. She was the co-chair for the communications committee for WTS Toronto Area Chapter,
scholarship committee member and a mentor in the WTS Toronto mentorship program. Rebecca is also
the vice-chair for the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) Workforce Development Council and
Vice-President of the Scholarship Committee for the TAC Foundation.
DIRECTOR
linda mCkenzie (jacobs)
Linda McKenzie is a Manager of Projects/ People Manager/Subject Matter Expert for Transit Rail Vehicles at Jacobs, with 26 years of experience, including 16 years in Transportation and an additional 10 years as an electrical hardware design engineer. Linda has held various roles including business operations, resource management, project management, lead for both rail vehicle systems integration and design. Linda’s technical expertise specializes in electrical architecture and subsystems, including automatic and manual train controls. Her experience covers the entire lifecycle of a rail systems project, previously with the original equipment manufacturer and now as a consultant to transit agencies. She has experience carrying out activities for business case developments, procurement bids, risk management, resource/ task budgeting, project governance, requirements management/traceability, design reviews, pre-production and manufacturing, testing and commissioning and project close out. Linda has embarked on two international assignments to South Africa and China. Always seeking out her next professional/life adventure, she welcomes the opportunity to broaden her network and share her professional experiences.
DIRECTOR
Larisse nana kouadjo (egis)
DIRECTOR
katie pelly (Ellisdon)
Katie Pelly is a Construction Manager with EllisDon Civil, and is currently the Acting Design-Build Project Director on a large P3 Design-Build transportation project. She holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Queen's University, and has 17 years of construction management experience with EllisDon, having taken on a range of roles and responsibilities including leadership, design management and coordination roles on IO, Metrolinx, MTO, TTC and YRRTC projects. Katie has also led various transit P3 Design-Build pursuits, helping to manage and facilitate the direction of EllisDon’s Civil division.
As an experienced Construction Manager, with a strong background in commercial management and experience developing and implementing processes across multidisciplinary teams, Katie is responsible for cost control, subcontractor management, schedule control, client relations and change management. Katie's approach begins with gaining a strong understanding of the contractual and technical requirements and then setting the overall project goals and direction for the team. Katie’s career objectives are to continue effectively leading large teams through the design and construction of meaningful projects.
Katie has been involved in the WTS Toronto Area Chapter from the early days, and has filled the roles of Communications Co-chair, and Programs Co-chair. She is excited to join the Board to continue to support meaningful opportunities for women to create connections. She is passionate about promoting and supporting women, and she enjoys travelling with her husband and two young kids.