Ms. Lillian D. Beltaos, President

Lillian D. Beltaos holds a BSc. (Mathematics with Distinction) from the University of Alberta and an MLS from the University of Western Ontario (Western University). She spent many years in Senior Administration and IT Management in various Canadian higher education institutions. In addition to NTHSA’s leadership, Lillian is the leader of Nikola Tesla Team Canada. She has directed and produced two films with this Team: Nikola Tesla Tales Across Canada (2020) and Tesla Tales Across Time (2021). In 2019, she approached the Mayor of Edmonton, and recommended that July 10th be proclaimed as Nikola Tesla Day. This recommendation was accepted and July 10th 2019 was proclaimed to be Nikola Tesla Day.  Lillian conceptualized and implemented many ‘World's Firsts’. Among these were the First International Virtual Chess Championship under the auspices of the World Chess Federation (FIDE); a pioneer multi-media project, Classic Images, in partnership with NeXT; and Alexandria II, a virtual Library project demonstrated during the G7 Summit in Halifax. Lillian is a former Research Fellow and a Board Member of the Telecom Applications Research Alliance in Halifax. Lillian was also a convener and a co-organizer of a Banff International Research Centre (BIRS) Workshop held on March 16-18, 2018 on Women in Mathematics, called Putting Women into the Equation. This workshop highlighted known and not so well-known women mathematicians who had made a significant contribution to the field. In 2015 Lillian was a nominee for a Canadian Every Day Political Citizen for her extensive community work. She is also an invited life member of Beta Phi Mu International Library and Information Science Honor Society. One of Lillian’s recent interests is looking through history to identify and recognize individuals, such as Nikola Tesla, for their contributions to our modern world.

Lydia grew up in Winnipeg where she obtained a B.A. from the University of Manitoba, majoring in Anthropology. After moving to Edmonton, she graduated with a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Alberta. Her early career included being the Northern Region Supervisor for the Alberta Human Rights Commission shortly after its inception under Premier Lougheed, where she oversaw investigations and case preparations for Public Boards of Inquiry. She also had a lengthy career with the City of Edmonton where she was a Senior Negotiator in Labour Relations, bargaining on behalf of the employer and similarly preparing materials for submission to Labor Arbitration Boards. She later went on to become the Manager of Labour Relations for Alberta with Telus. Happily retired after some thirty years in the workforce, she enjoys numerous hobbies, especially gardening, and has been a member of the Edmonton Horticultural Society for many years. She is a frequent contributor to the Hervey Foundation Newsletter, a long-time member of the YMCA and an ardent supporter of theatre and arts. She was the 2019 recipient of the Neighbourhood Spirit Award for generous support and outstanding contribution to the Oakhills Community League.

Robert is a man of many talents. He was in store management, most notably at Kresge’s in Saskatchewan and Red Deer, and is also a journeyman baker who worked at both the Hollandia Bakery in Northern Alberta and Adrian’s Bakery in Edmonton for over a decade.  In 2003 he was diagnosed with Baker’s Lung, and was subsequently retrained by the WCB as an accountant. He then worked for Ducks Unlimited, TIC Canada, Ganotec West, and Kiewit Corporation (Peter Kiewit and Sons).  During the tax season, Robert is a Tax Preparer for Alberta Efile, specializing in personal income taxes. Beyond his training as a baker and accountant, he holds a pastoral degree from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta. When not working, Robert’s hobbies include cooking, reading, golfing and woodworking. 

Dr. Beltaos holds a number of degrees in higher education including a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Mathematics) from Dalhousie University, Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta Specializing in Physics, Master of Science (Physics) from the University of Alberta with research in Silicon Nano Crystals, and a PHD from the University of Alberta in Physics. Her area of research is in graphene and nanotechnology. She also has a Certificate in Renewable Energy and Conservation from Lakeland College. She has taught at a number of Canadian universities and is currently an Academic Coordinator in Applied Mathematics at Athabasca University. Angela has been a member of the Nikola Tesla Historical Society since the beginning. An artist at heart, in her spare time Angela loves to sculpt, draw, dance and write music – bass guitar being her favorite instrument. As an athlete, she loves to play tennis, bike and cross-country ski.

