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Innovator, collaborator
and community builder
LEAVING HIS MARK ON THE CITY
JEFF DIBATTISTA’S resumé boasts an
impressive collection of building and
infrastructure projects, accumulated
over a 20+ year professional engineering
career. But he is perhaps most proud of
the people he’s been able to work with
and learn from, as well as those whose
lives have been positively impacted by the
projects he’s led.
As the 2025 recipient of the Consulting
Engineers of Alberta’s Lieutenant
Governor’s Award for Distinguished
Achievement, he recognizes a few key
themes that emerged throughout his
career, including collaboration, giving
back to your community and making the
most of opportunities as they arise.
“One of my core beliefs is that you
should make big plans and then go do
them,” he says.
That’s exactly what DiBattista did in
1993 after graduating from the University
of Waterloo’s civil engineering program.
He and his wife Traci packed up their
lives and moved across the country to
Edmonton for a planned two-year stay
while he completed a master’s degree in
structural engineering.
“Neither of us had been to Edmonton
before, and this was before the internet
so we just thought we’d go on an
adventure,” he says.
But before long, that plan for adventure
evolved into something even bigger. After
completing his master’s, DiBattista went
on to complete his PhD at the University
of Alberta, where he met many future
colleagues and collaborators.
One of those was Jim Montgomery of
DIALOG. The two would go on to work
together, with DiBattista joining DIALOG
and working on some of Edmonton’s
biggest infrastructure projects.
The University of Alberta campus
served as a backdrop for many important
moments in DiBattista’s life. And although
he didn’t know it when he was a graduate
student, he would one day leave his own
mark on the buildings and classrooms
where he spent long hours studying.
Many of the most memorable projects
from DiBattista’s career were connected
to the University of Alberta. He beams
with pride when discussing the design
and building process for the Edmonton
Clinic Health Academy and the Kaye
Edmonton Clinic. Although both projects
came with their own challenges, the final
results more than made up for it.
“They were big projects — very
stressful and intense with a lot of
demands,” he says. “But it feels really
good to know that both of those buildings
are serving the health care faculties at
the U of A as well as patients.”
Those aren’t the only buildings at the
University of Alberta DiBattista had a
hand in shaping. He also served as the
structural engineering project manager
for the Markin/CNRL Natural Resources
Engineering Facility — a building where
he would have spent his academic career.
“One of my core beliefs is
that you should make big
plans and then go do them.”
Jeff DiBattista
/ shot at Confederation Lounge at Fairmont Hotel MacDonald
PHOTO COOPER & O'HARA “Not only was I designing a building
for my faculty at my alma mater, but it
was actually my department. All of my
professors from my master’s degree and
from my PhD were moving their offices
into that building. So let’s just say I was
feeling a little bit of pressure to do a
really great job,” he laughs.
But perhaps no other project holds
a place in DiBattista’s heart like
Edmonton’s 100th Street Funicular. The
project bridged a number of different
professional practices, including
structural engineering, landscape
architecture and transportation design.
The idea of collaboration with the
different specialties piqued DiBattista’s
interest from the start.
“That project embraces a lot of what
I believe in terms of collaboration,”
he says. “Is it a structural engineering
project? Or is it an architecture project
or a transportation project? Well,
it’s got a funicular and a bridge and
walking paths. It’s a very integrated
project and it’s really just meant to
make lives better for people,” he says.
The project was the first of its kind in
the city, connecting the downtown core
with the city’s verdant river valley. Its
completion changed river valley access
for Edmontonians, opening up new
opportunities to enjoy natural spaces.
“When it opened at the end of
2018, we had people saying they had
never been able to get into the river
valley before on their own because
of mobility challenges, and now they
could do it,” he says. “To provide that
kind of access felt really special.”
In addition to working on these
major infrastructure projects,
DiBattista has also spent much of his
career giving back to the engineering
profession, serving terms on both the
board of the Consulting Engineers
of Alberta (including as president in
2010-2011) and on The Association
of Professional Engineers and
Geoscientists of Alberta’s Council. He
has also remained closely connected to
the University of Alberta, most recently
by leading the school’s Civil Industry
Advisory Board. The group bridges
industry and academia, providing
feedback and guidance to the school,
so that the university can enhance
its programming and better prepare
students for life after graduation.
In a way, the group symbolizes the
kinds of collaboration that DiBattista
sees as integral to any project’s success.
“Many great opportunities are
brought about by bringing together
people with different experiences,
perspectives and expertise,” he says.
“It’s about collaborating to get
things done that we couldn’t do on our
own, and really trying to make sure
that we’re providing the best possible
service to society.”
— LISA CATTERALL
CONSULTING ENGINEERS OF ALBERTA
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