(l-r) Isabella Losinger, Carol Naylor, Santa Ono, Evelyn Maan, Liska Richer, Deb Pickman
President’s Service Awards for Excellence
Every year, five UBC staff are awarded with the President’s Service Awards for Excellence
The President’s Service Award for Excellence is the top award presented to UBC Staff in recognition of excellence in personal achievements and contributions to UBC and to the vision and goals of the University.
Isabella Losinger, Director of Administration, Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
Isabella Losinger has made an indelible impact on UBC. She has demonstrated excellent leadership in running the largest Department of Family Practice in Canada. She is a strategic thinker who provides valuable administrative leadership to a department with lots of moving pieces.
Isabella believes strongly in building a fair and equitable community. She has played a key role in promoting the welfare of management and professional staff at UBC through her work with AAPS, in the areas of advocacy, collective bargaining, and facilitating opportunities for professional growth. She has served on AAPS’ Executive Committee for over nine years, including two terms as President.
Isabella is a valued UBC staff and community member who goes above and beyond the parameters of her job and civic duty, in supporting the people who make UBC an exceptional institution.
Evelyn Maan, Research Manager, Oak Tree Clinic, BC Women’s Hospital
For 15 years, Evelyn Maan has played a central role in ensuring research excellence in the Oak Tree program, which provides specialized clinical care for women and children living with HIV/AIDS.
The Oak Tree Clinic serves many patients who struggle with trauma, addiction and mental illness, and engaging in research can have its challenges. Evelyn is trusted and has rapport with her patients. She works with the utmost care to maintain a safe environment for the clinic’s patients, and for this she has earned a wonderful reputation among the HIV community.
Evelyn extends her knowledge to clients outside of the Oak Tree Clinic. She has spent the last number of years conducting regular workshops for retreats held at the Positive Women’s Network (PWN), an AIDS Service organization for women living with HIV.
Carol Naylor, Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects, Student Development and Services
Carol Naylor is the driving force behind numerous programs and services that have positively changed the student experience at UBC. Carol is an educator at heart, dedicated to supporting UBC students as they navigate the transition between their academic studies and their career aspirations.
As the Associate Director in Student Development & Services, Carol took on many challenging and collaborative campus-wide projects, such as the Online Advising Management System, Early Alert, and the annual UBC Advising Conference. Carol also led the redevelopment of career education services for students and has demonstrated a personal commitment to cultivating a culture of career education in faculty, students, and staff.
Carol’s care, attention, humility, humour and wisdom in supervising staff and advising students has left a legacy and made a lasting impression on all those who know and work with her.
Deb Pickman, Marketing and Communications Manager, Arts & Culture District, Faculty of Arts
Deb Pickman is a tireless advocate for the arts at UBC, doing all she can to connect the community with the University’s many cultural and artistic offerings.
For 10 years, Deb has created robust relationships at UBC and in the local arts community. It is a result of these partnerships that Deb has been able to orchestrate great events on campus, such as Arts Night Out and Arts & Culture Night, which have bolstered the social vibrancy of campus culture.
In her current role, Deb is the driver behind the development of the Arts & Culture District brand, bringing together a variety of cultural, academic and First Nations partners. She continues to discover new, creative and efficient ways to promote the Arts and work collaboratively with partners at UBC and beyond.
Liska Richer, Manager, Social, Ecological, Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Sustainability Program, Campus and Community Planning
Liska Richer has built strong and meaningful partnerships between students, faculty, and staff, resulting in hundreds of innovative and impactful sustainability projects at UBC. Through her efforts, the SEEDS Program has resulted in over one thousand research projects over the past 15 years and has contributed immensely to experiential learning opportunities for students. The campus would not be the leader in environmental sustainability that it is without the integrative sustainability projects Liska has coordinated.
Liska is the leading force in turning campus into a living lab, for which SEEDS received the Case Study Award in 2015 from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
From the way we interact with our campus spaces, to the way we eat, study and work, Liska’s myriad contributions can be found in every corner of campus.
(l-r) Brad Wheeler, Patrick Tamkee, Margot Fraser, Bill Upward, Robert Brackenbury, Julie Stockton, Santa Ono, Tamara Baldwin, Jacquelyn Brinkman, Dana-Lyn Mackenzie, Miranda Massie, Kali Wilson, Derek Tan
President’s Staff Awards
The President’s Staff Awards (Vancouver Campus) recognize the personal achievements and contributions of staff to UBC and to the vision and goals of the University.
