Proudly

UNB Awards:

2010 recipients

In 2005, the UNB Associated Alumni broadened its awards program to recognize more groups and individuals who have made significant contributions to the work of the Association and to the University of New Brunswick. We are proud to present the 2010 recipients.

Alumni Award of Honour

The UNB Associated Alumni’s most prestigious award recognizes truly outstanding service and commitment to UNB and the Associated Alumni. The 2010 recipients are:

Dr. Bill Lewis (BScEE’61, DLitt’01), Halifax

Bill Lewis has been an outstanding contributor to both the UNB Associated Alumni and the University of New Brunswick. Since his relationship began in the late 1950s, Bill has been a model leader of alumni, providing truly outstanding commitment and service to his alma mater and the association. Bill was born in the Moncton area and graduated from high school in Millerton on the Miramichi. After joining the RCAF and his seven years of service, where he advanced to the rank of flying officer on the CF-100, he returned to New Brunswick and enrolled at UNB to study electrical engineering. He lived in Jones House, where in his senior year he became a member of the house executive as social convenor. Bill remained connected with UNB after graduation. He was a major supporter of the Venture Campaign, and thanks to his interest in music, UNB’s resident musicians program has thrived. Bill was a lead donor to the Forging our Futures Campaign with his gift of $2.5 million for the creation of The Dr. William S. Lewis Fellowships. The fellowships, valued at $25,000 a year, are awarded to doctoral students with the potential to be leading researchers in their field. Over the years, he has actively promoted alumni activities in Halifax, made special trips to Fredericton to attend concerts and special university functions, and has travelled on seven of the international tours organized by the Associated Alumni. Bill has also been a strong volunteer for a number of organizations and groups. In 2000, Symphony Nova Scotia publicly recognized Bill as its outstanding individual philanthropist by presenting him with the Concert Master’s Award. He also has lent his time and his energy to numerous other endeavours in the Halifax area.

Dr. Julia MacLauchlan (BA’77, BEd, DLitt’10) and Dr. Warren McKenzie (BScCS’76, DLitt’10), Redmond, Wash.

Warren McKenzie graduated from UNB with a BScCS in 1976. Julia MacLauchlan graduated the following year with a BA (honours Spanish). Julia had lived in Tibbits, taught ballroom dancing, was president of the Spanish Club, was a yearbook editor, and performed in the Red ’n’ Black Revue. Warren had been involved in CHSR, co-chaired Winter Carnival and Fall Festival, was SRC president, was elected a student member of the UNB Senate, and chaired the Atlantic Federation of Students. This dynamic couple, who met at UNB, probably had little inkling more than 30 years ago that they would each embark on outstanding, influential international careers; become leading philanthropists; have an impact on academic and public sector research environments; or would become such enormously positive forces within both UNB and New Brunswick.

Julia began her career as a teacher. She later moved to a computer publishing company, becoming director of educational products. She joined Microsoft in 1987 as a senior editor, rapidly moving up in the company to become the director of the European Product Development Centre in Dublin in 1995 and the director of international quality assurance. In 2000, she was appointed senior director of international product services for Microsoft, including not only Europe but also groups in Redmond, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, and Beijing.

An exponent of the arts, she has been a strong voice in stressing the value of an arts degree and the importance of people having a second or third language. Since retiring from Microsoft, she has been volunteering as a court-appointed special advocate for children going through the courts as victims of neglect or abuse.

Warren began his career at Bell Northern Research. Working at the cutting edge in the telecom, technology, and business fields, he rose rapidly through Nortel, InteCom, and U.S. West Venture Capital Group. He is now chairman of the board and CEO of Redmond Group, an international consulting firm he co-founded in 1998. His technical leadership, expertise in innovation, and ability to build partnerships and leverage opportunities have not only made him internationally sought after by business and governments, but have also contributed to his being invited to serve on boards of organizations such as the NRC Institute for Information Technology, which he chairs, DCU Invent in Ireland and the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle. As the first chairman of the N.B. Innovation Foundation, Warren fostered a climate of research, innovation, and co-operation amongst universities, the private sector, and government. In 2006, he was the visionary force behind the creation of the Populomix Cancer Research Institute, a not-for-profit research body designed to build an Atlantic regional capability in early cancer detection.

