This summer marks the end of my two-year term as president of UNB’s Associated Alumni. It has been such a pleasure to serve in this role, to celebrate the successes of our students and alumni, and to help connect each of you to the life and work of the university.
My term was filled with many special moments — and some very exciting milestones! These included celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Alumni News magazine, the 60th anniversary of the Saint John campus and the inaugural Alumni Weekend, and crossing the 100,000th member of our global alumni family at last spring’s graduation.
In April, we hosted the 2025 Proudly UNB Awards dinner in Saint John, celebrating 10 individuals and one alumni network. As always, this event left me feeling so proud to be part of the UNB alumni family. You can read more about the important work of this year’s recipients on page 28, like community changemaker Li Song (BEd/BA’08), gender-based violence prevention activist Niko Coady (C-FVI/BBA’22), and UNB advocate Doug Johnson (BScCE’74, MScCE’79).
On behalf of the alumni family, I also want to extend a warm welcome and congratulations to the over 2,000 graduates who received their alumni pin and joined our ranks at this spring’s Encaenia and Convocation ceremonies from May 28 to 30. I can’t wait to see what this group of graduates does to effect positive change in the world.
As I shared with you in my last message, and as you’ll read throughout the pages of this magazine, UNB alumni are transforming knowledge into action and making a difference in their communities around the world. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and connecting with many of you throughout our various events and gatherings, and I continue to be left feeling inspired and motivated by your stories. Each of you represents 1 of 100,000 reasons I’m proud to be a UNBer.
I’m pleased to welcome UNB alum Andrew Martel (BCS’15) as our incoming president, effective July 1. It has been a pleasure getting to know Andrew over the last number of years, and I know he will be an excellent leader and supporter of our alumni community.
I hope you will have an opportunity to meet him soon — or listen to Andrew and his wife Kayla-Renee Ossachuk(BA’15) as the new hosts of our alumni podcast, UNBeknownst.
UNB has impacted and shaped my life in many profound ways. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to represent our community as president, and I look forward to continuing to do so on UNB’s Board of Governors.
I would like to thank Michelle McNeil (BBA’03, MBA’09) and the amazing group of people who work in the Alumni Office. They are an incredibly dedicated team who work tirelessly on our behalf to advance the goals of UNB’s Associated Alumni.
I leave you with one final reflection. To anyone who is considering volunteering for UNB or any other cause close to your heart, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so. Volunteering doesn’t require special skills, just a willingness to contribute and a belief in the power of community. Your efforts will matter. Together, we can achieve great things.
