Western Award of Excellence recipients support campus community – and beyond

“Seven individuals and one interdepartmental team are being honoured with the 2025 Western Award of Excellence , for contributions ranging from providing exceptional continuity of service to exemplary leadership during a major shift in university tradition. The award is the highest level of campus-wide recognition for staff, presented to those who reflect the university’s values of integrity, respect and commitment to service. Recipients will receive their awards at a reception on May 5 in the Great Hall, Somerville House. Those planning to attend should register by April 28. The following summaries of the recipients’ contributions are based on nominations reviewed by the 2025 selection committee, which includes representatives from Western’s campus community. The Convocation Interdepartmental Team included members of the University Secretariat Office. (Above, L to R) Caroline Whippey, Abigail David-Adjah, Patricia de Wit and Caitlin Price, and members of the Office of the Registrar. (Below, L to R) Valerie Sarkany, Steve Krupa, Alicia Payne, Andrew Pocock, Lauren Lee, David Scriver and Hamza Khattar. Absent: Amy Thornton (Rachel Lincoln Photography) Convocation Interdepartmental Team The Convocation Interdepartmental Team was comprised of staff from the University Secretariat Office, including Caroline Whippey, Abigail David-Adjah, Patricia de Wit and Caitlin Price, and from the Office of the Registrar, including Valerie Sarkany, Steve Krupa, Alicia Payne, Andrew Pocock, Lauren Lee, David Scriver, Hamza Khattar and Amy Thornton. In 2025, Western made a major operational shift, moving its convocation ceremonies from Alumni Hall to Canada Life Place in downtown London, Ont. An interdepartmental team, including staff from the Office of the Registrar and the Secretariat Office, is being applauded for managing the move with “precision, excellent coordination and integrity.” Every innovation, from nearly doubling the graduate capacity per ceremony (450 to 800) to streamlined processes, was designed to enhance the experience of graduates and their loved ones. Accessibility was at the heart of every aspect of operations, from venue features including seating and elevators to coordinated free shuttles from campus to Canada Life Place. A single reliable Convocation website provided students and families with consistent, accurate information. “The team rebuilt the graduate journey end-to-end, pairing these operational gains with clarity, care and compassion.” Marc Lalonde (Rachel Lincoln Photography) Marc Lalonde Manager, The Grad Club For more than 20 years, Marc Lalonde has served as manager – and the face – of the Grad Club, ensuring it remains a place of connection, belonging and support. Reporting to both SOGS and Western Hospitality Services, Lalonde successfully balances the complex demands of running a hospitality venue with the mission to support student life. He ensures the Grad Club remains both financially sustainable and true to its values. Lalonde has deftly steered the Grad Club through major renovations, shifting demographics and the COVID-19 pandemic. Hailed as a manager who “coaches rather than commands,” he leads with empathy and humility. From diversifying menu options to reflect Western’s global community to introducing new pricing models and optimizing event bookings, Lalonde has demonstrated his commitment to this special campus space. “It is no exaggeration to say that the Grad Club’s welcoming spirit, consistency and success over the years are deeply tied to Marc’s efforts. His presence and care have helped countless graduate students find community, celebrate milestones and leave Western with fond memories.” Nanette Love (Rachel Lincoln Photography) Nanette Love Assistant to the dean, Faculty of Law Through her “warmth and unwavering service,” Nanette Love has helped shape the culture of Western Law for more than 40 years. She has supported every dean who has led the faculty, providing exceptional continuity and stability. She is recognized for her extraordinary institutional knowledge, profound professionalism and kindness, along with the discretion and diplomacy she brings to important and delicate matters within the faculty. A quiet mentor to faculty, staff and students, Love “never seeks attention or credit, yet sets the standard for professionalism, dedication and care.” She works “far beyond her title,” managing the collective agreement, Faculty Council, decanal searches, tenure reviews and more than 50 limited duties instructors annually. “If there’s anyone who epitomizes exceptional commitment to the university’s values, it is Nanette. She is the gold standard of staff support. As she nears retirement, I am afraid to say that she is irreplaceable.” Tara MacCrone (Rachel Lincoln Photography) Tara MacCrone Manager, Research Programs, Faculty of Engineering Throughout her time at Western, Tara MacCrone has built a reputation as a team player with a positive attitude. Her expertise in grant writing and securing funds has been pivotal in supporting faculty members’ work and advancing innovative research at Western. She has been instrumental in helping draw some of the university’s strongest funding results, including those from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, during her one-year secondment to Western Research. In 2016, she developed the NSERC Discovery Grant application guide to help researchers attract substantial funding – a resource her team updates annually. Her team also runs informal coffee hour mentorship sessions, averaging 15 researchers per event. Session topics include EDI in research, industry partnerships and social media. A student MacCrone mentored in the inaugural cohort of the Black Leadership University Experience (B.L.U.E) credited her as a “game changer” in