Established in 2022, the Exemplary U of T Ambassador (EUTA) Awards recognize outstanding service by librarians and staff at any level at the University. The EUTA Awards are an institutional program celebrating staff and librarians who have furthered the strategic priorities of their unit, department, faculty, or division, and made a significant, positive impact on the University.

The EUTA Awards celebrate individuals and project teams/groups who support the University’s mission through their outstanding contributions and daily work. The recipients have also demonstrated one or more of the University’s Institutional Competencies: leadership; equity, diversity, and inclusion; collaboration; stewardship; and innovation & excellence.

The sixteen individual winners are:

• Andrew McLeod, Program Manager, Office of the Associate Dean, MD Program, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, recognized for his role in establishing the newly created Office of the Vice-Dean, Medical Education through creative problem-solving and for his effective and efficient administration of programs within the Office.
• Anna Menezes, Student Experience Coordinator, Learning Space Management, Division of the Vice-President & Provost, recognized for her supportive and inclusive leadership of a team of over 80 Student Classroom Ambassadors within Tech2U, growing it from a pilot initiative to a fully funded program.
• David Stephen Gerstle, Librarian, UTM: Library, University of Toronto Mississauga, recognized for his contributions to the Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations, providing mentorship, developing strong grant applications, bridging academic and community-based teams in the Region of Peel.
• Emilie DesRosiers, Admissions and Recruitment Administrator, Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, recognized for her work in attracting and engaging potential students and enhancing the student experience through Student Welcome Guides, virtual Open House events, and standardizing operating procedures manuals for the admissions portfolio at the Institute.
• Emily Squire Orchard, Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs, Faculty of Law, recognized for her leadership at the Faculty of Law’s Mental Health & Wellness Committee and her engagement on the Faculty of Law’s EDI Committee and on the Gender, Accessibility and Diversity Committee, building a more inclusive law school at U of T.
• Emma del Junco, Coordinator, Academic Planning & Reviews, Office of the Vice-President & Provost, Division of the Vice-President & Provost, recognized for her work supporting the Reviews, Academic Planning & Academic Change Working Group, improving the quality of the U of T experience for students and supporting the University’s Strategy Leadership Team.
• James Fiege, Associate Director, Clinical Operations, Faculty of Dentistry, recognized for his continuous commitment to improving the teaching, learning, research and clinical operations with the Faculty, eliminating time-consuming manual processes and improving operational effectiveness while fostering a positive and productive work environment.
• Joanna King, Manager, Business & Research Administrator, Office of the Vice-Dean, Research & Health Sciences Education, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, recognized for significantly improving the effectiveness and efficiency of many of the core services provided by the Research & Health Sciences Education Office, and for creating unified best-practices and fostering a strong sense of community for business administrators through her role as co-chair of the Group on Business Affairs Research committee.
• Jonathan D French, Director, UTE, University of Toronto Entrepreneurship, Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, recognized for his transformative role championing entrepreneurship initiatives across the tri-campus, expanding connections with accelerators, and intentionally providing opportunities for Black-identified entrepreneurs with Black-led ventures.
• Lauren Brown, Meditation & Mindfulness Coordinator, Multi-Faith Programs, Vice-Provost, Students, recognized for championing preventative approaches to wellness and student wellbeing through the expansion of Mindful Moments programming across the tri-campus community, and for redesigning the MindFIT program to offer students more inclusive training.
• Máiri McKenna Edwards, Coordinator, Diversity, Equity & Student Experience, Department of Curriculum, Teaching & Learning, OISE, recognized for undertaking multiple initiatives to build understanding, inclusion, justice and access for the OISE community, consistently identifying and addressing barriers within the physical spaces and programs, process and practices of OISE.
• Michael Snowdon, Manager, Academic Planning & Analysis, Planning & Budget Office, University Operations & Real Estate Partnerships, recognized for his work supporting the Provost’s Academic Budget Review team and for serving as an external representative of the University at the provincial level through the Council on University Planning & Analysis.
• Mike K Folinas, Director, Research Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, recognized for his work in pre and post-award administration, identifying grant opportunities and assisting researchers at the Faculty in submitting strong funding applications, and for his collaboration with the Equipment Task Force to assess and develop a strategy for all common equipment within the Faculty.
• Sharon Grandison, Director, Human Resources, Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, recognized for her pivotal role modernizing the payroll process at the Faculty by piloting the Kronos UTime electronic time-tracking system for hourly-paid staff, and for her visionary leadership as co-chair of the KPE Task Force on Race & Indigeneity, reshaping the Faculty’s approach to inclusion.
• Sobiga Vyravanathan, Curriculum & Education Administrator, Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, recognized for her unwavering commitment to improving the quality of the academic experience for the Institute’s graduate students, and the Summer Undergraduate Research Program for undergraduate and medical students at the Faculty.
• Vinita Haroun, Director, Centre for Research & Innovation Support, Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, recognized for her impressive leadership and vision as the inaugural director of the Centre, instilling collaborative and digital research support, and improving resource access for the U of T researchers.

In addition to the winning individuals, five groups/project teams (comprised of 26 individuals) were also recognized for their outstanding service to the University:

• The Black Initiatives Office, recognized for advancing campus-wide priorities and commitments and addressing anti-Black racism at the University of Toronto Mississauga, while raising the standard for equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging across U of T. The winning team members are Eileen Waweru, Heather Hines, and Martin Kengo.
• The LEAD Cohort Community Committee, recognized for fostering an inclusive and safe space for emerging leaders to continue their professional development, providing informal mentorship opportunities and creating a network of mutual support across the University of Toronto Scarborough. The winning team members are Hananne Helen Domloge, Karolyn Keir, Manaal Afzal Hussain, Maryam Ali, and Nina Adamo.
• The Payments to Indigenous Payees Guidelines Working Group, recognized for collaboratively creating a standardized guideline for reducing the payment process for non-employee Indigenous partners who work with U of T. The winning team members are Brianna Sands, Chris Dimitriadis, Ian MacEachern, Kirin Jeffery, Lisa Myre, Natallia Smaliuk, Sanish Samuel, Shannon L Simpson, and Tara Wells.
• The Pro Bono Students Canada National Team, recognized for supporting the nationwide non-profit organization, Pro Bono Students Canada, that matches law student volunteers with community organizations to facilitate access to justice. The winning team members are Amy Tang, Carolina Cuevas, Charlee Tolliver, Dana Rotenberg, Jason Goodman, are Jeanne E.P. Arbez.
• The Teaching Assistants’ Training Program Redesign Team, recognized for redesigning mandatory job training for Teaching Assistants and professional development opportunities for all U of T graduate students with an enhanced focus on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. The winning team members are Allison Diskin, Cristina D’Amico, and Michal Kasprzak.

Congratulations to all the 2024-25 EUTA Award winners and thank you for your service. Kelly Hannah-Moffat, Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture, will present the awards to the recipients at a ceremony this spring.