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Shannon Trick

Capital Projects Analyst

On Wednesday, Sept. 13, Algonquin College Capital Projects Analyst Shannon Trick received the President’s Star Award following a surprise visit by President and CEO Claude Brulé.

The President’s Star Award is given to employees of the College who “demonstrate a commitment to excellence in their role” and embody the College values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect. Shannon has shown these virtues throughout her time at the College and has embodied AC’s goals throughout her work with Finance and Administration.

Nomination of Shannon Trick:

“Shannon recently worked to solve a complex year-end billing dilemma with a vendor of record. She was able to walk management through the correct processes to ensure that all the year-end billing was accurately and correctly reflected, thereby eliminating a lot of stress for all parties involved. By stepping up and helping in an hour of need, Shannon exemplified all of AC’s core values and went the extra mile to assist in overcoming obstacles.

Shannon has always been helpful and receptive to everyone’s ideas and is always working to a positive outcome/solution through her strong integrity and caring nature. Shannon has always been there to support with funding models across many large projects like ACCE, the Pembroke Waterfront Campus, the Student Commons, the DARE District and the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre. Her dedication to getting the job done while supporting and understanding the perspectives of others is Shannon’s true strength. She has been steadfast over the years in showing her embrace of all the AC core values and proves it every day by working collaboratively with all AC teams. Shannon is an integral part of Algonquin College’s mission to support student success by contributing all her positive strengths and wonderful outlook.”

Congratulations, Shannon!

Rachel Robichaud

Bursary and Student Awards Officer

On Wednesday, Aug. 23, Rachel Robichaud — a Bursary and Student Awards Officer at Algonquin College — received the President’s Star following a surprise visit by AC President and CEO Claude Brulé.

The President’s Star Award is given to employees of the College who “demonstrate a commitment to excellence in their role” and embody the College values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect. Rachel has exemplified these ideals throughout her years with the College, embodying professionalism and innovation in her work with student awards.

Nomination of Rachel Robichaud

Demonstrates commitment to excellence:

Rachel is committed to creating and maintaining a clear, concise process to ensure student awards run smoothly. In the past, there were no distinct guidelines for issuing awards. She is the liaison with Financial Aid Student Awards (FASA) and guides her team with a process that can be followed and referred to when there are questions.

In the past, awards were approached on an ad-hoc basis. Rachel developed a formalized process. She asked questions about nominees and provided criteria and rationale that hadn’t been considered. She helped her team adopt a streamlined process and has consistently provided support and guidance.

Commitment to Student Success:

Her first priority is ensuring award recipients get their awards in an easy and timely manner. She will work to time the cheque processing with the department awards night so that funds get to the students as quickly as possible.

Rachel started asking about program award events early on. She would continually monitor the dates she had been given to ensure they were correct. Unfortunately, the dates changed frequently as did the in-person/virtual nature of events post-pandemic.

Rachel is an integral member of the Financial Aid and Student Awards team, who looked to her on countless occasions to help with the challenges they faced. She consistently demonstrates a commitment to excellence by delivering unwavering services with grace, patience and impeccable detail. Moreover, she is always there to teach, share and guide colleagues at a moment’s notice. Examples include:

Creating Salesforce reports to help Advancement monitor how many students benefit from donor-funded awards, bursaries and scholarships.
Offering solutions to help with the disbursement of funds to students in a timely manner when faced with hard deadlines.
As the R3 Project moves toward the migration of data to the new system, Rachel often provides considerations that others may miss when it comes to this momentous task
The studying of student selection criteria for various funds and assessing validity as it relates to the reality of students attending the College.

Rachel demonstrates her commitment to student success by helping in the ongoing clean-up of data in both Raiser’s Edge and Salesforce, reviewing gift agreements and working tirelessly to research and confirm donor wishes when it comes to the disbursement of donations to students.

Congratulations, Rachel!

Lois Pollock and Krista Pearson

Business Co-Leads, R3 Project

On Wednesday, June 14, Algonquin College President and CEO Claude Brulé presented the President’s Star Award to Lois Pollock and Krista Pearson.

The presentation was notable for being a rare instance where both the nominee and the nominator received the award: Pearson — Algonquin College’s Registrar — was nominated for the award by Pollock, who is the College’s Chief Digital Officer. Both women serve as Business Co-Leads for the R3 Project.

