McMaster leaders honoured through TMG Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program

The TMG Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program recognizes employees for outstanding work while demonstrating and reinforcing McMaster’s core leadership capabilities. Five employees from McMaster’s management group (TMG) are the recipients of this year’s awards.

Stephanie Baschiera, Deb Garland, Lori Goff, Cathy Jager and Melissa Pool were nominated by colleagues and selected by the awards committee.

Each of their nominators shared examples of how their fellow TMG member has demonstrated one or more of the six core leadership capabilities.

The following are highlights from their nominations.

Stephanie Baschiera, Associate Registrar and Graduate Secretary, School of Graduate Studies

Stephanie demonstrates great innovation in being a key driver of the new live chat system within the School of Graduate Studies. She is always on top of current regulations and programs, supporting international students during challenging times as they were being recalled to their home countries. She brought together a team of subject matter experts to seek improvements for the graduate admissions system. She was a key resource for graduate students during the provincial tuition freeze and helped other departments strategically plan next steps. She goes above and beyond expectations, resulting in an enhanced experience for graduate students and your fellow colleagues.

Deb Garland, Program Manager, Vaccine Validation Team, Human Resources Services

Through her leadership of the Vaccine Validation Team, Deb has anticipated the needs of our community, while consistently advocating for the health and well-being of our employees and students. She creates positive community experiences by making each and every single member of her teams feel important, recognized, and supported. She consistently support leaders, employees, and teams going through difficult situations, leading with empathy and compassion while coming to an appropriate solution. Additionally, she is a passionate advocate for community engagement through her work with the United Way of Halton & Hamilton, which has helped build meaningful relationships for the TMG Ways of Caring Program. She brings out the best in others through her tireless commitment to teamwork. She is a true ambassador for McMaster University.

Lori Goff, Director, MacPherson Institute, Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation, and Excellence in Teaching

Lori collaborated with the Office of the Provost to develop and implement the Partnered in Teaching & Learning Strategy, the first of its kind at the institution. She generates trust within her team through transparency in budgeting processes at the MacPherson Institute. She listens first and operates with humility and a genuine respect for the viewpoints of those she works with. She collaborated with Student Accessibility Services to support a new Assistive Technologies Consultant position.
She has also shown a keen willingness to spotlight and recognize the contributions of others, demonstrated through the “MI Wins” initiative.

Cathy Jager, Nurse Manager of Education and Wellness, Student Wellness Centre

Cathy advanced the University’s mission by working collaboratively with Public Health and campus partners to champion the importance of safety measures during the pandemic. She delivered results with integrity, leading the team of nurses who demonstrated an empathetic and compassionate approach with our international students during a challenging time. She demonstrated fiscal responsibility while ensuring the Student Wellness Centre was prepared with all necessary resources to provide exemplary health care to our student population. She demonstrated innovative leadership through truly unprecedented circumstances while securing buy-in from all stakeholders involved.

Melissa Pool, University Registrar, Office of the Registrar

Melissa focuses on a transformative vision and empowers her employees to be active contributors to that vision. She exhibits resilience and adaptability by ensuring her employees have adequate resources, while championing innovative ways to remain connected during challenging times. She set in motion a committee to review the possibility of hybrid work, prioritizing student experience and employee well-being, demonstrating a keen ability to look at long term success beyond the pandemic. She ensured the Registrar’s Office Hybrid Work Committee consulted with each employee, leveraging feedback to successfully launch a fall pilot for hybrid work. She is an empathetic leader, understanding that individual employees have individual needs when posed with difficult circumstances.