TMU alumni make their mark in 2024

100 Accomplished Black Canadian (ABC) Women

The award is presented annually to 100 Canadian Black women (external link, opens in new window)  who demonstrate leadership in their professions and their communities.

• Adebola Adefioye, Professor, Cambrian College, Child and Youth Care (MA) ’23 
• Lola Adeniyi, Community Investments Specialist, former student in Radio and Television Arts
• Dione Amsterdam, Registered Midwife and Practice Partner, Midwifery ’07
• Andria Case, CTV Anchor Weekend News, Advertising ’91 
• Deborah Flint, CEO, Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Honorary Doctor of Laws ’23
• Althea Jones, President, Association of Ontario Midwives, Midwifery ’13
• Dauna Jones-Simmonds, President, DEJS (Diversity) Consulting, Business Technology Management ’84
• Takiyah Wedderburn, Founder, Natural Kids Movement, Child and Youth Care ’17 (pictured below)
• Karline Wilson-Mitchell, Director, School of Midwifery, TMU, Nursing ’88
• Daisy Wright, Career Coach, Wright Career Solution, Public Administration and Governance ’99

Afroglobal Television Excellence Awards — Marcus Garvey Memorial Award

Jenny A. Gumbs, Diplomacy and Community Leader, Public Administration and Governance ’02

Artists for Peace and Justice Lifetime Achievement Award

Jane Goodall, Ethologist and Conservationist, Honorary Doctor of Science ’01

Billboard Canada Women in Music

“With the first Billboard Canada Women in Music (external link) , we’re celebrating both the artists making waves on the global stage and people from all over the music business who make major moves and pave the way for future generations of women in music.”

Charlie Wall-Andrews, Assistant Professor, TMU, Management (PhD) ’24

Campaign Canada’s 30 Under 30

Campaign Canada’s 30 Under 30 celebrates future leaders in advertising and their achievements in marketing and communications.

Alison Osborne, Vice-President of Marketing, Quill and CoHost, Creative Industries ’20

Canada’s Safest Employers Awards

The annual award (external link, opens in new window) , now in its 14th year, recognizes leaders in the occupational health and safety profession.

Safety Leader of the Year — Excellence Awardee

• Leanne Lohnert, Health, Safety, Security and Emergency Manager, WSP in Canada, Occupational Health and Safety ’22 (pictured below, left)

Minerva Award for Rising Star of the Year

• Aliakbar Eslami Baladeh, Artificial Intelligence Researcher, TMU, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (PhD) ’24 (pictured below, right)
  
  Read the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science’s story about Eslami Baladeh’s work.

2024 Excellence Awardees 

• Caitlin Ralph, Environment, Health and Safety Business Partner, Wolseley Canada Inc., Occupational and Public Health ’21
• Julia Davidson, Health and Safety Project Coordinator, 4S Consulting Services Inc., Occupational and Public Health ’22

• Nimisha Joseph, Occupational and Public Health ’23

Canada’s Walk of Fame

Canada’s Walk of Fame (external link, opens in new window)  annually recognizes Individuals are recognized for their remarkable achievements across areas such as sports, entrepreneurship and philanthropy, and science and technology. 

Arts and Entertainment

• Tonya Williams, Founder, Executive Director, Reelworld Screen Institute, former student in Theatre Performance

Humanitarianism

• Samantha Nutt, Founder, War Child Canada and War Child USA, Honorary Doctor of Laws ’19 (pictured below)

Canadian Law Awards

Managing Partner of the Year

Allan Ritchie, Managing Partner, Loopstra Nixon LLP,
Business Administration (MBA) ’09 

Canadian Lawyer Magazine — Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada

Allan Ritchie, Managing Partner, Loopstra Nixon LLP,
Business Administration (MBA) ’09

Canadian Printing Awards — Printing Leader of the Year

The 18th annual Canadian Printing Awards (external link, opens in new window)  recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact on the Canadian printing industry.

Richard Kouwenhoven, President & CEO, Hemlock Printers Ltd., Graphic Communications Management ’96

Canadian Screen Awards

Each year, the Canadian Screen Awards celebrates the country’s top talent in the film, television and digital sectors. For a full list of TMU alumni recipients of a 2024 Canadian Screen Award, check out The Creative School’s story (opens in new window) .

