Waterloo alumni are making significant contributions to their industries, local communities and the world at large. The Alumni Awards recognize exceptional individuals and their efforts to build a better world.
Working tirelessly to advance important causes, this year’s award recipients are tech experts, researchers, advocates and business leaders — each one making their own unique impact.
View past winners: 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
Faculty of Arts
Dr. Jillian Roberts (BA ’91): Alumni Achievement Award
As both an associate professor at the University of Victoria and the founder of MindKey Health Clinics, Dr. Jillian Roberts works toward bridging academia with industry and government to bring evidence-based, mental health practices to the whole community. Dr. Roberts has made impactful contributions to the humanities, as well as science and Canadian public life. She has authored 12 award-winning and best-selling children’s books to assist young readers in building resilience in today's complex world. Understanding that today’s youth play a critical role in our shared future, she is ensuring the younger generation is prepared for the challenges they will certainly face. Her clinical work also strives for excellence in mental health care within Indigenous communities.
Dr. Roberts has made leaps and bounds in making a social impact and assisting the whole of Canada to become more aware about the mental wellness needs of our children and the youth.
Lehlé Baldé (BA ’13): Young Alumni Award
Lehlé Baldé is actively contributing to a better world as a financial inclusion advocate, journalist, newspaper editor, radio anchor, event host, moderator and producer. Her media advocacy bridges inclusion and financial literacy with a core focus on sustainable development goals that spotlight economic inclusion. She was listed in the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Class of 2022 and is an International Monetary Fund Youth Fellow. She is also an Acumen fellow, a group of impact-driven leaders tackling the world's most significant problems. As well, Lehle won the Future Award Africa for intrapreneurship, she was named among the top 50 women in media in Africa by the Media Awards, and the top 50 women in development by Donors Africa.
As a young alumnus, Lehle has successfully established an incredible career for herself, most known for working at BusinessDay as a Pioneer Editor BusinessDay Weekender in Lagos, Nigeria. She is also a brand ambassador for Sparkle PLC, a leading digital bank that holds transparency and trust as core values, and she has been professionally running and hosting business events since 2017. She is currently building the Women's Digital Financial Inclusion Hub, a coalition of private-public partnerships for coordinated advocacy on women's financial inclusion, and is in the process of writing her first book.
School of Accounting and Finance
Susan Uthayakumar (BA ’95, MAcc ’95): Alumni Achievement Award
Susan Uthayakumar is the chief energy and sustainability officer at Prologis. She is responsible for evaluating and scaling both existing and emerging energy solutions across the Prologis platform and for ensuring that Prologis continues to be the leader in sustainability in the logistic real estate industry.
Prior to this, Susan was president of Schneider Electric's Sustainability Business Division. During her 16-year tenure there, she was instrumental in transforming Schneider Electric to a digital power and automation technology company by driving sustainability, efficiency and resiliency. Before that, she was CEO of Schneider Canada. She was recently recognized as a 2021 Environment+Energy Leader 100 Honoree for successfully delivering climate mitigation action to enterprise customers.
Susan also has an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with a focus on international business practices. She also completed the Women’s Senior Leadership Program and Executive Scholar Certification from the Kellogg School of Management and holds the Chartered Accountant (CA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designations.
Matthew Roman (MTax ’12): Young Alumni Award
Matthew Roman is a partner at KPMG LPP, serving as a trusted business advisor to privately owned businesses in the Region of Waterloo. Within KPMG, Matthew is the National Tax Learning & Development Leader. He and his team contribute to the creation and delivery of internal resources to improve the technical and professional skills of KPMG tax professionals. He is a recipient of the CPA Canada Gold Medal for achieving the highest standing in Ontario on the Common Final Examination (CFE) of the CPA Profession.
Matthew has extensive involvement in various groups that are shaping tax education in Canada. He is the chair of the CPA Canada Income Tax Education Committee (ITEC), a member of the Board of Examiners for the CFE, and a member of CPA Canada’s Tax Learning & Development Advisory Group. He is an experienced university lecturer, and a co-author to the textbook Canadian Income Taxation: Planning and Decision Making. Over the years, Matthew has made numerous contributions, including teaching and content development, within the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP), CPA preparatory core courses (CPA PREP) and the In-Depth Tax Program.
