Dean's Teaching Award - Contract Lecturers (CUPE 1 and 2) Recipients

2026 Recipients

Charlotte Akuoko-Barfi

Faculty of Community Services

Since 2011, Charlotte has made outstanding contributions to our curriculum and to the student experience. She has a passion for supporting and motivating all students. She has the unique capacity to create a classroom environment where all students feel welcome, respected, seen, and heard. This inclusive environment is especially valued by students who have previously felt excluded in other academic settings, thereby enhancing their participation and overall classroom experiences. Charlotte’s classrooms are the envy of our students, as they offer the opportunity to learn social work from a gifted practitioner and highly skilled educator.

Sue Albanese

Faculty of Community Services

Sue Albanese is an exceptional CUPE instructor whose dedication, innovation, and leadership have made a lasting impact on nursing education within the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing. She fosters inclusive and psychologically safe learning environments where students gain confidence through engaging, experiential learning. A compassionate mentor and collaborative colleague, Sue exemplifies excellence in teaching through her commitment to student success, reflective practice, and continuous improvement. Her creativity, professionalism, and ability to bridge theory and practice embody the School’s core values of integrity, inclusivity, and educational excellence.

Omar Falou

Faculty of Science

Dr. Falou’s lectures are remarkable, establishing a deep connection with the students, engaging them, and immersing them in the wonders of physics. His lectures connect physics concepts with real life events through dynamic presentations, hands-on labs, thought experiments and an innate, gentle, and spontaneous sense of humour that channels the students’ attention even more into the concepts at hand. Dr. Falou’s guiding principles are empathy, enthusiasm, dedication, clarity, flexibility, community-building, and emphasizing the relevance of physics in everyday life. Through these principles, Dr. Falou inspires and empowers students, igniting their curiosity and endowing them with the joy of studying physics.

Judy Healy

Ted Rogers School of Management

For two decades, Judy Healy has demonstrated exceptional commitment as a Contract Lecturer, cultivating the next generation of event professionals. Judy's teaching excellence is evident through class enrollment tripling and one company, uniquely, creating an annual University award in appreciation for the quality of students they have hired. Recently, Judy received the prestigious Meeting Planners International President’s Award—the first educator to receive this honour—a testament to her profound impact as a mentor. Her curriculum innovation is notable; she voluntarily redeveloped the Incentive Marketing course and pioneered the integration of four Student Certification programs into her courses, providing a critical career

Kandasamy Illanko

Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science

Dr. Illanko is recognized for his exceptional teaching in electrical and computer engineering, particularly in Artificial Neural Networks, Deep Learning, and Communication Systems. With a deep mastery of his field, he designs and develops original course materials, including self-authored textbooks, breaking down complex concepts into clear, engaging lessons. His innovative pedagogy combines theory with practical examples, animations, and real-world applications, inspiring students to think critically and scientifically. Dedicated and approachable, he provides extensive support beyond the classroom, fostering student success and enthusiasm. His passion, clarity, and commitment to equity and inclusion make him an outstanding educator and mentor at TMU.

Ilkka Kokkarinen

The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education

Dr. Kokkarinen is a distinguished educator whose sustained excellence has profoundly shaped generations of TMU computer science students. He creates a transformative learning environment with thought-provoking pedagogy and rigorous, industry-aligned assignments. Beyond the classroom, his leadership in teaching is demonstrated by his vast, freely shared GitHub repositories—earning him recognition in the Arctic Code Vault—and his instructional YouTube videos open-source contributions further demonstrate generosity. These resources provide unparalleled open access to a university-calibre education. His dedication to cultivating critical thinking and his selfless contribution to the global learning community exemplify the highest unique standards of teaching excellence celebrated by this award.

Keziah Myers

The Creative School

Keziah Myers is an outstanding educator and industry leader whose teaching bridges academia and the professional music world. As Lecturer and Professional-in-Residence in TMU’s Professional Music program, she delivers experiential learning through mentorship, industry tours, and partnerships with organizations like the JUNO Awards, Sony Music, and Universal Music. Her innovative approach connects students directly with Canada’s music ecosystem, fostering confidence, leadership, and inclusion. A respected role model and advocate for equity, Keziah’s commitment to empowering the next generation of diverse music professionals exemplifies teaching excellence and embodies TMU’s mission of transformative, community-engaged education.

Deena Shaffer

Faculty of Arts

Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer is an award-winning educator, author, and learning strategist whose teaching transforms both learning and learners. Co-creator of Thriving in Action—now embedded at more than forty post-secondary institutions worldwide—she brings the same holistic, equity-prioritizing, and research-informed spirit to her TMU classrooms. Her approach addresses pandemic-era skill gaps, AI over-reliance, loneliness, and fragmented focus, fostering spaces that are resonant, relevant, and community-rich. Through her radically welcoming, neuro-inclusive pedagogy, Deena amplifies student voice, nurtures belonging, and models what compassionate, evidence-based teaching can make possible in higher education. These qualities make her uniquely qualified for the Dean's Teaching Award.

Maureen Silcoff

Lincoln Alexander School of Law

Maureen Silcoff is a refugee and immigration lawyer practicing since 1988. She successfully challenged the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in YZ v Canada, expanding appeal rights for refugees from designated countries. As President of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (2019-2021), she led national litigation and advocacy efforts. She has served on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and is currently Lawyer-in-Residence at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. At the law school, Maureen designed courses in public interest litigation, immigration law, refugee law, and the business of law, training students to run viable social justice practices.

Felipe Tellez

The Creative School

Felipe Téllez exemplifies excellence in teaching through his integration of commercial composition, film orchestration, and technology across multiple disciplines. As a lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University, he inspires students with dynamic, practice-based learning that bridges industry and academia. His mentorship empowers emerging creators to develop both artistic voice and technical fluency, while his inclusive pedagogy fosters diverse perspectives in the classroom. Drawing on his professional experience and extensive doctoral studies, Felipe advances the Faculty’s mission of preparing graduates for meaningful, creative careers. His teaching demonstrates sustained impact, innovation, and a deep commitment to student success.

Past Recipients