APEGM Leadership Award
In recognition of the outstanding leadership and scientific knowledge applied to her profession of Transportation Engineering and her vision for the benefit of all women The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba was pleased to present Dr. Jeannette Montufar, P.Eng., with the Leadership Award at a gala event held at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg on October 24, 2014.
Montufar, (Civil Engineering) studied at the University of Manitoba and obtained her B.Sc in Civil Engineering in 1994. Subsequently she completed her M.Sc and Ph.D (both in Transportation Engineering) in 1997 and 2002 respectively.
Montufar is now a full Professor of Civil Engineering at the U of M and also a Founding Partner of MORR Transportation Consulting Ltd., a transportation consulting firm specializing in commercial vehicle operations, freight transportation, traffic engineering, vulnerable road user accommodation, traffic information systems and road safety. As an exemplary academic and sought after consultant, Dr. Montufar has worked in Canada, the U.S., and Latin America on both research projects and consulting assignments dealing with a range of transportation engineering topics. She has also been the primary researcher and author of studies and projects for Transport Canada, Environment Canada, the U.S. DOT Federal Highway Administration, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, and the City of Winnipeg.
An active member of numerous professional organizations Dr. Montufar is the immediate Past President of the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers (CITE) — an integral part of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) which consists of over 18,000 transportation professionals in more than 90 countries. She is immediate past Chair (and the only woman ever appointed to this position) of the U.S. Transportation Research Board (TRB) Truck Size and Weight Committee, and one of two Canadian representatives on the 26-member Board of Directors of the International Forum for Road Transport Technology (IFRTT).
Dr. Montufar has received numerous national and international awards that recognize her contributions to the profession and the community. In 2004 she was the first Manitoba Engineer to receive the Young Engineer Achievement Award from Engineers Canada; and in 2012, she was awarded the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Leadership and Management. Dr. Montufar is also a writer and philanthropist. Her first book “20 Love Poems and Some Random Thoughts” was published in May 2013.
She relentlessly promotes science and engineering to women in all levels of education and has spent considerable efforts leading the Hummingbird Education Fund that she established to give underprivileged women an opportunity for a post-secondary education in engineering, natural sciences, health sciences, medicine or law. The hope is the Fund will represent an opportunity to obtain a better education and a new tomorrow for those facing tremendous barriers in the community.