Class Notes
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published her first novel “Bad Advice”in April 2026 after Western sparked her love of writing. The novel is a psychological thriller about trust, trauma and the fine line between helping and harming.
started a new position as director of applied research at at Lehigh University. He also completed two books in 2025: “Strategic and Complex Systems Leadership Theory and Practice: The World’s Only Dual Doctorate in Leadership” and “Systemic Human Resource Management: A Holistic Approach to Navigate Complexity”.
has spent 25 years advancing paediatric brain tumour research through Meagan Bebenek Foundation. Her leadership helped fund early studies in tumour genetics, leading to more targeted treatments and better outcomes.
has published a new edition of his book “Sports Talk: How It Has Penetrated Our Everyday Language”.
published “Accepting 7:47 – Trying to Say Goodbye While Executing the Estate”, chronicling the passing of his mother and navigating both grief and estate dissolution. The book’s approach is not one of expertise, but of experience; leading with compassion and humour.
published “The Mirror Diaries”, a research-informed book series empowering girls through themes of body image, identity, and self-compassion.
was awarded the 2026 Myra’s Kids HUG Award for his significant impact through compassionate work with grieving children and families.
co-authored the 2026 release of Canadian Business Law Today with Nancy Breen and Shane A. Ellis. The text emphasizes uniquely Canadian perspectives with the integration of Indigenous business issues alongside tort, contract, employment and property law. The text addresses emerging topics such as artificial intelligence and other societal shifts.
Nora Jean (Boyd) Nickson, HBA’62
won a gold medal at the U.S. National Senior Games in Des Moines Iowa in July 2025. She competed in women’s doubles in Pickleball in the 85-89 age division with Marilyn Beckner from Chattanooga Tennessee.
rowed 37 million meters on the Concept2 RowErg machine at the age of 86, making him part of the Thirty Seven Million Meter Club. “Dandy” Don was varsity captain of rowing during his time at Western.
published a policy commentary in Policy Options analyzing Canada’s $650M Canada Water Agency plan in September 2025. The commentary argues that federal water funding must be tied to integrated governance reform, linking conservation, reuse, restoration and public engagement to avoid repeating decades of fragmented water policy.
published his first book “The Golden Generation” in November 2025. The book tells the untold story of Canadian basketball, from Team Canada’s breakthrough at the 2000 Olympic Games to two decades of struggle and, controversy that ultimately lead to a bright future in professional sport.
received the Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award League from Canadian Poets in 2025 after 60 years of publishing and writing.
is throwing a memorial tribute for Riley Cerovcec, BESc’24, on September 5, 2026, featuring Riley’s band, KRUSH, and heartfelt tributes from his family and friends.
Angela (Donovan) Jackson, BMOS’00
and Simon-Peter Jackson, BA’98, were pleased to watch their daughter Tessa Jackson follow in their rugby footsteps and play her rookie season for the Western women’s rugby team this past fall.
and wife welcomed their second child. “We feel so blessed!”
launched his third book “Leaving Lisa” in 2024. This fictional romantic comedy follows four overlapping stories as characters face and navigate major turning points in their lives.
passed away on September 13, 2025 in Lewiston, New York.
was appointed to Vice-President, HR Risk Governance & Controls at RBC. This makes Angela one of approximately 500 executives within an organization of 100,000 employees and one of the only Black women currently holding this position.
was ordained as a reverend pastor of Chinese Rhenish Church in Vancouver, BC.
got married and bought a new house in 2025.
Roland Tuquero, BA’92, BScN’96
graduated with his Doctorate in Nursing from Michigan State University (MSU) in May 2025. Roland is a staff Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at the VA Ann Arbor Health System and aspires to be part of the anesthesia faculty at MSU.
Françoise Baylis, MA’84, PhD’89
is an internationally renowned bioethicist and the President of the Royal Society of Canada (2025-2028).
has been elected Vice President of the Alberta Teachers’ Association after four years as President of Calgary Catholic Teachers.
was short-listed in the 2025 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Her story Nuala Nu was one of 25 chosen from almost 8000 entries.
and Gail Konanur (Hayes), BA’78, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on August 28, 2025.
Chris Tambakis, HBA’86, HBA’86
has been appointed to the Order of Canada in 2025 to recognize the lasting impact he has made in the commercial real estate industry and to numerous health care, education and community causes. Chris was also awarded the King Charles Coronation Medal for his service and leadership with The Heart & Stroke Foundation (Canada).
retired from RBC Dominion Securities after 35 years in portfolio management. He is looking forward to time with his band Randall Pee Coltrane and The Hard Livers, power boating on Kempenfelt Bay with his wife Marcy and preparing for the arrival of his first grandchild.
has her exhibit From There to Here: Walking for Tomorrow at the Maclaren Art Centre until October 26, 2025. This work is an ecological, material response to mass consumerism and litter affecting bodies of land and water.
won the national PhotoNews Canada Day photo competition in July 2025. His new book Discovering Wildlife in Toronto’s Don Valley is now available as well.
purchased their first home in Canada.
