Recognition for equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives
Faculty and staff recipients
Dan Cantiller, co-chair of TMU Positive Space Faculty and Staff Network, was awarded the Alan Shepard Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Employee Award and, along with other members of the Network, the 2024 Alan Shepard Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Team Award. The Network provides programming for the 2SLGBTQ+ community such as skating days at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, and organizes events for Day of Pink, Pride Month and Trans Awareness Month, to educate and raise awareness for the straight/cis majority. Over the past academic year, the Positive Space team collaborated with partners at all levels of the university to organize over 24 events including, for the first time, Fall Pride programming. One of those programs was a Pride Mixer and Newcomer Panel, which was hosted inside the Ted Rogers School and moderated by the Ted Rogers School’s Student Advisor, Tuaha Mubarak.
Dr. Atefeh (Atty) Mashatan was named one of Canada’s most notable female leaders by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) 2023 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. Dr. Mashatan, whose expertise on global cybersecurity has been recognized globally, was selected in the Executive Leaders category, which recognizes women who not only exemplify what it means to be a great leader, but also build confidence and champion others.
Sana Mulji, Senior Advisor, External Relations and Inclusion, was awarded the TMU Julia Hanigsberg Make Your Mark staff award in Community Engagement for her leadership and impact spearheading Ted Rogers School's transformative journey of inclusion and belonging. In particular, Mulji showed leadership in incorporating inclusive voices on advisory councils, forging a deep connection with Indigenous communities. From fundraising and collaborating across teams, to commissioning Indigenous art and launching the Moccasin Identifier project, her unwavering commitment to inclusive programs, places and partnerships makes her well-deserving of this award.
Celeste Saddler, the Ted Rogers School Student Recruitment, Community Outreach and Retention Coordinator, was recognized with an International Women Achievers Award, for her immense contributions as a community builder and leader working to empower young people in the Black community in Toronto and beyond. Saddler co-chairs the Anti-Black Racism Awareness Committee, a standing committee of Ted Rogers School’s Faculty Council, which works towards dismantling the roots of anti-Black racism, advocating for positive change and fostering a university culture that celebrates diversity.
Student and student group recipients
The Ted Rogers Students’ Society (TRSS) continues to lead efforts to create equitable resources and was recognized for a second time by the Canadian Association of Business Students (CABS) for its Food Insecurity Project. This initiative won the "Best Wellness Initiative" at CABS and has also led to larger initiatives targeting this issue like the "Free Food Initiative," a collaboration between the TMU Student Societies, Office of the Vice Provost, students and TMU Eats, providing free food to undergraduate students during exam season.
Enactus, Ted Rogers School’s largest social entrepreneurship group, was recognized by Enactus Canada’s National Exposition as Regional Champion in the Desjardins Youth Empowerment Challenge. Their initiative, Project BITS (external link, opens in new window) is a financial literacy program designed by and for students. Each year the team at Enactus TMU delivers 30 workshops attended by more than 1,500 students from across the university and has distributed thousands of dollars in grant funding to alleviate financial barriers for students.
Simon Wells, (MBA ’23) received a TMU Gold Medal for contributions to community include developing a Student Advocacy Resources and Processes Guide to serve students and empower them to navigate their academic experience.
Business Management graduate Cody Anthony (BComm ’24), was recognized as the very first Johnson Scholarship Foundation Scholar to graduate from TMU. Anthony, as a mixed urban Indigenous person with roots from the Deh Gah Got’ie Kue First Nation in the Northwest Territories, is recognized for his significant contributions to student life having spearheaded the Reconciliation in Business Conference in 2022 (now in its third year) through founding the Ted Rogers Indigenous in Business student group (now called Treaty Recognition in Business Education). His vision for the conference included uniting Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Toronto to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92 by accelerating the fight for Indigenous economic sovereignty and self-determination, and against the economic injustices Indigenous communities face, by closing the socioeconomic gap, and by unlocking the emerging C$100 billion annual Indigenous economy.
Students Helena Ashenafi, Korine Edwards, Ritika Masand, Marisol Rivera and Husnaa Zamarai were selected as the inaugural recipients of the Kenvue Award, and each received $10,000 to support their education.
Aman Mathur received the coveted Salad King Off-Campus Community Builder Award for their significant role to raise awareness about international students outside the TMU community, supporting their integration and sense of belonging as they adjust to life in Toronto. Listen to Mathur’s My Story in 30 podcast episode ‘Finding a Sense of Community at TRSM as an International Student.’
The Dennis Mock Student Leadership Awards recognize the substantial efforts made by students across TMU to enhance the student experience on campus across academic departments, faculties or to the university as a whole. Five Ted Rogers School students were recognized for their contributions: Christine Joy Balaong, Simrun Nagpaul, Kyle Lingum (program-wide); Simrun Nagpaul (faculty-wide); Chantal Wong and Husnaa Zamarai (university-wide).
PhD student Victoria Granova was named on the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) 2023 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. Granova was selected in the BMO STEM category, which celebrates the female leaders in science, technology, engineering and math roles who are challenging the status quo for knowledge and female empowerment. Her PhD dissertation focuses on the psychology of cybersecurity but with a human-centered approach that incorporates aspects of psychology and business studies.
Join us in removing barriers to education and community belonging.
Support scholarships, bursaries and initiatives that fulfill equitable needs, create opportunities and recognize excellence for all. Your support creates an impactful future for everyone in our community.