COMMUNITY SERVICES AWARD
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Elizabeth Akiwenzie
Ojibway and Oneida Cultural Educator and Healer
Social Service Worker diploma, 1989
Liz Akiwenzie/Nistangekwe (Understanding Woman) is an Ojibway and Oneida Cultural Educator and Healer who uses traditional medicines, ceremonies and teachings in her work with First Nations people.
Akiwenzie is proud to note that in 1989 she was the first person in her family to graduate from college, at a time when she had to overcome many challenges as a young First Nations mother.
Akiwenzie is now self-employed, delivering community workshops, raising cultural awareness, and educating workers in health care, early childhood education, and post-secondary institutions.
CREATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN AWARD
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George Seara
Founder/Director at George Seara Sound Inc.
Music Industry Arts - Recording Engineering, 1997
George Seara, a Juno Award-winning Recording Engineer and Mixer, has worked with a diverse array of world-renowned artists across music genres since 1997. He's been nominated for nine Juno and three Grammy Awards, winning the Recording Engineer of the Year Juno Award in 2012.
Seara has influenced the sound of many Canadian and international artists, helping several including Shawn Mendes, Rihanna and Drake to transcend boundaries and achieve success on the world stage. He has also lent his talents to raise funds and awareness about several important issues, globally, nationally and locally, including youth mental health and gun violence.
HEALTH SCIENCES AWARD
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Nasser Kaddoura
Paramedic, Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team at Middlesex-London Paramedic Services
Pre-Health Sciences, 2013
Primary Care Paramedic, 2015
Nasser Kaddoura has received two awards for saving lives, and OPSEU/SEFPO’s Young Worker of the Year award. Appointed to head the first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team at Middlesex-London Paramedic Service, he also chairs the Employee Relations Committee and was appointed Field Training Officer, assisting with education, new recruit orientation, and research, where he advocates to improve paramedics’ working conditions and effectiveness.
A child of Lebanese immigrants, Kaddoura recalls living in poverty, with constant relocation, and homelessness. Determined to forge a better future, Kaddoura became a Paramedic in 2015 and was elected Vice-President of his Local Union in 2022.
RECENT GRADUATE
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Alexander Leonard
Founder, AL Media; Marketing and Communications Specialist, Evoco Ltd
Marketing Management, 2019
Alex Leonard is a creative entrepreneur who is bent on making the world a better place.
AL Media, his content creation and video production company, specializes in helping environmental organizations and social enterprises build their marketing presence for greater impact.
Through public speaking and media engagement, Leonard has raised awareness and advocated for people to care about climate change and animal welfare.
He filmed and edited an award-winning documentary Humans and Elephants, co-founded a Pollinator Pathways initiative to encourage pollinator-friendly gardening, and created an art exhibit fundraiser for relief efforts in Ukraine, donating 100% of proceeds to humanitarian efforts.
SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY AWARD
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John Loucks
President and CEO, Ontario Energy Network
Electrical Engineering Technician, 1980
John Loucks has worked in the energy sector for more than 40 years, from large public utilities to industry associations. He headed award-winning environmental and energy conservation projects, led an industry delegation overseas to learn more about Denmark’s renewable energy infrastructure, and provided advice to the provincial Ministry of Energy during Ontario's initial implementation of Smart Metering.
An active volunteer in the energy sector for close to 30 years, Loucks promoted greater opportunities and visibility for women in the industry. At Ontario Energy Network he's substantially increased fundraising to over $150,000 annually, directed to post-secondary scholarships and health care organizations.
SKILLED TRADES AWARD
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Deborah Davies Johnston
Retired first female licensed plumber in Ontario
Plumbing Apprentice, 1977
As the first red-seal certified female plumber in Ontario, Deborah Davies Johnston has inspired countless young women to consider a career in the skilled trades.
Johnston was one of the women highlighted in the Ministry of Colleges and University's earliest promotion of Women and the Skilled Trades in the 1970s, and she worked in the plumbing industry for more than 45 years.
In 1991 Johnston created the annual Deborah Johnston Award to encourage female students at Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute to consider pursuing a non-traditional career. To date she has personally funded the cash award for 34 years.
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