Organizational Chart
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President and Chief Executive Officer, and Director
Derrick Cheung
Prior to his appointment as DCC’s President and CEO, Derrick has held high-level positions with large publicly-traded, private and public complex organizations. With expertise in the defence (infrastructure, equipment, materiel, environment and real property), transportation (air, rail, marine, road and public transportation), infrastructure (roads, bridges, and public works), real estate and energy industries, he has demonstrated proficiency in realizing strategic outcomes, optimizing performance, maximizing productivity and championing operational excellence. Derrick is a Chartered Director (C.Dir.) and holds master’s degrees in Laws (International Business), Business Administration, and Arts (Leading Innovation and Change). He is also a Board Member of Canadian Water Network and former Advisory Committee member of the University of Waterloo’s Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics.
Director, Communications
Stephanie Ryan, B.A. (Hons), ABC
Following a 12-year private sector career in marketing communications, Stephanie joined DCC in 2002. Prior to DCC, she spent three years with a national magazine publishing firm and nine years with a life sciences business. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from the University of Ottawa, the designation of Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) and is an accredited TESL Ontario Language Instructor.
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Alison Lawford, LL.B., LL.M.
Alison joined DCC in the summer of 2008 after having worked a number of years at Export Development Canada as the Compliance Officer and as part of the Corporate Secretariat. She is a lawyer and also has a Master of laws degree from the University of Ottawa. At DCC, Alison is responsible for all Corporate Secretariat matters including corporate governance and legal affairs.
Vice-President, Operations—Business Management
Grant Sayers, C.E.T.
Grant joined DCC in 2003 as a contract coordinator in Suffield, Alberta. He moved to Comox, B.C., in 2008 as Operations Manager and expanded the team to respond to growth in the Client-Partner’s capital programs. In 2011, Grant took on the dual role at the Western Regional Office in Edmonton of Regional Service Line Leader for real property as well as Operations Manager responsible for delivering services to the Land Forces Western Area Engineering Branch. Prior to being promoted to Vice-President in 2022, Grant was regional director of both the Quebec and Western regions. He is a Certified Engineering Technologist with a mechanical background.
Regional Director, Atlantic
George Theoharopoulos, P.Eng.
Since joining DCC in 2004, George has held a variety of positions including Manager, Environmental Services and Manager, Business Operations in the Atlantic Region. He received his Bachelor of Engineering degree from the Technical University of Nova Scotia. Following graduation, he worked for more than 14 years in both the public and private sectors including the oil and gas sector in Alberta and the environmental and real property sectors throughout Canada and the United States. George was promoted to the position of Regional Director for the Atlantic Region in 2011.
Regional Director, Ontario
Marcy Burton, BSc
After graduating from Queen’s University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science (Mechanical Engineering) degree, Marcy joined DCC’s CFB Borden office as a contract coordinator. Since then, she has held various positions, including Site Manager in Toronto and Kingston, and at the Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. Marcy was appointed Regional Service Line Leader, Construction Services, for Ontario in 2011 and Regional Operations Manager in 2015, and was promoted to the position of Regional Director in 2022.
Regional Director, Western
Victoria Neary, BA
Victoria was promoted to the role of Regional Director, Western Region, in 2022. She joined DCC in 2005 as an environmental project coordinator in Shilo, Manitoba, following a career in environmental consulting. Victoria was promoted to the position of Site Manager in Shilo, and in 2009 moved to Edmonton to assume the role of Assistant Manager, Business Operations, Western Region. She became Regional Operations Manager for Western Region in 2012. Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Winnipeg.
Regional Director, Quebec
Marco Palmieri, ing., MBA, PMP
Prior to joining DCC as the Regional Director in Quebec, Marco had a 20-year career in the transportation sector managing the engineering and project management requirements for complex infrastructure projects. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) degree from Concordia University and a Master of Business Administration from Université du Québec à Montréal. A professional engineer, Marco earned his Project Management Professional designation and most recently was responsible for the planning and implementation of a major transportation procurement process.
Regional Director, National Capital
Elizabeth Mah, P.Eng., GSC, PMP
Elizabeth joined DCC in 1998 following her graduation from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science (Civil Engineering). Subsequent to roles at both DCC Edmonton and Esquimalt site offices, she transferred to Ottawa in 2011. Elizabeth was promoted to Regional Director for the National Capital Region in November 2015. She is currently a board member of the Real Property Institute of Canada and sits on the steering committee for the Women's Infrastructure Network (Ottawa Chapter). She holds a Project Management Professional certificate and a Canadian Construction Association Gold Seal Certified designation.
Regional Director, Pacific
Danny Gruner, BSc, MBA
Prior to joining DCC’s Wainwright, Alberta, office in 2010, Danny worked in the forestry and oil and gas industries. She moved to Edmonton in 2011 and subsequently became Assistant Regional Business Manager. From 2015 to 2018, Danny filled the dual roles of Regional Service Line Leader, Real Property Management Services, and Manager, Real Property Operations Support. She was appointed to lead DCC’s new Pacific Region in 2022. Danny holds a Bachelor of Science (Agroecology) degree from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alberta.
Vice-President, Operations—Service Delivery
Kevin Horgan, P.Eng
Kevin joined DCC in October 2023 following a 35-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces. His extensive leadership experience in defence infrastructure and environmental projects includes serving overseas in Germany, Haiti and Afghanistan, and in Canada in such positions as Commander Real Property Operations Group, Chief Military Engineer, and Chief of Staff to the Assistant Deputy Minister Infrastructure and Environment. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of New Brunswick and a Masters of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College. He retired from the military at the rank of Major-General.