Julia and Warren have never forgotten UNB. They have been active alumni, returning to UNB to speak at events, hosting alumni in their home, acting as advocates for the university, and serving as national recruitment spokespersons. But they have done so much more. Ever conscious of the difficulties that students have in funding their education, they have established four undergraduate scholarships supporting campus leaders, and students in computer science and in the arts (over 50 students have already benefited from their generosity). Aware too of the research-educational support needs of universities, they have also donated more than $5 million worth of Microsoft software to UNB to enable students to work in a current, industry-standard environment. And most recently, they have meticulously restored their own home, historic Somerville House on Waterloo Row, once the home of Lord Beaverbrook, and donated it to UNB as a residence for the president.

Julia and Warren have not only been highly successful international business leaders, catalysts for research, and committed philanthropists, but with dedication and selflessness, they have also demonstrated unparalleled commitment to UNB and to the province of New Brunswick. 

Kathryn McCain (BA’72), Toronto

Kathryn McCain has distinguished herself through outstanding service and commitment to UNB, and as an energized and dedicated volunteer in her community. After obtaining her BA in sociology at UNB, she worked in a variety of areas, most notably in the investment business and as a small business owner in the retail sector. Kathryn eventually became totally committed to her voluntary pursuits, which have been numerous as well as diverse. Some of her early work included a women’s shelter, Friends of Shopping Bag Ladies, and The Havergal College Foundation. She also served as warden of St. Clement’s Church in Toronto. For several years Kathryn has been involved with Pathways to Education, a project that began in Regent Park, Toronto, to support disadvantaged youth as they go through high school and transition to post-secondary education. Today, this highly successful program has expanded to six other sites in Ontario and Quebec. Kathryn is chair of The McCain Foundation, a position she has held since 1993. The McCain Foundation is the philanthropic arm of McCain Foods Limited, with a mandate to support programs, projects and campaigns that support our communities. In October 2004, Kathryn was appointed to the national board of the Nature Conservancy of Canada and is currently a member of their governance and nominating committee. Kathryn is very active in the life of UNB. Since 1998, she has been a member of the UNB Board of Governors, and is currently chair of the advancement committee, which serves as the primary vehicle through which advancement reports to the board, including the component function of Alumni Relations. In July, Kathryn was appointed vice-chair of the board. Kathryn was a member of the Forging our Futures Campaign Cabinet and was instrumental in securing numerous gifts to the campaign. In support of Kathryn’s full-time volunteer and board activities, she completed director’s training at the Directors College operated by McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada.

Alumni Award of Distinction

 This award recognizes the significant contributions made by UNB alumni in their local communities and beyond, for which they have been recognized regionally, nationally, or internationally. The 2010 recipients are:

Anthony (Tony) Atkinson (BBA’71), St. Lucia

Anthony (Tony) Atkinson graduated from UNB in business administration in 1971. He then moved to Montreal, where he qualified as a chartered accountant with a major international accounting firm, Coopers & Lybrands, before returning home to St. Lucia. Tony became the managing partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ St. Lucia office and a member of the three-partner executive responsible for the running of the Eastern Caribbean practice of the firm, with offices in four islands (Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and St. Kitts), with 27 partners and directors, and more than 200 professional staff. Tony is a past-president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of St. Lucia, and was the first president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Eastern Caribbean, which amalgamated the institutes of seven islands in the Eastern Caribbean. In 1995, he was the recipient of UNB’s Faculty of Business Administration Certificate of Achievement. Tony attributes most of his professional accomplishments, his personal development and the growth of his family to UNB, where he met his wife Jackie (Knoll, BA’69) and where four of his five children received their education. Tony and Jackie support several charities in St. Lucia. Tony is a member of the board of the Junior Achievement program, and Jackie is involved with many charities, including the St. Lucia Lifesaving Association, St. Lucia Arthritis and Lupus Association and the International School of St. Lucia. The International School opened in 2006 and is a private co-educational school for Grades 4 to 12, and coincidentally is associated with the New Brunswick curriculum. The diploma earned after Grade 12 has international recognition.

Tom Gribbons (BScF’83), Rothesay, N.B.

