Past-Presidents

APEGA has existed for more than 100 years, and for every year of its existence, there has been a president of Council to uphold the pillars that APEGA stands for: integrity, accountability, innovation, and service. Through the decades of change and growth, the men and women listed below led APEGA’s Council.

They have worked across the globe, from Mississippi to Venezuela, but all settled their talents here in Alberta. Each came from different walks of life, from serving in the Second World War, to teaching aeronautics, to instigating first-time overseas ventures. This incredible group of outstanding people made their mark on the world and helped make APEGA what it is today.

2006: D.B. (David) Chalcroft, P.Eng., FEC, FCAE, FCSSE, FGC (Hon.)

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David Chalcroft obtained his B.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Manitoba. After completing a number of international projects, he and his family settled in St. Albert, Alta., in 1972.

Chalcroft enjoyed a 37-year career with UMA Engineering Ltd., during which he managed teams that tackled major engineering challenges such as Syncrude’s water supply system, Edmonton’s light rapid transit tunnels, and the Dickson and Oldman River dams. He was UMA’s vice-president responsible for operations in southern Alberta during the 1990s. In 2002, Chalcroft retired from UMA.

Chalcroft became active in APEGGA affairs in 1990. He served on the Strategic Planning Committee, the Act, Regulations, and Bylaws Committee, the Practice Review Board, the Insurance Review Task Force, and the Inclusivity Consultation Group, and as a member of council. Chalcroft was instrumental in resolving the long-standing differences between APEGGA and the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta. He helped the associations reach an agreement that was ratified by members of both associations and passed into law by the provincial legislature. The result was a new one act, two associations regulatory model for engineering and geoscience in Alberta.

Chalcroft was also involved with the consulting engineering industry’s provincial and national associations, with nine years on the board of the Consulting Engineers of Alberta (CEA) and five years on the board of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada. During this time, he helped establish Alberta’s Transportation Infrastructure Career Development Program and the CEA Showcase Awards. In 2002, he was instrumental in establishing the Canadian chapter of Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief (RedR Canada).

For his outstanding contributions to the association and the professions, Chalcroft won several awards, including the APEGGA L.C. Charlesworth Professional Service Summit Award (2002), the Alberta Centennial Medal (2005), the CEA’s Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Distinguished Achievement (2009), and the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) Beaubien Award (2010). He was awarded an APEGGA honorary life membership in 2007.

He was also named a fellow of Engineers Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Society of Senior Engineers, and an honorary fellow of Geoscientists Canada. Chalcroft passed away in 2025.