Winners of the 2022-2023 Principal's Awards of Excellence for Staff

Yayo Umetsubo

Yayo Umetsubo is this year’s winner of the UTM Principal’s Staff Award for Excellence.

As a critical resource for faculty, staff, and students with varied needs, Yayo Umetsubo, has demonstrated substantive expertise in her role as a Scholarly Communications & Liaison Librarian.

Umetsubo’s nominators describe her as an outstanding colleague who meets or exceeds all the criteria for the Principal’s Service Award. In their words, “Yayo has consistently centered her work around supporting the varied needs of researchers striving for excellence at the institution, and she has displayed an impressive service ethic that regularly leads her to exceed the expectations of her position.”

Umetsubo is praised as having a constructive attitude and a detail-oriented approach; frequently going above and beyond to help find resources, offer advice and consultations, and provide workshops to assist UTM faculty, staff, and students navigate a myriad of needs.

“Yayo’s expertise has enriched the learning of countless UTM students and their teachers,” her nominator says.

Umetsubo works directly with several departments to address specific needs – as liaison librarian in the Department of Historical Studies, she has considerably contributed to the department’s curricular and co-curricular programming. She has also contributed to several initiatives including enhancing the UTML library research guide; the use of Quercus quizzes for evaluation needs; the development of video modules to help students use Oxford Bibliographies Online; and she provides customized scholarly communications support to varied members of the UTM community.

“Yayo’s dedication to supporting the University of Toronto experience for her colleagues both inside and outside the library is a credit to the institution,” one supporter says.

The Principal’s Service Award for Excellence is given to an individual who has excelled in their area of work above and beyond their job description and consequently has improved the value, efficiency, and sustainability of the service they provide. They have maintained a consistently high quality of service to their clients, and made outstanding contributions to UTM.

Amanpreet Deol

Amanpreet Deol, Manager, Planning, Data & Analysis in the department of Budget, Planning & Finance has won the Principal’s Staff Award for Emerging Leadership for her exemplary commitment to her role.

Over the last year and a half, Deol has taken on a wide range of responsibilities and executed them with efficiency and care. She has assisted in recruitment of key staff; provided on-going training and support to the planning team; supported the executive director in the process involved in creating and implementing various budget strategies; co-led a review process that resulted in a 5-year balanced budget; co-led Multi-Year Financial Plan which was launched for the first time in UTM; and created a detailed process document for training purposes – which did not previously exist.

“Her initiatives enabled the team to become more agile, more collaborative, and focused,” her nominator says.

“She is highly regarded by her peers for her engaging approach, her collegial manner, and her ability to listen to different perspectives and deliver a product that addresses opposing concerns,” her supporters say.

Deol is described as one who has helped her colleagues grow, one who has modelled an example of efficiency and been able to build reciprocal relationships to advance the department’s work.

“We look forward to seeing Aman’s star shine even brighter in the coming years as her career grows,” her supporters say.

The Principal’s Staff Award for Emerging Leadership is given to those who demonstrate a commitment to the people and community at UTM. They lead by example, seek opportunities for leadership and display significant potential to achieve positions of greater responsibility while contributing to develop the leadership capacity and strengths of those around them.

 Jennifer Bryden

Jennifer Bryden, Supervisor, Residence Operations at Student Housing & Residence Life (SHRL), has won the UTM Principal’s Staff Award for Emerging Leadership. Her nominator describes her as one whose unwavering dedication to SHRL and its mission inspires most people who meet her to aspire to achieve great things.

Whether tackling the logistic challenges of move-in day to ensure a smooth transition for new students and their parents; or leading cross functional teams on improving process efficiency, Bryden comes to the role with an unmatched commitment, passion, and determination to provide exceptional service to the residence community.

Bryden supervised 14 student staff members during a transition of roles and recently stepped up to supervise administrative and operations staff in SHRL. Her commitment extends across the residences and the greater UTM community.

She analyzes procedures and processes to improve prospective student recruitment all while building partnerships with the local community. A member of the department for six years, Bryden’s leadership skills have been noted by all who have worked with her.

“Many can attest to her dedication and mentoring of improving the skillset and leadership skills of those she works with” her nominator says.

