We are thrilled to share the success of our 2025 Health Innovation Challenge. This year’s challenge brought together 40 talented students from 19 different programs from six faculties across Humber and Guelph-Humber as Humber Health Innovators, to create concepts for community-based, culturally sensitive, and family-focused programs to enhance the positive mental well-being of immigrant and refugee families in Peel Region. 

This year, our student teams gained real world experience by working with mentors from five different community organizations, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to our mentors from Peel Newcomer Strategy Group, COSTI Immigrant Services, Roots Community Services, Punjabi Community Health Services, and Family Services of Peel, for guiding the Humber Health Innovator teams through this project. Many thanks as well to Dr. Blanca Bolea-Almanac, Psychiatrist and Scientist, Women's College Hospital for providing her time and insights to the teams as they developed their program concepts.

We heard from our inspiring keynote speaker, Aamna Ashraf, Senior Manager of Health Equity at CAMH, whose insights set a motivating tone for the day, and our community partner Dr. Cilia Mejia-Lancheros, Institute for Better Health - Trillium Health Partners, whose expertise and guidance was instrumental in shaping the students' projects. Dr. Mejia-Lancheros shared the performance of a Colombian Cumbia Traditional Dance, adding a vibrant touch to the event and showcasing the rich diversity within our community and our connection to the land. 

The highlight of the day was the live pitches by the student teams, where they presented their program concepts to the audience. Their hard work and dedication were evident as their presentations generated strong engagement from the audience.

This year’s Health Innovation Challenge not only provided a platform for Humber students to showcase their innovative ideas but also emphasized the importance of cross faculty and inter- disciplinary work in solving complex problems such as accessibility of mental health supports for newcomers in an inclusive way. Through this innovative project and many such more, CIHW is creating a healthier tomorrow for all!

Do you have an innovative idea or know of an industry partner who wants ot engage in applied research in health and innovation? Connect and email us at vanita.varma@humber.ca.

Academic Full-time and Partial-load Faculty,

The full-time academic seniority list, and partial-load service credit list are currently available on Humber’s People(s) & Culture webpage. The lists are accessible directly via this link: Seniority Lists & Service Credits List - Humber Polytechnic.

Faculty are reminded to review the information contained therein, as it shall be considered correct for all purposes unless its accuracy is disputed within two weeks of posting.

Queries related to the list may be made to the HR Support Centre via one of the following methods:

• Direct Dial: 416.675.5001
• Chat: humber.ca/hrchat
• Submitting an e-form: https://humber.ca/hrinquiry

General questions about these lists can also be directed to info@opseu562.org.

For more information on seniority & service credit posting dates and timelines, please refer to Article 27.04 of the Academic Collective Agreement.

Sincerely,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Carrington Christmas as the Indigenous Curriculum & Pedagogy Specialist. Carrington will join the Humber community in her new position on December 9, 2024  

Carrington Christmas (Black Scotian-Mi’kmaw and German) is a neurodivergent aunty, stepmom, dog mom, storyteller, and gamer extraordinaire. A member of the urban Indigenous community of Tkaronto, she was born and raised in Mississauga and has deep family connections to Springhill and Digby, Nova Scotia, and Herbert, Saskatchewan. These places and the stories they hold are integral to her sense of identity and belonging and the interwoven histories that inform her work and worldview.

Carrington’s education journey began as a youth in the Friendship Centre Movement, where she experienced the transformative power of community and relationship-building. Over the past decade, she has worked at grassroots, provincial, national, and international levels, contributing to curriculum and instructional design, facilitation, and professional development. These experiences have informed her approach, grounded in radical tenderness, relational accountability, and the power of storytelling as a tool for change.

Carrington holds a Master of Education in Urban Indigenous Education from York University, where she deepened her understanding of the systemic changes needed to decolonize education. For her, education is a continuous act of care that nurtures relationships, cultivates learning, and paves the way for our collective liberation.

Please join me in congratulating Carrington in her new role.

Danielle Jeancart
Associate Dean, Indigenous Education & Engagement

After over 30 years at Humber, Sandy Shivratan has decided to retire.

