Group of 5 Georgian nominees of the 2022 Premier's Awards

Celebrating alumni

Celebrating the accomplishments of our alumni

Across Ontario and around the world, Georgian alumni are making a difference, and we are proud to celebrate their contributions to our college, their professions and their communities! Alumni awards recognize their efforts to improve their industries, and to make our world a better place.

Board of Governors’ Awards of Distinction – Distinguished Alumni Awards

Our alumni are consistently creating an impact around the world and are continuously changemakers in their prospective industry or within their communities. Every year, we celebrate and recognize the remarkable achievements of our graduates during the Georgian College Board of Governors’ Awards.

Do you know any Georgian graduates who are making a difference? Recognize their achievements by nominating them for the 2024 Board of Governors’ Award of Distinction – Distinguished Alumni Awards. Nominations are open until Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, at 4:30 p.m.

Important note: to be eligible to submit a nomination form, you must be a person holding a credential (i.e. diploma, degree) from Georgian College or Georgian@ILAC, or are a current faculty or staff member at Georgian College or Georgian@ILAC. This includes graduates from Georgian College’s joint degree-diploma programs offered through the University Partnership Centre.

Nadia George smiling as she holds her Georgian College Board of Governors Distinguished Alumni Award
Nadia George, a 2009 graduate of Georgian’s Social Services Worker program, was recognized with a 2020 Board of Governors’ Distinguished Alumni Award.
Award categoriesGeorgian College Chevron

The Progress and Achievement category is awarded to a graduate who has made significant contributions in their field and whose endeavours have distinguished them professionally or in the community and brought honour to the college.

The Changemaker category is awarded to a graduate who illustrates ‘passion meets purpose’. The graduate will be working or volunteering to create social change and drive innovation in a rapidly changing world. This award celebrates alumni tackling society’s challenges head-on and bringing honour to the college.

Purpose of award and eligibility requirementsGeorgian College Chevron

The Awards of Distinction celebrate Georgian faculty, staff, alumni and community partners who have made an outstanding contribution to the college. Nominations are due each year the second Friday in February. The awards are considered the college’s highest honour and recognize those who exemplify excellence.

Nominations for the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award (and beyond) are open to members of the Georgian College Alumni Association, faculty, and staff, and are drawn from all areas, reflecting the quality of excellence of Georgian graduates.

Eligibility criteria for nominees:

  • Nominees must be a person holding a degree, and/or a diploma from Georgian College or Georgian@ILAC. This includes graduates from Georgian College’s joint degree-diploma programs offered through the University Partnership Centre.
  • Current Georgian College or Georgian@ILAC faculty and staff are eligible.
  • Posthumous nominations are eligible.

Eligibility criteria for nominators:

  • Nominators must be a person holding a degree, and/or a diploma from Georgian College or Georgian@ILAC. This includes graduates from Georgian College’s joint degree-diploma programs offered through the University Partnership Centre.
  • Current Georgian College or Georgian@ILAC faculty and staff are eligible to be a nominator.
  • Current members of the Alumni Association Executive Council are not eligible to be nominators.
  • Members of Georgian College’s Board of Governors are not eligible to be nominators during their term.

Not eligible:

  • Members of Georgian College’s Board of Governors are not eligible to be nominated during their term.
  • Members of public office are not eligible to be nominated during their term. Once the individual no longer holds an elected or appointed position in a political office, they are eligible.
Nomination instructionsGeorgian College Chevron

Nominations

  • Will be accepted on a rolling basis with a cut-off deadline of the second Friday in February annually. The deadline date will be published annually.
  • May not be made for oneself.
  • Will include all requirements as stated and no more. Additional information that exceeds the character limit stated within the nomination form will be discounted.
  • Will stand for consideration in the year in which they are submitted, and, if a nominee is not selected, they will need to be re-nominated to be considered for future award cycles.

Nomination forms

Ready to nominate someone exceptional? Please fill out each required section of the nomination form online and click submit.

Each section within the nomination form includes specific character counts to ensure fairness in the selection process. Incomplete nomination forms will not be considered eligible.

