Meet TMU’s Spring 2024 honorary doctorate recipients

Roslyn Bern studied geomorphology and environmental science at McGill University before starting a 20-year career in teaching. Later, she took over the helm of her family’s manufacturing firm and philanthropic foundation.

As president of the Leacross Foundation, Bern has steered the organization toward a larger mission: educating women and helping them to achieve healthy economic independence. Today, the foundation provides scholarships and training opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It also creates opportunities for women to pursue creative and artistic endeavours.

With support from the Leacross Foundation, young women have, for example, participated in scientific expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic regions, and worked with researchers at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Most recently, the foundation supported research positions at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology, a partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto.

In addition to leading the Leacross Foundation, Bern is actively involved in her community. She has helped to build affordable housing units in Ottawa and Gatineau, working on site at several Habitat for Humanity construction projects. She also has harvested food for the Ottawa Food Bank, which works with more than 100 community food programs in the National Capital Region.

Tony Chahine came to Canada in 1990, and with a background in electrical engineering, he soon founded the retailer Battery Plus. The chain store led the way in bringing quick-charging batteries with higher capacity to North America. 

From there, Chahine continued in the retail sector, acquiring and transforming companies, and focusing on sustainability and ethically produced goods. Today, he is the founder and chief executive officer of Myant, a Toronto-based health care technology firm, and a sought-after speaker on the topics of innovation and inclusion. Chahine also serves on the board of directors of Mitacs and Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, and on the advisory board of the Imagination Catalyst at OCAD University. 

Myant designs and manufactures smart, sensor-embedded textiles and wearable technologies that continuously monitor vital signs, including pulse rate and the electrical activity of the heart. Last year, the company acquired the Xerox Research Centre of Canada, an advanced materials research hub, and subsequently launched its Myant X division, which helps companies bring their textile computing ideas to life. 

Myant also has partnered with Toronto Metropolitan University on a groundbreaking computing lab in The Creative School. The lab, which was established in 2019, supports cross-disciplinary research on new user experiences, advanced textile design and novel fabrication processes.

Bernd Christmas is a 1991 graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and was the first member of the Mi’kmaq Nation to become a lawyer in Canada. A leading figure in Aboriginal law, he has contributed his legal expertise and negotiating skills to corporations, government agencies, public relations consultancies and law practices, including Cassels Brock LLP, where he was a partner. 

Today, Christmas is senior counsel at JFK Law and is based in the firm’s Six Nations office in Ohsweken, Ont. A strong advocate for First Nations across Canada, Christmas is passionate about Indigenous relations and reconciliation. He has spoken nationally and internationally on the importance of developing culturally sensitive business practices that respect traditional ways of being and interacting.

Committed to Indigenous self-determination and wealth-creation, Christmas has helped First Nations secure beneficial arrangements with a variety of corporations. For example, on behalf of his home community, Membertou First Nation in Nova Scotia, he negotiated contracts or agreements with Georgia-Pacific, Sodexo Canada, Clearwater Fine Foods, Lockheed Martin Canada, Dexter Construction, Grant Thornton LLP, Boeing and AtkinsRéalis.

Catherine Karakatsanis earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering science from Western University. She later joined the engineering firm Morrison Hershfield (now Stantec) as a structural engineer and eventually progressed to become the firm’s chief operating officer. In that role, she leads a team of more than 900 professionals providing services in a broad range of areas, including infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, transportation, water, wastewater and land development. 

Last year, Karakatsanis was elected president of FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, a global body that represents more than 1.4 million engineering professionals. The first woman to be president in FIDIC’s 110-year history, she is also the president-elect of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) and has previously served as board chair of Engineers Canada, Professional Engineers Ontario and the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers.

Karakatsanis has received many awards and honours during her career. A fellow of the CAE, she has been awarded a fellowship and the Gold Medal from Engineers Canada and the Gold Medal and Order of Honour (companion level) from Professional Engineers Ontario. She also has been inducted into Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame and has received the Leading Women Building Communities Award from the province of Ontario. 

Theresa McClenaghan has earned a number of post-secondary degrees and diplomas, including a master of law from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. She was called to the bar in Manitoba in 1985 and to the bar in Ontario two years later.

As an environmental lawyer, McClenaghan has focused on health, safety and emergency planning and preparedness, particularly in the areas of water and nuclear energy. She has represented a variety of clients, including non-governmental organizations and members of Indigenous communities, at tribunals, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal and Trial Division and the Ontario and Saskatchewan Courts of Appeal.