Byrden is described as a “leader in her field when it comes to occupancy and admissions, and she has maintained a consistently high quality of service to the students, faculty, and staff at UTM”.

The Principal’s Staff Award for Emerging Leadership is given to those who demonstrate a commitment to the people and community at UTM. They lead by example, seek opportunities for leadership and display significant potential to achieve positions of greater responsibility while contributing to develop the leadership capacity and strengths of those around them.

Andrew J. Wang

Andrew Wang is a “pinnacle of student support at UTM” according to one of his supporters, and another says he goes “above and beyond” his responsibilities. It’s no wonder that Wang, MCS System Administrator in the Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, has received the UTM Principal’s Staff Award’s Karen Thiffault Award for Enhancing the UTM Experience.

According to his nominator, the phrase “going above and beyond” is one that would describe Andrew on a daily basis.

Wang has been at UTM for more than 20 years, joining the admin team at MCS in 2014. Since then, he has become a vital support of the entire program and department. He supports students, faculty, and staff for all their IT needs but he adds the extra touch of care in his work with people to ensure every detail is resolved.

Wang has worked with faculty and Information & Instructional Technology to set up a flexible virtual machine environment for teaching. This allowed for student access on a system allowing for more computing time, flexibility, and a relatively inexpensive option to cater to the needs of a growing student base.

He conducts this work in addition to his usual assigned tasks and duties, exemplifying an enhanced experience on campus. Perhaps most importantly, students see him as someone they can rely on.

“He’s a role model to the students, with his passion for all things IT, and his positivity and ‘can do’ attitude,” his nominator says.

The Karen Thiffault Award for Enhancing the UTM Experience is given to those who provide a high level of service to their clients, create innovative opportunities, anticipate needs and potential problems, improve the value, efficiency, and sustainability of the services they provide and/or serve as a role model through positive interactions.

 Harry Zhou

Described by a supporter as “one of the great secrets of the UTM campus,” Siyuan (Harry) Zhou, Manager for the Department of Political Science, has received the UTM Principal’s Staff Award’s Karen Thiffault Award for Enhancing the UTM Experience.

Since his arrival at UTM, he hit the ground running, providing exceptional service for staff and faculty. Soon after, he transformed many internal processes in the department to make it more efficient, transparent, and accountable.

“Harry is a problem-solver, team-builder, and excellent under pressure,” his nominator says.

Zhou is the reason why UTM’s Political Science department has a social media presence and a podcast. He led the work on video projects for the website during the pandemic to increase exposure of the department in a challenging time.

He has a keen sense of problem solving, natural leadership skills, and genuinely cares about the staff. His nominator says about hiring him, “this turned out to be the best decision I made.”

Zhou’s additional accomplishments in the department include assisting in a major curriculum reform, training staff, and developing a plan to gain more office space for sessional instructors and faculty.

He is described as “exceptional at his mandated job, but also a strategic thinker who has worked closely with two chairs to lead the department in an era of rapid change.”

The Karen Thiffault Award for Enhancing the UTM Experience is given to those who provide a high quality of service to their clients, create innovative opportunities, anticipate needs and potential problems, improve the value, efficiency, and sustainability of the services they provide and/or serve as a role model through positive interactions.

 Sabrin Mohamed

Sabrin Mohamed, Assistant to the Chair in the Department of English & Drama, has received the UTM Principal’s Staff Award’s Karen Thiffault Award for Enhancing the UTM Experience.

“The department, quite simply, couldn't be the thriving, dynamic, welcoming place that it is without Sabrin,” her nominator says. “She is, without question, the finest staff member I’ve worked with at any institution.”

She is praised for understanding the culture and needs of the Department in a deep way, far beyond the strict demands of her job description.

Among Mohamed’s achievements are updating and maintaining the English & Drama Department website using Drupal (which she learned very quickly); this website is described by a supporter as one which “continues to provide an elegant and effective portal to the Department and thereby to enhance the U of T experience for students and faculty, and indeed for anyone interested in English & Drama at UTM.”

Another key achievement credited to Mohamed was streamlining the process of collecting and managing requests for extra TA hours; her innovative solution made this time-consuming task more efficient.