Premier’s Awards

Celebrating the contributions of our graduates

This annual awards program was created by the provincial government to acknowledge the important economic and social contribution college graduates make worldwide. The Premier’s Awards program is administered by Colleges Ontario.

Any graduate of a college program may be nominated. The person must have demonstrated outstanding career success and be making a contribution to their community or society.

Do you know a Georgian graduate who should be recognized for their career achievements and successes? The Alumni Office welcomes suggestions for nominations at any time. Please email alumni@georgiancollege.ca for more information.

Award categories

Colleges may nominate one graduate in each of the following categories:

  • Apprenticeship
  • Business
  • Community Services
  • Creative Arts and Design
  • Health Sciences
  • Recent Graduate
  • Technology
2023 Premier’s Award nomineesGeorgian College Chevron
Ian Holmes
Ian Holmes

Ian Holmes

Nomination category: Apprenticeship
Program: Carpenter Apprentice – Advanced
Graduated: 2010
Job title:  General Superintendent
Place of employment: 
Tamarack North

Ian Holmes has built high-end fine homes for almost 20 years, creating dream properties on the shores of Georgian Bay and Muskoka. Tamarack North employs approximately 140 tradespeople and 30 office staff in three locations. Ian is an integral part of the leadership team, ensuring standardized best practices for up to 20 building sites at a time. He’s committed to a diverse work force – recruiting women, First Nations, Metis and foreign-trained workers. Ian credits his apprenticeship training with contributing to his success. Mentoring from company leaders and talented tradespeople enabled his development, while classroom sessions at Georgian reinforced and built on what he’d learned in the field. A passionate ambassador for apprenticeship, Ian is also a Valued Employer Partner with Georgian’s co-op department.


Arjun Batra
Arjun Batra

Arjun Batra

Nomination category: Business
Program: Mechanical Engineering Technology – Automotive Manufacturing
Graduated: 2007
Job title:  Founder and CEO of three businesses
Place of employment: 
Doon School, First Construction Real Estate, Ace Auto Sales and Leasing

Arjun Batra is a successful serial entrepreneur and business owner, engaged community volunteer, passionate education champion and proud college graduate. He says his Georgian College experience provided the springboard for his entire career. His first business, Doon School, which today boasts more than 2,000 secondary school graduates, was inspired by his 100 per cent grade in calculus and resulting part-time job tutoring math as an international student. Arjun has dedicated countless hours to Georgian. He served on the Alumni Association Executive Council, became the first International student turned alumnus to be appointed Chair and remains on the Advancement Committee. Arjun was honoured with the Georgian College Board of Governors Distinguished Alumni Award in 2022.


Donna Big Canoe
Donna Big Canoe

Chief Donna Big Canoe

Nomination category: Community Service
Program: Native Education – Community and Social Development
Graduated: 2015 and 1998
Job title:  Chief
Place of employment: 
Georgina Island First Nation

First elected Chief of Georgina Island First Nation in 2007 at the age of 31, Donna Big Canoe has been re-elected every term since. Under her leadership the community enjoys improved drinking water, health services and employment opportunities. She successfully fought a proposal to dump treated sewage into Lake Simcoe’s watershed and worked with First Nations Chiefs and governments to settle two historic treaty disputes. A collaborative, consultative leader, she stresses any achievements are shared with her council, staff and entire community. Donna says the skills she acquired at Georgian helped her write proposals, communicate effectively, and build relationships. She’s proud of the increasing number of island youth pursuing postsecondary education, with the help of financial support from their community. Donna has been honoured with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and Georgian’s Board of Governor’s Distinguished Alumni Award.


