Interview with Tara Hargreaves, CRPA’s New President

Regular readers of the CRPA Bulletin have come to expect us to interview incoming CRPA presidents. In this issue, we are talking with Tara Hargreaves, CRPA’s new president.

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself—work, life, family life.

I am currently a radiation safety officer and biosafety officer at the University of Guelph, which is my alma mater. I joined the staff after moving to Guelph from Toronto during the pandemic. It was just time to leave the city for a quieter, but still lively, place. Prior to starting work at the University, I was with the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada (RSIC), which I’m sure many of you are aware of, having taken radiation safety courses that I taught. I still keep in close contact with RSIC—once you’re in, they never let you go.

I have a wonderful son, two dogs, three cats, and a foster cat (or nine!) from Dorset Rescue Kittens (whom I also volunteer with).

I have quite a few hobbies, the newest of which is assembling book nooks. I knit, crochet, cross stitch, do calligraphy, and even do origami. I’m always happy to chat about my hobbies, so please feel free to approach me and start a conversation about one of them, or anything else.

 

When did you join CRPA?

I joined CRPA in 2006 after getting some radiation safety experience from working at RSIC.

 

Why did you decide to run for CRPA president?

Somebody had to! Just kidding. After more than 10 years as a CRPA member, I decided it was time to become more involved. This is such a wonderful organization to be a part of, and I wanted to give back. I first ran to be a director on the board, and I was voted in the second time I ran. I learned a lot in that role, and I was able to work with and really get to know a great group of people. My term was coming to an end, and I wasn’t ready to leave the board. I was going to run to be a director again, but was encouraged by someone (you know who you are, Ali) to run for president. I was assured I could handle the role, and after a year as president-elect, here I am.

 

What do you plan to focus on during your presidency?

One of the things I’d like to focus on is growing our membership and trying to figure out how we can appeal more to students and young professionals. It would be great to have our membership represent generations and career stages more fully. This would present more opportunities for mentorship so that practical knowledge can be passed on by those established in their careers, or headed towards retirement, to those who are in the early stages of their careers.

As someone who has to take care of X-ray and laser safety, I’d like to do what I can to broaden the scope of the CRPA into these areas. CRPA does have some X-ray and laser engagement, but, as an organization, we are very nuclear focused.

I would also like to capture our collective institutional knowledge. There is a lot about the CRPA that lives only in people’s brains, and I want to make sure that we don’t lose that information.

 

If you could pick only one goal to accomplish by the end of your term as president, what would it be?

Have at least one more member in 2026 than we have in 2025. And have participation from X-ray regulators at the annual conference in Saskatoon in 2026. I know I gave two goals, but I chose things that I’m hoping will prove to be very doable.

 

Where would you like to see the association five years from now?

I would love to widen the demographics of our membership. I think it would be fantastic to have equal numbers of early-career members, members who are well established, and very experienced members who may be close to or already in retirement. This would make the association well rounded, with the vast knowledge of those with a lot of experience that can be passed along to young professionals.

 

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers, both members and non-members?

To our members, I’d like to say thank you for trusting me to lead CRPA. I take this responsibility seriously and I hope I make you proud to be a part of this fantastic organization.

To any non-members who are reading our Bulletin, join us! We are really nice people who are happy to help each other out. We have so many exciting things going on, just give us a year to show you the value of being a member.

I hope to see both members and non-members alike at our conference in Saskatoon in 2026. The 2025 conference in Hamilton was a smashing success, and the Local Organizing Committee for 2026 is working hard to put on an even better conference.

 

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See related stories:

Interview with Corie Houldsworth, CRPA’s President-Elect, June 7, 2024

Interview with Jeff Fleming, CRPA’s President-Elect, May 2023

New Board Member Interview: Meet Tara Hargreaves, October 2022

Interview with Leah Shuparski-Miller, CRPA’s President-Elect, July 2022

Interview with Diana Moscu, CRPA’s Incoming President, August 2021

Interview with Ali Shoushtarian, CRPA President-Elect, June 2020

Interview with Karen Owen-Whitred, the new director general of the Directorate of Nuclear Substances Regulation (DNSR) at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), December 2020

Successful Conference Networking – Not Just a Fairy Tale. Dave talks with Liane Koll, a recent graduate of the Loyalist College Radiation Safety program, and Valerie Phelan, who hired Liane after meeting her at the 2019 CRPA conference. January 2020.