2017 Premier’s Award Nominees

We are pleased to announce the Humber alumni we have nominated for the 2017 Premier’s Awards. The gala will take place on November 27th and we will certainly be cheering on our grads.


Neil Parmenter
Public Relations, 1994
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Bankers Association

As President and CEO, Canadian Bankers Association, Neil Parmenter is known as the voice of the banking industry and is responsible for communicating the perspectives of the industry to all levels of government, regulators, stakeholders, media and the public. Parmenter plays a leading role in the development of public policy on financial services, helping to contribute to a sound, successful banking system that benefits Canadians and Canada’s economy.


Theresa Fraser
Child Care Worker, 1983
Owner, Lead Therapist, Changing Steps Counselling, Training and Consulting

A Professor and Child and Youth Care (CYC) Curriculum and Faculty Development Consultant in the Ontario college sector, Theresa Fraser has become a national leader and advocate for the CYC practice. She has been honoured with several awards recognizing her lifetime contributions to the field of play therapy and youth mental health, including most recently, the Monica Herbert Award by the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy to honor her lifetime contributions to the field of play therapy and mental health in Canada. She also received an award in 2017 for Excellence in Treatment Foster Care.


Gord Gillies
Radio Broadcasting, 1983
Morning Show Host, Newstalk 770 AM, Calgary

Over his 35 year career, Gord Gillies has gone from a radio broadcaster in Salmon Arms BC, to Calgary’s 1988 winter Olympic games, to receiving a Prairie Region Lifetime Achievement Award by RTDNA Canada for his contributions to broadcasting and community.

Gord is an award-winning anchor for his coverage of the 2013 floods in southern Alberta and the 2015 Alberta provincial election. Recently, after 25 years as News Anchor with Global Calgary, Gord has made a move back to his radio roots as the morning show host at Newstalk 770 AM in Calgary – the city’s longtime AM news station.


Dr. Jo-Ann Elizabeth Leavey
Nursing, 1983
Principal, Leavey Consulting Incorporated & Leavey Clinic

Dr. Jo-Ann Elizabeth Leavey is a registered psychologist and Nurse Practitioner. A recent recipient of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award and Sovereign Medal, Dr. Leavey has spoken and volunteered in more than 13 countries, promoting improvements to public and environmental health, access to health care for disadvantaged people, and conditions for youth and others living with mental health problems. Her book entitled, Living Recovery: Youth Speak Out on “Owning” Mental Illness includes her recovery model ELAR (Emergence, Loss, Adaptation and Recovery) a guide through which a person, group, and/or community, can move through a process of healing.


Andrew Bowerbank
Industrial Design, 1989
Global Director, Sustainable Building Services, EllisDon Corporation

Andrew Bowerbank is the Global Director of Sustainable Building Services at EllisDon Corporation, where he has become a well-known figure in the Canadian energy and building infrastructure sectors.

He has established a reputation as a leading authority on emerging clean technologies, high-performance building design, and low-carbon economics.

Bowerbank is the former CEO and Executive Director of the World Green Building Council, where he successfully worked with Council members to grow WorldGBC membership from eight founding nations to more than 60 member countries.


Justine McNeil
Child and Youth Worker, 2014
Motivational Speaker

Justine McNeil is a passionate young motivational speaker, sharing her personal stories of living with depression and anxiety, advocating for mental health and breaking down stigma. With powerful insights gained from her personal journey of mental illness, she provides inspirational messages of strength and resiliency to audiences of all ages. Leveraging the power of her international philanthropic experiences she also works to create awareness of social and global causes, speaking to various interest groups including over 20,000 people at WE Day and raising $10,000 for Free the Children towards a new classroom in Kenya.