Ryan Sobkovich
Ryan Sobkovich

Ryan Sobkovich

Nomination category: Creative Arts
Program: Fine Arts Advanced Diploma
Graduated: 2016
Job title:  Artist and entrepreneur
Place of employment: 
Self-employed

Ryan Sobkovich is a full-time award-winning artist, still in his 20s, who has sold more than 1,300 works — his first at the age of 12. He hikes, camps, canoes and portages deep into the Canadian wilderness to portray its majestic beauty and the critical importance of preserving it. Ryan’s stunning landscape oil paintings are sought by national and international private, corporate and public collectors as far afield as Italy, China and Dubai. He’s also a passionate entrepreneur – strategically growing the business of his own career and inspiring other artists to do the same. Ryan combined his natural talent with formal education knowing he wanted Georgian’s blend of experiential and theoretical learning. He thrived on the fresh perspective and mentorship of experienced faculty, and the networking opportunities provided were invaluable in launching his career. While still a student he was named Best in Show at the McMichael Canadian Collection Autumn Show, an honour repeated the following three years.


Sara Bingham
Sara Bingham

Sara Bingham

Nomination category: Health Sciences
Program: Communicative Disorders Assistant
Graduated: 1994
Job title:  Entrepreneur
Place of employment: 
Wee Hands Baby Sign Language and Sara Bingham Business Coaching Inc.

Therapist, entrepreneur, author of two books and advisor, Sara Bingham is committed to changing the world. Through WeeHands Baby Sign Language, she’s taught thousands of families, educators and other caregivers how to use American Sign Language to communicate with their infants and toddlers. In her latest venture, she coaches clients who are starting or growing businesses that make a positive contribution to society. Sara was one of only 50 people across Canada to receive the 2021 Globe and Mail Report on Business Changemaker Award. Sara can trace every stage of her career back to her college program. While WeeHands and her books are based on theory and evidence from her program, at the core, she says, is changemaking, “Any therapist needs to contribute to making things better, that’s what we learned. If something is needed and I can help in some way, I feel compelled to do it. I can see a straight line to my college for that, it’s why I took CDA in the first place –to help.”


Wazeer Rahman
Wazeer Rahman

Wazeer Rahman

Nomination category: Recent Grad
Program: Police Foundations
Graduated: 2018
Job title:  Police Constable
Place of employment: 
South Simcoe Police Services

Wazeer Rahman is an ardent believer in the value of community policing to not only respond to calls but proactively engage to build trust and reduce negative interactions. In a new role on the Traffic and Marine Unit, he’s passionate about fighting impaired driving. He credits his faculty, most ex-officers themselves, with fully preparing him for his career. Wazeer is committed to using what he learned in his program and sharing it with others who want to follow his path. He spends many volunteer hours mentoring other potential policing students who want to follow his path. As an international student, he co-founded the Kerala Muslim Student Association, which today has chapters across Canada. In 2021 he received a Community Champion Award from the Simcoe County Newcomer Recognition Awards.


Steve Priestley
Steve Priestley

Steve Priestley

Nomination category: Technology
Program: Environmental Engineering Technology
Graduated: 1999
Job title:  Chief Operating Officer and Co-owner
Place of employment: 
AltoMaxx Technologies

With a 24-year career in innovation and the environmental sector, Steve Priestley has built two multi-million dollar international companies. The latest, AltoMaxx Technologies, is a world leader in drone services, certification and training. In five years, AltoMaxx has grown to six locations across North America and the United Arab Emirates. Its innovations have helped reduce natural gas carbon emissions, limit dangerous work in enclosed spaces and even look for gold on TV programs. AltoMaxx is the only accredited drone certification body world-wide and Steve is committed to advancing the entire industry through safety and compliance. Steve continued to use and grow the problem-solving and technical skills learned at Georgian throughout his career. A champion of college education, he says, “I’ve made it my mandate to hire college grads because they graduate with hands-on field experience and a desire and understanding of problem-solving. When we send a team to remote work in the Arctic, or anywhere, we need a workforce that can trouble-shoot on the spot and I believe college develops that in people.”

