Environmental lawyer Dr. Dianne Saxe headlines Georgian’s Celebration of Excellence April 30

Georgian celebrated excellence, teaching and the end of a great semester on April 30 at the Barrie Campus.

Environmental lawyer and former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Dr. Dianne Saxe set the tone with an inspiring keynote presentation.

Dr. Saxe began her career with the Ontario Public Service and two major Bay Street law firms. She then established one of Canada’s top environmental law boutiques.

Following the thought provoking, Climate Changes Everything presentation delivered by Dr. Saxe, the Georgian Board of Governors’ Awards of Distinction ceremony commenced. The awards celebrate Georgian employees, graduates and community partners who have made an outstanding contribution to the college and who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence.

The board recognized local business Innovative Automation Inc. with a Community Partner Award.

Innovative Automation Inc. is an ardent supporter of Georgian and its students. Since 1999, the company has donated over $450,000 – most recently with a $250,000 commitment to supporting research and innovation by naming a CAD/GIS lab in the Peter B. Moore Advanced Technology Centre. The company also routinely provides co-op learning opportunities and hires Georgian graduates. In fact, one in four of their employees are Georgian alumni.

The three owners, Mathew Setterington, Michael Lalonde and Steve Loftus, are very generous with their time. They have provided industry representation on program advisory committees in addition to engaging with students through panel discussions, as guest speakers and by participating in and hosting networking fairs. Setterington is an alumnus of Georgian’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program.

Distinguished Alumni Awards were presented to three graduates who have made a significant contribution in their field while serving as a college ambassador.

The first recipient, Kevin Collins, graduated from Georgian’s Hotel and Resort Administration program in 1984 and was a 2014 Premier’s Award nominee. The second recipient, Scott Groh is a graduate of Georgian’s first intake of students in the Aviation Management program and a 2018 Premier’s Award nominee. The third recipient Amber McAuley graduated from Georgian’s Child and Youth Worker program in 2014.

The celebrations continue May 1 with Georgian’s annual Focus on Teaching Conference, Teaching Excellence Awards and a keynote by Shakil Choudhury, author of Deep Diversity: Overcoming Us vs. Them. Choudhury is an award-winning educator and consultant with more than 20 years experience in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion. He is also the co-founder of Anima Leadership.