NEWS RELEASE
GEORGIAN COLLEGE
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Georgian College’s board of governors recognized an exceptional group of employees, alumni and community partners during the annual Awards of Distinction on April 25.
The awards are considered the college’s highest honour and recognize those who exemplify excellence.
“The board of governors is proud to recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements and impressive contributions of this year’s recipients of our Awards of Distinction,” says Mary-Anne Willsey, chair, board of governors. “These dedicated alumni, community partners and employees are helping to deliver an unrivalled Georgian experience and have made a significant impact on our students, the college and our campus communities.”
Meet some of this year’s recipients:
- Community Partner Award: City of Barrie
Not only does the City of Barrie participate in program advisory committees, job fairs and more; it provided about 75 Georgian students with co-op experiences in 2023 alone. Georgian and the city also secured more than $1 million through the Skills Development Fund to address skills development and labour shortages within the manufacturing sector, developing the Rapid Skills micro-credential project.
- Community Partner Award: Furniture Bank, powered by Redwood Park Communities
Furniture Bank supplies gently used furniture and household items to vulnerable groups, including Georgian students, and helps deepen the college’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. They’ve also enabled countless student capstone projects and supported more than 20 field placements since 2018.
- Distinguished Alumni Award — Changemaker: Dale Boyle, executive director, The Gilbert Centre
Boyle is a graduate of Georgian’s business administration advanced diploma and honours bachelor of business administration — management and leadership programs. A recognized community advocate, he created a Safer Spaces Training Program and has been a significant contributor to a research project at Georgian focused on the development of tools to cultivate changemaking skills.
- Distinguished Alumni Award — Progress and Achievement: Maria Artuso, vice-president, commercial financial services, RBC
Artuso is a graduate of Georgian’s business administration — general diploma and human resource management graduate certificate programs. Among her many accomplishments, she achieved the highest honour in Canadian financial services by becoming a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute and has extensively volunteered for local foundations and boards.
“I’m extremely proud of each of our recipients and nominees this year, and deeply grateful for their contributions to the college, our campus communities, and most importantly, our students. What distinguishes them are the ways they inspire others through their exceptional commitment, changemaker mindset, passion for all things Georgian, and heart-centred leadership,” said Kevin Weaver, president and CEO, Georgian College.
Five additional awards were handed out to employees — an Entrepreneurial Award, Team Award and three Awards of Excellence.
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