Previous Premier’s Awards winnersGeorgian College Chevron
Nadia George, 2021 Premier's Award nominee

Nadia George (2021)

Nomination category: Creative Arts and Design
Program: Social Service Worker
Graduated: 2009
Job title: Actress
Place of employment: Marla Mann Agency

Nadia George is an award-winning Indigenous Canadian actress, media personality, therapist and public speaker based in Toronto. Her work focuses on uplifting young voices and addressing stigma around contemporary Indigenous identity, and her volunteerism includes roles as a national ambassador, advisor and BIPOC committee member for several national organizations. She can be seen in numerous films and television series including History Erased, Along the Water’s Edge and Uncolonize, and her portrayal of Jolene in the award-winning film ‘Her Water Drum’ earned her the distinguished award of Achievement in Acting for a Leading Role at the Los Angeles Skins Film Festival.


Kevin Collins, 2019 Premier's Award recipient

Kevin Collins (2019)

Nomination category: Community Services
Program: Hotel and Resort Administration, and Tourism Management
Graduated: 1984 and 1985
Job title: President and CEO
Place of employment: Easter Seals Ontario

A two-time recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and Ontario Restaurant’s Trillium Award Newsmaker of the Year 2013, Kevin J. Collins has brought philanthropy to the forefront in the hospitality industry. As a child with Cerebral Palsy, Kevin benefited from Easter Seal’s camp programs and pledged to give back, doing so as Executive Director of Friends of We Care, the industry’s charitable arm which sends physically disabled children to camp. After successfully tripling the organization’s donor base and raising $20.5-million over his career, he was appointed to his current role as President and CEO of Easter Seals Ontario in 2017.


Aylan Couchie, 2016 Premier's Award recipient

Aylan Couchie (2016)

Nomination category: Recent Graduate
Program: 
Art and Design Fundamentals
Graduated: 
2015
Job title: 
Anishinaabe artist, community organizer and aspiring writer
Place of employment: Freelance artist, currently pursuing MFA at OCAD University

Just a year out of college, Aylan has built an impressive list of career achievements. In August 2015, she was chosen from among more than 950 entries worldwide to receive the Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the U.S.-based International Sculpture Center. Less than a month later, Aylan was honoured with the inaugural Native Women in the Arts Barbara Laronde Award, which celebrates the career of one outstanding, emerging Northern Ontario-based  Indigenous female artist. Her artwork has also been featured in Sculpture magazine, an international publication that is distributed in more than 70 countries and has a readership of more than 37,000.

Aylan was also the winner of the Pratt Homes Sculpture competition that hand-selected four artists to design a sculpture to sit atop their new condominium in Barrie, as well as a rooftop patio piece and select works throughout the interior. Her work was chosen by the public against three seasoned and highly esteemed sculptors. Once built, the piece, (H.I.O. Big Chiefs) will be seen from Highway 400 as it looks out over Kempenfelt Bay in tribute to the Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Anishinabek nations.

Aylan has also made an indelible impact on the community. In 2014, she organized and launched Barrie’s first downtown art crawl, which featured local artists, fostered new relationships within the downtown merchant core, and led to partnerships that continue today.

Aylan says she is inspired by her grandfather, a residential school survivor whose passed-down teachings greatly influenced her work and encouraged her to return to college as a mature student and single mother of three teenage boys.

Despite the many accolades, Aylan feels the most important part of her work is being part of the larger conversation about First Nations realities, including murdered and missing Indigenous women, current actualities facing First Nations communities across Canada, and residential school legacies.


Dianne Martin, 2016 Premier's Award recipient

Dianne Martin (2016)

Nomination category: Health Sciences
Program: Nursing
Graduated: 1998
Job title: Chief Executive Officer
Place of employment: Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario

As the Chief Executive Officer of the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario, Dianne provides leadership and advocates for the province’s thousands of registered practical nurses. She also works hard to make a difference in the lives of patients and nursing students through policies, reforms and education.

Dianne is currently working to refocus healthcare decisions on the needs of patients, which will help them take control of their own wellness. She’s also spent a good portion of her career addressing the workplace bullying she says is prevalent in the industry and providing support to nurses suffering from work-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dianne hopesp the resources she and her team have created will assist employers, re-engage nurses in the profession, and help reduce or eradicate bullying and PTSD.

