Meet Dr. Carolyn Preston: A mother of three young children, Projects Manager with the CANMET Energy Technology Centre (CETC) in Devon, Alberta, and a busy woman. As one of the first candidates for the Management Development Assignment Program (MDAP), Carolyn is also paving the road for taking on an executive level challenge.

Launched by NRCan last year, the MDAP program is an internal development program designed to prepare high potential employees for competing in senior management positions. The program selects candidates annually, based on extensive applications received each year. As Carolyn mentions, " It's a rigorous and enlightening process to be chosen a candidate for the program. I've learned a lot about myself."

Selected candidates participate in the program for three years. Throughout the program, participants are involved with on-the-job training including work assignments; formal training such as professional coaching, departmental workshops, mentoring and management training; as well as informal learning activities.

So what is it that led Carolyn to this program? She completed her BSc in Engineering Chemistry at Queen's University in 1984 and graduated with a University Medal among the top students in her engineering class, followed by obtaining a PhD in Physical Chemistry in 1990 from the University of Toronto. After accepting an offer with NRCan in Devon upon graduation, Carolyn has been working there since.

Since her business planning days, Carolyn is re-visting her technical background now as a Research Manager at the CETC. Since March 2002, she has been managing the federal contributions to two major projects on behalf of the Government of Canada: the $42 million, 4-year International Energy Agency (IEA) Weyburn CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project which is studying geological storage of carbon dioxide during enhanced oil recovery; and the $7 million per annum Petroleum Technology Research Centre, located in Regina.

Carolyn continually remains on the go. When asked what a typical day is like, she laughs - "Is there such a thing?" Carolyn thrives in NRCan's work environment. "Everyday has new and different challenges. I get to interact with really great people and partner organizations; the work is dynamic and challenging."

So when she's not busy juggling her young children at home, managing frequent travel to meet the demands of her work, or taking courses in geology and geophysics to master the technical aspects of her new area of expertise, Carolyn is leading the way to taking on an executive level challenge.