On October 29, 2020, Dillon Consulting Limited’s Julie DiCicco, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. was awarded the Allen D. Williams Scholarship, presented annually to a young professional employed by an ACEC member firm who demonstrates a commitment to the consulting engineering industry in their province or territory.
Julie believes that engineers and consultants have an obligation to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to their clients, placing capacity building at the forefront of those solutions. A strong advocate for shared learning, she utilizes creative and collaborative approaches to solve today’s complex problems and provide long-term benefits to the client and their community.
A 2013 graduate of the Environmental Engineering program at Dalhousie University, Julie went on to complete a Master’s degree in Applied Science though Dalhousie’s Department of Civil and Water Resource Engineering in 2015. Upon graduating, she accepted a position at the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, an Indigenous not-for-profit organization, assisting with the procurement of funding and project assistance for housing and water and wastewater projects within First Nations communities. During her time at the Secretariat, Julie developed an understanding of Indigenous communities by working directly with Chiefs and Councils, Band Managers as well as water and wastewater operators in First Nations communities across Atlantic Canada.
In 2016, Julie accepted a position at Dillon Consulting Limited as an Environmental Engineer where she led the firm’s first communitywide climate change vulnerability assessment for an Indigenous community and Dillon’s first use of the PIEVC Protocol, a protocol that projects the probability and severity of future climate changes using historical data. Her ability to manage and coordinate large scale projects under various technical disciplines for both municipal and Indigenous clients quickly propelled her into a senior level role, and in March 2020 she assumed the position of National Client Segment Manager (CSM) for Indigenous Communities.
One of Julie’s passions it to guide others in achieving their professional goals. Her desire to lead and helps others has advanced her to a leading role within Dillon’s Early Career Development Program (ECD) which motivates young professionals and offers unique learning and development opportunities. Julie’s commitment to helping others is further demonstrated by her volunteer work with the firm’s Partners Assisting Local Schools (PALS) program. Outside of Dillon, Julie is a registered member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the Atlantic Canada Water and Wastewater Association (ACWWA). Since 2018 she has also served as Magazine Chair for their Go with the Flow quarterly publication. Her passion for helping others understand climate change has also led her to become involved with the Advisory Committee of the Building Regional Adaptation Capacity and Expertise (BRACE) program as a representative for Dillion and ACEC-NB. The BRACE program, administered by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), works to help increase adaptation and climate change education through workshops, training, and internships.
Julie’s dedication to the consulting engineering profession and her community, as well as her passion for climate change solutions and her work in Indigenous communities are the reasons why Julie was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Allen D. Williams Scholarship.
The scholarship commemorates Allen D. Williams, past ACEC Chair and founder of Williams Engineering Inc. It provides the winner with funding to cover registration, airfare and accommodations to attend the annual conference of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).
Read Julie’s entry essay.
The Scholarship Award is bestowed to a young professional who has demonstrated leadership qualities in their involvement with or contributions to the advancement of the consulting engineering industry.
2024 Allen D. Williams Scholarship winner, Rahim Ahmad, P.Eng.
2022 Allen D. Williams Scholarship Co-Winner - Lindsay Bolton
2022 Allen D. Williams Scholarship Co-Winner, Siobhan Robinson
