Alumnus/na of the Year Award
2018 Alumna of the Year – Jo-Anne Ryan ’83
The Alumnus of the Year Award honours an alumnus or alumna who has made a longstanding commitment and contribution to the University.
The Alumni Association Executive Committee has bestowed this award annually since 1967, it is with great pride that we add another worthy name to the list of distinguished past recipients.
Our newest recipient is Jo-Anne Ryan, a BBA graduate from the class of 1983.
Alumnus of the Year
In his address at Convocation, Mark Lawson ’09, President of the Alumni Association, remarked:
This award honours a graduate who has made an outstanding contribution to our university. It is an award I hope you will all compete for, during your long careers as Bishop’s alumni.
This year, it is an honour to present the award to a graduate who has made an extraordinary impact on our campus, and on your experience here.
Whether as Vice-Chair of the University’s Foundation Board, or as one of the founders of Bishop’s JUMP national mentorship program, Jo-Anne Ryan, who graduated in 1983, has made an extraordinary contribution to the life of our university.
If you found yourself using the state-of-the-art library during your final set of exams, you should thank Jo-Anne Ryan for all the work she did to attract donations to the project, during the University’s recently-concluded Leading the Way fundraising campaign.
When you pass by the student residences after Convocation, pause to look at the improvements being made to those buildings, thanks in part to Jo-Anne’s fundraising efforts.
But Jo-Anne hasn’t been satisfied with simply improving our campus.
As an early leader in Bishop’s mentorship program, Jo-Anne helped to launch a program that paired young graduates with seasoned mentors, to develop their networks and skills. Since its founding in Toronto, the JUMP mentorship network has expanded to assist graduates across the country.
But Jo-Anne doesn’t just lead the program. She participates as a mentor to young Bishop’s graduates. You can ask Robyn Clark, class of 2009. Robyn graduated from Bishop’s with a passion for the non-profit sector. When she was paired with Jo-Anne as a mentor in Toronto, she wondered why she was matched with someone who, as she put it “worked in banking”.
But as with everything she does for Bishop’s, Jo-Anne, who is VP Philanthropic Advisory Services at TD, put in an incredible effort to help Robyn grow her career in Toronto. She connected her with people. She provided advice and guidance. And when Robyn was seeking to continue her studies with graduate school, it was Jo-Anne who helped her realize her dream to complete a masters in non-profit management.
Robyn credits Jo-Anne for believing in her, pushing her, and helping her to grow her skills and network at a time when she was looking for a champion.
That’s why this year’s winner is an example to us all. She embodies the kind of leadership we learn at Bishop’s. The belief that by giving back, and giving of ourselves, we continue to make our community better.”
It’s my pleasure, on behalf of each of you and on behalf of the entire alumni community, to present Jo-Anne Ryan as our Bishop’s University Alumna of the Year.
List of Past Winners
Inaugurated in 1967
1967 Cecil T. Teakle ’26*
1968 George W. Hall ’30*
1969 Fred G.S. Kelley ’48*
1970 C. Terrill Manning ’46*
1971 Robert A. Gordon ’60, DCL ’04
1972 A. Ray Almond ’27*
1973 Alex K. Paterson ’52, DCL ’74
1974 J. Clem Brodeur ’44
1975 Gavin G. Ross ’56*
1976 Bud McMorran ’60, DCL ’04
1977 Douglas R. Cooper ’29*
1978 Glenn Higginbotham ’64
1979 Fred Kaufman ’46, DCL ’76
1980 Dorothy Dutton ’20*
1981 Ab M. Echenberg ’73
1982 David K. Bogert ’63
1983 A. Bruce Stavert ’61
1984 Douglas A. Lloyd ’62*
1985 Tom ’69 and Rob* ’73 Allen
1986 Ronald G. Perowne ’72
1987 Danny R. Lavallee ’79
1988 Conrad H. Harrington ’67, DCL ’98*
1989 William D. Anderson ’77*
1990 Philip E. Johnston ’59
1991 Joan E. Stadelman ’66
1992 Don S. Wells ’55*
1993 David A. Williams ’63, DCL ’96
1994 Christopher I.H. Nicholl DCL ’86*
1995 William I.M. Turner Jr. DCL ’87
1996 Tom Godber ’85
1997 Jim ’57* and Di (Young) ’57 Ferrabee
1998 Richard Tomlinson ’43, DCL ’89
1999 Eric Mills ’72
2000 Norman Webster ’62, DCL ’85
2001 Bill MacDonald ’73
2002 Peter Dunn ’66
2003 Graham Moodie ’69
2004 Ron Kaulbach ’66
2005 Gary Chown ’74
2006 Peter Davidson ’77
2007 Elaine Roper ’78
2008 Rob Allatt ’93
2009 Peter Welsh ’64
2010 Nils Bodtker ’65
2011 Bob Goldberger ’79
2012 Kelly Murumets ’85
2013 George Hendy ’68
2014 Blair Shier ’79
2015 Cathy McLean ’82
2016 Nadia Martel ’90
2017 Tim Griffin ’71
*deceased