Milos hails from the city of Krusevac in central Serbia. In 1995, he immigrated to Edmonton with his immediate family. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Alberta, plus several wealth management certifications from the Canadian Securities Institute. Milos has also successfully completed exams for both the Society of Actuaries and the CFA Institute. He has held a variety of roles in sales, finance and data analysis, and has the present pleasure of working as a marketing analyst for Lehigh Cement, Canada Region. His hobbies include programming, leather crafting, traveling and frequent over-indulging in Wikipedia articles. His infatuation with all things Tesla has been decades in the making.

Ryan is a Professional Engineer, and a Principal at Cardinal Engineering Ltd., which is a fire protection engineering firm based in Vancouver. He is professionally licensed in British Columbia and Alberta. He is also a Director at Valdor Technology International Inc, a fiber optics components company specializing in the design, manufacture and sale of passive fiber optic components, including some that use Valdor proprietary and patented technologies. Ryan’s hobbies include traveling, hiking and painting.

Marko grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, and is currently a Grade 12 student at Strathcona High School. He was originally one of NTHSA’s Youth Members before being appointed to the Board. Recently, he was accepted into the University of Alberta’s Qualifying 1^st Year Engineering Program, and plans to attend in the Fall of 2021. His hobbies include astronomy, astrophysics, computer science, and mathematics.

Djordje grew up in Belgrade, Serbia, where he obtained his Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering (1984) and Master of Science Degree (1990) from the University of Belgrade.  Since 1984 he has worked on many different projects, resulting in strong international engineering experience.  His early career included being a Boiler Design Engineer, Team Leader, and Project Engineer with several companies in Belgrade, in  boiler design and leading equipment delivery projects for power plants. He moved to Canada in 1996 and began working for ABSA, Alberta’s Regulatory Authority, in pressure equipment discipline. As a Design Survey Engineer, he worked on design reviews and registrations, becoming the Design Survey Manager in 2007 and leading ABSA’s Design Survey Department. Since 2014, Djordje has been the Assistant Chief Inspector and the Manager, Codes and Standards, overseeing specific ABSA projects.  He participates in and contributes as a member to numerous ASME and CSA code committees, as well as chairing the CSA B51 Technical Subcommittee on Pressure Vessels and the CSA B51 Technical Subcommittee on Modernization.  Djordje has published six papers related to boiler safety and boiler efficiency. He is a Professional Engineer in the Province of Alberta and the recipient of the CSA 2019 Award of Merit.

Karolina Ugljesic grew up in the former Yugoslavia where she obtained her Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Economics in Osijek in 1989. In 1994 she moved to Canada where she obtained her Chartered Insurance Professional and Fellowship designations. She is currently an instructor for the Insurance Institute of Canada, teaching several courses since 2015.

 Karolina is working towards an M.B.A. degree at the Heriot-Watt School of Business in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Since 2008, she has been employed with the Alberta Government, first as an insurance regulator for 12 years and presently as policy analyst with the Department of Energy. 

 In her spare time Karolina likes reading books, writing, acting, playing accordion and traveling. She has also participated in several NTHSA  events, most recently appearing as a speaker at the 2023 Pi-Day science lecture series to present the Science Byte which is one of the regular features of the program.

Amenda Chow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at York University in Toronto.  She obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Waterloo in 2014.   Her Bachelor's and Master’s degrees were completed at the University of Alberta in 2006 and 2008, respectively.  All the aforementioned degrees were in Applied Mathematics. Her research and teaching interests are in mathematics education and dynamical systems.  She is active with the York Chapter of the Canadian Mathematics Kangaroo Contest, which has reached 45 Canadian cities since 2001, and is a member of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group. Currently, she is developing an experimental and innovative concept employing ‘math space’ for teaching, learning and research at York University: https://amchow.info.yorku.ca/experimental-math-space/

Dr. Chow is a geneticist/immunologist with experience in the management of preclinical drug development programs in a pharmaceutical setting, specializing in in vivo murine models of various human diseases. 

She holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from the University of Alberta.  Her postdoctoral training at Canadian Blood Services and the University of Manitoba was focused in the field of immune-mediated diseases.  Leola also has experience as a lab manager in both academic and industry research environments.  Currently, she is a lab and scientific project manager at Renaissance BioScience Corp. located in Vancouver, BC.   Her interests include skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking, traveling, and gardening. 

Velijko is an Electrical Engineer with extensive experience managing high voltage power in Belgrade, Serbia. He has also worked extensively in Romania. At present, he is a technical advisor for a weekly TV program, TV KCN1 Polarotor on current issues in IT.