Toronto Met Awards celebrate outstanding faculty and staff contributions
The 2024 team recipient of the President’s Blue and Gold Award of Staff Excellence is the OVPRI proposal team, from left: Dayle Levine, Kevin Moonoosawmy, Javad Ghatta, Sibat Anam and Tearney McDermott. Not pictured: Daphne Paszterko.
This year’s Toronto Met Awards will recognize, among many recipients, a team that worked on a $98.6-million research grant; a dedicated former student who is shaping the culture of a faculty, and a team fostering space for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
The three awards are part of the TMU employee recognition program co-ordinated by Human Resources to celebrate the achievements of TMU faculty and staff in teaching, research, administration, service and leadership. This year, 92 recipients are being honoured.
The 2024 team recipient of the President’s Blue and Gold Award of Staff Excellence is a highly skilled team that worked with over 20 TMU researchers to develop a successful research proposal on migration and integration in the 21st century.
The proposal team was integral to TMU's success in securing a seven-year $98.6- million federal grant, the largest research grant that TMU has ever received and the first predominantly social sciences proposal to receive funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).
Bridging Divides, the interdisciplinary research project led by TMU, includes Concordia University, the University of Alberta, and the University of British Columbia, 25 research leaders, and over 100 academics, and will engage with more than 200 organizations.
The honourees from the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation (OVPRI) are:
● Dayle Levine, Director, Institutional Programs
● Sibat Anam, Research Proposal Facilitator
● Javad Ghatta, Research Proposal Facilitator
● Tearney McDermott, Research Proposal Facilitator
● Kevin Moonoosawmy, Grants/Contracts Officer
● Daphne Paszterko, Research Proposal Facilitator
The nominators noted that the cross-functional team of collaborators was an embodiment of collegiality and respectful collaboration.
“This was truly a team effort, it's been a privilege to work alongside such a passionate and dedicated group of both staff and researchers whose contributions made this achievement possible," said Levine. “I want to thank Steven Liss, vice-president, research and innovation, for his leadership and vision which guided us to this success. It is very gratifying to have our efforts recognized by the TMU community.”
President’s Blue and Gold Award of Staff Excellence: Individual
Nika Zolfaghari is a recipient of the President’s Blue and Gold Award of Excellence which recognizes employees who have demonstrated excellence in providing services and advancing the university’s mission.
The President’s Blue and Gold Award of Staff Excellence for an individual is awarded to Nika Zolfaghari, the manager of equity and community inclusion (ECI) in the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS).
A proud TMU alumna with a bachelor of engineering in biomedical engineering and a master of applied science in electrical and computer engineering, Zolfaghari is recognized as “the driving force behind culture change in FEAS over the last 10 years.”
With a passion for empowering youth, she has created intentional outreach programs to inform, educate and excite K-12 students about engineering as a field of study and profession.
In 2018, Zolfaghari led the expansion of the Women in Engineering (WIE) Office to the Equity and Community Inclusion Office in FEAS. FEAS became the first faculty at TMU to create a faculty-specific ECI office and TMU became the first university in Ontario to transition from a WIE office to an ECI office.
In her role, Zolfaghari has been integral to cultivating FEAS as a place where everyone can thrive. She has designed and implemented co-curricular programs and training for faculty, staff and students to ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources to integrate ECI into their learning, teaching, decision-making and services.
“Receiving this award and being recognized is a full circle moment for me,” said Zolfaghari. “Being a student at TMU to now, having served for a decade and having created all this change for students, it's very, very rewarding.”
Alan Shepard Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Employee Award: Team
Members of the Positive Space Faculty and Staff Network Steering Committee, from left, Andrea Ridgley, Michael Turco, Ryan Kerr and Dan Cantiller, are recognized for their volunteer work organizing a variety of events each year including Day of Pink, Pride, Trans Awareness Month, skating days at the Mattamy Athletic Centre among many others.
The team recipient of the Alan Shepard Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Employee Award is the Positive Space Faculty & Staff Network:
- Michael Turco, Co-Chair; Manager of Operations, Administration, & Equity, School of Journalism
- Dan Cantiller, Co-Chair; Decision Support Analyst, Office of the Dean, Ted Rogers School of Management
- Ryan Kerr, Events Lead; Events and Communications Specialist, Ceremonials Office
- Andrea Ridgley, Education Lead; Manager, Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching
Positive Space is a long-standing faculty and staff network at TMU and partners extensively with community members, teams and departments across the university. They are a volunteer-based group of employees of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions who are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment for 2SLGBTQ+ community members at TMU.
As volunteers who contribute their time in addition to their full-time roles, the Positive Space team has collaborated at all levels of the university to organize over 24 events in the past year. They not only provide programming for the 2SLGBTQ+ community but also organize events, educate and raise awareness for the straight/cis majority.
Through their efforts, the Positive Space team embodies TMU’s commitment to EDI, with dedication and passion, and are a testament to the spirit of the Alan Shepard EDI Award.
“It is incredibly validating and encouraging [to receive this award], especially as volunteers who are doing this work, making connections and pushing diversity forward,” said Turco. “It can often feel quite insurmountable and for the university and leadership to stand up and champion what we're doing, it’s really powerful.”
The Toronto Met Awards is part of the TMU employee recognition program co-ordinated by Human Resources and celebrates the achievements of TMU faculty and staff in teaching, research, administration, service and leadership. Congratulations to all nominees and recipients! To learn more about all the award winners, visit Recognition and Awards.
Awards will be presented to honourees alongside our Long Service Milestone employees at the Toronto Met Awards Gala, an in-person event on Tuesday, April 30 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.