Women’s Council Café: Women in Trades

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Event date: March 24, 2021
Showtime: 4:30pm - 6:00pm
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Being a woman in construction can be tough but being a tradeswoman in construction can be even tougher. So what does it mean to be tough, and how does one navigate situations? Talking with Angela Cacase, founder of MoveOverBob.com and Owner of A.Marie Design&Build LLC; and Kahla Lichti, Electrician by day and published comic book writer by night; and Sandra Brynjolfson, Assistant Business Manager for IBEW Local 213, past Coordinator at the BC Centre for Women in The Trades (BCCWITT), a journey electrician for over 20 years, and a mentor to other tradeswomen, you just know the stories will be rich, real and packed with humor.

Tune in on March 24 at 4:30pm and be inspired by the stories of these three highly experienced ladies from the trades world and hear how they found their career paths, diversified their skills, and continue to thrive in our industry today.

The panel discussion will be followed by an online networking event where you will be able to Mix ‘n Mingle as you wish. HAVAN’s new online platform provides an organic, fun way to connect. You’ll want to stick around!

Who Should Attend

Open to everyone interested in supporting women learning, growing and thriving in the construction industry.

Event Agenda
Speakers

Panel Moderator

  • Sean Tobin, TCA Electric

    Sean has over 20 years as an electrical contractor and has experience in residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Sean’s journey began in Ireland, where he completed his electrical apprenticeship, however, on holiday to Canada in 2003 to visit family, he fell in love with the lifestyle and scenery that British Columbia had to offer. He returned to Ireland to complete his apprenticeship and in 2006, returned to Canada, and settled in North Vancouver.

    After working as an electrician for several years in the lower mainland, in 2009, Sean established TCA Electric, which has become one of the top electrical contracting companies in greater Vancouver. When Sean isn’t leading and supporting his TCA Team, he can be found camping, fishing and enjoying the great outdoors with his wife and two dogs.

Women in Trades Panel Guests

  • Angela Cacase, Founder Move Over Bob, and owner of A.Marie Design&Build LLC

    Angela Cacace has spent the last fourteen years tackling male-dominated trades work. She is the creator of Move Over Bob LLC, an ongoing project to empower women in construction and trades careers. What began in 2017 as an Instagram page and popularized hashtag has more recently launched as an online publication, www.moveoverbob.com, that works with bonafide trailblazers to create a place of discovery for women in every part of their journey within their construction and trades careers. In addition to her work and commitment to Move Over Bob, Angela operates her own remodel, design, and custom carpentry business out of North Carolina, A. Marie Design Build LLC, (www.amariedesignbuild.com) where she works with homeowners to create one of a kind spaces of their dreams.

    Originally from Guam, Angela spent most of her life in the Washington D.C. area where her love for skilled trades began as a classically trained barber. It was in 2013, with the purchase of her first home in NC, that she began her pursuit into her construction career and her mission to find and thank women who have paved the way before her.

  • Kahla Lichti, Electrician

    Kahla has been working as an electrician in BC since 2010, unless you count when she did a work trade on an off grid communal farm in rural Manitoba, where she got her feet wet working on solar and wind power, in which case you would say since 2009.  Fast forward to 2021 and Kahla is currently holding a permanent position as a maintenance electrician for the Department Of National Defence on the Esquimalt Navy base, Victoria BC.  She volunteers with her local union executives PSAC UNDE1016 as Treasurer, as well as on the PSAC Vancouver Island Regional Women’s Committee as Treasurer.  She has recently taken on the role at work as the Defence Women’s Advisory Committee Civilian Co-Chair, and looks forward to planning networking events for Canadian Armed Forces and civilian women, with the first event being hosting the March 8th, 2021 International Women’s Day speaker zoom event.  Kahla dabbles in art and has found comedy as her preferred medium, expressed through drawing single-panel comics, themed for construction worker experiences, Shop Talk Trade Comics.  She also hosts a blog (online zine) called secretlifeofanapprenticeellectricia.ca where you can find her writing on a host of topics related to working as a female in the trades.  She hopes to continue her stand-up comedy pursuit as a future hobby.

  • Sandra Brynjolfson, Assistant Business Manager for IBEW Local 213

    Assistant Business Manager for IBEW Local 213, past Coordinator at the BC Centre for Women in The Trades (BCCWITT), a journey electrician for over 20 years, and a mentor to other tradeswomen, Sandra is passionate about breaking down cultural barriers – specifically, the barriers that have prevented women and other underrepresented groups from entering, excelling at, and ultimately enjoying a rewarding career in the trades. As an active volunteer, she has lead groups of tradeswomen in renovation projects at women’s shelters and is a member of the board of directors for the IBEW Electrical Joint Training Committee.

    Brynjolfson walks the talk. She provides leadership, mentorship, collaboration, and action on countless initiatives, from speaking engagements to political advocacy.

    “All those barriers that we have faced and that we are still facing, I want to see those disappear,” says Brynjolfson. “I want to see respectful workplaces and equal opportunity in the workplace.”

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