Established in 2022, the Exemplary U of T Ambassador (EUTA) Award recognizes the contributions and achievements of librarians and staff, as individuals or in teams, who have provided outstanding service, furthered the strategic priorities of their unit, department, faculty, or division, and made a significant, positive impact on the University. 

Individual and team nominations were submitted by colleagues and peers and evaluated based on specific contributions and achievements in areas such as collaboration, leadership, problem-solving, client-oriented approach, initiative, and fostering an inclusive working and learning environment. This award is an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of staff and librarians from across our tri-campus and serves as an inspiration for the community to continue working together to make the University of Toronto a better place for students, faculty, librarians, and staff. 

The individual winners are: 

• Jeremy Chambers, Manager, Academic Scheduling and Instructor Support, recognized for improving faculty experience, providing support, fostering inclusive dialogue, and being an all-around team player who makes the workplace more enjoyable for everyone. 
• Meg Connell, Director of the Office of the Dean in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, recognized as an exemplary leader who makes significant contributions to Temerty Medicine’s success and led the development of the Faculty’s Academic Strategic Plan. 
• Sonia P De Buglio, Director of Alumni Relations, recognized for consistently going above and beyond in her work, for establishing and enhancing various programs and initiatives and being an enthusiastic collaborator to students, alumni, faculty, volunteers, and colleagues alike. 
• Nina Dhir, Academic Program Administrator, recognized for her dedicated service, bringing staff together and being a student ally and advocate, faculty go-to, department event planner, and U of T champion. 
• Selina Carolyn Esteves, Director of Advancement at the Faculty of Dentistry, recognized for her exceptional work ethic and strategic thinking, raising the Faculty’s profile and furthering its legacy of excellence, and being a true team player with far-reaching impact. 
• Margaret F Fulford, University College Librarian, recognized for supporting undergrad students & teaching, being an effective leader at the library overseeing a successful library relocation, as well as her outreach & equity work through the Canadian Women Film Director Database. 
• Mulu Geletu-Heye, Senior Research Associate in Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences, recognized for not only her expertise in cancer cell biology, but also organizing a Youth Mentorship Program for underrepresented communities, aiming to encourage young students to explore STEM opportunities. 
• Lesa Holmes, Communications & Engagement Manager, recognized for leading initiatives to improve quality of life at U of T, particularly in fostering equity, diversity and inclusivity, and leading the PSEC communications team through a pandemic and a rebrand. 
• Helen Huang, Chief Administrative Officer at OISE, recognized for her work as an exemplary CAO, supporting the OISE’s academic mission, and managing areas such as HR, Finance, Facilities, data management, legislative and policy compliance. 
• Robert Page, IT Manager, recognized for enriching the academic experience of all students, providing critical support, and facilitating an engaging social culture in the Rehabilitation Sciences Sector.
• Meghan A. Sbrocchi, Department Manager at the School of the Environment, recognized for fostering a caring and inclusive environment for faculty, staff and students, and enhancing interdisciplinary research, teaching, action and community involvement in environment and sustainability. 
• Mark Seymour, Director of Advancement Talent Management and Pathways, recognized for leading a high-performing workforce, exemplifying U of T’s mission for a positive, diverse environment, leading transformative initiatives for advancement, and guiding staff to embed equity, diversity, and inclusion in their work for the betterment of the University. 
• Mark Simpson, Former Director, Building Services, Grounds & Trades, recognized for fostering innovations that increased productivity and efficacy, and providing thoughtful, supportive, and collaborative leadership for caretaking, grounds, trades, campus moving, recycling, mail services and hazardous waste teams. 
• Lachmi Singh, Director, Education Programs & Admin. Service, recognized for her leadership, commitment to quality and innovation, advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in the division, and supporting a healthy and inclusive learning and work environment. 
• Ellen Sokoloff, Graduate Administrator at Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH), recognized for her behind-the-scenes work for the success of the School, programs, faculty, students and graduate office staff by ensuring that every individual is heard and supported. 
• Sarah Topa, International Program & Partnerships Officer at the Institute of Medical Science (IMS), recognized for leading IMS’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations, improving IMS communications, creating various programs to improve quality of the U of T experience for IMS graduate students and faculty. 
• Caroline D Turenko, Director, Business and Administration, recognized for her long service in Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM), holding the department together through instability, and leaving an extraordinary impact on DFCM and the wider University community with her energy and commitment. 
• Shane Wallace, Associate Registrar, Recruitment & Awards, recognized for supporting mature students in undergraduate studies, going above and beyond to get students the support they deserve and improving, and leading initiatives to improve student services for mature students.  