National Director, Real Property Management Services
Heather Tesselaar, MBA, P.Eng., PMP
After 11 years as an engineering officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, Heather joined DCC in 2009. She has since worked across the country—from Gagetown, New Brunswick, to Wainwright, Alberta, as well as at the Atlantic Regional Office and Head Office—and in most DCC service lines. Heather holds a Bachelor of Science (Chemical and Materials Engineering) degree from the Royal Military College, a Master of Business Administration (with Distinction) from Heriot-Watt University, as well as the Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional designations. She was appointed National Director, Real Property Management Services, in 2022.
Director, Information Technology
Navpreet Uppal, B.Eng., CRISC, CISM, CGEIT
Navpreet joined DCC in 2005 following an eight-year career in the private sector. She began as an application developer and transitioned into the role of business analyst. In 2016, Navpreet was promoted to Manager, Application Support, leading the applications team supporting the enterprise resource planning and business intelligence applications. In 2019, she was appointed Director, Information Technology (IT). Navpreet holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) degree from Punjabi University, Punjab, India. She also holds certificates in enterprise IT governance, risk and information systems control and information security management from ISACA, an international professional association focused on IT governance.
National Director, Project and Program Management Services
Charles Fuller, B.A.Sc., PMP, PgMP
Charles joined DCC in 2008 as a program support officer in Ottawa. He was promoted a year later to Team Leader, Program Management in support of Canadian Army infrastructure. In 2017, he assumed the role of site manager for the Ottawa Site, followed by an appointment as Regional Service Line Leader for Project and Program Management Services for the National Capital Region. Charles was a member of the Canadian Army Reserve as an infantry soldier for 17 years and holds a degree in Industrial Systems Engineering from the University of Regina. He attained his designations as a Project Management Professional and Program Management Professional. Charles was promoted to National Director, Project and Program Management Services in 2020.
Vice-President, Operations—Procurement
Nicolas Forget, M.Sc
Nicolas joined DCC in 2001 as Coordinator, Environmental Services, in the Quebec Regional Office. He moved to Ottawa three years later to, among other things, support various projects across the Arctic. With Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Université de Montréal and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Technician Level 1 certification, Nicolas also developed DCC’s UXO practice area. Returning to the Quebec Region in 2008, he served as Operations Manager and led the region’s Project and Program Management Services and Real Property Management Services service lines. Nicolas became Quebec Regional Director in 2017, a position he held until 2022. After exploring opportunities in the private sector, Nicolas returned to DCC in December 2023 to take up his current role.
National Director, Contract Management
Dave Burley, GSC
Dave joined DCC in 2002 as a Contract Coordinator at CFB Kingston, Ontario. In 2004, he was promoted to Manager, Site Operations, subsequently followed by positions as Area Manager and Manager, Construction Services for the Ontario Region. In 2012, Dave transferred to Ottawa where he was appointed as National Director for Contract Management. He is currently a member of the federal prompt payment working group to improve payment practices throughout the construction industry, and an owner representative on the Canadian Construction Document Committee. Dave is a Civil Engineering Technologist and holds a Canadian Construction Association Gold Seal Certified designation.
National Director, Contract Services
Mélanie Pouliot, P.Eng.
Mélanie began her career in the private sector as an engineer. She joined DCC in 2007 as a Contract Coordinator for the National Capital Region in Ottawa. In 2009, she was promoted to Team Leader, Contract Services where she led a team responsible for procurement plans for DND's capital infrastructure program. Mélanie subsequently transferred to Head Office as Technical Specialist, Procurement where she was focussed in delivering public-private partnerships. She was promoted to National Director, Contract Services in 2017. Mélanie holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Science, Chemical Engineering from the University of Ottawa and is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario.
Vice‑President, Finance and Human Resources, and Chief Financial Officer
Marie‑Josée Lacombe, CPA
Marie‑Josée is an accomplished business leader with more than 25 years’ experience with several federal Crown corporations, including 10 years in executive management. She joined DCC in 2022 following her position as Vice‑President, Finance and Infrastructure and Chief Financial Officer for the Canadian Museum of History. Marie‑Josée has also worked at the National Gallery of Canada, holding the position of Chief, Finance for five years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting sciences from the Université du Québec en Outaouais and holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.
Director, Finance
Marlies Paulhus, CPA, CGA
Marlies began her career with DCC in 2007 as an Accountant. She was promoted to Manager, Finance, in 2013 and then Controller in 2020. During her nearly three years in the latter role, Marlies oversaw the preparation of all DCC’s external financial reports and led the accounting operations team. Marlies was appointed Director, Finance, in January 2023. She holds an honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carleton University. She earned her Certified Public Accountant designation in 2002.
Director, Human Resources
Kimberly Morgan, CHRL
Kimberly joined DCC in 2011 following a 25-year career in the private sector in the financial services, healthcare and professional services industries. Prior to taking on the role of Director, Human Resources in 2020, she worked as advisor and manager of compensation and benefits. Kimberly earned her certificate in Human Resources Management from Fanshawe College in London, Ontario and holds a Certified Human Resources Leader designation from the Human Resources Professionals Association.