IMI Faculty & Staff Awards 2019

On May 30th, 2019, the Institute for Management & Innovation (IMI) held its fourth annual IMI Faculty & Staff Awards reception at the Mississaugua [sic] Golf and Country Club.

Congratulations to all of our winners:

• IMI Faculty Award - Otto Yung (Management)
• IMI Research Award - Nico Lacetera (Management)
• IMI Staff Award - David Linden (Management)
• IMI Team Collaboration Award - Shauna Brail, Ryan Cerrudo, Alyssa Madrasto, and Natasha Walli (Urban Leadership eXchange)

IMI Faculty Award

This faculty member will have significantly enhanced the overall support, learning and/or engagement of students and/or faculty within the Institute for Management & Innovation. This may be at an undergraduate or graduate level.

2019 Recipient: Otto Yung

Over the 2 cohorts that Otto taught in the GLDP, he put forth an incredible amount of effort and dedication to ensure students were comfortable and maximized their learning.

From organizing fabulous guest speakers to picking the most relevant cases and even holding extra tutorials on evenings and weekends, Otto’s passion and commitment to teaching is undeniable. The cohorts came from such diverse professional & academic backgrounds and yet Otto still managed to bring everyone on the same page & with high academic rigor, which the students greatly appreciated.

IMI Research Award

This faculty member will have been recognized for a significant research/scholarly contribution to their discipline. This contribution could be but is not limited to an original published work or key research contributions deemed innovative in nature.

2019 Recipient: Nico Lacetera

Nico is a prolific researcher whose work has real societal impact. His research, including his forthcoming paper in the American Economic Review, one of the top journals in the field of economics, deals with the moral and economic issues around incentivizing plasma and cord blood donors, as well as organ donation. Nico not only actively publishes his work, but he is also proactive and effective in disseminating it to a wider audience.

Nico is not just a great researcher but also generous in sharing his research with others, and supporting and developing student research and growth.

IMI Staff Award

This staff member will have significantly enhanced the overall support, learning and/or engagement of students, staff and/or faculty within the Institute for Management & Innovation.

2019 Recipient: David Linden

David is the unsung hero of IMI. He does his work with a positive attitude and interacts with staff and faculty with utmost professionalism. His contributions are behind the scenes: they are not flashy or ostensible, yet without his work, the rest of us would not be able to get on with our work as efficiently as we do now. David is always ready to help any of our programs and does so with a smile.

By the book as he may be, David also surprises us by joining staff team building sessions like dance lessons, holiday performances, and nature walks. His vast knowledge of the university's accounting systems has made him an unofficial resource to the campus, even advising UTM's business services unit. David is also known for providing a unique prospective and humour when assessing different situations.

IMI Team Collaboration Award

This team of two or more members can include any balance of faculty and staff (up to four (4) members). They will have collaboratively introduced and implemented a new program, product, or initiative that has significantly enhanced the overall support, learning and/or engagement of students, staff and/or faculty within the Institute for Management & Innovation.

2019 Recipients: Shauna Brail, Ryan Cerrudo, Alyssa Madrasto, and Natasha Walli (Urban Leadership eXchange)

This team has demonstrated excellent collaborative teamwork abilities in the development of the Master of Urban Innovation program (MUI), IMIx Executive Programs, and the Urban Leadership eXchange (ULX). It is exciting to see all the progress the MUI program has made already, despite sometimes challenging barriers - a testament to their hard work and creativity.

Where the team particularly excelled is in bringing to life the proposal document, with the development of a website, promotional brochure and one-page poster.  These materials are clearly designed, incorporate visual and textual content and are a tremendous testament to the power of teamwork and collaboration.