Joseph (Joe) LeClair is the Director of Corporate Finance and Administration for the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation where he is responsible for leading the organization’s finance and human resource functions. He has over 25 years of cross-functional experience in finance and information technology working within the banking, energy, mining and infrastructure sectors for North American and global organizations.
Joe is a member of the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek (formerly Sandpoint First Nation), located in Northwestern Ontario. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) and has a Master of Business Administration degree from the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.
As the Executive Director of the Ontario Water Works Association (OWWA), Michele is an advocate for sustainable water management. She leads initiatives that advance water quality, infrastructure resilience, and professional excellence across Ontario’s water sector. With over 25 years of experience in the water industry, Michele is an expert in the planning, operation, and optimization of municipal drinking water and wastewater systems. Her expertise spans projects at more than 100 water and wastewater facilities, where she has contributed to the delivery of safe, reliable water servicing for communities across Ontario.
A graduate of the University of Ottawa with a degree in Chemical Engineering, Michele began her career with the federal government and later held senior roles with XCG Consultants and Associated Engineering. In addition to her work with OWWA, she has served on the boards of the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, the Ontario Environment Industry Association, the Ontario Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure, as well as the Toronto Metropolitan University Urban Water Centre Board of Advisors.
Passionate about collaboration and knowledge sharing, Michele also hosts What You Need to H2Know, a podcast highlighting industry leaders and innovations. She is committed to empowering the members of Ontario’s water community and fostering sustainable solutions for future generations.
We get to go back and forth between water and wastewater so it’s nice to change it up, no two days are the same We do weekly sampling, test chlorine residuals in the water plants and make sure the pumps are working as required. For wastewater, daily samples are tested in our lab to ensure the equipment is functioning, the microbiological performance is abundant and that the water is good and clean before we send it out to the river.
Why you should join OCWA: There’s a family environment.
I work at a facility that treats wastewater. A typical day is doing a lab experiment that looks at the conditions of the reactors inside the plant and sees how well the processes are at treating the water and adjusting the processes so that it accommodates different flows and different wastewater influence.
Why you should join OCWA: If you want to gain experience and if you don’t know if you want to take that leap of faith, coming from someone that did it and was afraid of moving out of the big city to a rural area, which is where most OCWA facilities are, it’s worth it.
Sangeeta Chopra is a Professional Engineer with over 20 years of public/private sector experience working on municipal water and wastewater projects and programs in collaboration with municipalities, Indigenous communities, government agencies and ministries, consultants, and other industry partners. Her strong foundation in engineering design, project delivery models, innovation and community engagement has enabled her to become a “trusted adviser” in the water/wastewater industry, Sangeeta has a holistic understanding of the water services sector in Canada and internationally. Her industry-wide collaborations have focused on engaging diverse groups in the technical, social and environmental challenges associated with precious water/wastewater resources.
Eric Dorman’s impactful leadership has been characterized by people-centredness, inclusive collaboration, synergistic partnerships and relationships, and continuous innovation and improvement.
Eric has more than 20 years experience in a wide range of areas within Information Technology. He has also been a leader within the Ontario Public Service for more than 10 years and more than five years at the senior executive level.
Eric’s leadership experience includes administering accountability systems for more than $1B annually in program delivery, serving clients and collaborating with partners including municipalities, and leveraging technology for operational excellence and strategic advantage. He is adept at evaluating and prioritizing options and allocating funds, resources and technologies towards operational and strategic goals. He holds a Master of Engineering (MEng.) degree in Management of Technology and Innovation from the University of Waterloo and an honours bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
I love that I’m not in an office all the time. I get to travel around the area I get to go into different facilities.
Why you should join OCWA
Whatever you put into it, you get out of it so I really do encourage people to get into the field. There’s so much opportunity to learn so many different things so you’re never stagnant or bored.
Jeff St. Pierre has more than 20 years of experience in water and wastewater services and 16 years with OCWA. He has managed and supervised operations staff in water and wastewater services since 2000. He has led process optimization, facility evaluations, and operations management and has been a team lead for OCWA’s Emergency Response Team.
Almost everyday you come across something different. Along with providing procurement advice, suggesting procurement strategies to end users and facilitating supplier disputes, my day encompasses heavily on managing the end to end procurement process. This job gives me the ability to get the best value for money for the organization while ensuring equal opportunities for all (suppliers), in turn giving you the feeling of satisfaction and having made a meaningful impact.
Why you should join OCWA:
Here at OCWA you will get to work with well experienced people in any department. If you are looking to grow your knowledge and experience in public sector OCWA is the place to be.
I provide analysis of the energy efficiency of proposed projects and associated grant opportunities, analyze various trends within the energy sector and write various reports regarding energy conservation, renewable energy and energy storage.
Why you should join OCWA:
OCWA is a total solutions provider within the water/wastewater sector that employs over 1000 people with plenty of diversity when it comes to types of jobs. I was able to take on new positions five times without leaving the Agency over the span of 11 years, which allowed me to develop new skills and improve existing skills.
