The annual President’s Breakfast is an opportunity to recognize the outstanding people and organizations that make Mohawk College the best place to learn and work. Hosted by Mohawk College President Rob MacIsaac the event brings together college staff, faculty and community partners to celebrate the achievements of the past year and to give a preview of the year ahead.

The highlight of the event is the presentation of the Mohawk President’s Awards and Mohawk Awards of Excellence. The college also acknowledges outstanding community partners that have contributed significantly to its success with the Friend of Mohawk College Award. This year the event also celebrated the announcement of the third of five MaryLynn West-Moynes Grants for Inspiring Learning, Leadership and Citizenship.

This year’s award winners included the following teams and individuals:

Mohawk President’s Award Winners

2011 President's Award winner Apps for Health

Mohawk College’s first-ever Apps for Health Conference was a huge success in 2011. The one of a kind competition brought together teams of students from colleges and universities to work on solutions to real world challenges facing Canada’s health care industry. For their work in organizing this successful conference the Apps for Health Team was awarded a Mohawk Award of Excellence and is one of this year’s Mohawk President’s Award winners. The team members include: faculty members Duane Bender and Christy Taberner, staff members Valerie Mitanoff, Laura Graham, Eva Standish, Trish Loomis, and Justin Fyfe, and students Stuart Philp and Jory Ohayon.

2011 President's Award Winner Jeremy Dowling 

Jeremy Dowling works in the College’s Facilities Management office and is also a graduate of the College. Over the last two years Jeremy has played a pivotal role in the success of one of the largest projects in Mohawk’s history, the Fennell Renewal. For his outstanding work and exceptional leadership Jeremy was awarded a Mohawk Award of Excellence and is one of this year’s Mohawk President’s Award winners.

Friend of Mohawk College Award

This year’s Friend of Mohawk College Award was presented to Juergen Schachler, (2nd from right) President and CEO of ArcelorMittal Dofasco. ArcelorMittal Dofasco is an outstanding industry partner that has helped create award-winning programs, invested $1 million in the skilled trades campus in Stoney Creek, hired countless Mohawk alumni and served the college on numerous program advisory committees and its Board of Governors. ArcelorMittal Dofasco is the third recipient of the Friend of Mohawk College Award. Presenting the award to Mr. Schachler were (lr) Dan Clark, President, Mohawk Students' Association, Amanda Tallon, President, Mohawk College Association of Continuing Education Students and Mohawk College President Rob MacIsaac.

Mohawk Award of Excellence Winners

Mr. Amazebot Mark Yendt was awarded a Mohawk Award of Excellence because he is always focused on what is best for his students. Mark gets high marks from his students and manages a number of student competitions including the popular Amazebot competition that takes place in the Spring.

Faculty of Health Sciences clinical coordinator Rajinder Virk received a Mohawk Award of Excellence for providing exceptional academic leadership as the program and clinical coordinator for the Cardiovascular Technology program at Mohawk College. Under Rajinder's leadership the program has consistently prepared graduates that have exceeded the expectations of employers, clinical managers, and clinical supervisors. Mohawk’s CVT program has been recognized across Ontario and Canada as a leader in Cardiovascular Technology education.

School of Business professor Christine DiCarlo received a Mohawk Award of Excellence for her excellent work in shaping the Financial Services program since its commencement in 2007. Along with providing our students with sound technical knowledge, Christine provides many living lab opportunities for her Financial Services students that also contribute to enhancing the community. Christine’s strong relationships with industry partners have contributed to her program’s 100% graduate employment rate.

Judith Clark, from the School of Continuing Education, received a Mohawk Award of Excellence for commitment to her co-workers, the 3,000 CE instructors and 40,000 CE students at Mohawk College. Judith is highly respected among her colleagues and is often held up as the example for others to follow.  

Toby Merritt received a Mohawk Award of Excellence for his unwavering commitment to guiding, teaching and enhancing the lives of thousands of students he has taught as a faculty member in Accessible Learning Services. Toby is highly respected by students and staff alike. Toby's inbox is full of messages from grateful students who credit Toby with everything from helping them turn their lives around, helping them graduate to success or for just making a difference in their lives. 

