Kristin Hanson earned her MS in Hydrogeology from SES in 1997 and is currently Vice President of Operations Environment & Geoscience at SNC-Lavalin, Inc, Toronto.
Contact: OUHanson@yahoo.ca
"My experience at OSU taught me to really embrace diversity, not just tolerate it. We were a relatively small department of students and professors of different ages, backgrounds and experiences, studying different aspects of geology, and working together as a team to support each other. I really learned how different perspectives and experiences make a team stronger."
Where has your degree taken you?
I am a leader in SNC-Lavalin’s Infrastructure Engineering business, serving as Vice President of Operations for the Environment & Geoscience group in Ontario. I am also helping to wrap up the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit project in Toronto, one of the largest P3 projects in Canada, having served as a technical specialist and advisor in Hydrogeology and Environment for the last several years.
I have technical training and experience as a hydrogeologist, specializing in managing contaminated sites. Over the last 25 years, I have made a positive impact by motivating groups of people to achieve business objectives. I have excelled in roles serving as primary liaison with key clients, and in mentoring staff in the management of complex technical projects.
My career began in the U.S., where I worked for five years with ICF Kaiser Engineers in the Washington D.C. area, focusing primarily on commercial and military projects. Striving to expand my technical knowledge, I left ICF to pursue a Master’s Degree in Hydrogeology at Ohio State. I immigrated to Canada 20 years ago after finishing my degree. I started my career in Canada working for Duke Energy in Toronto as leader of their in-house environmental services division, focusing on commercial and nuclear energy sector projects in Ontario and New York. I later joined a small environmental specialty consultancy, working my way up to a senior manager position, and became one of the principal shareholders.
Throughout my career, I have been a leader focused on combining technical and interpersonal skills to solve problems. I am supported by my ability to “translate” complex technical concepts so they can be understood by a layperson. Working on both sides of the US-Canada border has allowed me to gain multi-sector experience, and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds.
I earned a B.Sc. in Environmental Geology from Ohio University, and an M.Sc. in Hydrogeology from The Ohio State University. I have volunteered for many years with my professional association, the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO). In 2004, I was elected to serve on the APGO council. During my terms of service I held the positions of Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, President, and Past President; serving on committees including Finance, Governance and Enforcement & Compliance. In 2013, my outstanding contributions to the profession were recognized by my peers when I was nominated to Geoscientists Canada and inducted as a Fellow. Currently, I am a Director on the Board of the APGO Education Foundation, a charitable organization with a mission to promote geoscience awareness among the public, and to fund geoscience education for future professionals.
How do you feel your experience, specifically as an SES/geology student at OSU, prepared you for your career or life in general?
My experience at OSU taught me to really embrace diversity, not just tolerate it. We were a relatively small department of students and professors of different ages, backgrounds and experiences, studying different aspects of geology, and working together as a team to support each other. I really learned how different perspectives and experiences make a team stronger. I gained confidence in myself through my experiences serving as a Teaching Assistant. The confidence the professors showed in me inspired me to reach higher. I took that confidence with me to my first job after finishing my M.Sc., and never looked back.
What is your favorite memory as a student?
So many! Grad student softball tournaments, cheering on my fellow students at the Columbus marathon, Dr. Bair playing kooky Talking Heads music to kick off his Hydrogeology course, Dr. Schwartz quizzing us on the Hydrogeologists of the Big Ten in thesis dissertations, studying case studies from “A Civil Action” – a major motion picture about Hydrogeology!
What advice do you have for current and future students?
Treat school like work. Your job is to be a student, which means you need to focus on learning everything you can from your professors, your fellow students, and everyone around you. Everyone has something interesting to teach you if you listen.