Alumni Awards brings grads back to campus for a night of recognition
There are many thousands of living graduates of McMaster. In their ranks are representatives of almost every trade, business or profession. Many of them have made names for themselves because of their accomplishments in their vocations and avocations. Included in this alumni ‘hall of fame’ are graduates whose names are household words; others are not as well known but their lives are just as absorbing. The Alumni Gallery is a photographic and biographical display of some of these alumni who lead interesting lives and make outstanding contributions to society.
Paula Claudino ‘06, Engineering
Paula Claudino has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Management from McMaster University and Master of Applied Science in Renewable Energy Engineering and Policy from Carleton University. She is a Professional Engineer with a career in industrial energy management and has had the opportunity to work with industries ranging in size from small and medium enterprises to large industry and mines in various countries, including Canada, Singapore, Bangladesh, South Korea, the U.S.A. and Brazil, as well as the European Union. She is fluent in English, French and Portuguese, and since moving to Germany in 2016, has been working on her German.
Meric Gertler ‘77, Social Sciences
Meric S. Gertler was appointed as the 16th President of the University of Toronto in 2013. A professor of geography and planning, and the Goldring Chair in Canadian Studies, he is widely known for his work on the role of institutions in shaping innovation and local economic prosperity. His comparative analysis of urban economies spans North America, Europe and Asia. He has advised governments in Canada, the United States and Europe, as well as international agencies such as the OECD and EU. He has authored or edited nine books and has held visiting appointments at Oxford, University College London, UCLA, and the University of Oslo.
Bobbi Lancaster ’73, ‘78, Health Sciences
A family physician in Arizona, a champion golfer, human rights activist, an author and a transgender woman, Dr. Bobbi Lancaster is an inspiring trailblazer, role model and public speaker.
Lynnette Madsen ’94, Engineering
Dr. Lynnette Madsen is currently a very well recognized Program Director in Materials Research at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). She holds three patents, has authored two books, three book chapters/sections, and more than 100 articles. Lynnette has received many accolades for her outstanding scientific leadership, mentoring, promotion of women and minorities, and administrative excellence.
Alfredo Tan ‘01, School of Business
Alfredo Tan is the Chief Digital and Innovation Officer for WestJet where he will transform the WestJet guest experience across all digital channels over the entire travel journey and across all guest touch points. Previously, Alfredo was the Group Director of Global Marketing Solutions at Facebook Canada, where he led a team responsible for strategic marketing relationships with agencies and Fortune 500 companies across Canada.
Robert Taylor ‘76, School of Business
Bob Taylor completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He then completed his MBA degree at McMaster University in 1976. Other than his time with Procter & Gamble following the completion of his engineering degree, Bob has spent his entire professional career, spanning 35 years, in the insurance sector. Bob co-founded Trisura Guarantee Insurance Company with Mike George and John Garner in 2006.
Sabatino Vacca ’84, ‘90, Humanities and Divinity College
Sabatino Vacca is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Chorus Master of the newly formed Southern Ontario Lyric Opera (SOLO). He is presently the Music Director of the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra (CSO), and the newly formed Milton Philharmonic Orchestra. He was on staff with Opera Hamilton and has worked as an opera coach for the University of Toronto, Laurier University, as well as the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Sabatino is the recipient of the Spirit of Ontario Award for the Arts by the National Congress of Italian Canadians.
ALUMNI ARCH AWARD-YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
Arch Award recipients are remarkable individuals who have convocated from McMaster less than 10 years ago with a graduate degree, or less than 15 years ago with an undergraduate degree. Created in 2002, this award was developed to acknowledge the achievements of our younger alumni who have made exceptional accomplishments in their lives and careers since graduation. The McMaster Alumni Association invites nominations of any graduates worthy of the Arch Award.
Melody Adhami ’04, ‘07 Science and School of Business
Since the inception of Plastic Mobile in 2007, Melody’s leadership and strategic thinking has made tidal waves in the tech industry. Having been crowned the “The Queen of Apps!” since 2010 it’s no surprise that leading brands have followed her into their mobile future. As COO, and Queen, Melody has led countless ground-breaking initiatives, collecting awards and accolades, including the Webby’s, W3’s, and Davies, as well as being named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40, along the way.