Changemaker Award

• Tonya Williams, Founder, Executive Director of Reelworld Screen Institute, former student in Theatre Performance (pictured below)

Best Documentary Program

Broken — The Toxic Culture of Canadian Gymnastics

• Matt Cade, Feature Producer, TSN, Journalism ’04
• Rick Westhead, Senior Correspondent, TSN, Journalism ’02

Best Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series

Etalk: In Conversation With Jully Black

• Ryan Thompson, Senior Producer, Bell Media, RTA School of Media ’06 

Best Sound, Lifestyle, Reality, or Entertainment

Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World — Bonjour Hi

• Scott Brachmayer, Soundmixer, Filmmaker, Image Arts ’10
• Levi Linton, Sound Editor, Musician, RTA School of Media ’20

Canadian Security Top 10 Under 40

Canadian Security’s sixth annual Top 10 Under 40 (external link, opens in new window)  recognizes young security professionals working in Canada … who demonstrate diligence through professional achievement.”

Mariam Chakvetadze, Crime Prevention Manager, Rogers Communications, Biology ’15

Canadian Council for Advancement of Education — Friend of Education Award

“The Friend of Education Award (external link, opens in new window)  … recipient will have made a significant contribution in a leadership role to the cause of institutional advancement or education in Canada.”

Janice Fukakusa, Chancellor, TMU (2018-24), Honorary Doctor of Laws ’24

Digital Publishing Awards

Presented across 25 categories, the Digital Publishing Awards (external link, opens in new window)  recognizes excellence in journalism and visual creation. For a full list of TMU alumni recipients, check out The Creative School’s story.

Innovation in Digital Storytelling (Gold) — Secret Canada

• Robyn Doolittle, Staff Reporter, The Globe and Mail, Journalism ’06 
• Carys Mills, Interactive Editor, The Globe and Mail, Journalism ’11 
• Samantha Edwards, Staff Editor, The Globe and Mail, Journalism ’11 

Best News Coverage (Gold) —  Community Publication

• Brennan Doherty, Journalist, Journalism ’18 (pictured below, left)
• Heidi Lee, National Online Journalist, GlobalNews, Journalism ’22 (pictured below, centre)
• Emma Buchanan, Journalist, Journalism ’21 (pictured below, right)

Best Podcast (Gold): Arts, Culture and Society

• David Carroll, Writer and Podcast Producer, RTA School of Media ’88
• Cesil Fernandes, Executive Producer, CBC Podcasts, RTA School of Media ’09
• Arif Noorani, Director, CBC Podcasts, Journalism ’93

Dora Awards

For 40 years, the annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, have celebrated excellence on Toronto stages. For a full list of TMU alumni recipients, check out The Creative School’s story.

Outstanding New Play (General Theatre Division)

• Michael Healey, Playwright and Actor, Theatre ’85 (pictured below)

Outstanding Lighting Design (Independent Theatre Division)

• Raha Javanfar, Musician and Lighting Designer, Theatre ’07

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble (Dance Division)

• Miyeko Ferguson, Dance Artist, Theatre ’16
• Lukas Malkowski, Dance Artist and Choreographer, Theatre ’16
• Connor Mitton, Dance Artist, Theatre ’17

EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards — 2024 Ontario Winner

The EY Entrepreneur Awards recognize individuals “who are driving Ontario’s prosperity and shaping a brighter future through their innovative businesses.” 

Lekan Olawoye, Founder and CEO, Black Professionals in Tech Network, Social Work ’07

Forbes’ Top 30 Under 30

The award recognizes emerging leaders across 20 categories (external link, opens in new window) , such as entertainment, health care and manufacturing. Under the category of media and “defining and driving the world of news and content” is:

Jade Watson, Founder and Executive Producer, SickBird Productions, RTA School of Media ’17

Globe and Mail — 100 Best Books of 2024

Annual guide (external link, opens in new window)  of “books that entertained, informed and delighted us this year.”

• Carley Fortune, Journalist, Author, Journalism ’06
• Fawn Parker, Author, Poet Laureate, Fredericton, Publishing ’21 
• Louise Penny, Author, Honorary Doctor of Laws ’21, RTA School of Media ’79 (pictured below)
• Alexandra Posadzki, Author, Financial and Cybercrime Reporter, Journalism (MJ) ’13
• Elizabeth Renzetti, Author, Journalist, Journalism ’88
• Jenny Heijun Wills, Author, Professor, University of Winnipeg, Journalism ’03

GLORY 2024 Champions of Change

The award recognizes women (external link, opens in new window)  who are “visionaries, reinventing industries, sparking cultural change, and challenging norms with unflinching commitment.”

