meet Our Team
Meet Chelsea Burdon, P.Eng. – Founder & Principal Geotechnical Engineer at Elevate Civil Engineering Services Ltd.
Chelsea Burdon, P.Eng., is the Principal Geotechnical Engineer and founder of Elevate Civil Engineering Services Ltd., established in 2023. With over 12 years of experience, Chelsea has become a trusted expert in geotechnical engineering, focusing on sectors such as infrastructure, mining, and pipelines across Western Canada. Her career reflects a commitment to safety, environmental integrity, and ethical engineering, influenced by her Mi'kmaq heritage rooted in Nova Scotia, and a background in earth and environmental studies from Dalhousie University, where she earned a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering in 2014. Her focus on Dam Safety and Climate Change comes from her sacred obligation as a protector of the land, and her obligation as an engineer to protect society.
Chelsea has overcome many personal challenges related to disabilities, which has led her to consult for various organizations on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). She advocates for vulnerable communities and people living with invisible disabilities. She has held significant roles with the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) and now holds multiple positions in the Canadian Dam Association (CDA).
Chelsea’s technical skills are complemented by her proficiency in advanced geotechnical software, including migrating her previous company from gINT to OpenGround. She remains focused on ethical geotechnics and large-scale solutions that ensure the safety of the environment and the public.
These unique experiences have led her to partner with organizations that share similar visions of innovation.
Meet Nora Nivens – Advisor, Inclusion & Collaboration at Elevate Civil Engineering Services Ltd.
Nora Nivens is Elevate’s Advisor of Inclusion & Collaboration, bringing deep experience in equity-centered leadership, cross-sector consulting, and systems change. With Mi’kmaq ancestry and a personal journey shaped by resilience and transformation, Nora offers a powerful and necessary perspective on identity, healing, and inclusive leadership in technical spaces.
As Founder of Mindful Metrics and Co-Founder of Restored Canada, Nora has led numerous initiatives focused on creating honest, human-centered cultures in both corporate and mission-driven organizations. Her expertise lies in surfacing unseen dynamics, supporting executive clarity, and building operational frameworks where belonging and accountability are lived values, not just stated goals.
With over a decade of experience spanning mental health, education, and strategic advising, Nora is also a mother of five—a lived reality that fuels her understanding of accessible leadership, care-based systems, and the importance of flexibility in today’s work environments. She blends empathy with strategy, helping teams move from intention to measurable impact.
At Elevate, Nora supports the integration of inclusive practices across internal operations, leadership development, and external community relationships. Her ability to move between vision and implementation strengthens our capacity to build safe, ethical, and people-first engineering systems.
Her addition to the team is not just a hire—it reflects our values. Elevate is committed to truth over optics, and real-world change over performative progress. With Nora’s insight and leadership, we’re even more equipped to advance EDI within engineering and the communities we serve.
Meet Amr Adeblaal – Research Assistant & Student engineer at Elevate Civil Engineering LTD.
Currently pursuing his PhD in Civil Engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke, Amr Adeblaal’s research focuses on earthquake-induced liquefaction and its impact on pile performance. His work has already made waves—presented at GeoMontreal 2024 and published in Transportation Infrastructure Geotechnology, with two peer-reviewed studies on pile behavior in layered soils.
As a soon-to-be registered E.I.T. and Research Assistant, Amr supports Elevates leadership across all facets of our work. His blend of field experience, academic insight, and people-first leadership aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver safe, ethical, and technically sound engineering solutions.
With over 13 years of geotechnical engineering experience across Egypt, Oman, and Canada, Amr brings a wealth of international expertise and a passion for innovation to our growing team. Amr is also a passionate advocate for mental health. He hosts the podcast Sekt Suffer, which has reached over 76,000 downloads, and serves as Vice-President of Student Affairs for Sherbrookes Graduate Engineering Council. Fluent in Arabic and English—and currently learning French—Amr exemplifies the spirit of a global engineer.
Meet GABBIE SUMNER– BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MARKETING & STAFFING MANAGER
Gabbie Sumner is Elevate Engineering’s Business Development, Marketing & Staffing Manager, bringing a powerful blend of strategic insight, relationship-building, and entrepreneurial drive to the team. With a strong foundation in B2B business development, staffing, executive support, and marketing, Gabbie has spent her career helping organizations grow through authentic client engagement and tailored solutions.
Gabbie began her journey at Elevate as an Executive Assistant, where she quickly demonstrated her leadership potential and deep understanding of operational dynamics. Her role evolved as she took on increasing responsibility in staffing, outreach, and strategic growth initiatives. Her experience spans territory management, consultative sales, account leadership, and staffing operations across Alberta, where she has consistently exceeded revenue targets and built lasting partnerships.
Prior to joining Elevate, Gabbie led sales efforts in the staffing and fintech sectors and launched her own business, giving her a hands-on understanding of what it takes to build trust and deliver value.
At Elevate, Gabbie leads outreach, staffing, and marketing initiatives that reflect the company’s commitment to ethical engineering, inclusive practice, and community-centered growth. She collaborates closely with technical teams to align services with client needs, supports proposal development, and ensures Elevate’s message resonates across industries and communities.
Gabbie’s approach is grounded in integrity, curiosity, and care—qualities that make her a trusted connector and advocate for Elevate’s mission. Her work strengthens our ability to build meaningful relationships and deliver solutions that matter.