Arkells: MAX KERMAN ‘08 SOCIAL SCIENCES, MICHAEL DEANGELIS ‘08 SOCIAL SCIENCES, NICK DIKA ‘08 HUMANITIES
Vocalist/guitarist Max Kerman, guitarist Michael DeAngelis and bassist Nick Dika are McMaster grads, who alongside drummer Tim Oxford and keyboardist Anthony Carone, formed the multi JUNO Award-winning rock band, Arkells while studying at McMaster University. In their decade long career Arkells have earned a number of post-graduate achievements in music including, four gold certified records, two gold certified songs, three #1 hits, a global touring resume and festival slots at some of the most respected festivals in the biz, including Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. Their most recent hit single, “Knocking At The Door,” spent an unprecedented 14 weeks at #1 on the Canadian Alt/Rock charts, making it the most played Alt/Rock song of 2017, and Arkells the most played band of the year. This June 23rd, Arkells return to play their biggest hometown spectacle yet, The Rally, a summer celebration at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field.
Mark Scattolon ‘10, School of Business
Mark Scattolon is an award-winning entrepreneur, sales and marketing professional with expertise in sales strategy, integrated marketing and brand storytelling. As the Co-Founder of Hangry, Mark has appeared on Dragons’ Den (Season 10) along with CBC’s The Exchange, and is an active speaker at conferences in mobile tech, marketing to Millennials & Gen-Z, and the latest trends in digital media.
Adam Shoalts ‘10, Humanities
Adam Shoalts completed his Master’s degree in History at McMaster in 2009, and is currently completing his doctorate in History at McMaster. In 2017, he completed a nearly 4,000 km journey alone by canoe and on foot across Canada’s Arctic. The journey took nearly four months and was supported by McMaster University’s alumni association, as well as the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. On his journey, Adam carried a McMaster University flag. He is a frequent guest speaker and has written two bestselling books, Alone Against the North and A History of Canada in 10 Maps. In 2013, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and in 2016 he was named a national champion of the Trans-Canada Trail.
MCMASTER ALUMNI COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARDS
The award recognizes outstanding contribution by McMaster graduates to the Hamilton community. The award will recognize individuals who have made a positive impact on the Hamilton community within the past three years, enhancing the quality of life while reflecting the values of McMaster – integrity, quality and teamwork.
HAMILTON COMMUNITY IMPACT
Patricia Saunders ‘73, Social Sciences
Patricia enrolled as a Mature Student at McMaster University in the School of Social Work and upon graduating with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work Degrees, she practiced Social Work at the Ministry of Health until her retirement in 1995. Patricia has maintained a life-long commitment to women and mental health, manifested by membership in various women’s organizations. Besides being a founding, charter member of the first Women’s Centre in Hamilton, she was an active member of the City of Hamilton Status of Women Committee and the first woman to become Chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth Police Services Board. She also was a founding member of Hamilton branches of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Friends of Schizophrenics and Women’s Centre, as well as the President of McMaster Alumni, School of Social Work.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Orson Morrison ‘95, Science
Dr. Orson Morrison is a Clinical Psychologist and Director of the DePaul Family and Community Services (FCS) and is an Affiliate Clinical Associate Professor at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Morrison provides staff training, clinical supervision, program development and oversight of clinical services at FCS. Dr. Morrison has spent his career working with children, adolescents, and families that are involved in the child welfare system and those impacted by poverty, social exclusion, violence, and abuse. Dr. Morrison previously held positions as Vice President of Child and Family Services at Lawrence Hall Youth Services and Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY IMPACT
Leo Nupolu Johnson ‘11, Social Sciences
Leo Johnson spent eight years in refugee camps, after fleeing war-torn Liberia in 1998. He arrived in Canada in 2006 as a government-sponsored refugee. Leo, who had completed his high school education in the refugee camps, applied to McMaster University and was accepted. In his second year, he founded CURE Canada (now Empowerment Squared), a charitable organization that supports over 200 newcomer youth and families through academic mentoring, digital literacy, access to sports and recreation, and ground-breaking educational projects in his native Liberia. Leo now spends his time between Canada and Liberia; his current project is the Liberian Learning Center, a community hub that will house the country’s first public library since the civil war began in 1989.