• Madelyn Chung, Founder, The RepresentASIAN Project, Journalism ’11
• Noura Sakkijha, Founder, Mejuri, Business (MBA) ’12 (pictured below)

GLORY 30X30

The annual list “celebrates 30 remarkable Canadian leaders (external link, opens in new window)  who are redefining their industries, reshaping communities, and changing the way we work and connect with each other.”

• Boman Martinez-Reid, Social Media Entrepreneur, RTA School of Media ’20 (pictured below, left)
• Marissa Papaconstantinou, Paralympian, RTA School of Media ’22 (pictured below, right)

Governor General Meritorious Service Decorations

Two TMU alumni receive Meritorious Service Decorations from the Governor General, in recognition for making significant contributions to their communities. Read more in this TorontoMet Today news story.

Meritorious Service Cross

• Maayan Ziv, Founder, AccessNow, Digital Media (MDM) ’15 (pictured below, left)

Meritorious Service Medal and Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers  

• Brandon Arkinson, Manager, Member Governance, Foresters Financial, Business Administration (MBA) ’21 (pictured below, right)

InterAccess Media Arts Prize

“[Angelina’s] work combines art and technology to create immersive experiences — blending music theory, visual art, design, storytelling, and creative coding…” — InterAccess Citation (external link, opens in new window) 

Angelina Almanza, New Media Artist, RTA New Media ’24

International Association of Business Communicators — Communicator of the Year Award

Fennella Bruce, Founder, FKB Media, Journalism ’93

King Charles III Coronation Medal

The medal goes to individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community of Canada.

• Peter Busby, Principal, Perkins&Will, Honorary Doctor of Science ’08
• Valerie Gow, Co-founder, Gow Hastings Architects, Interior Design ’90 (pictured below — top, left)
• Prince Kumar, Chief Executive Partner, StraNexus Inc., Industrial Engineering ’98 (pictured below — top, right)
• Yew-Thong Leong, Associate Professor, TMU, Architectural Science ’85
• Justin Poy, President and Creative Director, The Justin Poy Agency, RTA School of Media ’93 (pictured below — bottom, left)
• Maya Roy, CEO, Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism, Social Work ’04 (pictured below — bottom, right)
• Tara Weber, Manager, Media Relations, Suncor, Journalism ’05

Maclean’s Power List

The magazine’s annual list (external link, opens in new window)  recognizes 100 Canadian movers and shakers in areas such as technology, business, sports and entertainment.

Sports

• Keith Pelley, CEO, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, RTA School of Media ’86

Health Care

• Teresa Chan, Dean, School of Medicine and Vice-President, Medical Affairs, TMU (pictured below)

Business

• Heather Reisman, CEO, Indigo Books and Music, Honorary Doctor of Commerce ’06

National Magazine Awards

Now in its 47th year, the National Magazine Awards (external link)  celebrates excellence in Canadian print and digital content creation. In addition to these three TMU alumni winners, 20 alumni received honourable mentions across different categories. 

Short Feature Writing — Winner

• Sydney Loney, VP, Content & Programming, ROOM Women’s Network, Journalism ’99

Gold Medalist — Portrait Photography — Winner

• Wynne Neilly, Artist, Photographer, Image Arts ’12

Feature Writing — Winner

• Leslie Sinclair, Journalist, Journalism (MJ) ’24 (pictured below)

NKBA | KBIS Kitchen & Bath Design + Industry Awards

Interior Design alumni Bahar Zaeem and Shima Radfar joined forces to launch RZ Interiors, which was recognized with the award of Best Overall Kitchen by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).

• Bahar Zaeem, Partner, RZ Interiors, Interior Design ’15 (pictured below, right)
• Shima Radfar, Partner, RZ Interiors, Interior Design ’18 (pictured below, left)

The Peak’s Emerging Leaders 2024

The Canadian business publication recognizes up-and-coming young leaders shaping Canada’s economy, culture, and society (external link, opens in new window) .

