As director of the Iniskim Centre for almost a decade and a leading voice within the Office of Indigenization and Decolonization, John Fischer has had a transformative impact at Mount Royal University. Bridging Western academic structures with Indigenous ways of knowing, John led the growth and institutional integration of the Iniskim Centre and helped shape MRU’s approach to truth, reconciliation and systemic change.

His vision was instrumental in securing MRU’s Ashoka Changemaking designation and co-creating Inii Awattoo, Mount Royal’s Indigenization and Decolonization Strategic Framework. Known for creative problem-solving, innovation and deep respect for cultural protocol, John has helped embed Indigenous practices across the University. His contributions include developing ceremonial gifting processes, Feeding the Fire — a storytelling-based guide for incorporating Indigenous practices into curriculum and workplace culture — and helping develop Mount Royal’s land acknowledgement.

He also represented MRU in signing the historic Buffalo Treaty at Kainai First Nation. In recognition of his leadership, Elder Calvin Williams honoured John and his office with the transfer of an eagle staff and coup stick, permanently embedding Treaty 7 representation in MRU’s official ceremonies.

At the heart of John’s work is relationship building. He has nurtured trusted connections with Elders, mentored colleagues, supported faculty in decolonizing coursework and expanded opportunities for Indigenous students. His leadership and service extend well beyond MRU into the broader community.

The Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award recognizes John Fischer for his wisdom, advocacy and enduring contribution to creating spaces of respect, connection and belonging at Mount Royal and beyond.

As associate vice-president, Commercial Operations, Jason Unsworth is a trusted and exemplary institutional leader known for his integrity, fairness, and strategic mindset. His steady guidance was especially clear when he served as Acting Vice-President, Finance, successfully navigating a critical period for Mount Royal University with humility and an unwavering commitment to long-term success.

At his core, Jason is dedicated to empowering others and building authentic, cross-departmental relationships. By prioritizing regular coaching, transparent communication, and empathetic listening, he breaks down operational silos and unites diverse groups around shared goals. His inclusive approach fosters a high-performing environment where campus colleagues feel valued and supported.

Jason fosters a workplace culture where curiosity, creativity and thoughtful innovation thrive. He encourages open dialogue and calculated risk-taking, inviting broad perspectives to solve problems across the institution. Whether navigating complex operations or supporting individual growth, he leads by example with humility and purpose.

The President’s Leadership Award celebrates Jason Unsworth for his visionary guidance, collaborative spirit, and the enduring culture of trust and excellence he cultivates across Mount Royal University.

As assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Ademola Adesola strengthens civic dialogue, equity and inclusion at Mount Royal University and beyond. He founded and leads the African and Black Writings in Canada Speaker Series: Enhancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion through Stories and Conversations. Now in its third year, the series brings Black Canadian authors, public figures and community leaders together with students, faculty and the public to explore racial justice, anti-racism and cultural citizenship.

Ademola’s commitment to community connection extends locally and globally. Through thoughtful event design and collaboration with campus EDIA partners, he creates opportunities for visiting writers and community participants to engage as partners in meaningful conversation. As Chair of the Calgary Peace Prize, he further supports civic dialogue at MRU, while international lectures at institutions including Tulane University and the University of Ibadan extend those connections across borders.

The President’s Community Connections Award recognizes Dr. Ademola Adesola for his advocacy, collaborative spirit and commitment to centring underrepresented voices, building connections with cultural communities and advancing social responsibility and public engagement.

As Professor of Education, Dr. Jodi Nickel connects university learning with community literacy needs. At the heart of her work is MRU Reads, an initiative she created to pair Teacher Candidates with K–12 students who need additional reading support. Through structured, research-informed tutoring, future educators gain valuable experience while young learners receive responsive, evidence-based instruction.

Jodi has built strong community partnerships with the Calgary Board of Education and non-profit organizations including the Kids Literacy Collective, Literacy Lab and Left Unread. She also hosts literacy showcases, mentorship mixers and networking events that connect Teacher Candidates with families, community partners and experienced practitioners. Her collaborative research across North America further contributes to literacy instruction and advocacy beyond MRU.

