Focus and Fortitude Attains Desired Objectives

As Grade 9 student attending Yorkton Regional High School, Nancy Inglis was already planning her career path. Her math and science skills were steering her toward the fields of either medicine or engineering.  Research and guidance from mentors helped her make her decision – civil engineering studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

Raised on a farm near Saltcoats, SK, Inglis she had a strong Scottish work ethic and a can-do attitude. Male or female, the Inglis siblings shared the work load. There was no differentiating between what girls could do and what boys could do when it came to farming.  If you faced a challenge, you found a way to overcome it successfully.  And she did.

Her career choice however was another story. “My family believed I should pursue education, not engineering.   They were concerned about my acceptance in a male dominated career, especially after The Montreal Massacre of 14 female engineering students on the École Polytechnique campus.”  Inglis didn’t back down and her family eventually accepted that she had chosen the right path.

Inglis came face to face with the “glass ceiling” the 1st day of her 1st job.  “I had been hired, without the knowledge of the principal.  When he saw me sitting at a desk, he was very upset and loudly voiced his disapproval to the recruiter.  It was a defining moment of either sink or swim, I decided to fight for my right to be there and within a short timeframe, he acknowledged my capabilities and accepted my contributions.”  She had passed the test.

Inglis has worked in both the public and private sector.  She thrives on new challenges and brings her “can do attitude” to every situation.  She accepted a position in the public sector that employed 200 employees.  She bridged the communication issues by moving into an office in their building, and together they created an exceptional team, accomplishing their objectives.

"Working in the road construction sector, experience and knowledge sharing was beneficial for both engineer and contractor. We had a new appreciation of each other’s project challenges.

”By 2011, she made the decision to start her own consulting engineering firm appropriately named Iron Dragonfly Consulting Ltd.  Missing the team work approach to projects, in 2015 she joined the Associated Engineering  team as Senior Project Manager, Transportation.

Civil engineering was definitely the right fit for Inglis.  Her contributions are visible across the province, from commercial structures to highways, power plants and dams to wind turbines. When she takes her three sons on a Saskatchewan road trip, she can introduce them to her visible contributions to society.