Sheila Ingebrigtson-Stewart, BA’85, BEd’87
released her first self-published book Fogbound: A Heroic Bush Pilot Named Gunnar – a true story about her late uncle’s flight career in the Arctic.
died at his home near Seattle at age 94. He was born in a CPR camp in Canal Flats, AB, had a successful career with IBM, raised four kids and was a world traveller, lifelong learner, gifted writer and devoted father and husband.
joined Factorial, an HR software based in Barcelona, as the Head of Content in 2025.
begins the Dental Assisting program at the University of Alberta in fall 2025.
received the Dr. Peter B. R. Allen Lifetime Achievement in Health Award from the Province of Alberta on July 24th, 2025. Dr. Pasieka is an endocrine surgeon based in Calgary.
passed away peacefully at home on August 6, 2025. She was the Gold Medalist of her class. She is survived by her husband, Douglas, BA’58.
joined the Sisters of St. Joseph in 2025 for a new career following 19 years working with King’s University College.
passed away on August 7, 2025, at his home in Ottawa. Bob was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and respected pension policy leader. A longtime advocate and consultant, he helped shape Canadian pension reform and education, earning a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
and Amar Gupta, MBA’17, founded the functional coffee company brüst in 2018 and have recently partnered with Denis Shapovalov. Read more here.
published the second volume In the Writers’ Words, bringing us closer to the minds of some of our major contemporary poets.
Timothy Reynolds, BA’82, BEd’84
has two new novels from Cometcatcher Press: SOLO by GASLIGHT, a psychological suspense about a serial killer geocaching body parts around Calgary, and FADED NOTES, a mystery about a retiree and his sister’s murder.
passed away on May 8, 2025 in Arizona. He received his PhD in 1996 from Indiana University Bloomington and made significant contributions in Instructional Design, problem-based learning, constructivism, and fostering student ownership.
released a new book entitled Panorama of Existence: The Story of My Near-Death Experience (NDE) and Post-Cancer Awakening in April 2024.
is having a baby due November 26, 2025.
and fellow grads John Sprowl, Ed Zaborski and Bryan Rothery celebrated their annual golf reunion in July 2025, a tradition that began in 1981.
with Megan Phillips, BMus’05, wrote the cult musical comedy People Suck, which returns to the Toronto stage July 2-13, 2025 after two acclaimed productions in Australia. The play is directed by Jessica Sherman, BMus’02.
authored as AD Sui won the 2024 Nebula Award for Best Novella for The Dragonfly Gambit.
won the Margaret & John Savage First Book Award (Non-Fiction) for Hell of a Ride: Chasing Home and Survival on a Bicycle Voyage Across Canada. The book was also a runner-up for the Evelyn Richardson Award, Nova Scotia’s highest honour for non-fiction.
received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his involvement in the planning and delivery of the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration.
was appointed as a Senior Fellow at University of Toronto’s Massey College.
published Thornfield in July 2025.
was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal on March 20, 2025 by Dufferin Caledon Member of Parliament Kyle Seeback in recognition of his significant contribution to his community and across Ontario and Canada.
was recently awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for outstanding service to his community. Dwight is a dedicated charter member of the Rotary Club of Kanata.
was inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in May 2025 as builder of the game in Ontario and across Canada.
is proud to announce that her law firm Mulqueen Disability Law, advocating for disabled clients in their Long-Term Disability cases, has been recognized by Best Lawyers, Lexpert Ranked, and is a finalist for the Markham Business Excellence, High Quality Service award.
has been admitted to the partnership at Siskinds LLP.
was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal recognizing many years of community involvement in the arts and in conservation issues in Uxbridge, ON. Wynn was cartoonist for the Western Gazette in the 1950’s.
was recognized as a winner of ApplyBoard’s 2024 International Alumni Award of Impact program. The program recognizes former international students who embody resilience, innovation, leadership and generosity and includes a one-time $1,000 scholarship in each winner’s name at the institution they graduated from.
debut poetry collection Our Little Agonies is slated for publication by Montreal Publishing Company on May 1st, 2025.
started working as a clinical research coordinator for Axiom Real Time Metrics.
was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Award and Medal on March 6, 2025 by Toronto Member of Parliament Marci Ien in recognition of her significant contributions to her community, Ontario, and Canada.
launched his book On a Pilgrimage with Augustine’s Confessions, published by Austin Macauley, New Work/UK/UAR.