The President’s Staff Awards recognize the vital role UBC‘s staff play in creating a globally influential university by bringing UBC’s Place and Promise commitments to life.
Awards are given in six categories: Emerging Leadership, Enhancing the UBC Experience, Creativity and Innovation, Leadership, Community Engagement, and Advancing Diversity & Inclusion.
Emerging Leadership
Miranda Massie, Health Promotion Coordinator, Department of Human Resources
Miranda Massie supports all UBC faculty and staff in bringing awareness, resources, and support for mental and physical health to UBC.
Miranda has been leading the charge to encourage faculty and staff to shift their understanding of mental health from “illness” to “wellness.” In particular, Miranda has been instrumental in building Thrive, an annual week to build positive mental health, into a powerful and transformative event at UBC.
Miranda’s work enables UBC faculty and staff to reach their best potential by providing them with resources and encouragement to take the initiative to make positive changes in their health and in their workplaces. Her focus is to help people be well in all aspects of their lives, supporting them in bringing their healthiest selves to work.
Kali Wilson, Senior Student Development Coordinator, Faculty of Science
Kali Wilson was committed to improving the student experience through extracurricular leadership and personal development education. Even though Kali left UBC in the summer of 2016, her leadership and influence continue to benefit her colleagues and the students in the Faculty of Science.
Kali oversaw two major programs: Science Orientations and the Science Peer Academic Coaches, which would not be as successful as they are today without Kali’s influence. Students are benefited throughout the year by these high-quality programs. She was also active on a number of projects to promote wellbeing and academic excellence for students across the university.
Kali was dedicated to bring the best service to students, to support the diverse needs and challenges of UBC’s campus population.
Enhancing the UBC Experience
Jacquelyn (Jacqui) Brinkman, Manager of the Graduate Pathways to Success Program, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
In everything she does, Jacqui Brinkman enhances the UBC experience with her dedication to serving UBC’s graduate students.
Each year, Jacqui organizes an effective orientation program that provides a warm welcome to 900 new graduate students in September and January, numerous workshops for personal and professional development, as well as the 3-Minute Thesis competition, all with an eye to supporting students in creating connections and networks across the university and in the community to help them in their academic careers.
It is not unusual for Jacqui to get calls and emails from students from all corners of campus wanting to talk over ideas for a new initiative, or to ask for assistance with any number of challenges they are experiencing. Jacqui’s advice and support has made a significant impact in the lives of countless graduate students.
Patrick Tamkee, Aquatics Technician, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science
Patrick Tamkee provides leadership and direction for InSEAS (Initiative for the Study of the Environment and its Aquatic Systems), a state-of-the-art aquatic animal research facility. Patrick works closely with research faculty, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students to design and construct aquatic research infrastructure, and he is instrumental in insuring that all research is conducted to the highest standard of animal care.
Patrick’s ability to problem-solve makes the seemingly impossible not only possible, but manageable.
Patrick creates a collegial work environment that fosters respect and positive interactions, where researchers collaborate freely with equipment, space, and ideas. His helpful demeanour, together with his remarkable ability to teach and guide others, makes him a tremendous resource to everyone involved with zoology aquatics research at UBC.
Creativity & Innovation
Derek Tan, Digital Media Specialist, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Faculty of Science
Derek Tan is a true team player. His collaborative approach and commitment to education and outreach comes across in every project in which he is involved. It is Derek’s creative mind, innovative style, and dedication to relating biodiversity to the public that has been critical to the success of the Museum.
Derek’s artwork is at the centre of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. From the very beginning, Derek’s design skills have been fundamental to the public’s understanding of the concept of biodiversity through the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.
In the words of his nominators: “In ecology there is the notion of a keystone species, one that plays a central and organizing role in an ecosystem; Derek is a keystone employee for the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.”
Bill Upward, Teaching and Learning Strategist, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
Bill Upward arrived in Family Practice with a background in education, with the task to provide faculty development to several thousand preceptors across the province, many in remote or underserviced areas.
Bill led the Faculty Development Committee in creating an innovative modular faculty development program which has been so successful that it has been provincially distributed and accredited. Across the department, Bill has influenced teaching to focus on how to effectively deliver adult learning in ways that energize and inspire the learning community. Program participants are now engaged and enthusiastic as they take part in new development opportunities.
Bill is always looking to engage his audience, a ‘starting at the end’ approach with inclusivity and collaboration that has been dubbed the “Upward” effect.