The President’s Star Award is given to an employee who demonstrates a commitment to excellence in their role within the College community; regularly and consistently demonstrates outstanding service; and truly embodies our shared commitment to student success and the College’s values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect.

Nomination of Lois Pollock

“Lois consistently demonstrates a commitment to excellence in her role of Co-Business Lead in the R3 Project. This significant and high-profile transformation project requires extreme technical skills, as well as the overall administrative acumen to manage the tremendous amount of detail within this multi-million-dollar project. She is not only on top of every detail, she proactively anticipates what is yet to come. She never misses a deadline and the reports she provides to senior leadership and the Board are exemplary. In her role as R3 Business Co-Lead she must often provide compelling and balanced information to the Executive Team and the Board of Governors. While it is true that this is fundamental to her role, it’s the way she goes about it that makes her worthy of a President’s Star Award.

Despite the depth and breadth of work in Lois’ daily activities, she always takes the time to check in on her team and their well-being (including her base position team). During her busy days, she always finds opportunities to acknowledge others, listen and resolve issues, build morale or lighten the stress when the team feels overwhelmed. She is a great supporter of continuous learning and is always providing her team with coaching and feedback to provide support and help them be successful in their roles. Lois is someone who genuinely cares about the people she works with, and the quality and integrity of the work she does and her people-management skills are admirable.

The R3 Project is a College-wide transformation project that people are both excited and fearful of. The sheer size and scope of this project over the last two and half years have often required Lois to go above and beyond to resolve issues. Often needing to escalate or resolve issues in a very tight timeline, her calm and caring demeanor coupled with her expert knowledge and past experience provides confidence to those she works with. She is always ready to support her teams, and always happy to help her colleagues.

She exemplifies the professional skills and diplomatic nature required to support the completion of a project such as R3. This is evident through her interactions and relationship with the vendor and her ability to maintain a positive relationship while holding them accountable. She is incredibly professional through and through, and the respect her colleagues have for her is well-deserved. It takes a special person with superior skills to navigate a project of this size and complexity, and the working relationship she has with her co-lead Krista Pearson is evidence that Lois values inclusivity, shares willingly and ensures there is strong and consistent communication with her colleagues.

Lois does not like the spotlight on her, so she will be somewhat embarrassed to receive this award. She will instinctively acknowledge her team. However, it’s Lois’ unwavering dedication to her team, her co-lead, and the work she does in support of our student and employee experience that drives Lois’ passion for her work. Those that she works closely with will agree that they could not do this without her!

Lois models our core values of caring, learning, integrity and respect. She is thoughtful, careful and considerate with her words and actions, has unquestionable integrity in all she does and has a desire to learn and share that knowledge with others. Often, it’s the people who are truly exceptional that we sometimes take for granted because their work is so consistently good, we don’t focus on it because they always have it under control and make it look seamless, when in reality, it takes exceptional effort, commitment and care to make it happen.”

Nomination of Krista Pearson

“As the Registrar of Algonquin College, Krista Pearson is responsible for the management of the Office of the Registrar that includes admissions, student records, student awards and financial aid and systems (e.g., Student Information System).

Krista demonstrates a commitment to excellence in her role within the College community with her willingness to volunteer for Here2Help booths, Open Houses (at all campuses) as well as giving freely of her time to help students move into residence. “That’s not my job” is simply not in Krista’s vocabulary; she interacts directly with prospective students, parents, applicants, alumni, staff and faculty to provide services and support that lead to a positive student experience.

As part of COVID-19 recovery, Krista was dedicated to minimizing the impact on students and to the overall student experience when returning to campus. She is also a member of the Integrated College Development Planning Committee and was instrumental in the “Transition to a New Normal” plan for the RO and R3 teams.

Krista has a powerful sense of purpose and her days are full of meetings and check-ins, ensuring the R3 Project is on track, the people are supported and motivated, as well as ensuring the vendor meets obligations. It is worth noting that in tandem with the R3 Project, Krista maintains her role as the Registrar!

Krista’s attitude, work ethic and professionalism are exemplary and deserving of further recognition.”

Congratulations, Lois and Krista! Thank you both for your service and dedication to Algonquin College.

Teri Kinnunen

Manager of Corporate Planning, Finance and Administrative Services

Teri Kinnunen was awarded the President’s Star by Algonquin College President and CEO Claude Brulé on Wednesday, June 7. Teri is the Manager of Corporate Planning in the Finance and Administrative Services department.

