Vasilj Petrovic has been chair, past chair or vice chair of the Kingsway Chapter for the past 18 consecutive years, providing valuable leadership and demonstrating an exceptional commitment to the profession.

As chair from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2010 to 2012, Vasilj lead the initiative to host at least one major event each month and, as a result, directed one of the most active chapters in the province.

His challenge to executive members to find engaging topics has resulted in some unique chapter events, including an annual summer social, a presentation on  reconstruction in Iraq by an Iraqi-Canadian engineer and seminars on climate change, as well as more conventional engineering subjects relating to manufacturing, transportation and professional development.

To increase exposure of the profession beyond his chapter, Vasilj built cooperation and collaboration among neighbouring Toronto-area chapters to stage larger, joint initiatives, such as licence certificate presentations and seminars.

An active proponent of education outreach activities, Vasilj was instrumental in the chapter’s development of scholarships for deserving high school students who plan on studying engineering in university.

Perhaps his crowning achievement was organizing the play Tesla: An Evening with Genius. Celebrating the engineering achievements of Nikola Tesla, the event attracted hundreds of people over three sold-out performances. Vasilj’s efforts to promote the famous inventor also included contributing an article to Engineering Dimensions, initiating a lecture in conjunction with PEO and IEEE Toronto, and helping to establish a memorial statue in Niagara Falls. His efforts have earned Vasilj the affectionate nickname “Mr. Tesla”.

 “During my time volunteering for PEO, I have truly enjoyed the work I have done and the friendships I have made with colleagues from diverse engineering backgrounds,” says Vasilj. “As a leader in my chapter, I am always amazed by how a volunteer-driven organization is able to complete an incredible amount of important work while having fun at the same time.”