As students, faculty, and staff returned from the pandemic, Mohamed made the department’s physical spaces more welcoming by enhancing and decluttering the TA room, staff room, and students’ spaces. As one supporter puts it, "Sabrin’s productivity, devoted commitment to everyday goings-on in the department, and the positive interpersonal, community-minded energy that she brings to her work have been essential components of the UTM Department of English and Drama’s continued success during an extremely difficult period.”

The Karen Thiffault Award for Enhancing the UTM Experience is given to those who provide a high quality of service to their clients, create innovative opportunities, anticipate needs and potential problems, improve the value, efficiency, and sustainability of the services they provide and/or serve as a role model through positive interactions.

Xin Zhao

Xin Zhao has won the UTM Principal’s Staff Award’s Karen Thiffault Award for Enhancing the UTM Experience in recognition of her exceptional contribution at UTM. Xin is the Life Science Facilities Manager in the Office of the Vice-Principal, Research. For the past eight years, Xin has overseen the biological core facility in the Davis Building at UTM with exceptional performance.

Part of the U of T community for more than 22 years, Xin began as a laboratory technician in the Department of Biochemistry before moving over to the Toronto Recombinant Antibody Centre as a cloning lab technician. Following these two extensive roles, she joined the UTM family.

“A key trait of Xin is her can do and roll up your sleeve mentality,” her nominator says. “She does not shy away from her duties going above and beyond every task she tackles.”

As part of her role, she led the implementation of a remote monitoring system where critical equipment used in the core facility had temperature, humidity, lighting and CO2 level sensing. It meant that in case of a system failure, the facility would lose a lot fewer biological samples due to damage or contamination. Xin took the lead on this initiative and has been a big plus to the UTM campus.

Xin is also aware of UTM’s strategic framework and implements its pillars in everything she does. Her portfolio supports improving the quality of the U of T experience for trainees and faculty. In addition, she consistently exhibits a client-oriented approach to her work, takes on new skills, and has a constant desire to develop her professional skills.

Praised by one supporter as being “the consummate hardworking professional, always going above and beyond to maintain research equipment, its functionality and ensuring proper training of faculty, staff and students alike.”

The Karen Thiffault Award for Enhancing the UTM Experience is given to those who provide a high quality of service to their clients, create innovative opportunities, anticipate needs and potential problems, improve the value, efficiency, and sustainability of the services they provide and/or serve as a role model through positive interactions.

Marcos Bedinelli

Under the directions of Marcos Bedinelli, the improvements in UTM’s network has been “astronomical” and “monumental,” his nominator says. Bedinelli, Senior Manager Network Design, Engineering & Operations, Information & Instructional Technology Services, is a 2023 winner of the UTM Principal’s Staff Award for Leadership.

Nominators and supporters alike describe Bedinelli’s superb management capabilities and attention to detail. He gets ahead of the work to help control the flow and make sure his staff are not overwhelmed. All the while, Bedinelli ensures that his staff and the operations for which they’re responsible are constantly improving.

Marcos is praised as one who never backs down from helping people, whether they report to him or not, he supports them to better their knowledge and understanding and gives them the ability to better themselves.

With Bedinelli’s direction, network connectivity for the entire campus went from an older, vulnerable system to one that is robust, resilient, and sustainable. He is praised to have transformed the network from an unplanned, loosely connected collection of communications systems to a highly resilient, reliable, and sustainable service, critical to all campus operations.

“His efforts have contributed to the value, efficiency, and sustainability of services provided to UTM students,” one supporter says.

The network engineering team has expanded under his leadership, and many have praised his mentorship. He has had a lasting impact on the morale, development, and success of staff with his constant feedback and guidance.

As one supporter describes it, “Marcos is an extraordinary leader and a true asset to our organization.”

The Principal’s Staff Award for Leadership is given to those who demonstrate a high level of problem-solving skills, provide a sense of purpose, vision and mission for their co-workers, positively influence others to build consensus around organizational objectives, and lead by example.

Rena Banwait 

With more than 13 years of service in the Office of the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean (OVPAD), Rena Banwait’s dedication to experiential education has won her the UTM Principal’s Staff Award for Creativity & Innovation.