Faculty of Engineering
Camille Mitchell (BAS ’06, MArch ’10): Alumni Achievement Medal, Community Service
Camille Mitchell is a highly accomplished architect with the Toronto based award-winning firm, Gensler. Her growing reputation in the field, though, goes beyond her professional expertise and achievements.
As a Black woman in the traditionally white, male-dominated field of architecture, Camille has faced challenging perceptions regarding her capabilities as an architect. Her response has always been to prove them wrong through hard work, excellent results — and advocating for change.
She is passionate about the volunteer work she does to address systemic social inequalities that undermine diversity in architecture. She wants young people from underrepresented backgrounds to see themselves as architects and design professionals, for them to believe such careers are possible, regardless of their colour or gender.
Camille’s community-based work to promote equity in architecture and design is extensive. She is a founding member of the independent organizations Building Equality in Architecture Toronto and the Black Architects + Interior Designer Association. Their programs are dedicated to supporting mentorship, networking and leadership opportunities for women and visible minorities within the architecture profession.
In 2020, Camille was invited to sit on Waterloo Engineering’s School of Architecture’s advisory board for racial equity and environmental justice. This task force was created as part of the University’s ongoing truth and reconciliation work to help it address the inequities that persist within the academic setting.
“We need to be mindful of our privileges and opportunities, and give voice to those communities that lack representation,” she says.
Mark Nixon (BASc ’82): Alumni Achievement Medal, Professional Achievement
Mark Nixon is currently the director of applied research at Emerson Automation Solutions where he has worked for over three decades in different roles and departments. Over the course of his career, he has received over 160 patents for his innovations, making him one of the company’s best inventors.
Of Mark’s many professional achievements, the one that comes up time and again is his key contribution to the standardization of WirelessHART technology for optimized process controls in manufacturing. It has been so successful that it is now the core technology behind Emerson’s portfolio of wireless devices.
Mark contributes to many automation standards. He currently leads the research and development for DeltaV, one of the most powerful distributed control systems in process automation. His work on DeltaV led him to co-author and publish two books that establish the foundation of advanced control in process automation.
In recognition of his industry-leading contributions to the field of process control, Mark was elected to the Process Automation Hall of Fame in 2010 — the highest honour there is in the field.
“All I can say to aspiring engineers is don’t be afraid of failure,” he says. “Work with positive people and keep on trying.”
David Foell (BASc ’89): Alumni Achievement Medal, Professional Achievement
Over the course of his career, David Foell has proven that environmental stewardship and successful business leadership can work together.
After graduation, Foell started working with PolyOne, a company with deep expertise in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymerization and products where he enjoyed roles in sales, marketing and business development. His work with PolyOne included the creation of a new venture with Owens Corning, Decillion, to create products from in-situ stabilization of PVC and wet use long glass fibers using a newly patented process.
When David left PolyOne, he started his own business called P2 Concrete Forming, the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of a permanent, patented concrete forming system called P2Forms.
Driven by a desire for greater sustainability in manufacturing, he incorporated locally sourced, recycled vinyl materials in his P2Forms products. He worked closely with Return Polymers, a privately held PVC recycling and compounding company, and in 2007, joined the business as an owner.
Under David’s leadership, Return Polymers has grown into the largest and leading rigid vinyl recycler in North America, all while increasing its level of automation, safety, third party certifications, sales and margins. The company’s success is measurable in more ways than one, though, with extraordinary amounts of PVC diverted from landfills (more than 1 billion pounds) over its 30 years of continuous operations.
In recognition of these exceptional achievements, Return Polymers was awarded with the Vinyl Institute’s inaugural 'Recycler of the Year’ award in 2019.
David's accomplishments and capabilities soon came to the attention of AZEK, an industry-leading manufacturer of low maintenance and environmentally sustainable outdoor living products. In 2020, AZEK successfully acquired Return Polymers to help reinforce its sustainability mission with David as president of Return Polymers and vice-president of PVC Recycling at AZEK.
“Success is always the product of good collaboration,” he says. “Surround yourself with awesome people, maintain those relationships over your career and allow the team to succeed.”
