As we prepare to kick off a new academic year, employees gathered to celebrate the collective actions that make George Brown College (GBC) an incredible place to learn and a positive force for change in the greater community at the President's Awards celebration.
We celebrated everyone who makes the magic happen at GBC on August 29 at Toronto's historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel with dinner, awards, dancing and laughs, thanks to emcee and comedian Graham Chittenden. The event was the first time employees across the college have come together for a President's Awards celebration since the pandemic started.
GBC President Dr. Gervan Fearon and other college leaders took the stage to honour employees and applaud their outstanding accomplishments over the past year—accomplishments that embody GBC's goals and showcase the inspiring results of hard work, engagement and passion.
"Tonight is about celebrating all of your work, our award recipients, and moving forward with a shared vision of innovation and excellence with a focus on the growth and impact that George Brown College can have on individuals and communities in Toronto, across Canada and around the world," he said.
Learn more about the Employee Achievement Awards categories.
Excellence is rarely a solo effort
Chancellor Noella Milne applauded employees' "collective capacity" to support GBC's mission.
"Excellence is rarely a solo effort, and all of us have contributed, through dedication and hard work, to George Brown College's significant accomplishments over the past year," she said.
Some of the highlights the chancellor noted included implementing a successful return to campus for students and employees after more than two years of remote learning and working; taking important strides in our anti-racism efforts and moving the Indigenous Education Strategy forward; launching the Brookfield Sustainability Institute and continuing work on Limberlost Place; among many others.
Employee Achievement Award winners
Before the President's Awards were presented, the Teaching and Learning Award winners were honoured. Three Teaching and Learning Awards were presented in June at the annual Teaching and Learning Exchange (TLX) Conference.
President's Awards
Awards were presented in eight categories at the August 29 celebration.
Building Connections Community Engagement Award (2 winners)
Solidarity Kitchen Crew from the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts
- Adam Foley
- Chef Ashley Farnell
- Chef Chris Loizou
- Chef Hemant Kanchan
- Chef Jeanne Da Silva
- Cheryl Cleland
- Dr. Linda Gillis
- Jason Inniss
- Jeff B. Santos
- Joey Ma
- Montgomery Prior
- Scott McKenzie
- Stuart Betteridge
- Susie Reading
- Tara Montgomery-Ferguson
- Tom Phuong Luu
- Wendy Mah
United Way Cabinet
- Andrea Jones
- Dr. Ana Rita Morais
- Dr. Heidi Marsh
- Jennetta Lamb
- Dr. Krista Holmes
- Lisa Thich
- Maryam McKenzie
- Patrick Lo
- Rahim Vadsarya
- Sumi Shanmuganathan
Change Maker Award (1 winner)
The team of:
- Mandy Bonisteel
- Joanna Friend
- Jessie Paterson
Distinguished Faculty Award (5 winners)
- Dr. Joanna Asadoorian
- Christine Houston
- Gordon Ruder
- Viz Saraby
- Valerie Scovill
Distinguished Researcher Award (2 winners)
- Dr. Jon Callegher
- Dr. Md. Safiuddin
Exemplary Service Award (2 winners)
- Lorenza Carandang
- Maryana Sakhryn
Leadership Award (3 winners)
- Dr. Krista Holmes
- Michael Long
- Abha Trivedi
Indigenous Community Building Award (1 winner)
Chef David Wolfman
The William Peyton Hubbard Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion Award (2 winners)
- Abisola Asha
- Dr. Ana Rita Morais
*Please note that no eligible submissions were received for the Emerging Researcher category.
