Support Staff Professional Development Event 2026

Thank you to all our Humber and University of Guelph-Humber support staff who attended the 2026 Support Staff Professional Development (SSPD) Event held from March 3 to 6. The event welcomed approximately 470 support staff who participated with enthusiasm and curiosity. You continue to go above and beyond in your roles to support colleagues, students, and the community.  

Our facilitators for the sessions reminded and taught us how we can be successful with: 

Career Growth and Professional Development 

  • Enhance our professional skills, expand our network, and strengthen interview readiness for the next career move 
  • Be responsive to the broader abilities, competencies and needs of people, students and staff who have a disability and support them with confidence 
  • Reinvest in self to strengthen resilience, clarity, and sustainable leadership   

Technology, Productivity and Innovation 

  • Access and use Copilot with effective AI prompting techniques 
  • Develop custom AI agents tailored to specific staff needs using a decision-making framework  
  • Build confidence, competence, and skills in today’s digital workplace 
  • Use Microsoft 365 tools to support and elevate workplace efficiency, task management, and organized work sharing 

Sustainability 

  • Support sustainability initiatives, guide students and faculty, and help turn institutional sustainability goals into real-world action  

Well-Being and Mental Health 

  • Recognize signs of stress in relation to information overload, apply proactive mental health care, media literacy, and boundaries to foster mental resilience 
  • Improve mobility, flexibility, stability, energy and overall well-being through Yoga and Pilates  
  • Apply research-based positive psychology strategies to improve our well-being as well as the well-being of our colleagues and foster a culture of support, appreciation, and recognition 
  • Access mental health and wellness supports and services available through Homewood Health’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (Humber EFAP program) 
  • Understand our pension options, make informed decisions, and plan for our retirement 
  • Implement healthy eating habits that are manageable and sustainable  

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging 

  • Create the conditions for belonging at Humber through practical, role-appropriate actions that reinforce personal agency 

Indigenous Education & Engagement 

  • Integrate Humber’s Indigenous Education Plan and Indigenous Ways of Being, Knowing, and Doing into our daily work practices 

Thank you to the facilitators for their expertise, insightful sessions, and engaging discussions. We are grateful to have the wealth of knowledge in our very own hallways at Humber and University of Guelph-Humber.

People(s), Culture and Organizational Excellence 

  • Avraj Padda 
  • Cesar Junior 
  • Cheryl Pinto 
  • Kafiya Sheikh 
  • Sarah Butterwick 
  • Shyamala Ganti 
  • Sumaya Abdisalam 
  • Udo Nwosu 

Office of the Senior Vice-President, Academic 

  • Victoria Abboud 

Centre for Innovative Learning   

  • Tamara Bahr 

Information Technology Services 

  • Aurelia Candeloro 

Department of Athletics and Recreation 

  • Maureen Martin-Edey 

Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging 

  • Tamar Faber 

Office of Sustainability   

  • Gabi Hentschke 
  • Sandra Leutri   

Indigenous Education and Engagement    

  • Aaron Sykes 

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences 

  • Natasha Sharma 

Nutrition Club, IGNITE 

  • Wing Man Lui 
  • Charlotte Tweedy 

Thank you Humber’s Transition to Work Team for sponsoring the ‘Disability Awareness and Confidence Training’ and the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging for sponsoring and organizing the ‘Worth the Work: Reclaiming Power, Wellness, and Self’ keynote and Community Learning Circles. 

Thank you to Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, President and CEO of Humber Polytechnic, and Jennifer O'Brien, Vice President, People(s) and Culture and Organizational Excellence for their continued support of this event. 

Questions, feedback on the event and suggestions of future workshops, email us at oe@humber.ca​​.

Thank you, 

Organizational Development Team 
People(s), Culture and Organizational Excellence