Society Secretary-Treasurer Michelle Johnston participated as speaker in the November 7 Electricity Human Resources Canada Agents of Change conference at Calgary's Mount Royal University.
On her panel, entitled Views from the Top, Johnston spoke about her experience as a young woman breaking into the forestry industry and later the electricity industry.
EHRC published a recap of Johnston's comments on their LinkedIn page:
Michelle Johnston was one of our amazing speakers at hashtag#AgentsofChange 2018 who openly shared her story...
Michelle candidly shared her experience as a young woman entering the forestry industry in 1984.
Not only was she excluded by her male counterparts, she experienced the type of work place harassment that no individual - man or women - should have to endure.
When we consider the isolation and discrimination she endured in that role, we can acknowledge the progress we've made to date. Michelle prevailed in her summer forestry job as one of only two women, and stood up for herself when her rights were threatened.
One key theme at Agents of Change was the importance of calling out bias - unconscious or conscious - when you see it.
There's still a long way to go. Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights, Michelle.
