Loyalist College announces guest speakers and valedictorians for 52^nd Convocation ceremonies

Belleville, Ontario, May 29, 2019 – Loyalist College is pleased to announce the speakers and valedictorians for its 52nd Convocation ceremonies on Thursday, June 6 and Friday, June 7 in the Kente Building, Belleville campus. The four ceremonies recognize the academic achievements of new graduates and celebrate their accomplishments with family, friends and the College community.

Thursday, June 6 – 10 am 

School of Health, Human and Justice Studies (Health Sciences)
School of Media, Business and Access (Business)

Valedictorian:

Jillian Hoftyzer, Public Relations – Event Management, 2019; Fitness & Health Promotion, 2016; and Recreation & Leisure Services, 2015

Guest Speaker:

Dr. Marlene Brant Castellano is a Mohawk of the Bay of Quinte who has carried diverse responsibilities: as a social worker in child and family services, a full-time wife and mother launching four sons into the world, Professor and Chair of Indigenous Studies at Trent University and Co-Director of Research for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Now retired and living on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, she has continued speaking and writing to advance the well-being of Indigenous peoples. Special projects have included co-editing a collection of papers, From Truth to Reconciliation: Transforming the Legacy of Residential Schools, organizing forums locally on Aboriginal issues, and co-chairing the Aboriginal Council of Queen’s University from 2012 to 2018. Dr. Castellano was awarded the title Professor Emeritus on her retirement from Trent University. She has been awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Queen’s, St. Thomas and Carleton Universities, a National Aboriginal Achievement Award and appointment to the Order of Ontario. In 2005, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Thursday, June 6 – 2:30 pm 

School of Health, Human and Justice Studies (Human Studies)    
Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning

Valedictorian:

Scott Rook, Public Relations – Event Management, 2019, and Television & New Media Production, 2018

Guest Speaker:

Sébastien St-Louis is the CEO and Co-Founder of HEXO Corp., an award-winning consumer packaged goods cannabis company that creates and distributes products to serve the global cannabis market. Through its hub and spoke business strategy, HEXO Corp. is partnering with Fortune 500 companies, bringing its brand value, cannabinoid isolation technology, licensed infrastructure and regulatory expertise to established companies, leveraging their distribution networks and capacity. An entrepreneur with strong leadership abilities, financial acumen and operational expertise, Mr. St-Louis has wide-ranging business experience in manufacturing, distribution, trade finance and commercial lending. Mr. St-Louis has advised Canadian business owners and CEOs across multiple industry sectors, while structuring and closing $200 million in financing to support their export and growth initiatives. He co-founded HEXO Corp. to create a world-class company based on the highest standards of product quality and safety. Since 2013, he has secured more than $443 million in financing for the company. His leadership has been instrumental in navigating the company through regulatory, financing and start-up challenges en route to becoming one of the only significant licensed cannabis producers in Quebec and, upon completion of two fully-funded expansion projects currently underway, one of the largest in Canada. Mr. St-Louis holds an MBA in Finance from the Université du Québec à Montréal and completed his Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Ottawa.

Friday, June 7 – 10 am

School of Applied Sciences, Skills and Technology (Applied Sciences)
School of Media, Business and Access (Media Studies)

Valedictorian:

Natasha Mathieu, Biotechnology Technologist, 2019, and Biotechnology Technician, 2018

Guest Speaker:

CBC Meteorologist Ryan Snoddon was raised on a farm in Pefferlaw, Ontario and studied Broadcast Journalism at Loyalist College where he landed his first job reading and writing weekend newscasts at Quinte Broadcasting. Shortly after graduating from Loyalist in 2004, Mr. Snoddon joined Wolf 101.5 in Peterborough, as a morning radio show co-host. In 2006, he became a Weather Specialist at CHEX-TV in Peterborough.  In June 2008, he joined CBC Newfoundland and Labrador and following a 10-year tenure, moved in June 2018 to Halifax, continuing his employment with CBC as a meteorologist in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Mr. Snoddon is a graduate of the Broadcast/Operational Meteorology program at Mississippi State University, where he achieved an Academic Excellence Award.  He is endorsed by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and was awarded the seal of approval for Broadcast Meteorology from the National Weather Association.

Friday, June 7 – 2:30 pm

School of Applied Sciences, Skills and Technology (Skills and Technology)
School of Applied Sciences, Skills and Technology (Building Sciences)
School of Health, Human and Justice Studies (Justice Studies)    

Valedictorian:

Josh Roberts, Public Relations – Event Management, 2019, and Fitness & Health Promotion, 2018

Guest Speaker:

Professor Vincent Cunnane is the President of Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), one of Loyalist College’s partner institutions in Ireland. Prior to joining LIT in September 2016, Mr. Cunnane was the President of the Institute of Technology Sligo, a role he held since 2014. Previously, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Shannon Development until its merger with the Shannon Airport Authority to form the Shannon Group. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Research at the University of Limerick, where he also lectured and researched. Mr. Cunnane is an internationally renowned researcher in the field of physical electrochemistry. He is Chair of the Governing Council of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, and was a member of the board of the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training.

For more information, please click here.

About Loyalist College

Loyalist is Ontario’s Destination College, empowering students, faculty, staff, and partners through experiential, industry cluster-based education, training and applied research programs. The College provides job-ready graduates for, and knowledge transfer to, industry and the community. When it comes to Ontario college graduates getting jobs, Loyalist is the top College in the province, according to KPI results, released November 2018. Of 2016-17 Loyalist graduates, 90.8 percent were employed within six months after graduation. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, the College is perfectly positioned between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Loyalist offers more than 70 full-time diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs in biosciences, building sciences, business, community service, health and wellness, media studies, public safety, and skilled trades. Continuing education options are available through LoyalistFocus.com; including hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses; and through the College’s 100+ university transfer agreements. Loyalist is a key driver of social and economic health in eastern Ontario. It contributes 5.8 percent of the Gross Regional Product, representing $465 million annually to the regional economy – based on an October 2018 report by Emsi. For more information on Loyalist’s Belleville and Bancroft campuses and Port Hope satellite location, visit YoureGoingPlaces.com.

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Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director, Marketing, Communications and Recruitment
Loyalist College, klorimer@loyalistcollege.com, 613-969-1913, ext. 2536