Kayli Dale (BASc ’20) and Jacquie Hutchings (BASc ’20): Team Alumni Achievement Medal
Kayli Dale and Jacqueline Hutchings met just before their first-ever undergraduate lecture. The two quickly discovered a shared desire to solve big world problems through sustainable solutions. In third year, they traveled to Sweden for an inspiring four-month study program. The trip exposed them to a culture that focuses on minimalism, environmental sustainability and thoughtful consumption.
What struck them most was learning about the circular economy model and its potential to reduce waste through reusable product design. They were determined to introduce the model to North America and hit upon a brilliant way to do so. In 2019, they founded Friendlier, a fully integrated and reusable packaging program, so named because Kayli and Jacquie knew it was time to be friendlier to the planet.
As their fledgling business took flight, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, creating a very challenging food service market. Through thoughtful leadership, Friendlier successfully expanded to service 50 food businesses in the Guelph area in 2020.
Driven by their commitment to environmental stewardship and social justice, Kayli and Jacquie raised over $800,000 to develop and commercialize their business — no small feat in the current economic climate — and have grown the company to a team of 20 employees.
The company continues to grow and now supports over 140 food businesses across Ontario, including delivery services such as SkipTheDishes and national brands such as Loblaws, Compass Canada and Aramark.
Friendlier has made a significant environmental, economic and social impact in a short space of time. The company has provided 120,000, and counting, reusable containers to over 100 independent retailers, diverting more than 15,000 pounds of waste from landfills.
“As students we learned how to expand our problem-solving engineering minds to think about the bigger business picture and manage that important balance between profit and impact,” Jacquiesays.
“We’re grateful to all our lecturers and mentors for teaching us how to figure stuff out,” Kayli adds.
Stephen Kozary (BASc ’79) and George Roberts (BASc ’79): Team Alumni Achievement Medal
Steve Kozary and George Roberts took it upon themselves to act as class champions and keep their class connected after graduation. For over 40 years, the duo brought their Waterloo classmates together for both formal alumni celebrations as well as informal catch-ups. Their efforts were entirely voluntary and resulted in a tight-knit group of people who remain as close today — if not closer — than when they were students.
While pursuing their respective careers, Stephen and George worked tirelessly to re-establish contact with classmates, remind their classmates of upcoming reunions, maintain an up-to-date contact list, organize get-togethers for those in the GTA area and connect people with each other for relevant opportunities.
As a result, they were responsible for getting the largest turnout of alumni attendees at their class’s 25th year reunion in 2004.
Sadly, George passed away in 2020. He is remembered by many in his class as the glue that held them together for four decades. Other tributes recall how he assisted fellow classmates who had fallen on hard times in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis with industry introductions and small contracts to help get them back on their feet. Perhaps the most fitting tribute for someone who loved bringing his classmates together is from his obituary which simply states, “Cheers to George who loved gatherings more than anything.”
“I am deeply honoured to receive this award on behalf of my late friend George,” Stephen says. “I encourage today’s students to maintain the close relationships they have with their classmates after graduation. The lifelong friendships and business networks that have supported me on my journey have been invaluable.”
Dhanaja Jayalath (BASc ’12): Young Alumni Achievement Medal
While studying, Dhananja Jayalath developed an idea for a product that could enhance people’s fitness training by telling them which parts of their bodies needed attention.
This idea was born out of Dhananja’s own frustrations in the gym. He couldn’t afford a personal trainer and couldn’t tell if his workouts were delivering maximum benefit. He wanted a way to gather valid data from his workouts that he could action immediately.
Fast forward eight years and Dhananja’s wearable technology company, Athos, has supported the performance and recovery of more than 40 division one athletic teams, five Olympians and members of the elite branches of the United States Armed Forces. The company has also received 42 patents for its innovations.
Athos specializes in tech-enhanced athletic apparel that uses sensors to analyze a person’s muscle performance while working out. It then delivers an actionable analysis for improved training.
Dhananja’s passion for innovation extends beyond his work and he is committed to helping the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders unlock their potential. Under his leadership, Athos has hired and mentored nearly 100 Waterloo Engineering students through the co-op program.
