After more than 15 years in facilities management, Michener’s Director of Facilities, Erica Tong, is not swayed when – as a woman in a male-dominated field – she sometimes gets overlooked or underestimated. Instead, she uses it to her advantage.
“I actually get a lot more out of interactions, because – right or wrong – some people feel that they need to explain more to me, which helps me get a full picture of the situations I’m dealing with,” Erica says.
Erica’s journey to this point is the far more interesting story. Her road to facilities management began after she completed a degree in animal science in the University of Alberta’s faculty of agriculture. She was set to become a veterinarian.
“I’ve always been drawn to science, and I love animals,” she says, adding that one of the more surprising things people discover about her is that she “actually knows a lot more about farming than most.”
Her plans were derailed when she discovered there were only two highly competitive vet schools in Canada, and both were located far from home. As a result, she committed to science as a lab technician.
After work in chemistry, biotechnology, microbiology and pharmaceuticals, Erica found her way to a level 3 lab with Alberta’s Ministry of Agriculture, which led to a position as Bio-Containment Level 3 Facility Manager at the University of Toronto.
“Level 3 labs are very rare in Canada, so I was uniquely qualified. Since I had already been considering making a move from Alberta, when the position opened at U of T it was perfect,” she says.
That position led to more opportunities running facilities and projects with Toronto hospitals, including UHN. Erica worked from the ground up on the development of the Krembil Discovery Tower, a world-class research centre at Toronto Western Hospital.
After 10 years of construction in research and healthcare she started at Michener, to work in a facility of higher education. “At Michener, we’re all unified behind the goal to put our students first and help them get into healthcare. It’s a great organizational goal, and something you don’t find everywhere,” Erica says.
For those women and girls considering a similar career in facilities, Erica is passing along her experience and support as a member of a Women in Facilities Facebook group, with fellow female facility managers located in the Toronto area.
While her career has followed many paths, Erica says she always relied on her gut to tell her which opportunity to pursue, and so far it has never let her down.
“It takes time and experience to really trust your gut, to be confident in your abilities and believe in yourself, but it’s an important skill to develop. It will help get you far.”