In addition to the winning individuals, six project teams were also recognized for their outstanding service to the University. 

• Log4j Vulnerability Team, recognized for their work in identifying and addressing a high-risk security vulnerability by creating multiple communication channels and mobilizing the community. Team members included David Auclair, Frank Boshoff, Michael Buzny, Carl Chan, Chris Finley, Elias Karamitsos, Sue McGlashan, Akshat Mishra, Gabriel Moga, Romel Sargezi, and Andrew Wagg. 
• UofT Pension Plan Conversion Team, recognized for their efforts in converting the UofT Pension Plan to the new jointly sponsored University Pension Plan Ontario (UPP), while facing complex technology requirements and tight timelines. Team members included Barrie Butteree, Helene Daviau, Barbara Der, Kelly Gao, Ian MacEachern, Andrew Mills, Parviz Moinipour, Keithann Newton, Joe-Anne Vanhorn, Vaishnavi Varadarajan, Joyce P Wong, and Yimei Zhao. 
• Academic Resilience Team, recognized for their efforts in supporting students during the pandemic by establishing an Academic Resilience Program for students to build resourcefulness, community, academic skills, and better understand the relationship between academic work and wellbeing. Team members included Rahul Bhat and Katherine Bowers. 
• MedStore Team, recognized for their dedication in procuring, managing, and delivering equipment and supplies for medical research and education throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Team members included Gabriel Bettin Camelo, Andrew Dakin, Craig Hayden, Jason Kisyk, Joshua Lobo, Mariella Lopez, Calvin Luu, Deisy Martinez Restrepo, Gabriel Melo, Patrick Minogue, Alfredo Onio, Tej Patel, Andrew Robichaud, Michael Scott, and Christopher James Tetley. 
• Hart House Renewal Team, recognized for advocating for and implementing changes that made Hart House more accessible and sustainable while reducing utility costs. Team members included Lucia F Amaral, Brian B Borges, Dana Burke, Olang A Cerda-Moesker, Dominic HL Chan, Jimmy Cheung, Dulce Coelho, Antonio Costa, Dennis G Eastmond, Nigel Bruce Faulkner, Ramanie Fernando, Alexandre Ferreira, Thomas Heaysman, Tim J McTague, Prudence Lungile Mkhonza, Michael Morrin, Meena Rani, Ignacio Juan Salinas, Lorenzo Gange Tolentino, and William Zheng.  
• The Advancement Equity Diversity Inclusion Task Force, recognized for their efforts in embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion principles more broadly into the advancement culture, programs, practices, and values, and fostering an inclusive working and learning environment. Team members included Michelle Alfano, Nell Bent, Glenford A Boothe, Tad Brown, Anne Marie Cobban, Sherol Cowell, Barbara J Dick, Michelle Fong, Tyler Greenleaf, Monica Hahm, Ramine Haider, Maliha Hasan, Tania John Pihl, Afshaan Kohari, Tatiana Kreinin, Ylber Kusari, Yvette Lam, Kristin Lovell, Kimberly Teresa Lyn, Kashaf Mansoor, Mary Markou, Beth McCarthy, Satpal K McCaughey, Nitish Mehta, Bonnie J Merchan-Douglas, Mila C Miller, Michael Moretti, Gillian Morrison, Negin Neghabat, Van Nguyen, Mohamed Irshad Osman, Patricia A Page, Melissa Pang, Steve Radbourn, James Robertson, Kirsten Ryan, Mark Seymour, Archana Sridhar, Regan Tigno, Peter Wambera, and Michelle Woo. 

Congratulations to all the winners of the EUTA Awards and thank you for your dedication. Heather Boon, Acting Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture, will present the awards to recipients at a ceremony this Spring.

We look forward to celebrating even more outstanding contributions and achievements in the years to come.