“I support engineering students and grads who make mistakes and keep on trying,” Dhananja says. “Learning how to learn is a survival skill so use it. Always ask why and read your emails.”
Faculty of Environment
Chris Derksen (BES ’97, MA ’98, PhD ’01): Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award
Chris Derksen (BES '97, MA '98, PhD '01) is a world-leading expert on snow and a research scientist with the Climate Research Division of Environment and Climate Change Canada where he investigates the role of snow cover in the climate system and the implications of climate change on snow, including freshwater availability, Arctic ecosystems, and the carbon cycle.
Chris was lead author of the International Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate and serves as co-editor-in-chief of The Cryosphere.
Lead author of the first climate science assessment specifically produced for Canada, Chris was invitation to speak at the Prime Minister’s Youth Summit in 2019. He has a leadership role in the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Snow project, co-chair of two international climate model intercomparison projects, and is the science lead for a new satellite radar mission focused on terrestrial snow cover currently under development at the Canadian Space Agency.
Intact Financial Corporation: Friend of the Faculty Impact Award
Through a generous gift, Intact Financial Corporation helped establish the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, an applied research centre helping homeowners, communities and businesses across Canada reduce risks associated with climate change and extreme weather events, while working with government to advise on policy and action.
A robust hub of expertise, focused on solutions, relevant reports and resources on extreme weather including flooding, heat extremes and wildfires, the Centre has a diverse network and a unique ability to address adaptation from all perspectives. The go-to source for media, the Centre averages more than 400 interviews per year.
The partnership is a testament to Intact’s commitment to build resilient communities. The company has been focused on building society’s capacity for resilience since Intact was established. Over the past decade, they have helped bring to life over 100 adaptation projects across Canada and invested millions in support of projects that protect people and communities.
Intact’s partnership and support have expanded the Centre’s research capacity and productivity while establishing the Faculty of Environment as Canada’s leading voice on climate change adaptation.
Laura Maxwell (MDP ’17): Young Alumni Inspiration Award
Laura Maxwell has global experience working with organizations to give back and create measurable positive impact to the communities in which they work, including projects advancing global health and education.
Today, she co-leads Deloitte’s social impact offering, working with environmentally minded and impact-focused organizations and their leaders as they advance progress on pressing societal challenges. This includes leading sustainability initiatives for clients in a broad range of sectors to build and evaluate impact-driven programs and strategies that created shared economic and societal value.
Laura is passionate about mental health and co-authored the first study in Canada providing real-world evidence why organizations should invest in their employees’ mental well-being. She also contributed to a series of reports on reporting standards for employee well-being and is passionate that her team members take care of their own well-being as they push boundaries to take care of others and planet.
Faculty of Health
Dr. R. Harvey Lemelin (PhD ’04): Alumni Achievement Award
Dr. R. Harvey Lemelin has long subscribed to the belief that research and instruction should result in meaningful change in communities and society.
Harvey is a professor in the school of outdoor recreation, parks and tourism at Lakehead University. Before studying at Waterloo, he was at the University of Ottawa, where he received his bachelor and master’s degrees in sociology.
Besides an impressive array of prestigious grants, scholarly publications, invited presentations and awards, what distinguishes Harvey is his ground-breaking and ongoing work with Indigenous peoples. At least 20 years before current efforts to recognize and adopt Indigenous teachings and scholarship, Lemelin forged authentic research collaborations and partnerships with Indigenous groups. For his doctoral research, for example, he worked with Indigenous groups in Churchill, Manitoba to examine the impact of the polar bear viewing industry there.
His focus is on the relationships between nature, society, health and well-being. He has made significant contributions to the understanding of Indigenous tourism and cultural livelihoods, climate change, historical site interpretation, parks and protected area management, human-wildlife interactions and rural and northern outdoor recreation and tourism.
In recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments as a scholar and innovative teacher, as well as his ongoing commitment to community service, Harvey is the recipient of the 2022 Faculty of Health Alumni Achievement Award.
Michelle Morrissey (BSc ’80, MSc ’83): Alumni Volunteer Award
Michelle Morrissey is president of the G.O. Group, a consulting company she co-founded in 2013 following a distinguished career in the electrical utility industry.