Banwait, who is the Director, Experiential Education & Community Engagement is described by her nominators as a propelling force behind groundbreaking initiatives in experiential education.

Some of Banwait’s achievements include securing startup funding through the Provincial Career Ready Fund, forging partnerships through a renewed Experiential Learning Group, building stakeholder consensus around the Experiential Learning Mission and encouraging a new, collaborative model for experiential learning at UTM. As a result of Banwait’s work, the Experiential Education Unit has established itself as the destination for Experiential Learning expertise at UTM.

In their letter of support for Banwait’s nomination, she is noted as having “a constant well of fresh ideas”.

Other outstanding and successful initiatives credited to Banwait include: the creation of new academic internship courses, expansion of the Research Opportunity Program, the launch of work-integrated learning certificate programs, and the implementation of the Jackman Scholars-in-Residence at UTM.

She also proposed and secured continuing funding for the Experiential Learning Bursaries program to ensure that students in financial need have equal access to curricular EL opportunities.

The Principal’s Staff Award for Creativity & Innovation is given to an individual that has made innovative contributions within their field of work, contributed to projects and initiatives to enable a better environment to work or learn, created new work methods and developed new approaches, and introduced new and meaningful ways of approaching a project, process or service.

Anna Maria Reale, Carla DeMarco, Sarah Chapple (photo not available)

If there’s a sustainability initiative at UTM, then these three from the Office of the Dean are likely going to be involved and/or actively participating. Sarah Chapple, Academic HR Advisor, Carla DeMarco, Academic Communications & Outreach Manager, and Anna Maria Reale, Office Supervisor have won the Principal’s Staff Award for Sustainability.

UTM’s Sustainability Office launched a series of Sustainable Change Programs which involved self-assessment checklists designed to engage and empower students, staff, and faculty. It focused on five key areas: offices, residences, events, labs, and courses. Upon its launch, Chapple, DeMarco, and Reale hit the ground running by signing up as co-team leads and undertaking several initiatives to move the campaign along.

“I can attest to their positive impact upon the campus with respect to sustainability first-hand,” one supporter says.

The trio have motivated the Office of the Dean and others to take various actions focused on sustainability. A few of the actions they focused on include a clothing donation drive, reusable travel mugs to be distributed in the OVPAD, a repurposed bookshelf in the library for donated books, compost bins in the Dean’s Office’s kitchenette, educational sessions for staff on sustainability-related topics with guest speakers invited.

“Their passion for improving the workplace not just for students, staff, and faculty, but also the greater campus community is a shining example of what can be accomplished by dedicated team members,” one supporter says.

The Principal’s Staff Award for Sustainability is given to an individual or team that has made direct and positive contributions to sustainability on UTM campus, has increased awareness of the need for sustainable behaviour, promoted biodiversity, and has encouraged and assisted members of the UTM community to adopt more sustainable behaviours.

Rebeca Mahadeo 

Rebeca Mahadeo has received the UTM Principal’s Staff Award for Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She is said to have “changed the intercultural landscape” at UTM through a series of initiatives, programs, and events.

“She is an unassuming leader naturally skilled at building respectful environments that enhance inclusion and intercultural understanding ” her nominator says.

Her work with International Education Week has made it a popular event that fosters intercultural awareness and development in the community. Her approach is student-centred, and she understands the incredible diversity of UTM’s student body and their experiences, and she demonstrates a commitment to promoting intercultural understanding.

Some of her achievements include developing the Global Living Learning Community with Student Housing and Residence Life, an initiative that offered residence students opportunities to engage in intercultural development and global learning. Mahadeo worked with the Institute for Management and Innovation to offer Pitch with a Twist, which focused on women entrepreneurs from the UTM community. Additionally, she engaged in tri-campus collaborations across U of T in programs like Our Shared Stories and the Taste of Cultures initiative which she developed in partnership with Hart House.

“Through our many, many conversations over the last few months, I have learned so much from Rebeca about how I can effectively and sensitively embed equity, diversity and inclusion into different parts of my teaching practice,” one supporter says.

The Principal’s Staff Award for Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is given to an individual or team that has demonstrated leadership in promoting intercultural understanding and inclusion at UTM or has advanced equity, diversity and inclusion at UTM.