Tom Gribbons, a 1983 graduate of UNB’s forestry program, is vice-president and branch manager of the Saint John office of RBC Dominion Securities, the wealth management arm of Canada’s RBC Financial Group. Tom was very influential in opening doors during the Forging Our Futures Campaign and provided strong advocacy during the 2007 post-secondary education debates. Similarly, he has been very involved by providing counsel of co-location and was a member of the advisory team during the recruitment of Dr Kathy Hamer as vice-president UNB Saint John. Tom continues to be involved with the Saint John campus in overall campus planning and in particular with the University Commons project. He has been committed to UNB by providing low-key but influential and sustained involvement at the institution. In 2003, Tom received the Golden Jubilee Medal from the Government of Canada, which celebrates the contributions of people who have helped create the Canada of today, and the involvements of younger Canadians who are actively contributing to our future. Tom was a member of the Vibrant Communities Leadership Roundtable. Through a process of community engagement, those involved in the Vibrant Communities Leadership Roundtable in Saint John worked on developing a comprehensive community plan for poverty reduction to upgrade all the good work already underway in Saint John. In February 2010, Tom retired as chair of Vibrant Communities Saint John and took over as co-chair with Gary Lawson of the Business Anti-Poverty Initiative. Tom was a director of the Saint John Community Foundation. The Loch Lomond Villa, and the N.B. Association of Chartered Accountants have benefited from his participation. He is past president of the Saint John Board of Trade and Scouts Canada, and served on the board of Enterprise Saint John.

Dr. Johanna Rommens (BSc’80, PhD’86), Toronto

Johanna Rommens is a senior scientist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and facility director at The Centre for Applied Genomics (TCAG). The need for centralized core facilities for human genome research at SickKids prompted the establishment of TCAG in 1998. Johanna also teaches as a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto. Current activities at TCAG center around large-scale projects performed by facility personnel, including support of Genome Canada projects, as well as research focused on many childhood and complex genetic diseases. Service work is also performed for more than 600 other academic, private sector and government labs each year, drawn from 30 different countries and spanning a wide variety of research disciplines. Johanna received her science degree in 1980 from UNB, followed by her PhD in 1986. Johanna and her research team at SickKids Research Institute have been probing the mechanisms of genetic diseases. She was part of a team that helped discover the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, and recently she has been involved in groundbreaking developments toward understanding Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS), which afflicts children with digestion, blood, skeletal and growth abnormalities. In December 2002, Johanna led the team of scientists that discovered the gene on chromosome 7 and its mutations that cause SDS. The discovery of the gene has led to improved diagnosis of SDS.

Mike Sherrard (BEd’87, LLB’90), Toronto

Mike Sherrard came to UNB from Georgetown, Ont., in 1983. While at UNB, Mike lived in Aitken House, was a member of the varsity basketball team and toured with the UNB rugby team. Over the years, Mike has been an avid supporter of UNB’s basketball program. In addition, Michael has established the Sherrard Kuzz Scholarship at the faculty of law. Michael is the founding partner of Sherrard Kuzz LLP, one of Canada’s leading, management-side, employment and labour law firms. Located in Toronto, Sherrard Kuzz LLP represents the interests of employers, domestic and foreign, unionized and non-unionized, operating in both the public and private sectors. Michael is recognized as a leader in his field, having been named a Leading Practitioner and Repeatedly Recommended by Lexpert and a Top Lawyer by Chambers Global. Michael consistently gives back to his community, whether it be UNB, the legal community or the community at large. He is past chair of the National Labour and Employment Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and the Labour Relations Section of the Ontario Bar Association, as well as the chair or an active member of the following organizations: the American Bar Association, Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Ontario Bar Association, Retail Council of Canada,  Toronto Construction Association, and the Yves Landry Foundation. Michael has for many years worked tirelessly for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. Mike is also a strong supporter of True Patriot Love, a foundation that supports and honours members of the Canadian military and their families. Michael’s wife, Rhonda Cohen, also a lawyer, is the managing director of Sherrard Kuzz LLP, having founded the firm with Mike in 2001. They have twin daughters, Dana and Haley. And while Michael’s life as a lawyer, husband and father keeps him very busy, he has found time to dedicate himself to many worthy causes, including UNB.