She has been a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) since its inception in 2007. DAC members serve in an advisory capacity to the Dean of the Faculty of Health, promoting the Faculty’s interests to the general public, key external stakeholders, alumni and prospective donors. Members of the Council increase the Faculty’s impact on external audiences, promote strategic partnerships and enhance fundraising opportunities.
Before Michelle was a founding member of DAC, she served as a member of the former Waterloo Advisory Council and was on the advisory committee for the Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD), which is housed in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.
In recognition of her commitment to advancing the Faculty of Health through volunteer opportunities, Michelle is the inaugural recipient of the 2022 Faculty of Health Alumni Volunteer Award.
Natasha Knier (BSc ’18): Young Alumni Award
Natasha Knier has shown extraordinary commitment to teaching others and making community contributions to health research and cancer awareness while pursuing a demanding PhD related to diagnostics and treatment of disease.
While at Waterloo, Natasha was a tutor, chair of the Applied Health Sciences Endowment Fund, media coordinator for orientation week, digital content manager for the TEDxUW Conference and a student ambassador.
Natasha is currently working toward her PhD at Western University. She dedicates her spare time to teaching and sharing her skills and knowledge while mentoring other students. In the community, she has served as a social media coordinator for two cancer outreach groups, the Cellular and Molecular Imaging Group at Robarts Research Institute and various local conferences. She has worked with the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, leading fundraisers and writing digital content, as well as doing interviews and talks. Health research and cancer awareness are two areas she commits much of her time to.
In recognition of her accomplishments and aptitude for research, her enormous commitment to teaching and her involvement in the community, Natasha is the recipient of the 2022 Faculty of Health Young Alumni Award.
Faculty of Mathematics
Bonnie Foley-Wong (BMath ’97, MAcc ’97): Alumni Achievement Medal
Bonnie is the founder of Pique Ventures and founding investor in Pique Fund, which invested in eight women-led technology ventures and realized two exits to date. She received a Startup Canada Entrepreneur Promotion Award and YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in recognition of Pique Ventures’ impact.
Bonnie led investment strategy for a not-for-profit’s $300M investment program, financed more than $1 billion dollars in private capital in Europe and North America, and advised business leaders as a corporate finance advisor and auditor. She is the author of Integrated Investing: Impact Investing with Head, Heart, Body, and Soul. She has been published in Business Insider, Inc., Forbes, and Huffington Post.
Judy Dinn (BMath ’94): Alumni Achievement Medal
Judy is the Chair of the Individuals with Diverse Abilities platform at TD and is passionate about building inclusive workplaces where everyone has a voice and feels valued. She practices mediation daily and is a licensed nutritionist and yoga instructor. Her education from Waterloo has been a foundation to helping her open doors to various opportunities and has leaned on the math and computer skills throughout her career.
Kevin Kimsa (BMath ’88): Alumni Achievement Medal
In the venture capital community, he has held several roles including managing director at Omers Ventures (2013-15), co-founder and managing partner at ScaleUP Ventures (2016-present), and co-founder and managing partner at Climate Innovation Capital (2019-present). Climate Innovation Capital focuses on the decarbonization of the economy.
Kevin has sat on the Board of more than 40 organizations, including numerous private tech companies. He co-owned the Ottawa Renegade football club and the Toronto Rock lacrosse club. He co-produced numerous theatrical productions. In April 2003, he was named one of the Top 40 Under 40 in the Report on Business magazine. Living in Toronto, Kevin is married with six children.
Mohammad Taghi Hajiaghayi (MMath ’01): Alumni Achievement Medal
Mohammad T. Hajiaghayi is a Guggenheim fellow, ACM fellow, IEEE fellow, AAAS fellow, EATCS fellow, Blavatnik honoree, and Jack and Rita G. Minker Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has also received EATCS Nerode Prize, ONR Young Investigator Award, NSF CAREER award, as well as Northrop Grumman and Google Faculty Award (twice), several awards from DARPA, AirForce and ONR.
He received his Master’s from UWaterloo, his PhD from MIT, and was a post-doctoral fellow at CMU. He has been employed as a research scientist at top research labs such as Overstock, AT&T Labs, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and IBM. His main area of research is algorithmic framework design and he is editor-in-chief of Algorithmica. He designs efficient online, game theory, approximation, fixed-parameter, streaming and parallel algorithms for big and complex games and networks, and often tests them in the real-world for practical situations.