their academic and professional journey. “I know personally how Tara has improved my own grants and I don’t think I could have achieved the high levels that I have been fortunate to receive without her detailed and careful comments.” Jenna Smith (Rachel Lincoln Photography) Jenna Smith Coordinator of aquatics and first aid, Campus Recreation Centre Jenna Smith’s approach to leadership is grounded in a deep care for students, colleagues and community. As coordinator of aquatics and first aid at Western’s Campus Recreation Centre, she oversees a large and complex operation that serves thousands of members annually, yet “she never loses sight of the individual experience.” Smith pioneered the Special Olympics Unified Basketball Program at Western , fostering friendships and connection between university students and Special Olympic athletes. In 2023, she founded Inclu-Swim, an adaptive aquatics program that provides one-on-one lessons for individuals who identify as having a disability or impairment. The program is designed for a calm, sensory-friendly pool setting. The lessons are personalized, accessible and rooted in respect, and taught by instructors certified to teach athletes with disabilities. The impact of the program is best captured by parents whose child has been in the program at Western for four years: “Jenna has been an incredibly helpful and positive influence on our son. Her commitment to his development and to inclusion is incredible. She has instilled a love for swimming and a level of capability beyond our expectations.” Courtney Swinden (Rachel Lincoln Photography) Courtney Swinden Administrative officer, Institute for Earth and Space Exploration (Western Space) Since the establishment of the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration (Western Space) in 2019, Courtney Swinden has been vital to its growth and success. One of Swinden’s key accomplishments was driving the installation and operation of the satellite ground station dish on the rooftop of the Western Institute for Research Building. Colleagues describe Swinden’s leadership on the Eclipse 2024 outreach event as “an absolute homerun.” Her idea to distribute purple eclipse glasses alongside Western mascot JW made for an effective social media campaign, while the event itself drew national and local media coverage. She brings the same enthusiasm to other outreach events, including the annual Space Day community event. Swinden also negotiated a curriculum-licensing deal with Engineering’s Discovery Western for space summer camps, an initiative now in its fourth year. Nominators applauded Swinden’s regular interactions with graduate students, from answering questions about the collaborative specialization in Planetary Science to reviewing resumes and connecting them to job opportunities in the space industry. “As an institute, we like to say we dream impossible things and then make them happen. Implementation is the hard part, and Courtney is absolutely integral to our successes.” Angela Wilson (Rachel Lincoln Photography) Angela Wilson Clinical research coordinator and lab manager, Advanced Pulmonary Imaging Lab, Robarts Research Institute Angela Wilson joined Robarts in March 2020, bringing 35 years of experience as a respiratory therapist to her role at the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic. She designed and implemented a COVID-19 safety plan that allowed the lab to resume face-to-face research in June 2020, a full year ahead of comparable international teams. This achievement led to the world’s first published long-COVID lung imaging findings. Wilson has recruited and retained approximately 1,000 research participants, which colleagues describe as an “extraordinary feat.” Many participants return for follow-up visits lasting more than three hours, a testament to the relationships she builds. Her office bulletin board overflows with thank-you cards from research participants. One study participant, a retired physician scientist, described their experience in Wilson’s lab as “the singular uplifting and positive clinical encounter” of their career – and made a cash donation to the lab. “Everyone who has met Angela has an enhanced respect and appreciation for clinical research, her work, our lab and for Western. She exemplifies the best of the international standard for our research sector.” Nina Zitani (Rachel Lincoln Photography) Nina Zitani Curator, Zoological Collections, Department of Biology With expansive vision and limited resources, Nina Zitani has curated a 100-year-old collection of approximately 200,000 specimens, transforming an underused basement archive into the public-facing Biodiversity Gallery. Her published research includes discovering and naming 15 new insect species in Costa Rica, and scientists have named nine new insect species in her honour. Zitani also coined the term “biodiversity gardening,” now widely used in sustainability circles. She was elected a Fellow International of the Explorers Club in 2021 and has served on the City of London’s Environmental and Ecological Planning Advisory Committee and the Trees and Forests Advisory Committee. She has also given numerous free public talks on biodiversity, native plant gardening and conservation, and created and maintains two educational websites. Zitani is a champion of fusing Western science with Indigenous ways of knowing and building bridges across disciplines, “embodying the spirit of collaboration.” “So many people at Western are doing wonderful work for sustainability, but it’s important to recognize those who are going above and beyond, whose primary motivation is a love of their community and concern for the future of the planet.” The post Western Award of Excellence recipients support campus community – and beyond appeared first on Western News .

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