Ken Coburn

Ken Coburn, ’79 BSc(MechEng)

Priority Programs Committee Co-Chair
Faculty of Engineering Representative

Eighteen years after his birth at the University of Alberta Hospital, Ken returned to campus to pursue a Mechanical Engineering degree.  Upon graduating, he and many of his classmates moved to Calgary, to follow careers in the oil and gas industry during the boom of the late ‘70s.  He enjoyed a decade working in various engineering roles, progressing to lead multidisciplinary teams of professionals executing acquisitions and divestitures.

In 2016, Ken was invited to join the lecture series working group of the Alumni Association’s Calgary Chapter, where he helps plan and host many of the Association’s Calgary events.  A bursary he endowed supports U of A mechanical engineering students.  His interest in engineering education, student health and resilience has led him to be a friend and supporter of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary.  Ken has been a member of Parkdale United Church, accepting many leadership responsibilities during the past three decades, including being a founder, director and officer of a small related, but separate, charitable society.

Ken grew up on a farm on the northern outskirts of Edmonton, near Namao; farmland which he still co-owns with his brother and which has been in the Coburn family since 1900.  Ken and Sally and their adult children live in Calgary.  Recreational pursuits include cycling and alpine skiing.

Ken continues to be a life member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).