Rudy Karsan (BMath ’79): Alumni Achievement Medal
Ashwin Vadivelu (BMath ’16): Young Alumni Achievement Medal
Ashwin is a CFA Charterholder and director with EllisDon Community Builders (EDCB), a team which focuses on developing affordable and supportive housing projects across Canada. Prior to helping start EDCB, Ashwin was a project finance professional with EllisDon Capital, where he structured and developed infrastructure and real estate transactions —leading and closing projects with capital costs more than $300M and raising more than $800M in private debt and equity across the healthcare, justice and transportation sectors.
Ashwin is an expert financial modeler and has been a guest speaker on financial modelling for the Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure program at the Schulich School of Business. Prior to joining EllisDon, Ashwin completed terms with the Debt Capital Markets and Equity Derivatives groups at Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets. Ashwin holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Outside of work, Ashwin is heavily involved within the community, exemplified through being a recipient of the Top 30 under 30 award from the Tamil Canadian Centre for CivicAction in 2021. Ashwin is a board member of Hope4Child Relief Mission, a CRA-registered charity focused on education & livelihood in Sri Lanka, and was also a Board Member for the Canadian Tamil Professionals Association, where he spearheaded the first corporate sponsorship for the group.
Henry Shi (BCS ’14): Young Alumni Achievement Medal
Dr. Karima Ladhani (BMath ’10): Young Alumni Achievement Medal
Dr. Karima Ladhani is a social entrepreneur, women’s health advocate, innovation consultant and investor. She is the Founder and CEO of Barakat Bundle, a social enterprise that creates life-saving health and education bundles for mothers and newborns in need in South Asia.
She is currently a visiting scientist at Harvard University where her work has impacted health and education policymaking across 30 countries.
She mentors entrepreneurs from across the African continent, India and the United States through her work at Next Health Accelerator, Aspen Digital Equity Accelerator, Builders + Backers, and as an entrepreneur in residence at Georgetown University.
Dr. Ladhani is a graduate of Harvard University (PhD, MPH), University of Waterloo (BMath), and Wilfrid Laurier University (BBA). She has received numerous accolades including 2022 Women’s Forum Rising Talent, Top 50 South Asian Founders to Watch, 40 under 40 Public Health Catalyst Award, Aspen Ideas Festival Global Voices Scholar, Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business Award, Harvard Business School New Venture Award, LinkedIn For Good Award, WeWork Creator Award.
Dr. Joy Jiang (PhD ’18): Young Alumni Achievement Medal
Dr. Joy Jiang is a tenured associate professor in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine. She obtained her PhD in Statistics in 2018 at the University of Waterloo and subsequently pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Jiang has made major contributions to original statistical methods research, with a particular focus on breast cancer risk prediction using medical images. She is actively working on novel methods that capitalize on the exploding volume of data to improve our understanding of the breast cancer pathway.
Her work has been recognized and funded by the National Institute of Health where she was awarded the NIH MERIT Award in 2021. This year, Dr. Jiang was recognized as a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 in Healthcare for her development of statistical methods for precision oncology.
Vy (Ngoc) Le (BMath ’11): Young Alumni Achievement Medal
Vy is a seasoned actuary and a risk management leader with a strong business and growth mindset. She is currently a director at Canada Life, leading the financial risk management oversight within Canada.
As a fellow alum of the double degree Mathematics and Business Administration program from University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, Vy continues to pursue a lifelong journey of academic study and accreditation including FSA, FCIA, CERA, CFA and MBA. She is completing a Master of Computer and Information Technology.
She is an active volunteer with various actuarial organizations including the Society of Actuaries, the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Actuarial Foundation of Canada. In 2020, she started the “V Life Journal - Actuarial, Career & Lifestyle” Youtube channel. One of her goals is to promote the actuarial profession and guide young professionals with their career planning related to math, data and tech.
