Georgian celebrates inspiring partnerships and people at Awards of Distinction

Georgian College’s Board of Governors recognized an exceptional group of employees, alumni and community partners during the annual Awards of Distinction on April 25.

The awards are considered the college’s highest honour and recognize those who exemplify excellence.

The Board of Governors is proud to recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements and impressive contributions of this year’s recipients of our Awards of Distinction. These dedicated alumni, community partners and employees are helping to deliver an unrivaled Georgian experience and have made a significant impact on our students, the college and our campus communities.
– Mary-Anne Willsey, Chair, Board of Governors

A group of people stand on a stage and each hold up an award. — *All of the recipients of this year’s Georgian College Board of Governors Awards of Distinction.*

Community Partner Award

This year, the board recognized two community partners with this award: the City of Barrie and Furniture Bank, powered by Redwood Park Communities.

City of Barrie

Three people dressed formally stand next to each other, with the one in the centre holding an award. — The City of Barrie received a Community Partner Award at the Georgian College Board of Governors Awards of Distinction on April 25. From left: Mary-Anne Willsey, Chair, Board of Governors; Bala Araniyasundaran, General Manager of Infrastructure and Growth Development at the City of Barrie; and Kevin Weaver, President and CEO, Georgian College.

Not only does the City of Barrie participate in Program Advisory Committees, job fairs and more, it provided about 75 Georgian students with co-op experiences in 2023 alone.

Georgian and the city also secured more than $1 million through the Skills Development Fund to address skills development and labour shortages within the manufacturing sector, developing the Rapid Skills micro-credential project.

Furniture Bank, powered by Redwood Park Communities

Six people stand next to each other while one of them holds an award. — From left: Mary-Anne Willsey, Chair, Georgian College Board of Governors; Barb White, co-owner, Jeff White Group; Anna Keenan, Research and Global Engagement Director/Managing Director, Furniture Bank; Kaleb Feder, Warehouse Team Lead, Furniture Bank; Jeff White, co-owner, Jeff White Group; and Kevin Weaver, President and CEO, Georgian College.

Furniture Bank supplies gently used furniture and household items to vulnerable groups, including Georgian students, and help deepen the college’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

They’ve also enabled countless student capstone projects and supported more than 20 field placements since 2018.

Distinguished Alumni Award

New this year, two new categories were developed as part of this award.

The Progress and Achievement award is given to a graduate who has made significant contributions in their field and whose endeavours have distinguished them professionally or in the community and brought honour to the college.

The Changemaker category is awarded to a graduate who is working or volunteering to create social change and drive innovation in a rapidly changing world.

Progress and Achievement: Maria Artuso, Vice President, Commercial Financial Services, RBC

Three people stand together and the one in the middle holds an award. — Maria Artuso, Vice President, Commercial Financial Services, RBC, accepts the Distinguished Alumni Award in a new Progress and Achievement category from Mary-Anne Willsey, Chair, Georgian College Board of Governors, and Kevin Weaver, President and CEO, Georgian College.

Artuso is a graduate of Georgian’s Business Administration – General diploma and Human Resource Management graduate certificate programs.

Among her many accomplishments, she achieved the highest honour in Canadian financial services by becoming a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute and has extensively volunteered for local foundations and boards.

Changemaker: Dale Boyle, Executive Director, The Gilbert Centre

Boyle is a graduate of Georgian’s Business Administration advanced diploma and Honours Bachelor of Business Administration – Management and Leadership programs.

A recognized community advocate, he created a Safer Spaces Training Program and has been a significant contributor to a research project at Georgian focused on the development of tools to cultivate changemaking skills.

I’m extremely proud of each of our recipients and nominees this year, and deeply grateful for their contributions to the college, our campus communities, and most importantly, our students. What distinguishes them are the ways they inspire others through their exceptional commitment, changemaker mindset, passion for all things Georgian, and heart-centred leadership.
– Kevin Weaver, President and CEO, Georgian College

Employee Entrepreneurial Award

Carol Meissner, Professor, Business and Management

Carol is a recognized champion of eSports and is highly regarded in the industry as an advocate and willing collaborator.

Under her leadership, Georgian has significantly expanded eSports opportunities for our students: mentoring Georgian’s eSports club, developing an eSports mandatory course and business option for various programs, offering creative learning experiences, and increasing awareness of growing career opportunities in the field.

Team Award

Indigenous Language VR Worlds Team – Ernestine Baldwin, Angeline King, Cody McGregor, Greg McGregor, Michele O’Brien and Rob Theriault

A group of people stand on a stage and one person in the centre holds an award. — Mary-Anne Willsey, Chair, Board of Governors, left, and Kevin Weaver, President and CEO, Georgian College, right, with Georgian’s Indigenous Language VR Worlds Team: Rob Theriault, Michele O’Brien, Greg McGregor, Angeline King and Ernestine Baldwin. Cody McGregor, not pictured, is also part of the team.

This dynamic team created innovative virtual worlds where people can explore Indigenous language in the home, community, workplace, natural environment and more.

These worlds have led to global recognition for the college, including Georgian receiving gold in the category of Indigenous Education at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics’ Awards of Excellence in 2023.

Recently, the team announced partnership agreements to offer this teaching tool to other institutions to support elementary, secondary and postsecondary students.

Award of Excellence – Academic

Stephen Waller, Program Coordinator, Protection, Security and Investigation program

Three people stand together and the one in the centre holds an award. — Stephen Waller, Program Coordinator, Protection, Security and Investigation program, accepts the Award of Excellence – Academic Award from Mary-Anne Willsey, Chair, Board of Governors, and Kevin Weaver, President and CEO, Georgian College.

Stephen developed and launched College of Rock, a 10-week guitar bootcamp that brings together students from across programs to foster well-being.

As well, his strong ties to the Canadian Armed Forces and intelligence and security community have led to unique learning opportunities for students, including a mental health workshop delivered by the Toronto Police Military Veteran Wellness Program.

During his vacation time, he also travelled to Nova Scotia as part of Team Rubicon to respond to a wildfire. Back home, he organized a food drive that supported breakfast programs at four Orillia high schools.

Award of Excellence – Support Staff

Siddhant Taneja, International Community Engagement Coordinator, International Education and Development

As a former international student, Sid understands firsthand what their experiences are like and has worked tirelessly across a variety of roles to build community, enhance cultural awareness, and foster inclusivity and belonging.

This includes chatting live on Instagram with students, families and agents across the world three times a week for two years during the pandemic, leading cultural celebrations, and leading learning opportunities across Team Georgian of how to best support our international students.

Award of Excellence – Administration

Holly Hie, Manager, Employment Services, Government and Employment Programs

Known for her innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, Holly has identified service gaps and designed and developed several new programs, including initiatives to support youth and newcomers, mental health among job seekers, and mid-career professionals in the manufacturing sector.

Holly has also led research projects on some of these topics, with results broadly disseminated to the wider employment services community, and she is highly engaged at the local and provincial level, sharing her expertise on external committees.

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