• Ahmed Abdou, Founder, Axomamma, Graphic Communications Management ’22 
• Kari Bell, Senior Manager, People and Culture, Acuity Insights, Human Resources Management ’19 
• Anna Chowthi, Founder, Merge Project Management, Hospitality and Tourism Management ’13 (pictured below — top, left)
• Joshua Goodfield, Executive Director, VC Platform, Environmental Applied Science and Management (MASc) ’17 
• Rajiv Kaushal, Partner, Propel CPA, Business Management ’10
• Meagan Minott, Social Worker, Social Work ’13 (pictured below — top, right)
• Rainee Mistry, Analyst, BDC Capital, Accounting and Finance ’22 
• Tracey Moore, Digital Lifestyle Manager, Corus Entertainment, Business Management ’14
• Danica Nelson, Founder, Liberty Leave, RTA School of Media ’14 
• Jake Nothdurft, Manager, Communications, Toronto International Film Festival, RTA School of Media ’15 
• Hannah Permell, Growth Marketing Manager, Growclass, Psychology ’18 (pictured below — bottom, left)
• Christopher Salvatore, Product Manager - Amazon Partnership, TD, Business ’10 (pictured below — bottom, right)
• Nicole Servinis, TV Personality, Host and Producer, Journalism ’14 
• Dan Shaikh, Co-founder and Publicist, Speaker Slam, Business Technology Management ’13
• Genevieve Tomney, Principal, GT and Company, Journalism ’07 
• Katie Zeppieri, Founder and Chief Brand Strategist, The MicDrop Agency, RTA School of Media ’11

Pulitzer Prize

Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prize is one of the most prestigious awards going to achievements in the U.S. for journalism, arts and letters. In 2024, TMU saw its first graduate of the university receive the honour — in the category of Breaking News Coverage.

Tamsin McMahon, Managing Editor, Lookout Santa Cruz, Journalism ’00

Royal Society of Canada

Alice Wilson Award

“To three women of outstanding academic qualifications in the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences or Science who are entering a career in scholarship or research at the postdoctoral level.”

• Ann De Shalit, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Social Work, University of Windsor, Policy Studies (PhD) ’21 (pictured below, left)

Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize

“Presented annually to a graduating law student in each of the law schools in Canada who is most likely to positively influence equity and social justice in Canada or globally upon graduation.”

• Zoë Walwyn, Legal Trainee, Aird & Berlis LLP, Law ’24 (pictured below, right)

Saturn Awards — Best Director

James Cameron, Filmmaker, Honorary Doctor of Laws ’98

SEAL Environmental Journalism Awards

Fatima Syed, Freelance Journalist, Journalism (MJ) ’16

Senate of Canada

“I welcome the appointment of Mohammad Al Zaibak (external link, opens in new window)  as Parliament’s newest independent senator. His business and philanthropic experience, along with his community leadership in diversity and inclusion, will only make the Senate better.” — The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Mohammad Al Zaibak, Co-founder, Lifeline Syria, Honorary Doctor of Commerce ’22 

Tony Awards

Merrily We Roll Along received four Tony Awards out of seven nominations, including Best Musical Revival on Broadway. 

Thomas Swayne, Theatrical Producer, Performance ’12

Toronto Life — 25 Rising Stars of 2024

• Ally Pankiw, Writer, Director, Journalism ’11 (pictured below, left)
• D. W. Waterson, Writer, Director, Image Arts ’10 (pictured below, right)

Toronto Life — The Influentials 2024

Toronto Life annually recognizes (external link, opens in new window)  50 “people whose courage, smarts and clout are changing the world as we know it.” 

• Carley Fortune, Journalist, Author, Journalism ’06 
• Keith Pelley, CEO, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, RTA School of Media ’86
• Tanya Talaga, Journalist, Author, Honorary Doctor of Laws ’21 (pictured below)

Toronto Short Film Festival — Jury Award

The first-time director and writer duo were honoured for their film One to Five Minutes (external link, opens in new window) .

• Kelsea Mackay, Media Producer, Director, RTA School of Media ’22 (pictured below, left)
• Jennifer Sidoriak, Writer, Content Producer, Creative Industries ’19 (pictured below, right)

Toronto Sport Hall of Honour

The seventh annual Toronto Sport Hall of Honour (external link, opens in new window)  recognitions go to “ those who inspire and bring acclaim to Toronto.” 

Sport Legend

Michael Clemons, General Manager, Toronto Argonauts, Honorary Doctor of Laws ’22

The VIBE’s Power 60

Annual listing (external link, opens in new window)  of the most influential Canadians of the year.

• Masai Ujiri, Vice-Chairman, Team President, Toronto Raptors, Honorary Doctor of Laws ’17 (pictured below, left)
• Wes Hall, Businessman and Entrepreneur, Honorary Doctor of Laws ’21 (pictured below, right)

World Press Freedom Canada — Career Achievement Award

“The career of Robyn Doolittle is being recognized by World Press Freedom Canada (external link) , which is honouring her for dismantling government, corporate and police secrecy with her investigative journalism.” 

Robyn Doolittle, Staff Reporter, The Globe and Mail, Journalism ’06