Faculty of Science
Dr. William Leggett (MSc ’65, DSc ’92): Distinguished Alumni Award
William (Bill) Leggett’s distinguished career as an educator, academic administrator and scientist began when, as a final year humanities student at Wilfrid Laurier University, he enrolled for a transfer credit in Biology at the University of Waterloo. Inspired by the teaching and mentoring of Professor Geoffrey Power he completed his Master of Science (Waterloo) and doctorate (McGill), and began his academic career as an assistant professor of Biology at McGill.
Rising rapidly through the academic ranks, he served as Chair of Biology, Dean of Science and Vice Principal Academic at McGill before moving to Queen’s as its 17th Principal and Vice Chancellor. It is said that in these roles “everything touched he made better.”
He is one of Canada’s has most accomplished and respected researchers, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Member of the Order of Canada and is recognized by the Institute of Scientific Information as one of the most highly cited researchers in his field. His record as an educator is equally impressive. A legion of his graduate students and Post Doctoral Fellows have careers in leading universities and research centers in Canada and Internationally.
Ron Allensen (BSc ’77): Contributions to Science Award
Ron Allensen is the founder of a nursery, arboretum, plant breeding station and nature reserve, which he named Monarch Landing after the tens of thousands of migrating monarch butterflies he found there.
Through his work to enhance, restore and improve habitat diversity, Ron has established Monarch Landing as having the most species of birds sighted this year in the county (according to ebird.org). Monarch Landing also holds the Elgin county record for sightings of over 70 species of butterflies.
For nearly 20 years, Ron has hosted three days every September where monarch butterflies are tagged and recorded during their migration to Mexico.
As a talented naturalist and plantsman, Ron works with NGOs and private individuals on restoration and natural plantings. He is also an accomplished lepidopterist, and continues to conduct his own private (unpublished) research on the biology and lifecycle of both the Giant and regionally rare Pipevine Swallowtails.
Ron recently established the Monarch Landing Foundation to foster eco-tourism around monarch butterflies and encourage lakeshore stewardship, with the goal of having the Foundation lands preserved as a nature reserve/research location.
Dr. Stephen Wescott (BSc ’87, PhD ’92): Contributions to Science Award
Dr. Steve Westcott obtained both his undergraduate degree and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Waterloo. He began his career at Mount Allison University in 1995 where he developed a robust research program in boron chemistry.
He became a world-renowned expert in the field and held a Canada Research Chair in Boron Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Tier 2 from 2001-2011; Tier 1 from 2011 – 2026) until his untimely death in 2022. He published over 150 research papers and mentored over 160 undergraduate students in his labs, many of which have gone on to pursue graduate work in chemistry and biochemistry.
Steve taught and mentored thousands of students during the span of his career. He was a recipient of the Paul Paré Medal and multiple Excellence Awards. His research group, the Wild Toads, was one of the largest on campus, even welcoming high school students and community members to learn more about the world of chemistry.
In 2020, he shifted his research focus to COVID-19 treatment and recovery with the project “The fifth element: Battle COVID-19.” Under his leadership, the Westcott research team, including many students and international collaborators contributed significantly to the field of chemistry, studying the health effects of new compounds based on natural products such as capsaicin (the chemical that makes hot peppers hot), eugenol and Boron.
School of Pharmacy
Dr. Paul Malik (BSc ’16, PharmD ’16, PhD ’21): Alumni Achievement Award
Paul is a pharmacist-scientist responsible for clinical and design elements in the development of a new compound for the treatment of ALS as part of the AbbVie-Calico collaboration. His unique contributions feature modeling and simulation to inform development decisions. The compound, ABBV-CLS-7262, will be entering Phase two (out of three), as part of the HEALEY Platform Trial in 2023.
He graduated from the University of Waterloo PharmD program in 2016. In 2021, he returned to complete his PhD in the field of pediatric pharmacokinetics under Andrea Edginton while practicing as a pharmacist in the community on evenings and weekends. He is the author of 16 peer-reviewed manuscripts in topics related to clinical pharmacology and pharmacy practice. He is a member of the special populations and therapeutic protein working groups of the Open Systems Pharmacology team, developing open-source modeling and simulation tools for academics, drug developers and regulators to advance new therapeutic modalities.