proudly received the gold medal and Provincial Champion title in the Silver Artistic Free Program event at the 2025 Skate Ontario Adult Championships in Kanata, ON. She looks forward to preparing for the 2025-26 competitive season!
passed away on February 23, 2025, at the age of 77. He will be remembered fondly for his ability to captivate those around him with his stories, his love of reality TV, current events, history, and the stock market, as well as his unyielding dedication to his work, and his ever-present sly sense of humor and dry wit.
ran twice the Earth’s circumference at 49,804 miles, achieving an incredible feat. A dedicated runner since 1979, he reached his first “lap” in 2003 and his second in 2024 at 78 years old. His passion and drive continue to inspire alumni and runners alike.
welcomed Erin Isadora Shcherbakov, born September 2, 2024.
passed away on January 30, 2025 at the age of 50. She was a passionate early childhood educator and will be missed by her friends and family.
recently got married.
passed away on January 28, 2025 in Castlegar, British Columbia. He was an instructor at Selkirk College.
retired from British Columbia Geological Survey Branch and Thompson Rivers University OL faculty. Edward stays active, travels, enjoys motorcycles and volunteering.
Catherine “Kay” Easun (Miles), BA’54
passed away peacefully in Toronto, Ontario on February 16, 2025 in her 94th year after a four-year struggle with vascular dementia resulting from stroke.
received the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
retired as a marine geoscientist from the Geological Survey of Canada in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. His career in geophysics took him to many remote parts of onshore and offshore Canada, always in the company of outstanding colleagues.
renowned for her disability inclusion work, was appointed to the Order of Canada in December 2024. This prestigious honour recognizes individuals across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to Canada.
founded LOOP IT Group, a high-performance MSP saving new, existing, or transitioning businesses from tech mishaps. He’s there to give them the inside line on cost-effective technology solutions, grail products, locking down data and more.
passed away on December 27, 2024 at the age of 82. He was very proud of his accomplishments at Western and his education provided him with a very successful career in Calgary, Alberta in the IT Department of several different companies over the years.
Jenni Denniston, BA’02, HBA’04
was on a small group trip to the UK in December 2024 and coincidentally met fellow alumni Peter Douglas, MBA’64, and Sue Mather, MD’87. They had fun reminiscing and sharing stories of their respective times in London.
passed away peacefully on November 24, 2024 in Leamington, ON.
published his fourth novel In The Shadows Of Love with Hera Books in October 2024 and was featured in a Forbes article in December 2024.
was named one of 25 people to watch in 2025 from the Global Gaming Business magazine for leading the first North American research center focusing on sports wagering and gambling.
retired from Fisheries and Oceans Canada in April 2024, after 20 years with the department. She most recently worked as a special advisor to support the establishment of the new Arctic region.
and Allan Svirsky, BMOS’22, founded Rondah AI and raised $120K from Techstars powered by J.P. Morgan. Rondah AI is used by dental practices across ten states and five provinces.
passed away on July 20, 2024, in Kitchener, ON. He is survived by his wife Lesley MacDonald, their son Nicholas and his wife Sarah (Wilson). After Western, Michael obtained his law degree from the University of New Brunswick and practiced law for 37 years.
Nadia Ladak, HBA’20, and Harit Sohal, HBA’20, founded Marlow, a company on a mission to solve the gender pain gap. Marlow was nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30 2025 North America list.
Homecoming was always a favourite Ñ the football game, the sea of purple, and the buzz across campus. Now, helping run it as staff feels like a full-circle moment. ItÕs fast-paced, but I still look forward to it every year!
Niharika Khanal, MHIS’01, MHIS’01
is pleased to be working with Grand River Hospital as a business analyst and as a part-time system analyst at St. Joseph’s Health Care London.
served as a director of community engagement for the Canadian Cancer Society’s flagship fundraising event, Run for the Cure. Her team raised over $100,000 for breast cancer research and organized an event with over 400 attendees.
released a self-published coffee table photography book Memory Lane, to celebrate his 25th immigration anniversary. The book consists of over 50 Canadian photographs taken by Tony throughout the last 10 years of his life, including his time at Western.
Russell Palmer, BESc’08, BSc’08
is the co-founder of Saga, an innovative AI-driven filmmaking application. Recently Saga teamed up with new advisor Alex Jordan of Muse Entertainment.
Alexandrea Nicholas-Jennings, BFA’93, BEd’97
was honoured with Signature Status in 2024 from the Portrait Society of America.
was appointed Executive Director, Advancement & External Relations at Bayview Glen Independent School.
received the 2024 Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jack Webster Foundation, honouring an exemplary British Columbia journalism career.
married Derek Laur in October 2023.