Sandy started at Humber in 1990 in the Bookstore and later joined the Office of the Registrar. She then moved to the Open Learning Centre and played an important role supporting online course deliveries and maintaining the institution's presence in OntarioLearn. As the department grew and merged to form Innovative Learning (formerly Centre for Teaching & Learning), Sandy transitioned into a Coordinator role and supported the Digital Learning team. She currently works as the Program Support Officer and coordinates faculty-focused workshops, certificates, micro-credentials and institution-wide events such as Showcase, Faculty Orientation and TEP Graduation.

Sandy’s dedication, expertise and friendly demeanour will be missed. We wish her all the best in this new chapter!

Sandy’s last day at Humber will be December 20, 2024.
A virtual card has been created and we invite you all to add a message of well-wishes and memories.

Please join us in congratulating Sandy on her upcoming retirement!

We are delighted to announce the successful appointment of Estefanía Toledo as a full-time faculty member in our Pathways Programs in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Estefanía brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to fostering inclusive and transformative learning environments and we are delighted that she will be joining our team this fall.

As an educator, Estefanía has a strong track record of employing learner-centred and evidence-based teaching practices to create spaces of belonging for learners from equity-deserving communities. Estefaní’s dedication is evident in her inclusive lesson plans and assessments, active learning strategies, and assignments designed to cultivate critical thinking skills and meet course learning outcomes. In her previous roles as an instructor at the University of Toronto and Ontario Tech University, Estefanía developed curricula that introduced students to essential academic strategies, supporting them in developing metacognition skills, applying learning strategies, cultivating help-seeking behaviours, and strengthening self-advocacy.

During her tenure at Humber, Estefanía has designed and delivered transformational learning experiences that align with our Mission and Vision, particularly in reducing mental health stigma and adopting Humber’s Learning Outcomes in co-curricular programs and service design. As the lead curriculum developer for Well-being at Humber and Recognize, Respond and Support Learners in Distress (RRS), she has provided crucial training to faculty, staff and students, promoting values of empathy, radical healing, and inclusive education.

Estefanía also played a significant role in developing the Student Wellness and Equitable Learning Co-curricular Framework, integrating local and national frameworks to enhance learner well-being at the institute. Her contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the President’s Extra Mile award and the Canadian Association of College & University Student Services’ Innovation Award.

As an emerging critical scholar, Estefanía is dedicated to disrupting systemic barriers and building culturally-sustaining and life-affirming spaces in higher education. Her dissertation on the experiences of Latinx/a/o in higher education, recognized with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral award, highlights her commitment to using culturally-relevant frameworks and methods for social impact. At Humber, she has led various research and assessment activities, employing arts-based methods to understand and improve student mental health and well-being.

Estefanía’s extensive knowledge in student development, strengths-based frameworks, and critical pedagogies will undoubtedly contribute to the success and retention of students in our Pathways Programs. Estefanía’s passion for justice, commitment to access, and academic expertise makes her an ideal addition to our faculty.

Please join us in welcoming Estefanía to her new role.

Christina Meredith, MSW, PhD (she/her)
Associate Dean, Pathways Programs
Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences

I am pleased to welcome Michelle Oosterman to Humber, in the role of Director of Marketing and Web Presence. In this new position, Michelle will oversee Humber’s marketing and web vision and strategies while stewarding our corporate brand, marketing and recruitment campaigns and web presence and initiatives. 

Michelle will lead and work with the marketing and web teams to develop and implement marketing and recruitment campaigns, advertising and promotions, design and production, web development and programming, user experience design and materials to support our marketing and web presence. She will also lead plans to market and promote Humber’s leadership in polytechnic education and will work with senior leadership, Faculties and departments to contribute to recruitment and conversion activities. She will also lead web and multimedia projects and approaches to website and multi-platform storytelling, including ongoing implementation of the Digital Experience Platform. 

We are excited to welcome Michelle and her extensive and varied experience to Humber. She joins us from Manulife where she worked as a marketing communications consultant in the Investment Management practice, focusing on strengthening marketing communications and overall practice management to improve client engagement and promote operational effectiveness. Prior to Manulife, Michelle was Director, Communications, Stakeholder Relations and Marketing at CAAT Pension Plan where she led the marketing and communications functions and contributed to the organization’s growth and transformation. 

