Harmel awarded for leadership
Cindy Harmel of Northwest Community College received the Technology Leadership Award in October.
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Updated: November 04, 2009 9:48 AM
There was a Kitimat winner at the 10th Annual Northern BC Today’s Woman Awards, given out in Prince George last month.
Cindy Harmel of Northwest Community College received the Technology Leadership Award sponsored by Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC.
The award recognizes a woman who has demonstrated outstanding performance in her career and provided leadership by serving as a role model while promoting careers in technology.
Harmel, born and raised in Kitimat, said she was surprised to win the award, especially since she was nominated a few short days before the gala.
“I want to encourage more women to go into non-traditional careers such as trades,” she told the Sentinel. “It’s worth the journey.”
Harmel graduated from BCIT, Operations Management Technology. Soon after, she took the 4th Class power engineering course and worked as a casual shift engineer at Kitimat General Hospital, which eventually lead to a full-time position.
The majority of her working career was then spent at the old Kitimat hospital.
“The people and the ambience of the pink elephant are my fondest memories,” she says.
“I also enjoyed the challenges of being part of the new health centre construction and relocation and not to mention - all the humour along the way that keeps one sane.”
In 1995, she advanced her ticket to a 3rd Class and qualified for the vacant chief engineer’s position.
This profession is very rare for women in BC - at that time there were only three known female chief engineers in the province.
In 2003, she decided to expand her horizons and was the successful applicant for the manager of facilities and maintenance position at Northwest Community College.
“Working here has further expanded my learning curve immensely,” she said. “Now, instead of just one facility to maintain, there are 10.”
In April of 2007 she was promoted to director of facilities and maintenance, looking after the maintenance and facilities for nine campuses spread over a 300 mile radius.
Again, this field is not very common for women, but Harmel now sees more female facilities people than she did in 1995.
She has also mentored and trained others in her field, starting a training program for 4th Class engineers in the old Kitimat General Hospital, giving people the firing time needed to get that designation.
The nomination described Harmel as having “a positive attitude, hard working and always looking to help others. She is always taking a leadership role in helping youth.”
Harmel says the support of her longtime partner Glen Kaldenhoven and four children, Lans, Thomas, Josephine and Gianna has helped shape her into the woman she is today.
She also pointed to her brother Tony, as the reason she got into power engineering initially.
Her father Leon’s famous phrase: “You are the master of your own destiny. There’s no such thing as can’t,” have rung true for Harmel many times throughout her career, she said.
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