Bill Sutherland (BScCE’61, MScCE’64), Halifax

Bill Sutherland graduated from UNB with a BSc in civil engineering in 1961 and an MSc in 1964. While attending UNB, he was a recipient of a Lord Beaverbrook Scholarship as well as the Foundation Company of Canada Scholarship. Bill started his engineering career with the Foundation Company of Canada in the heavy civil marine division, followed by Engineering Consultants, a division of Irving. Bill later joined Acres International in Niagara Falls. In 1969, he transferred to Halifax with Acres, and, in 1978, Bill joined Jacques Whitford as vice-president in Halifax. Bill, as a director and part of the management team, saw the company grow from 25 people to in excess of 1,000 people by 2003. That same year, Bill joined Dexter Construction Company Limited and became part of the project management team for the Halifax Harbour Solutions Project. Bill has been very active in the engineering profession within Nova Scotia and Canada. He served on various committees the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia (APENS). Bill was present of the Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia and in 1992-93 was president of APENS. Bill became chair of Engineers Canada (CCPE) in 1999. As chair, he was part of the team that participated in the initial accreditation assessment for civil engineering program at the University in San Jose, Costa Rica, and the adoption of the mobility agreement for engineers between provinces. He is currently a warden of Camp 7 ( Iron Ring). Bill has been the recipient of several awards, including the APENS Service Award, the Honorary Life Member, and the F.H. Sexton Gold Medal Award. In 2009, he received the CCPE Meritorious Service Award for Professional Service. Bill has also managed to give back to his community. He has been a board member of the Grace Maternity Hospital in Halifax, a member of the Halifax lakes and waterways advisory committee, and the APENS representative on the board of governors for the Technical University of Nova Scotia (DalTech). 

Young Alumni Achievement Award

This award recognizes those who received a bachelor’s degree within the last 10 years or a graduate degree within the last five years.The 2010 recipients are:

Oliver Browning (BScCE’02), Truro, N.S.

Oliver Browning is a professional engineer and a project management professional (PMP), born and raised in Truro, N.S. Oliver began his engineering career in consulting and design engineering at DA Browning & Associates Inc. While employed there, he provided engineering services, facility design and project management services to clientele within the agriculture industry across the Atlantic Provinces, as well as many municipal and structural engineering projects. He has since settled in as a project engineer at the Truro office of ADI Limited. Oliver completed a masters certificate in project management from Saint Mary’s University in 2008, while working full time. Oliver’s engineering and project management work to date has included a number of buildings, civil works, municipal works, structural designs, and design-build projects all over the Atlantic Provinces. Oliver also served this year as a lecturer within the engineering department of the Nova Scotia Agriculture College in Truro, conducting engineering degree course lectures and tutorials. Oliver was awarded the Nova Scotia Young Engineer of the Year in 2008 from the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia (Engineers Nova Scotia) for his accomplishments within engineering. Despite the demanding career path Oliver has taken, he has found time to play an active role in his home community of Truro. He has dedicated time to fundraising events for such organizations as the Canadian Cancer Society and contributes annually to the United Way of Colchester County. He also has volunteered his time over the years coaching in the Truro and Area Minor Hockey Association and the Central Colchester Soccer Association.

Jocelyn (Currie) Myatt (BA’00, BEd’01), Grand Bay-Westfield, N.B.

As an educator, Jocelyn has always been passionate about her community, no matter where that may be. Her enthusiasm for teaching and making learning both practical and fun began when she was a student at UNB in the late ’90s. She discovered her interest in history, which became her major, and she quickly immersed herself into residence life, as a proctor and serving as vice-chair of the Residence Representative Board. Jocelyn began her teaching career at Saint John High School, where she became involved in both academic and social aspects of the students’ lives. She advanced quickly and became presenter at School District 8 Professional Development Days, co-ordinated school trips, and took on other important initiatives, including the Tobacco Reduction initiative, and the Model UN program. When Jocelyn and her family moved to St. Stephen, N.B., she joined the staff at St. Stephen Elementary, where she taught French and English, followed by two years at St. Stephen High School. There she created the Social Action Group to raise money for World Vision and local food banks, and coached soccer. Jocelyn moved to Taloyoak, Nunavut, for more than a year and quickly immersed herself into the community with a mission to make life better for students at the Netsilik School. She applied for the National Band-Aid Grant and won the school $10,000 to enhance the school’s music program. She also re-established the Taloyoak Girl Guide program for the young women in the community. Jocelyn has since returned to Grand Bay–Westfield, and this fall returned to teaching in Black’s Harbour.

