Premier’s Awards Celebrate Outstanding Achievement

Congratulations to our 2014 Premier’s Award Nominees!

The Premier’s Awards recognize outstanding College graduates and their tremendous contribution to the success of the province. This year’s awards were held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto on November 24 as part of the Higher Education Summit. Loyalist is proud to congratulate this outstanding group of nominees for their singular contributions in the fields of Business, Technology, Health Sciences, Community Services, Recent Graduate and Creative Arts and Design.

Sandie Sidsworth Executive Director, Canadian Mental Health Association Hastings and Prince Edward Branch Social Service Worker, 1998 and BAA Human Services Management, 2005 Sandie Sidsworth has more than 25 years of experience in child welfare, addictions, domestic violence and mental health. As the Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association Hastings and Prince Edward Branch, Sandie has overseen the introduction of several new programs to help vulnerable populations in the Quinte area, including the Hoarding Coalition and the annual event “Sleep Out So Others Can Sleep In.” Her work with Women’s College Hospital Research Institute led to the development of a service delivery model for domestic violence, mental health and addiction, which Sandie now facilitates across the province.

Donald Weber Freelance Photojournalist Photojournalism, 2001 Donald Weber is a respected photojournalist, award-winning author and teacher. His work brings light to a world in Eastern Europe that most have never seen. He has devoted his photojournalism career to exploring how power deploys an all-encompassing theatre for its subjects; what he records is its secret collaboration with both masters and victims. Donald has received numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lange-Taylor Prize, the Duke and Duchess of York Prize in Photography, and two World Press Photo Awards.

David Smythe General Manager, Lord Elgin Hotel Hotel and Restaurant Management, 1982 After graduating from the Hotel and Restaurant Management program at Loyalist College, David has emerged as a leader in his field. As General Manager of the Lord Elgin Hotel, an Ottawa landmark and one of Canada’s most famous hotels, he has leveraged social media to bring the Elgin’s market share to record levels. He has also been instrumental in developing and implementing a voluntary Destination Marketing Fee in Ottawa, bringing competing hotels together to raise an expected $8.5 million annually for the marketing of Ottawa as a tourism destination.

Joy Peacock Executive Director, Association of Registered Nurses of British Columbia Nursing, 2001 Joy Peacock has achieved outstanding success, both academically and professionally. As the former Executive Director of the Yukon Registered Nurses Association, she introduced new standards of practice for Registered Nurses and created new policy to introduce the category of Nurse Practitioner (NP) to the Yukon public. As a result of her advocacy and leadership, Yukon has its first Nurse Practitioner working in long-term care and the first collaborative care clinics were established in Whitehorse in 2014.

Kipton Hawley Regional Hydrogeologist, Ontario Ministry of the Environment (Northern Region) Water Science Technician, 1972 Kipton Hawley has worked for the Ministry of Environment since its inception more than four decades ago. He has made important contributions to protecting the environment and the public, with involvement ranging from groundwater projects to major industrial spills. His expertise has helped create policies and guidelines for the Ministry at the provincial, divisional and regional levels that are relied upon by professionals across the province. Kipton’s work has helped shaped the Ministry of Environment into what it is today.

Farzana Wahidy Freelance Photojournalist Photojournalism, 2009 Farzana Wahidy secretly attended school in Afghanistan at a time when educating girls was prohibited and photography was a crime. After the Taliban’s defeat, she attended the AINA Photojournalism Institute and later earned a diploma in Photojournalism from Loyalist College. The first female Afghan photojournalist to work for an international wire service, Farzana returned to Afghanistan to communicate the stories and struggles of Afghan women to the world. Through the Afghan Photography Network she helps raise awareness of developments in photography in her country and create opportunities for an international audience to experience Afghanistan as seen through Afghan eyes.