According to Kate Butler, CHE, path has been anything but a straight line, beginning her career as a registered Professional Engineer, drawn to solving complex problems in practical ways. Early in her career she worked in consulting and then for a municipality, then she stepped away from the workforce to raise her family and returned with a clearer sense of what mattered to her: doing work with purpose. She discovered a real passion for energy management and sustainability with Efficiency NB in 2009. From there, she moved into healthcare, first as an Energy Manager and later as Executive Director with Service New Brunswick Health Services. Recently, her role has expanded to include Clinical Engineering operations, bringing together environmental sustainability and the management of critical healthcare technologies that support patient care.
Through her career, her greatest accomplishment has been helping connect environmental sustainability with patient care in a way that people can see, understand, and act on. Building trust, capacity, and shared ownership so that people across the system feel they are part of the change is what means the most to her. She is proudest of her work in creating conditions for others to succeed, as well as her work to advance energy management and climate change initiatives in healthcare and to help build a culture where these efforts are not seen as separate from care. Although her career did not begin in healthcare, once she made the switch, she felt passion and it felt deeply meaningful. In healthcare facilities, every decision about buildings, systems, and infrastructure affects real people, which resonates with her.
One lesson she’s learned is that careers do not have to follow a perfect or traditional path to be meaningful. Some of the experiences that once made her feel insecure about her career, taking time away to raise her family, returning later, and growing into leadership in her own way, have become some of her greatest strengths. One quote posted on her dorm room bulletin board has stayed with her: “Give yourself a chance: the most unfortunate thing that can happen is not giving yourself the opportunity to try.” She has learned that when you stay true to your values, give yourself that chance, and surround yourself with people who support growth, you can make a real difference.
Kate joined the College because it offered a unique opportunity for both professional development and genuine connection. Her local chapter matters to her because it creates a space where health leaders can connect, learn from one another, and support each other in a very real and practical way. Her involvement as Chair and now Past Chair of the New Brunswick Chapter has given her the opportunity to give back and has been a meaningful way for her to contribute and support that sense of community. This passion and commitment to others are a large part of why she has been named recipient of the 2026 Chapter Award for Distinguished Service recipient for the New Brunswick Chapter.
