Two women of distinction recognized from the Ted Rogers School of Management

The Ted Rogers School of Management has a new distinction – two of our colleagues have been recognized among the seven Women of Distinction in the City of Toronto.

Daphne Taras, Dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, and PhD candidate and Ted Rogers School lecturer Charlie Wall-Andrews, are receiving the YWCA Toronto’s Women of Distinction Awards (external link, opens in new window)  this year, the organization announced today. 

The award was given to Dean Taras for her efforts supporting women’s advancement in academia and business. In the citation, the YWCA of Toronto lauded Dean Taras’ mentorship of future business and academic leaders, and her advocacy to remove barriers for women. “As a woman of a certain age, each of my grey hairs was hard-earned in the battle for equity,” she joked, “and I know firsthand that it isn’t easy to make it through the rough patches.” 

“I’ve worked in two male-dominated fields – labour relations and business academia. It’s not enough to just kick doors open. To be a leader, you’ve got to hold the door open for the next person, and the next,” Dean Taras said. “Mentoring female leaders, and encouraging the careers of people from marginalized groups has been my proudest achievement, so this recognition is gratifying.”

Dean Taras has the unusual distinction of being recognized by the YWCA in two cities, Saskatoon and now Toronto. She was also named a “Top 100 Woman” by the Women’s Executive Network in 2012, and received many additional awards for leadership in her academic field. “It is important for people to know that I also am a wife, mother and grandmother, and that I was able to do it all, but not simultaneously,” Dean Taras said. “The idea that we can have work-life balance at all times is too much of a burden, especially for women. It induces terrible guilt. But in time, we do achieve that balance.”

Wall-Andrews’ work has focused on advancing equity and diversity in the arts and cultural sectors. “Receiving this award serves as a source of inspiration and motivation to continue striving towards making a difference in the creative industries by collaborating with the community," Wall-Andrews said, adding “I am thankful to be completing a PhD in Management at TRSM, which encourages community engagement and collaboration in doing research to address grand challenges in the creative industries.”

Wall-Andrews will soon be the Ted Rogers School’s first PhD graduate. Wall-Andrews was named a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar while continuing her research through the Ted Rogers School’s Diversity Institute and has received the SSHRC Joseph Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship. Her previous community leadership was recognized as one of the "Top 30 Under 30" by Corporate Knights. She was named a Legacy Fellow by the prestigious Ariane de Rothschild Fellowship and has had her work published in peer-reviewed journals. 

For more than 40 years, YWCA Toronto has been recognizing Women of Distinction, described as “visionaries committed to creating a place at the table for women, girls and gender diverse people and shattering glass ceilings.” This is a particularly special year for the YWCA, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

The awards will be presented at a gala dinner June 8, 2023. 

Congratulations, Daphne Taras and Charlie Wall-Andrews!