During the public inquiry into the contaminated water supply in Walkerton, Ontario, McClenaghan was co-counsel for the grassroots group Concerned Walkerton Citizens. She later served as a senior water policy advisor to the province’s environment minister, overseeing the passage of the Clean Water Act and the implementation of the inquiry’s remaining recommendations. 

Today, McClenaghan is executive director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association, a legal aid clinic dedicated to environmental equity, justice and health. As well as promoting environmental law reform, the group is working to protect vulnerable communities from the effects of climate change and air pollution.

Richard Rooney holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Toronto and a master of business administration from the Ivey Business School at Western University. A chartered financial analyst, he worked at Price Waterhouse, Sun Life and AMI Partners before joining the advisory firm Burgundy Asset Management in 1995. 

Two years later, Rooney was appointed Burgundy’s president and chief investment officer, roles he held for more than two decades. During that time, he established the foundational structure for Burgundy’s investment team, organizing its members into geographic regions and making portfolio managers autonomous and fully responsible for their evidence-based decisions. 

Rooney now holds the title of vice-chair and co-founder of Burgundy, and remains the portfolio manager of the firm’s equity strategy for Europe, Asia and the Far East. He has been named a fellow of CPA Ontario, the highest honour bestowed upon chartered professional accountants, and serves as chair of the board and investment committee of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. 

Additionally, Rooney is a former board chair of the Stratford Festival, a trustee emeritus of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and a trustee emeritus and former president of the AGO Foundation.

Haroon Siddiqui is an editorial page editor emeritus and a former columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper. The first Muslim, South Asian and Indo-Canadian journalist to become an influential figure in Canadian mainstream media, Siddiqui reported on or supervised news coverage of Canada for 50 years and through nine prime ministers. He also reported from nearly 50 countries during his career.

A champion of immigrants, minorities, and multiculturalism, Siddiqui has served as a bridge between the mainstream and the marginalized. Along the way, he has played a leadership role in challenging the media to change their negative portrayal of racialized groups, including Indigenous people.

Between 2016 and 2018, Siddiqui was a distinguished visiting professor in the Faculty of Arts and The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is a former president of PEN Canada and served on the board of PEN International, the writers’ group that stands for free speech, and has 145 chapters in 101 countries.

Siddiqui is a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario. His many journalistic honours include the 2023 Canadian Journalism Foundation’s lifetime achievement award. 

Nancy Sprott (Home Economics ’70 and Nutrition and Food ’75) has long been dedicated to helping and strengthening vulnerable communities.

After completing her original diploma in 1970, she taught at a secondary school in Zambia through the Canadian University Students Overseas program, now known as Canadian University Services Overseas.

She says the experience was life changing and that she still holds these two challenging years dear to her heart.

In 2018, Sprott played an instrumental role in establishing learning placements for students at TMU’s Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at the agency, Sistering. The Toronto organization helps women and gender diverse people with a wide range of social services and supports. 

Helping students access a Toronto Metropolitan University education has been a continuing priority for Sprott. She has endowed numerous awards, many of them in honour of faculty members who influenced and inspired her.

Each year, more than 50 students at TMU’s Faculty of Community Services receive those awards thanks to Sprott’s generous donations.

Now as a senior citizen, it is her great pleasure to know that her family – and her family at the Faculty of Community Studies – continue to grow and achieve their educational and professional goals.

Ray Williams is a seasoned financial services executive with four decades of experience in global capital markets. He also has expertise in cash and derivatives products in multiple asset classes, infrastructure financing, and provincial and federal liability management.

Williams recently retired from his role as vice-chairman, financial markets at National Bank Financial. There, he facilitated engagement with strategic accounts and made key contributions to the bank’s affordable housing commitments.

As a co-founder and the board chair of the Black Opportunity Fund, Williams is helping to address long-standing underinvestment in Black communities. The fund, which was established in 2020, provides grants that support the growth of Black non-profit groups and businesses.

A past president and continuing member of the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals, Williams also sits on the board of the 100 Strong Foundation, which mentors and fosters excellence in young Black men across Canada. Additionally, Williams is an executive-in-residence at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, and serves on the boards of the George Brown College Foundation, the Institute for Research in Public Policy, Toronto Global and the Canadian Ditchley Foundation.