Nomination of Teri Kinnunen

“Teri Kinnunen is deserving of a President’s Star for her consistent performance as a reliable, knowledgeable, helpful, supportive and innovative colleague. She advocated for a change in the financial planning tool that will increase the accuracy and consistency in revenue projections by leveraging the enrolment information. For the staff and teams who have to project these figures, this feature is a significant time saver and confidence builder. The expected outcome will be fewer errors and less variance in quarterly budget reviews. While Teri likely was dependent on a team of others to realize this change, it is her care for problem-solving and her follow-up communications to demonstrate her care that makes this nomination meaningful.

The availability of this tool complements years of support and guidance from Teri on all details related to the Registrar’s Office budget including but not limited to training, guidance, and support in problem-solving budgetary needs. Vicki Smart, Business Operations Officer, regularly liaises with Teri and receives timely and effective direction.

Vicki specifically noted that Teri’s ongoing support during the PeopleSoft/WD transition and the ensuing phishing issue was remarkable. Teri has been instrumental with planning and cementing the meetings of the Finance Support Working Group (FSWG).

Teri embodies the College’s core values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect – she’s always a willing partner, demonstrates patience and empathy, and operates with utmost professionalism and integrity. Through her interactions, including sensitive budget planning, she actively listens and is respectful in her considerations and recommendations.”

Congratulations, Teri! Thank you for your service and dedication to Algonquin College. 

Mary Baxter

General Manager, Food and Conference Services

Mary Baxter was awarded the President’s Star Award by Algonquin College President and CEO Claude Brulé on Wednesday, May 10. Baxter is the General Manager, Food & Conference Services in the College’s Campus Services team.

“Mary’s determination and leadership to deliver quality food services and events for the Algonquin College community has been evident throughout a significant period of change over the past three years as we navigated the impact of the pandemic on our Food & Conference Services division, and recovery.

Mary has demonstrated dedication and commitment to the operational recovery of Food Services and continuity of operations throughout the pandemic to serve those who were required to be on-campus and students living in Residence.

Some of the elements that were implemented during the pandemic to support the health and safety of our community, particularly in Residence, included:

Development of an online food ordering program for students who were in isolation. In the 2021-22 year, there were 307 orders delivered through the program.
Shift from self-service food station to full-service.
Location modifications include partitions, decals, flow maps and more.
Enhance cleaning of touchpoints in service areas.

Prior to the pandemic there were 163 employees in Food Services. With limited on-campus activity during the pandemic, the numbers dropped as low as three employees, including Mary, when the decision was made to close Food Services.

As Campus Services began its recovery from the pandemic, Food & Conferences Services had an ambitious goal to re-open all food locations on campus (including four locations that had been closed since March 2020), and scale operations back up to pre-pandemic levels.

In order to re-open and scale back up, more than 100 employees needed to be trained in time for Fall 2022, a feat that seemed impossible in only four months. Food Services committed to having all Food Services locations open by the end of the Fall 2022 term. With Mary’s leadership all locations were opened ahead of schedule, with the final location – Tim Horton’s – opening in early November 2022.

Under Mary’s guidance, sustainability initiatives continued to be tested and introduced where feasible. The goal of these initiatives is to eliminate single-use plastics and reduce waste on campus.

To share this in numbers:

Food Services has had 554,701 transactions since September, compared to 134,384 for the same period last year — a 312 per cent increase.
86 students were employed by Food & Conference Services this academic year.

Mary’s commitment to supporting and improving the campus experience is continually evident in her pursuit of operational excellence.

Mary is recognized by the Algonquin Students’ Association with the Chris Warburton Award of Excellence which further demonstrates her commitment to the community.”

Congratulations, Mary! Thank you for your service and dedication to Algonquin College.

John Ireland

Senior Case Resolution Specialist – Workday

John Ireland was awarded the President’s Star Award by Algonquin College President and CEO Claude Brulé on Tuesday, May 2. The Senior Case Resolution Specialist – Workday is part of Algonquin College’s ITS team.

Nomination of John Ireland

“This nomination is over two years past due. There aren’t enough words to describe the commitment and excellence of John as he navigated us through the channels of Workday just prior to the pandemic, during the pandemic and in the present moment. There is never a time when John is too busy to help a faculty member who is experiencing an onboarding issue. He does it with patience and professionalism. His knowledge of the system is outstanding and his turn-around time with responding to inquires is unbelievable.

