Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire has just been appointed, by order-in-council, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Corporation de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal for a five-year mandate, thus becoming the Corporation's senior officer.

The first woman civil engineering graduate of Polytechnique in 1963, Ms. Thibodeau-DeGuire today becomes the first woman to chair the Board of the Corporation de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal.

Ms. Thibodeau-DeGuire has very extensive professional experience. After working as a professional  structural engineer at Lalonde Girouard Letendre from 1963 to 1975, she served as a consulting engineer for the firm Francis Boulva & associés from 1975 to 1982. That year, she was named Québec Delegate General  to new England, where she served until 1984 before returning to her alma  mater as Assistant to the CEO in 1985 and then, beginning in 1986, also working as Director of Public Relations for Polytechnique. Ms. Thibodeau-DeGuire had been President and Executive Director of Centraide of Greater Montréal since 1991.

Recognized for her commitment and devotion to the profession of engineer, to mutual aid and to her community, Ms. Thibodeau-DeGuire has received numerous honorary doctorates, including from Université de Montréal, Concordia University, Université du Québec à Montréal, McGill University and University of Ottawa. She is also a member of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec. In 2001, she was named a Great Montrealer by the Academy of Great Montrealers. She was awarded the Grand Prix d'excellence from the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec in 1995, and the Prix Mérite and Ordre du mérite from the Association des Diplômés de Polytechnique in 1994 and 1995 respectively. She is also a Fellow of Engineers Canada and sits on the Board of Directors of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Ms Thibodeau-DeGuire succeeds Bernard Lamarre, who chaired the Board from 2002 to 2012. Mr. Lamarre is an exceptional scientist and engineer who worked, most notably, with Lavalin inc., first as President and CEO and then as a consultant. Mr. Lamarre has always found the time to invest in the community throughout his career, both as a volunteer and as a major donor. His work and his generosity have helped, among other things, with the construction of the Lassonde buildings and the Trottier Atrium at Polytechnique.

The entire Polytechnique community salutes Mr. Lamarre's remarkable accomplishments and extends its warmest welcome to Ms. Thibodeau-DeGuire.

Also see:
Video tribute to Mr. Lamarre