Mohawk College's Scheduling Team from Student Services received a Mohawk Award of Excellence for overcoming the operational challenges posed by a campus that has been under intense renovations the last two years. Their positive attitude and demonstration of grace under pressure helped Mohawk maintain high levels of service throughout the renovation work and minimized the disruption to students. The Scheduling Team members include Leslie Keeping, Chrissy Doolittle, Melissa Mellor, Brenda Boers, Carole Johnston, and Christine Rea.

Rob McInnis received a Mohawk Award of Excellence for his exceptional efforts in building the highly automated and tightly integrated Student Information System. Rob is considered a leader and a mentor by his peers, both at Mohawk and province wide, and is sought after to work on a number of high profile projects. Rob is known for being talented, innovative, and creative and for always taking the time to help his colleagues.

School of Human Services professor and program coordinator Marco Felvus received a Mohawk Award of Excellence for being a leader in engaging students on campus and community events. Marco organizes the annual Day of Pink event at Mohawk, which includes engaging students to help organize the event. He’s also been instrumental in getting students involved with Hamilton’s annual Take Back the Night event.

Community Training and Employment Service’s Muzeria Nuredini received a Mohawk Award of Excellence for her exemplary service to the teams she has worked with in her 22 years with the college. Working closely with funders, partners and community stakeholders Muzeria’s energetic and always positive approach to her work has contributed greatly to the success of Mohawk’s Community Training Solutions.

Faculty of Skilled Trades and Apprenticeships’ program coordinator and student champion Glenn Kinaschuk was awarded a Mohawk Award of Excellence for his dedication to his students and all of the projects he has been involved with. Glen readily accepts projects outside of his day-to-day responsibilities and takes an active role in moving the college forward.

MaryLynn West-Moynes Grants for Inspiring Learning, Leadership and Citizenship

Mohawk College instructor Brad MacDonald is this year’s recipient of the MaryLynn West-Moynes Grants for Inspiring Learning, Leadership and Citizenship. In March, Brad led a group of students from Mohawk’s STARRT Campus in Stoney Creek to renovate a community centre in downtown Hamilton, and plans are to return to the centre next March to continue the work. Only this time they’ll be joined by students and professors in Mohawk’s Faculty of Business, Media and Entertainment, and the project will become the first of a new initiative called the Mohawk Community Builders Project. Each year, students will raise money for supplies and do the work necessary to give a local charity a much-needed home makeover. 

President's Awards of Excellence were presented to:

 
Piero Cherubini (second from right), Dean of Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship, for his leadership within the College and across the Province in championing apprenticeship and skilled trades training.

 
Engineering Technology Professor Katherine Usik for consistently earning great reviews from students and helping new students find their way and gain confidence during their crucial first year at Mohawk.

 
Kelly Dunham (second from left), with Alumni Relations for her volunteer work as a coach, mentor and friend with the lower city Sparks girls’ basketball team.

 
The Online Apprenticeship Registration System Team for building a system that lets apprentices  register and pay online, improving customer service and eliminating the need for manual entry of information by College staff. Team members: Dianna Creamer, Carol Morris, JoAnn Byron, Maria Segato, Ruth Leszko, Jim Cummings, Katherine McCurdy-LaPierre, Vickie McKinnon, Rosemarie DeRubeis, Grant Hodson, Lisa Arnold, Coline MacEachern, Bonnie Holdsworth, Susan Spurr and Pia Foss-Pederson.

 
The inaugural MaryLynn West-Moynes Grants for Inspiring Learning, Leadership and Citizenship were presented to Child and Youth Worker professor Marco Felvus (left) and Applied Music professor and coordinator Darcy Hepner (second from left). Marco organized a professional development day that filled the McIntyre Theatre with students, staff and college partners while Darcy is a driving force behind Jazz in the Hubs, a program that sees Music students, grads and faculty perform interactive jazz concerts in lower city elementary schools.

 
The Friend of Mohawk College Award was presented to Dr. Peter George (left) in recognition of his leadership in helping forge the strongest college-university partnership in Ontario. During his tenure as President of McMaster University, Dr. George helped lead the creation of the Mohawk-McMaster Institute for Applied Health Sciences, the development of collaborative degree programs in nursing and medical radiation sciences and the launch of Canada’s first Bachelor of Technology Program.

 
The Mohawk Innovation Award was presented to students Ali Elchawiche and Piseth Danhthe and professors Wayne Collins and Duane Bender for their work on the Mohawk Mobile Technology Project that led to the College’s first app for the iPhone.