Michelle has also held senior and director level marketing, web, brand and communications roles at KPMG Canada, CIBC, Scotiabank, Indigo and LCBO, working in both domestic and international positions. 

As previously mentioned, Michelle, along with Emily Milic will report to me and lead their respective marketing and web and communications functions.

Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Michelle to Humber. If you have any questions about the Marketing and Web team’s services or ideas you would like to share, please connect with her directly.

Andrew Leopold
Associate Vice-President, Marketing and Communications

After 23 years at the College, Valerie Walton has decided to retire.

Valerie started the post-secondary part of her career at the University of Guelph-Humber as a library technician. She then joined Humber Library’s Lakeshore campus, where she has helped countless students and faculty, and provided great support to librarians, especially to the three collections librarians at Humber during her tenure. Valerie’s knowledge and experience have been invaluable to the Library team and periodical collection, but I know the most important thing to her has been providing positive experiences for library users, particularly students.

Valerie’s last day at the College will be August 30, 2024.

Please join us in congratulating Valerie on her upcoming retirement! A virtual retirement card has been created. You are welcome to add a message and best wishes for Valerie by August 29. We are planning to gather on Friday, August 30 for an afternoon tea/coffee at Lakeshore Campus Library in B202 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. as we say goodbye and wish Valerie a happy retirement.

Please RSVP by August 23.

I am pleased to announce that beginning this week, Emily Milic is taking on an expanded role at Humber as the Director of Communications. 

Emily first joined Humber as Manager PR and Communications in 2018 and became Associate Director, Communications in 2021. Emily is an integral part of Humber’s corporate, internal and emergency management communications and public relations efforts. In her new role, Emily will be responsible for developing and implementing Humber’s communication strategies. She will oversee communications, public relations, media relations and social media activities while building executive, corporate and internal communications. Emily will lead her team in developing and implementing communications plans to promote Humber’s leadership in polytechnic education, Humber Inspired and students’ and employees’ contributions and accomplishments to external and internal audiences. She will work with senior leadership, Faculties and departments to share success stories and ensure an integrated approach to supporting and promoting activities and events happening across Humber. Emily will also lead issues management and brand/reputation communications and will be a designated Humber spokesperson. 

During her time as Associate Director, Emily led DSX Communications, Humber’s COVID-19 communications response, and co-chaired the Communications Leads Working Group at Humber, fostering greater information sharing and collaboration across the institution. Under her leadership, media mentions increased more than 263 per cent over the last year; along with social media increases of 11 per cent in engagements, and growth to more than 500,000 followers across Humber’s corporate social platforms. 

With respect to GRMC department structure, as previously communicated by Kelly Jackson, we will soon be announcing a Director of Marketing and Web Presence. The two directors will report to me and lead their respective functions.

Please join me in congratulating Emily. If you have any questions about the Communications team’s services or ideas you would like to share, please connect with her directly.

Andrew Leopold
AVP Marketing and Communications

I am excited to let you know that Colleen Ball will be taking on the role of Acting Associate Dean, Mathematics & Research, effective Monday, June 3, 2024 until August 22, 2025.

Colleen Ball holds a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of British Columbia within the field of mathematical biology. Her work on the evolution of viruses resulted in multiple publications within peer-reviewed journals. 

Colleen joined Humber as a full-time professor in 2015 and has taught a variety of courses within the mathematics department. With her colleagues in the department of mathematics, she co-edited and revised an online statistics textbook to provide students with a quality, open-source resource. Colleen values innovation in teaching and recently brought the concept of thinking classrooms into her mathematics of finance course, with positive reviews from students.

In 2020, Colleen took on the role of program coordinator. Within this role, she has provided leadership at both the course and program level. Recently, she has provided support for the mathematics courses offered within the Engineering degree program as they undergo the process of accreditation. Colleen played a key role in bringing IDEAS, an open-source assessment platform, to the mathematics department. This free tool has been adopted within every mathematics and statistics course offered through the mathematics department. Along with her colleagues, Colleen won the 2021 League Innovation of the Year award for their work on the implementation of this system at Humber.

Colleen looks forward to her new role at Humber.

Please join me in welcoming Colleen to her new role!

John Stilla
Senior Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences