2022-2023 Class Notes

is re-imagining lending in India through his company Asset Direct of Canada Inc. Read more here.

passed away in March 2021.

passed away on September 22, 2021. Read more.

finished 47 years of law practice and continues to act as general counsel to a private educational college.

won the 2022 Lieutenant Governor's Award by the Alberta Museums Association, in recognition of her research and excellence in the museum community.

became engaged to Grant Dawson at Schloss Kronberg in Frankfurt, Germany.

joined the Ivey Business School as their new Research Officer.

was appointed as a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Family Branch in May 2022.

started a new position as the retail operations manager of Cannabis Xpress in July 2022.

moved to Pasadena, California with his wife, Nivin Nystrom, PHD'20, and joined KJMLAW Partners PLC. Nivin joined Caltech as a post-doctoral fellow.

won a leader award during Women Business Enterprises Canada’s 2022 Excellence Awards. These awards celebrate the accomplishments of distinguished women entrepreneurs.

Read more here.

has become a TikTok creator reporting on Chicago architecture and culture with a sprinkle of humour.

published a biography This is War and I Ain't Kiddin': A Collection of World War II Letters From Dad, honouring her father and everyone affected by the war.

won the Canadian Screen Awards 'Best Local Reporter 2022'. 

has been appointed as the 14th president at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology, effective January 2023.

Read more here.

was selected by The Women Leaders magazine as one of 20 Most Inspiring Women Leaders of 2022.  

married Harjot Bhandal, BMOS'16, in May 2022 in Hamilton, On. 

passed away in May 2021 after a successful 55-year law career.

Read more.

was selected as this year’s emerging laureate by the Ontario Arts Council Indigenous Arts Award in 2022.

is now the Chief of Oncology for Hamilton Health Sciences (Juravinski Cancer Centre).

leads Canada's Agency team at Google. 

published The Rosetta Mind, the second novel in her science fiction series.

was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame as a journalist for his decades of covering motorsports in North America and Europe.

published his ninth book, a collection of playful verses titled What If Jack Wasn't So Nimble? Mother Goose Characters Reimagined in 2022.

Read more here.

wrote a young adult fiction novel titled Magic at the Rink, which explores grieving the loss of a loved one.

Read more.

won the 2022 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer's Award for New Girl in Little Cove, published in 2021. 

celebrated practicing law for 50 years in March 2023 and currently works in Calgary at DD West LLP.

and Jason Grier launched a startup called Delphic Research to help support government affairs professionals.

released his latest album of original folk-rock music, Free Times.

Listen here.

won the prestigious MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award in 2022. Read more here.

passed away in March 2022. David had a life-long passion for athletics, from his days on the Mustangs football team and as a dedicated and well-respected teacher, coach and basketball referee. Read more.

began showrunning after more than a decade of directing. David’s recent project, MTV's unscripted TV series 'Hip Hop My House' is available worldwide on MTV International and Paramount+ (streaming).

and Ben Robertson, BA'12, were purple and proud at their wedding on September 10, 2022, along with bridesmaids other King's grads Rachel Sterling and Natasha Burtenshaw-deVries.

has recently accepted a faculty teaching position at Fanshawe College where he will teach Law to business and accounting students.

retired from her career as a lawyer to be a writer. Her second book, Grief and the Spirit World: A Search for Comfort, was just released.

Read more.

published her first book, Demystifying Grief: What You Need to Know to Heal, in 2022.

joined the National Board of Directors for The Sunshine Foundation of Canada. 

and Laird Weagant, BA'73, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September 2022.

published his first book of poems, Insomnio de Fogones.

published her debut book of poetry Safety Razor. These poems are shaped by her education at Western and her subsequent studies at the University of Cambridge in Old Norse language and Literature.

Read more.

began a new job as the research project director for Young London, that seeks to empower a generation of leaders through community engagement.

and Lauren Waite (Costella), BSc’12, wrote a book called Back In My Day: Evelyn’s 1920s to educate children about the bygone era.

published her debut novel, Tear, a layered, lyrical tale dealing with contemporary feminist issues set in London, Ontario.

Read more here.

was appointed as the Finance Committee Chair/Secretary/Treasurer for Head Injury Rehabilitation Ontario. 

was promoted to Assistant Principal at Corvallis High School in Corvallis, OR,USA and was selected as scholar in the prestigious Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program. 

published her first book, Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future, in July 2023 through W.W. Norton. The book is a global exploration of the eight remaining species of bears and the dangers they face, from polar bears in the Arctic to the spectacled bear of the Andes.

Read more.

A group of MBA'72 alumni came together in summer 2022 for a 50th reunion celebration. [L to R] Hugh Willis, David Mitten, Gregory Katchin, Mac Benoy and James Hodgins.

retired from a project management career and is now traveling the continent with the goal of visiting 52 cities, 39 states, and 8 provinces.

published his first book Clinking Outside the Box, The World in a Glass. The book is an offbeat, humorous look at the world of wine, beer and spirits from the perspective of an industry veteran.

Read more.

published her first children's book, Music Is All Around Me, about enjoying music through nature and the five senses.

became the youngest national showrunner at Sportsnet for the audio series 'Painting the Pitch Red'. The series looks at the rise, fall and eventual triumph of the Canadian men’s soccer team.

retired as supervisor from the Hydro Services group at Southern Company-Georgia Power in Atlanta, Georgia in March 2021. 

won the 2023 G. Randy Roberts Service Award, awarded by the Ontario Association of Architects and exceptional contributions to the membership and profession.

