Kam S. Leong, P.Eng., FEC

Kam Leong is a valuable asset to the York Chapter, whose 13 years of innovative leadership have led him to be a prominent advocate for the engineering profession.

An active proponent of education outreach activities, Kam developed and implemented the chapter’s high school scholarship program. Funded by money raised by the chapter, $1500 in scholarships is distributed annually, this initiative’s success led to PEO headquarters implementing a similar program for other chapters.

He was also instrumental in creating a program that pairs experienced P.Engs with fourth-year York University students for their design project, an initiative that is credited with helping York’s engineering programs achieve a successful accreditation by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board.

Kam also contributes to the chapter’s “Guest Lecturer for a Day” initiative, which enables chapter volunteers to discuss workplace issues with final-year engineering students at Ryerson University.

Key to Kam’s chapter involvement is his ability to bring about partnerships with corporate and financial institutions. This has enabled the chapter to stage high profile events that increase its recognition within the community, including licence certificate presentation ceremonies that now typically attract 200 guests. His influence also extends into the classroom through the chapter’s mathletics competition, which now includes the involvement of politicians and the media.

A chapter past chair, vice chair and secretary, Kam leverages his professional experience to mentor junior engineers in the chapter system, encouraging a steady stream of talent to support the chapter’s succession planning.

Kam’s principles are reflected in the words of Indian philosopher Mahatma Gandhi, who remarked: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”