And the Ryerson Awards go to…

Known as the university’s “Academy Awards,” Ryerson Awards Night recognizes the achievements of an impressive list of individuals and teams of Ryerson employees. Human Rights Services – recipient of a 2019 President’s Blue and Gold Award of Excellence – embodies the spirit of teamwork, both within the team itself, and the way its members work with the campus community.

The President’s Blue and Gold Awards recognize teams and individual staff members who demonstrate excellence in leadership or service, and who significantly advance the university’s mission.

“We work collaboratively as a cohesive team and also beyond the team,” said Tanya De Mello, known to most as “Toni,” director, Human Rights Services. “We work very closely with human resources, legal, student affairs, and with the Consent Comes First office, and we do a lot of work in developing partnerships with student, staff and faculty unions, student groups, and with our faculty, staff and students directly. We build those relationships so that there’s someone in our office who people feel they can call for a consultation or to avoid an issue, rather than just responding after the fact.”

Winner of the individual President’s Blue and Gold Award is Amy Casey, executive director of the Office of the President and a senior administrator with an accomplished record of strategic leadership in her many years at Ryerson.

“Our remarkable staff and faculty are the reason our university is a great place to work and learn. The Ryerson Awards are a special opportunity to recognize outstanding achievement and thank all of those employees who have helped move our mission forward in a major way,” said Ryerson University President Mohamed Lachemi. “The Human Rights Services team and Amy Casey are richly deserving of recognition and they are wonderful representatives of our dedicated, hard-working and talented staff.”

The Human Rights Services team – comprised of De Mello, Grace Chau, Robin Fraser, Elya Porter, Katie Solomon and Ahmed Ahmed – works with individuals and groups across the Ryerson community to promote an environment free of discrimination and harassment. They are committed to executing the vision of their leader, Denise O'Neil Green, the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion, to establish Ryerson as a human rights-centred university where all people feel they are treated with dignity and respect. It’s challenging work that can involve investigating cases of sexual assault, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Blackness, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and other human rights issues. 

“The emotional intensity of the work is very challenging,” said De Mello. “Knowing that even though we have a great process, people have still experienced the harm, and that’s difficult and we carry that. Even if we do our very best job, it’s a very difficult process for people nevertheless, and we need to be keenly aware of that.”

This award recognizes how the office tries to meet these challenges by placing complainants’ safety at the centre of their work with a “trauma-informed intake process.”

“We don’t want the process to cause more harm,” explained De Mello. “We do our best to be thoughtful of the experience that they’ve had and to lessen the burden of having to retell their story a million times, and making sure they have support both on campus and off.”

As well as dealing directly with difficult human rights investigations, the office also undertakes coaching, consulting and training, which is tailored to fit each faculty and department they work with.

“Some folks want to understand how to speak with the media about these issues, or they may ask for individual coaching on how to deal with a difficult situation, so we help to guide them,” said De Mello.

De Mello credits the work of her entire team for this award. “One of the reasons I’m so happy about this award is that our staff doesn’t always get acknowledged for the work that they do, work that is so meaningful to us,” she said. “I’m so proud of our team’s incredible work ethic, integrity, collaborative spirit, passion for human rights and very high level of expertise. This award helps validate our strong sense of purpose and reminds us we’re working in the right direction and that the community sees our work as integral.”

Individual winner Amy Casey has spent 24 years in senior administrative roles at Ryerson, and is noted by her many nominees for her leadership, dedication and professional excellence. In her role as executive director of the Office of the President, she is praised for her collaborative approach, bridging different university portfolios to deliver complex projects and overcome strategic challenges. A builder and innovator, Casey demonstrates her passion for Ryerson with a tireless work ethic and a constant focus on improving the student experience.  

Her award citation notes that “in the spirit of creating a people-first culture, Amy’s inclusive leadership style inspires positive change that affects staff, students and executives alike.”

Ryerson Awards Night – part of the larger Ryerson recognition program co-ordinated by Human Resources – celebrates the achievements of faculty and staff in teaching, research, administration, service and leadership, honouring 68 individual recipients and six teams. This year’s event takes place on April 1, 2019. To learn more about all the award winners, visit Recognition and Awards.