Leslie Vermeersch (BKin’01), Toronto

Leslie Vermeersch completed a kinesiology degree in 2001 from UNB. In addition to her academics at UNB, she participated in an exchange program with Chichester University in Brighton, England, where she studied kinesiology and midwifery. After graduation, Leslie continued her studies in nursing at the University of Toronto. The program is a special two-year program geared to postgraduates. While at U of T, Leslie distinguished herself by receiving several awards, including the faculty’s Spirit Award, the Mildred Claire Pratt Undergraduate Scholarship, the Nancy Coles Blackburn Award, and the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award. Leslie began her career on the high risk pregnancy floor at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and later with the pre-natal program. She is currently a maternal infant nurse with the High Risk Clinic, where she performs ultrasounds. In 2007, Leslie volunteered with Global Camps Africa in South Africa. She revolutionized the camp hospital and nurses’ station, and had hockey bags full of drugs and supplies donated and sent to the camps. The only nurse in her camp, Leslie saw each boy daily. Most of the children had lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS, and many had long-term infections, or HIV/AIDS symptoms. In addition to her nursing duties, Leslie taught healthy lifestyle classes that included lessons on nutrition and safe sex. Leslie understands the importance of learning and empowers her patients, whether they are young boys in Africa, or new mothers at Mount Sinai, by educating them to ensure they can take some responsibility in their own treatment. In addition to volunteering in Africa, Leslie has volunteered and fundraised for many years at Camp Oochigeas, a camp for children with cancer. Leslie has also been an advocate for enhancing the professional development of her peers, colleagues and the entire nursing profession.

Outreach Volunteer of the Year

The recipient has made a significant contribution to advancing the objectives of the Outreach Program, either by being a member of an outreach group or individually.

Alex McNaught (BPE’65, BA’66, MEd’73), Frankford, Ont.

Alex McNaught came to UNB from Wallbridge, Ont., just outside of Belleville, in the early 1960s. After graduating in 1966, Alex taught high school in Alberta and then returned to UNB to become the first grad student to complete their MEd in physical education. While on the Fredericton campus, he was involved in numerous student activities. His yearbook entry reads: ‘a reserved humorous farm boy; sold his calf for books and supplies; and planted his pen in the hallowed halls of UNB.’ He was assistant coach of the men’s basketball team in 1972-73, and was also on the football team  In late 2007, Alex began working with the alumni office staff to organize the first Bay of Quinte Alumni Lobster Boil. Alex has been at the helm of this annual event for the past three years. With his help, the event has helped engage a number of alumni in a part of Ontario where UNB’s presence was non-existent. Alumni were typically invited to events either in Toronto or Kingston, but now, with Alex’s leadership, they can attend an annual event closer to home. Alex was one of 11 2010 Olympic Torchbearers selected to carry the Olympic Flame through the city of Belleville, and his son Michael, was part of a team of architects on Canada’s west coast involved in building Olympic buildings for the winter games. Michael flew back to Belleville to watch his father as he carried the torch. Thanks to the leadership and commitment to UNB of Alex McNaught, a number of UNB alumni are now connected with their alma mater. Through his efforts to establish the Bay of Quinte Lobster Boil, Alex has significantly contributed to advancing the goals of the Outreach program and the UNB Associated Alumni.

Outreach Group of the Year

The recipient group will have made significant contributions to UNB alumni, students, the university, or the Associated Alumni during the past year by holding events, demonstrating growth and/or undertaking new initiatives in support of these groups.

 Southwestern Ontario

 As with many initiatives, the UNB Alumni Chapter of Southwestern Ontario initially began many years ago with just a couple of individuals getting together in London, Ont., to reminisce about their days as students.  Gradually over time, the group became more formalized and eventually formed a full chapter that now serves a much larger area of Southwestern Ontario. Over the last number of years, the chapter has truly emphasized what it means to stay connected with its alma mater, bringing people together to celebrate UNB in a variety of ways, including wine tastings, pub evenings, informal barbecues and dinners. This is a chapter that is consistently open to trying new ideas and concepts in order to build an even stronger bond, ensuring that the spirit of UNB is celebrated and cheered throughout their region.

• For more photos from the 2010 Proudly UNB Awards dinner, click here.
• For more information on the awards program, click here for a PDF brochure.
• For a nomination form in PDF,  click here.
• Deadline for nominations is March 15, 2011