Read more.

Deryn Rizzi, GDipPA'18, Jody Becker, BA’96, LLB’99, Karen Chan, EMBA’10, Rebecca Kacaba, BA’03, Priscilla Luna, EMBA’19, Erica Nielsen, MBA’02, Karen Peesker, HBA’92, MBA’97, Eva Salem, HBA’93, Oricia Smith, HBA’95, MBA ‘98, Nitsa Staikos, BA’97, and Nurin Thawer, HBA’05, were selected by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) as some of the 2022 Canada’s Most Powerful Women. Read more here.

published True Tales of Medical Physics: Insights into a Life Saving Specialty featuring short stories from scientists and medical professionals.

passed away on October 14, 2022 in St-Lazare, Quebec. He enjoyed a 38-year career with The London Life Insurance Company. He played with the Montreal Alouettes football club in 1954/55/56 and the Western Mustangs football and hockey teams.

and Vasiliki McInnes, MScN’15, opened a vegan food manufacturing facility in London, Ontario. Read more here.

and family welcomed baby Hartley Muriella Rocco in June 2022.

had her business The Canadian Barley Tea Company featured in the February 2023 issue of Women's World Magazine.

Read more.

and Kyle Tan, BSc'18, met at Western and were married in June 2022. 

published a young adult novel Cultivating Sunshine in March 2023. 

produced a virtual music album The Stochastics & Friends with 13 other amateur international physicist-musicians. Learn more here.  

and Thomas Wong had a private wedding in August 2021 and renewed their vows with family and friends in August 2022. 

published her first book Speak Kindly, You're Listening, teaching high achievers to navigate their inner voice.

passed away peacefully on August 26, 2022 in her 88th year.

Joel, his wife Kim, and their son Samuel welcomed baby Isla Jade to their family in May 2022.

won the 2022 Prairie Fire McNally Robinson Booksellers Short Fiction Contest for his story Excavations, which will appear in the summer edition of Prairie Fire.

Read more.

and Amar Gupta, MBA’17, founded the functional coffee company brüst in 2018 and have recently partnered with Denis Shapovalov. Read more here.

was elected Mayor of the Town of Perth and celebrated 30 years in municipal politics in 2022.

released her fourth work of fiction, Our Forever Place, under her pen name Maren Hill. A retired chiropractor, she now writes women's fiction, romance, and children's literature.

got engaged to Colin Duck in December 2021 during a walk at Western. They are looking forward to their wedding in July 2023.

will retire in 2023 after more than 32 years at London Life/Canada Life.

launched his AI business; Jackrabbit Ops.

Learn more.

headlined the It's You I Like: The Music of Mr. Rogers concert in April 2023.

Read more.

won Season 10 of Big Brother Canada.

was installed as Nipissing University’s President in June 2022. Read more here.

passed away from breast cancer on December 3, 2022. She was a loving, wonderful friend. She leaves behind her husband Scott and two beautiful daughters, Sophie (age 5) and Olivia (age 2). Read more.

published a debut novel, The Paths We Never Took, in March 2023. The book explores the themes of love, self-sabotage, and commitment while navigating young adulthood.

Read more.

married Adam Miller in June 2022 near Elora, Ontario.

published Writers’ Words Volume II, a collection of interviews with 10 Canadian poets.

was promoted to Chief Information Officer at Ontario College Application Service in May 2022.

retired as a family physician in 2019 and self-published a novella called Hearts Of Wax in 2022. 

married Scott Burton, HBA'13 in March 2022.

published her second book, Glimpses: Sundown Manor, through Austin Macauley Publishing. Her third book is expected in 2024.

Read more.

welcomed a baby girl in May 2021.

is a 2022 inductee to the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame which celebrates those who have made extraordinary contributions to enhance the lives of persons with disabilities.

passed away on July 4, 2022 at the age of 89 after a 37-year nursing career in Ottawa, ON. Read more.

passed away on July 20, 2022, after a long teaching career in Petrolia, Ontario. Read more.

and John Noel, were granted a US patent for "Phase-change Material and Method for Producing Same".

filmed an episode of House Hunters International for HGTV which documented their house buying process in Ireland.

was selected by canfitpro as Canada’s Top Fitness Professional for 2022.

is the Adjunct Professor at Nazareth College School Of Business Rochester, NY and new Board Member with Volunteers Of America Upstate NY.

and family welcomed baby Kylian in 2022.

began as the Chair of the University of New South Wales Galleries Advisory Board. For more than 20 years, Natalia has been a pre-eminent advocate, advisor and benefactor for Australia's visual arts, culture, and design sectors.

passed away October 4, 2022. Neville was an educator, athlete, coach and actor who inspired many people. Read more.

was appointed as the 13th President of Paul Smith's College, in northern New York State.

Anthony Giugno, BSc’19, Paige Martin, BA’18, MMJC’19, Ian Rake, BMOS’16, and Justin Tiseo, BA’16 were recognized as trailblazers in the 2022 Business London's Twenty in the 20s. Read more here.

joined the Department of Justice Canada as counsel.

recently was married.

published Cinema's Original Sin: D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture. The book details the history of Griffith's racist epic The Birth of a Nation from 1915 to the Trump era.

Read more here.