Conrad Grebel University College
Issa Ebombolo (MPACS ’17): Distinguished Alumni Service Award
In recognition of a unique and significant contribution to the world that represents the ideals and purposes of Conrad Grebel University College
Issa Ebombolo’s career has been a journey of leadership, collaboration and great accomplishments. From developing a peace curriculum, helping develop programs and support for refugee camps, and now in his current role, working with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) as Peacebuilding Coordinator for Zambia and Malawi, he has helped promote peace and restorative justice in all that he does.
In 2006, Issa founded Peace Clubs, an organization that now has more than 650 different clubs through 14 African countries in schools, communities, churches and refugee camps. Community Peace Clubs teach peacebuilding and conflict transformation skills, and abuse prevention and conflict resolution.
Using skills from his Master of Peace and Conflict Studies degree, Issa’s work now involves collaboration with community organizations, individuals and the government of Zambia and Malawi. Since graduating, he has worked to implement peacebuilding initiatives and programs with correctional facilities to build a culture of peace among inmates and officers. He has also worked closely with civil society to encourage the government of Zambia to implement the Correctional Act of 2021, promoting love, peace, restoration and responsibility.
Renison University College
Rebekah Churchyard (BA ’13, BSW ’14): Young Alumni Award
Rebekah graduated from the Renison University College School of Social Work with a Bachelor of Social Work in 2014.
Rebekah next completed a Master of Social Work, specializing in gerontology. In 2021, she founded Green Care Farms, a social enterprise providing an agricultural program that addresses social care needs for people with dementia by hosting a day program on a farm. Their mission is to provide outdoor programs on farms for people with dementia to have responsibilities, purpose and belonging. Their vision is a green care farm for people with dementia in every community. Rebekah has also offered placement experiences for our Social Work students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is a truly compassionate and caring individual who puts her words into action through social innovation, community engagement, giving back to her school and community, and especially through her loving care of seniors with dementia and their families.
Veen Wong (MSW ’20): Young Alumni Award
Veen graduated from the MSW program at Renison University College in 2020. She has distinguished herself through service to her community and through academic achievements.
Veen’s community contributions and demonstration of Renison values is evident in so many of her endeavours. Alongside Veen’s extensive employment roles in both academics and community mental health, her volunteer experience has demonstrated an important commitment to the work she so passionately believes in. For the past 10 years, Veen has volunteered as a Case Aide for Hong Fook Mental Health Association advocating and supporting clients’ wellness, housing struggles and life skills support through culturally sensitive care. For seven years, Veen hosted fundraisers for Canadian Cancer Societies who were supporting people undergoing cancer treatments. Most recently, Veen began supporting Equity Diversity and Inclusion initiatives through the facilitation of intercultural discussions for English Language learners with English Conversation Circles at the University of Waterloo.
United College
Tracy Primeau (BA ’98): Distinguished Alumni Award
Tracy is one of the few women to become a Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission licensed operator at Bruce Power and is the only woman to ever work her way up to Shift Manager from the shop floor. She is currently leading the Emergent Work Team while mentoring women and men in both operations and leadership roles and is a member of the Women in Nuclear Canada Board.
Tracy currently serves as the Board Chair of the Women’s House Serving Bruce & Grey, works on the executive of the local hockey club, sits on the municipality’s Economic Development Committee as the Energy Rep, and serves on the United College Board of Governors. She is a proud member of the Nipissing First Nation who loves to read and write and has a monthly column on books in The Bruce County Marketplace called "Between the Covers."
Cassie Myers (BA ’18): Young Alumni Award
As CEO and founder of Lunaria Solutions, Cassie Myers envisions a world where people of all identities can thrive. Lunaria Solutions helps companies and brands flourish by providing diversity, equity and inclusion solutions that put people first and drive real returns. Through its software, Lunaria provides a customized diversity, equity and inclusion audit, program evaluation and actionable management plan for organizations. In 2020, Lunaria was recognized by the Global Talent Accelerator as one of five Canadian technology companies that is doing diversity right.
As a leader in her community, Cassie applies her dedication to equity in her personal life. She is a Technovations mentor, a program where leaders in innovation mentor a team of young girls as they create a solution around a social problem. She also serves as a volunteer at the Waterloo Region Sexual Assault Support Center, where she works on the support line to help survivors navigate sexual violence.