Brad Wheeler, Technology Transfer Manager, UBC University-Industry Liaison Office
Brad Wheeler is at the heart of moving numerous technologies developed by UBC/Vancouver Hospital researchers towards commercial development, such as treatments and diagnostics for cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, bladder conditions and many other conditions.
Recently, Brad was at the heart of licensing a novel therapeutic for prostate cancer to Hoffman-La Roche, the largest licencing deal UBC has ever entered into. This is only one of Brad’s many achievements at UBC. He has managed over 500 technologies, and worked on more than 1,400 agreements and 800-plus patents. He has also played a significant role in the formation and licensing of UBC inventions to eight local start-up companies.
Brad’s initiative and his innovative approach and leadership have contributed significantly to the UILO’s mission to foster engagement and build relationships between UBC and industry.
Leadership
Robert Brackenbury, Program Manager, Years 1 & 2, Vancouver Fraser Medical Program, Faculty of Medicine
Robert Brackenbury is dedicated to ensuring that UBC’s medical students experience an undergraduate program of excellence. Staff and faculty alike look to Rob for his leadership, his vision for the program, and for consistently high-quality service to students and faculty.
The MD Undergraduate Program launched a renewed curriculum in 2015, bringing dramatic change to this year’s student cohort. With a lot of thought, foresight and hard work, Rob and his team kept things on track and on time, with a reflective view to future improvements.
The relationships that Rob fosters between students, faculty, and staff, and the ways he has developed for meaningful and timely feedback, continue to enhance students’ learning experiences and improve the calibre of UBC’s medical education.
Julie Stockton, Senior Workplace Learning Strategist, Department of Human Resources
Julie Stockton has for 15 years brought a positive approach to faculty and staff learning that focuses on building up individuals’ strengths and abilities. Julie’s philosophy towards learning and leadership is that every individual can find in themselves the capability to lead.
Julie has been integral to the visioning of many of UBC’s learning and leadership programs, and has been a key contributor to their design, development and implementation. Julie is also a gifted facilitator, helping others to discover their best selves.
Julie’s work is on display across Canada through her work for the Canadian Association of University Business Officers. Her impact on the learning culture for staff and faculty has strengthened UBC’s reputation as an institution dedicated to building leadership in all of its community members.
Community Engagement
Tamara Baldwin, Associate Director, Office of Regional and International Community Engagement, Faculty of Arts
Tamara Baldwin is dedicated to enhancing her community at UBC, in Vancouver, and in the international communities participating in the International Service Learning (ISL) program.
Tamara came to UBC in 2008 to set up the ISL program, and quickly became a role model for those who wish to work with communities in respectful and ethical ways. Tamara is a mentor to students, engaging them to truly consider what it means to work with, and to learn from, international communities.
Tamara’s dedication to UBC’s partner organizations has positioned UBC as an active global citizen. The ISL program is recognized among North American higher education institutions as a leader in its work, due in large part to Tamara’s influence and guidance.
Margot Fraser, Programs Assistant, Robert H. Lee Graduate School, Sauder School of Business
Margot Fraser displays a commitment to community engagement on a number of levels: departmental, Sauder-wide, UBC and to the wider Vancouver community. Within her department, Margot is the pillar of office spirit. She brings great energy and creativity to her department, while delivering excellent service to Sauder students.
Margot focuses on team-building and wellness through nearly every aspect of her work in various projects and initiatives. She is always the first to support her colleagues’ wellbeing by energizing and encouraging everyone she works with.
Margot is also committed to the success of the UBC United Way Campaign. Her generosity and encouragement reminds her colleagues every day that we all have a responsibility to support local and global change.
Advancing Diversity & Inclusion
Dana-Lyn Mackenzie, Associate Director, Indigenous Legal Studies, Allard School of Law
Dana-Lyn Mackenzie is a beacon of change for inclusion and diversity in the Allard School of Law, and the legal profession more broadly.
In all that she does, Dana-Lyn fosters intercultural dialogue among indigenous and non-indigenous students. This approach has had tangible results in building inclusive and respectful environments for all students at the Allard School of Law.
Dana-Lyn is always building cultural awareness activities into the student experience, including the Allard Law Indigenous Awareness Camp, which creates opportunities for non-indigenous students in the law school to engage with local First Nations communities, and a recent Mock First Nations Court attended by all first-year students. These events raise awareness about how vital intercultural understanding is in building respectful relationships, to start to achieve reconciliation in the face of differences.
Dana-Lyn’s leadership in promoting intercultural understanding and inclusion enhances the UBC community, every day.