On more than one occasion John has jumped onto a Zoom call to assist a faculty member with onboarding issues to ensure timely access to Brightspace and email. John has done this on more than one occasion and sometimes the call is lengthy, but he shows how much he cares by taking his time with everyone. He never makes anyone feel rushed. He ensures everyone is supported and that it is done in a timely, efficient and caring manner.

John embodies Algonquin College’s core values in every way. He has always been caring, kind and helpful while responding to inquiries over the years. He is critical for our student success as he ensures that our part-time faculty are onboarded in a timely fashion to ensure they have access to Brightspace and are hooked up with their Algonquin College email account so that they can begin teaching at Algonquin College each semester.

John regularly and consistently demonstrates outstanding service. John has continually shown excellent customer service.”

Congratulations, John! Thank you for your service and dedication to Algonquin College.

Ahmed Gaabass

Enrolment Services Representative

Enrolment Services Representative (ESR) Ahmed Gaabass was delighted to learn he was the latest recipient of the President’s Star Award. Along with the Algonquin College Executive Team (ACET), President and CEO Claude Brulé presented the award to Ahmed on April 4.

As one of the longest-serving ESRs at the Registrar’s Office, Ahmed embodies the College’s values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect. His exemplary client service skills ensure learners receive timely responses to any query. Many students request Ahmed for assistance due to his wealth of knowledge on a wide range of services and offerings at the College. As an Arabic speaker, Ahmed is tremendously beneficial to international students from Arabic-speaking regions as they navigate the College system in a new environment.

Ahmed is also a wonderful team member and employee. He is always one of the first people to introduce himself to new employees and has an aptitude for connecting with people from diverse backgrounds. His colleagues describe him as a kind and thoughtful person who sees the good in everyone.

The President’s Star Award is presented to an employee who demonstrates a commitment to excellence in their role within the College community; regularly and consistently demonstrates outstanding service; and truly embodies the College’s shared commitment to student success and the College’s values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect.

Congratulations, Ahmed!

Colleen Clark

Employment Consultant, Perth Campus Community Employment Services

Colleen Clark, a 30-year veteran of Algonquin College and cornerstone of the Perth Campus’ Community Employment Services, became the latest recipient of the President’s Star Award on March 15.

President and CEO Claude Brulé presented Colleen with the award during a surprise visit by the AC Executive Team. Colleen was nominated for her years of outstanding effort and dedication in her role, which has helped countless community members find new sources of employment. She has been a beacon of positivity and knowledge for those experiencing the painful and potentially life-changing ordeal of job loss.

“I’ve really enjoyed having Algonquin as my employer,” she said. “I want to get up in the morning and I want to come to work and do what I do.”

The President’s Star Award is for employees of the College that demonstrate “a commitment to excellence in their role,” embodying the College values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect. Colleen has exemplified these ideals throughout her long tenure with the College, making hard times easier for the people who seek out her help.

Congratulations, Colleen!

Brenda Klerks

Manager, Accounts Payable and Payroll

On Wednesday, Feb. 15, Brenda Klerks — Algonquin College’s Manager of Accounts Payable and Payroll — received the President’s Star Award from AC President and CEO Claude Brulé.

The President’s Star Award is for employees of the College that demonstrate “a commitment to excellence in their role,” embodying the College values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect.

Brenda exemplifies these traits, constantly “going the extra mile to support her colleagues,” according to the PSA application submitted by HR management. She is known for her extensive knowledge of payroll procedures, intense attention to detail and ability to solve complex problems with a positive attitude, all of which has made her a cornerstone of the College.

“HR’s experiences with Brenda have been nothing short of exceptional. She is always professional and puts College needs before her own,” noted the application. “It is the honour of the HR Management Team to nominate Brenda Klerks for the President’s Star Award.”

Congratulations, Brenda!

Ahmed Atallah

End Point Services Technician

Ahmed Atallah, End Point Services Technician in Information Technology Services (ITS) was recently presented the President’s Star Award by Algonquin College President and CEO Claude Brulé.

The President’s Star Award is awarded to an employee who demonstrates a commitment to excellence in their role within the College community; regularly and consistently demonstrates outstanding service; and truly embodies our shared commitment to student success and the College’s values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect.

