Jun 3 2010 @ 16:03

Our co-CEOs are awarded honorary Queen’s doctorate degrees

On Tuesday June 1, George Roter and Parker Mitchell, co-CEOs of Engineers Without Borders were awarded honorary Doctorate of Science degrees from Queen’s university in recognition of their leadership in Canada’s not-for-profit sector.

Watch EWB’s co-CEOs speak at Queen’s now: here

In 2000, as recent university graduates, Roter and Mitchell sat down in a coffee shop in and drew out a business plan to start an organization that would reduce global poverty. Since then, engineers Without Borders has sent over 500 volunteers overseas to address some of today’s most complex challenges using the pragmatic problem solving capacity of the Canadian engineering profession.

Read the full address here

George and Parker were honored to have the opportunity to share their story with the Queen’s engineering graduates, noting that it’s the dedication of an entire organization that has brought them to this point.

“We’re up here today it’s because of countless leaders across Engineers Without Borders. From the very first person who stepped on board in the year 2000, to the most recent member who’s joined a chapter across the country.”

George Roter & Parker Mitchell, Co-founders and Co-CEO's of Engineers Without Borders Canada, accept honourary doctorates from Queen's University.

This is a particularly exciting honor for George and Parker, who as engineers themselves have long believed that their profession has unmatched potential address global issues such as poverty. They are thrilled to have one of Canada’s premier engineering schools recognize their commitment to development.

“As engineers, let’s discover what it’s like to lead serving society, let’s discover what it’s like to lead around issues that are of greatest importance.”

Watch the video now: here

Congratulations to George and Parker for this exciting recognition of EWB's work over the last 10 years.