MCMASTER ALUMNI COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARDS
The award recognizes outstanding contribution by McMaster graduates to the Hamilton community. The award will recognize individuals who have made a positive impact on the Hamilton community within the past three years, enhancing the quality of life while reflecting the values of McMaster – integrity, quality and teamwork.
Quentin Broad ’86, ’88, Science and School of Business
For over 25 years, Quentin Broad has demonstrated dedication to the Alumni Association, McMaster University and its mission through his outstanding volunteer contributions and continued commitment. After nearly two decades at CIBC World Markets, Quentin Broad has retired from the capital markets and has joined the not-for-profit Capitalize for Kids as its new leader. Capitalize for Kids brings together the brightest minds to help solve the toughest issues in children’s brain and mental health and its unique service offering aims to be a significant catalyst in capacity building for kids’ mental health services in Canada. To fund some of these initiatives, it runs one of Canada’s largest “Best Ideas” investment conference every October. Prior to joining Capitalize for Kids, Quentin served as global head of institutional equity sales at CIBC World Markets and prior to this he was the Head of Equity Research, managing a team of 55 professionals.
ALBERT LAGER PRIZE FOR STUDENT INITIATIVE AWARD
The Albert Lager Prize for Student Initiative Awards is an award designed by the Alumni Association to recognize current students who provide outstanding support, leadership and community involvement/service to their Faculty, Program or to McMaster University.
Ushma Purohit, fourth year Science
Ushma, a recent graduate from the Honours Life Sciences program, is a prominent leader on the McMaster campus. As an avid intersectional feminist, Ushma founded the first Canadian chapter of the organization, She’s the First. Now a recipient of multiple awards, this club champions the education of girls in low-income countries. As the Co-President of UNICEF McMaster, Ushma has successfully raised awareness for numerous global development issues, while creating opportunities for McMaster students to support the wellbeing of children around the world. Ushma’s dedication towards alleviating social issues is also apparent through her extensive involvement with community organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association. Over the past few years, Ushma has also served on the McMaster Peer Conduct Board and the Clubs Executive Council (as the Chair of the Social Issues Division).
Moving forward, Ushma aims to combine her interest in healthcare with her passion for humanitarianism to contribute to the field of global health. In particular, she hopes to advocate for underprivileged and marginalized populations within the context of access to quality healthcare.
Shaarujaa Nadarajah, fourth year Science
Shaarujaa Nadarajah is a first generation university student who just completed her honours degree in Life Sciences. She was the President of McMaster Relay for Life and Assistant Coordinator for the McMaster Shinerama Campaign raising a total of over 200,000 dollars for charitable initiatives. While she has contributed much of her time throughout her undergraduate career in the area of philanthropy, her passion has always laid in student governance. She served on the Student Representative Assembly representing science students prior to working as the Vice-President Administration for the McMaster Students Union. During her term, she worked alongside university partners to increase sexual violence response training for orientation representatives. Currently, she sits as the student representative on the University Planning Committee and Student Success Centre Advisory Committee. In addition, she supported the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging on an intergenerational project that aimed to bridge the gap between students and older adults.
Vanessa Raponi, fifth year Engineering
Vanessa Raponi graduates with a degree in Materials Engineering & Management. After founding the McMaster EngiQueers club in June 2013 – an organization aimed to focus on intersectional diversity in engineering, Vanessa remained president of the organization for 4 years. In September 2016, she founded the national equivalent – EngiQueers Canada – to unite schools with similar initiatives. By July 2017, it became a certified Canadian not-for-profit organization, and had grown to represent 31 schools in 9 provinces. Vanessa is a Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation ambassador – a national women in engineering ambassadorship that involves encouraging young women to enter STEM fields. She has also competed in the interdisciplinary case competitions MARS Apprentice and the international Engineering and Commerce Case Competition. Her team placed 1st and 3rd respectively.