In the President’s Star nomination submission, Ahmed’s commitment was highlighted:

Nomination of Ahmed Atallah

Ahmed “saves the day” regularly. His work is often not visible to the College community, but his dedication and problem-solving skills ensure that technology at events run smoothly. Ahmed is trustworthy and is never afraid to make suggestions to improve events. He is always on time and remains on the scene in case of any issues. At corporate events, recruitment events, Board events and more, simply knowing Ahmed is there, offers comfort to his colleagues.

Ahmed consistently and quickly finds solutions to technical issues during Board meetings and board generative discussion, and makes himself available for dry-runs ahead of the events.

He jumps in and takes initiative when people ask for his help. Ahmed goes above and beyond to ensure quality and his positive attitude is contagious.

Ahmed wears a smile everywhere he goes. He remembers people’s names. He gently teases his colleagues to create a fun atmosphere and lighten the mood when things get tense. He exceeds the expectations of his clients. He does not shy away from finding the best solution to execute the best result.

Ahmed takes pride in his work and always going the extra – extra mile. He is a pleasure to work with, with his consistent happy personality, respectful attitude, and ceaseless smile. He has earned the respect of all Board members by providing professional and exceptional technical service at Board events, and consistently ensuring that the needs of all Governors are met.

Ahmed’s work supports our students through his dedication to Algonquin College. Ahmed has served Algonquin for over 25 years, seeing things through and stepping in when problems arise. He brings a positive attitude to work every day and his cheerful nature spreads joy to the people around him. His willingness to contribute no matter the time or day, including during Open House on weekends, showcases his commitment. He makes long days with complicated set-ups much more pleasurable!

Ahmed is committed to his work and his team members. He leads by example and lives the College’s values every day. He demonstrates the value of learning by keeping up with technology – working with technology for 25 years and keeping up a reputation for resourcefulness requires continuous learning. Ahmed’s initiative to jump in, lend a hand and suggest improvements, without being asked, reveals his integrity. He shows respect by showing care and attention to the challenges of his colleagues.

Congratulations Ahmed on your award and thank you for your dedication to Algonquin College.

Alicia Gibson

Co-op Operations Coordinator

Alicia Gibson, Co-op Operations Coordinator in the Cooperative Education Department was recently given the President’s Star Award by Algonquin College President and CEO Claude Brulé.

The President’s Star Award is bestowed upon an employee who demonstrates a commitment to excellence in their role within the College community; regularly and consistently demonstrates outstanding service; and truly embodies our shared commitment to student success and the College’s values of Caring, Learning, Integrity and Respect.

In the President’s Star nomination submission, Alicia’s commitment was highlighted:

Nomination of Alicia Gibson
As the Operations Coordinator, Alicia is required to communicate with various stakeholders within the College, including colleagues within the Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid, International Education Centre, and the coordinators and chairs in our academic areas.

Alicia has been instrumental in creating and improving co-op processes at all levels across the College that have helped improve the Co-op Department’s commitment to student success. Working collaboratively with the Registrar’s Office, she has initiated many projects, such as a new co-op fee structure to streamline and simplify co-op fees and improving communication and messaging sent to students.

Noticing a discrepancy in the number of students accepted into co-op programs versus the number of students who progressed through each step of the co-op journey, Alicia, along with other co-op staff, worked with faculty and chairs to develop retention strategies to increase the co-op registration numbers. Alicia’s efforts with this helped implement multiple processes, including opening an application portal on HireAC. Recognizing this process could be streamlined further, Alicia helped the ICT-AP department launch a pilot to increase co-op maximums for their programs, ensuring every student had the opportunity to participate in co-op.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when staff and students were instructed to work from home, Alicia worked tirelessly to ensure the operations of the Co-op Department continued smoothly and often became the first point of contact for staff and students. Alicia met with the manager three times a week to develop action plans for students who were at risk of losing their confirmed co-op work terms, as well as responding quickly to reschedule interviews to ensure students did not miss out on future co-op opportunities. Alicia never batted an eye when taking on these unprecedented tasks – her character truly represents the College values of caring, integrity, and respect. Without Alicia’s tenacity, the Co-op Department would not have pivoted as smoothly as it did while ensuring students were minimally impacted.

Throughout her communications with students, staff, and faculty, Alicia delivers a high standard of customer service, always ensuring that she is upholding the College’s core values, especially regarding integrity and respect.

Congratulations Alicia! We congratulate you on her award and thank you for your dedication to Algonquin College.

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President's Star Award