Five Loyalist College graduates have been nominated for the 2022 Premier’s Awards.
The Premier’s Awards are presented annually by Colleges Ontario to honour social and economic contributions college graduates make within the province and around the world.
Colleges may nominate alumni in seven categories: Apprenticeship, Business, Community Services, Creative Arts and Design, Health Sciences, Recent Graduate and Technology.
Acting President of Loyalist College Mark Kirkpatrick says, “Our nominees for this year’s Premier’s Awards embody Loyalist College’s caring, engaging, inclusive, creative, and accountable values. They are strategic thinkers, visionaries, and disruptors who have driven change in both their industries and communities. We are proud to have these remarkable leaders representing our College and standing as powerful examples of what Loyalist graduates are capable of achieving.”
The Premier’s Awards will be presented in Toronto on November 28.
Loyalist College graduates nominated this year are:
Business Category – Stephen Gaskin
Real Estate Assessment, Appraisal and Management, 1985
Stephen Gaskin is Senior Vice President of B.C. & Yukon Region at Scotiabank, overseeing a multi-year effort to significantly grow Scotiabank’s presence in B.C. and the Yukon. Core to this work is his leadership on equity and policy development issues, which stem from his involvement in community relations and corporate governance. He has served as Board Director of Scotia Securities Inc., Board Director of the Scotiabank capital accumulation plans committee, as an Advisory Board member for the Scotiabank Women Initiative and as a Member of Scotiabank’s Veterans network.
Community Service Category – Henry Saulnier
Community and Justice Services, 1992
A 2013 recipient of the Governor General of Canada’s Corrections Exemplary Service Medal, Henry Saulnier is a model of integrity and creative thinking in the field of corrections. As warden of Millhaven Institution, Henry manages the operations for a federal maximum-security facility with a capacity of nearly 500 inmates and is at the forefront of implementing novel engagement models for structured intervention unit inmates.
Creative Arts & Design Category – Chris Donovan
Photojournalism, 2017
Chris Donovan is an award-winning photojournalist whose images have been exhibited in more than 40 countries globally and across Canada, and featured in newspapers such as The New York Times and The Globe and Mail. Chris’s work focuses on the intersection of industrialization and community. Chris is the youngest-ever winner of the Photojournalist of the Year award by the News Photographers Association of Canada. For his work documenting basketball in Flint, Michigan, he was awarded the first-place prize in the World Press Photo Foundation’s 2021 World Press Photo Contest.
Health Sciences Category – Jennifer May-Anderson
Broadcast Journalism, 1996
Jennifer May-Anderson has been described as a “non-profit whisperer,” a strategic thinker, a storyteller and a problem-solver, capable of driving change despite seemingly insurmountable odds. As executive director of Hospice Quinte, she guided the organization through the Heart and Home Building Campaign, a $9.5-million capital fundraising project to build the Stan Klemencic Care Centre (SKCC). The centre is a six-bed facility equipped with state-of-the-art technology and 15 new staff who provide world-class palliative care to the Bay of Quinte region. Despite a global pandemic, the SKCC was completed on time and under budget, opening its doors in 2021.
Recent Graduate Category – Sarah Routhier
Business Administration, 2022
When her husband – OPP officer Sylvain “Roots” Routhier – took his own life in 2018 after experiencing job-related trauma and depression, Sarah Routhier changed the trajectory of her life to become a passionate advocate for mental health. After writing and publishing the mental health memoir “Don’t Forget Your ROOTS,” she founded The Sylvain Routhier Memorial Foundation, a non-profit with a mandate to raise awareness and provide support for first responders’ mental health. Over the last five years, Routhier’s tireless advocacy and passion have created ripples of change in the lived experiences of first responders across Ontario. Sarah opened My Sister’s Boutique, a new business in Belleville’s Quinte Mall, on Oct. 31, 2022.