In addition to overseeing day-to-day operations and managing the RPNAO’s budget, Dianne visits healthcare organizations across the country to consult on nursing and how to improve patient outcomes and workplace satisfaction and retention.

Dianne also consults with many hospitals and helps administrators understand and expand the nurses’ role and implement positive change. She speaks regularly at conferences across the province on issues related to health and wellness education, and nursing issues in particular.

In addition to her leadership role, Dianne sits on nursing advisory committees at several colleges – including Georgian – and still finds time to teach in the classroom.


Dale George, 2012 Premier's Award recipient

Dale George (2012)

Program: Industrial Design
Graduated: 1985
Job title: Chief Technology Officer
Place of employment: Buoyant Aircraft Systems International (BASI)

Dale George has established a niche in the world of design for improving operations, defining innovation, and creating industry standards for a number of products and services. Now he is again at the leading edge as the chief technical officer of Buoyant Airship Services International. George’s remarkable journey began in the Industrial Design program at college. Throughout his evolution from the early days of designing the now-famous “little yellow” plastic slide that can be found in backyards across North America, to developing the first high-altitude wind turbine, to his aviation work with lighter-than-air airships with NASA and transport to remote areas, George has remained a trailblazer in his field.


Geoffrey Stephens, 2011 Premier's Award recipient

Geoffrey Stephens (2011)

Program: Business Administration
Graduated: 1984
Job title: President
Place of employment: Capital Paving Inc.

Geoffrey Stephens became president and controlling owner of Capital Paving Inc. at age 35 and has grown its revenue from $18 million to $80 million in just over 10 years. He and his partners recently made a major ownership investment in Fowler Construction. In 2010, Capital was named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies and is an unprecedented three-time winner of the Ministry of Transportation’s Paver of the Year Award. Stephens was one of 40 Canadian entrepreneurs chosen for the 2010 Quantum Shift at Richard Ivey School of Business. He is active in the community, serving on numerous industry association boards.


Stephen Flowers, 2005 Premier's Award recipient

Stephen Flowers (2005)

Program: Business
Graduated: 1983
Job title: President
Place of employment: UPS Americas Region

Stephen Flowers, President of the UPS Americas Region, is responsible for all UPS package operations in Canada and more than 50 countries and territories across Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to taking on the region’s highest post, Flowers was UPS’s West Europe District Manager, where he oversaw the company’s operations in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Stephen began his career with UPS in 1981 as a loader/unloader while at Georgian College. Stephen has served on the board of directors for the United Way of Long Island, New York and the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris.


Rose Adams, Premier's Award recipient

Rose Adams

Program: Office Administration
Graduated: 1984

Rose overcame a difficult childhood to get where she is today. Growing up in foster homes, she financed her college education by cleaning houses and checking coats at a local bar. In 1991, she was crowned Miss Black Ontario and entered law school as a mature student. Rose has taught business courses at Georgian College and Ontario Business College and volunteers for non-profit community groups such as the Out of the Cold program. She served on the board of Big Brothers and the Simcoe Literacy Network.

Reunions

Time to celebrate with old friends!

Ever wonder what became of your Georgian classmates? They may be curious about you too! Georgian’s alumni relations team encourages alumni to stay connected with their fellow graduates.

When the time comes to plan a reunion, the reunion team would be happy to assist with:

  • personalized invitations
  • promoting the event on alumni social media, website and e-communications
  • providing welcome packages to attendees
  • providing sponsorship funding (includes an application and selection process)
  • scheduling Growler, the Georgian mascot, to make an appearance (based on availability)
  • arranging for a faculty member to be present to speak
  • assisting with overnight accommodations for guests
  • organizing a campus tour

With a number of planning tools available, organizing your reunion is easy! For further information or to discuss customized packages, please contact us.

A group of Georgian College nursing alumni with accessories and props at a reunion

Connect with us

Georgian Alumni Association logo on dark blue circular tile

Advancement and Alumni Relations Office

Email: alumni@georgiancollege.ca
Phone: 705.722.5173

Alumni Engagement, Room E200
One Georgian Dr.
Barrie ON, Canada
L4M 3X9