Inclusion is central to Jodi’s work, with a focus on supporting diverse learners, including those with learning differences and language barriers. She also creates opportunities for Teacher Candidates to participate as research assistants, co-presenters and emerging leaders.

The President’s Community Connections Award recognizes Dr. Jodi Nickel for expanding literacy access, strengthening community partnerships and connecting education at Mount Royal with meaningful community impact.

As associate general counsel, Ben Hall has built a lasting legacy at Mount Royal University through innovation, integrity and collaboration. Ben’s role goes well beyond traditional legal guidance; he is a master at transforming complex institutional challenges into practical, everyday solutions that help our campus community thrive.

Ben’s influence is woven into the fabric of daily operations. He has revolutionized key workflows, most notably by introducing standardized contract templates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ben served as a calming, strategic leader for the Services Working Group, guiding the University through rapidly shifting mandates. He is a trusted partner in labour relations and privacy governance, known for navigating sensitive issues with discretion and fairness.

Whether he is advising senior leadership or supporting a colleague on a project, he listens with patience and ensures every voice is valued. Ben leads with quiet dedication, strengthening our campus culture through trust, collaboration and mutual respect.

The President’s Impact Award celebrates Ben Hall for his rare ability to bridge the gap between complex legal necessity and the human-centered, collaborative spirit that defines Mount Royal’s mission.

As vice dean of Research and Community Relations, Dr. Leah Hamilton has profoundly shaped the Faculty of Business, Communication Studies & Aviation by advancing its research ecosystem. In less than three years, she established four new research funds, including Mount Royal’s first International Visiting Scholars Fund. From the "Elevate" research brand to releasing the Faculty's inaugural Community Engagement Report, Leah has built infrastructure that amplifies scholarly work and elevates the institution's public profile.

Leah’s leadership is grounded in collaboration and shared success. She spearheaded a landmark revision of the Faculty’s tenure and promotion criteria through extensive campus consultations, securing near-unanimous approval across university governance. An accomplished public scholar holding major SSHRC grants, she conducts nearly 90 mentorship meetings annually, leads professional development workshops and champions community-connected public debates.

Leah fosters an inclusive culture where all feel supported and empowered to lead. Whether engaging Communication students directly to design live project deliverables, integrating Indigenous knowledge into faculty practice, or celebrating colleagues, she models inclusion as a daily practice. The President’s Impact Award honours Dr. Leah Hamilton for her leadership, generosity and the transformative ripple effect she creates across the University.

As a varsity athlete and four-time Academic All-Canadian, Maxim Turgeon represents the ideal balance of academic rigour and student leadership at Mount Royal University. Maintaining a 3.9 GPA while completing four professional internships and earning acceptance into multiple master’s programs, Maxim sets the standard for discipline and preparation. As co-captain of the MRU men’s volleyball team, he leads with integrity and accountability, serving as a trusted mentor and tutor to teammates.

His leadership extends into meaningful advocacy. As Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion on the Cougars Athlete Board, he is a champion for 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion in sport, fostering a supportive environment for all. Trusted to represent MRU Athletics in sponsor meetings, he helped secure funding for wellness initiatives while managing social media channels to showcase campus achievements.

Honoured with the Canada West Community Service Award and the MRU Community Leadership Award, Maxim gives his time generously to local organizations, including the Aventa Addiction Treatment Centre and The Paper Bag Project. As the recipient of the President’s Student of the Year Award, Maxim Turgeon embodies service, inclusion and excellence, inspiring others to lead with purpose.

Don Ingram (Class of 1965), a former Board of Governors member and inaugural MRC Foundation leader, remains one of Mount Royal University’s most dedicated champions. His decades-long commitment to MRU began on the football field and grew into a lifelong legacy of institutional support.

Don’s commitment to student success is reflected in both direct mentorship and enduring philanthropy, from his work as an Executive in Residence in the Bissett School of Business to the transformative student awards he and his family established in Nursing, Business and Athletics. As a dedicated alumnus, Don also serves as a trusted partner to Alumni Relations, offering thoughtful guidance on how to deepen institutional pride and build a stronger alumni community.

Beyond his formal contributions, Don is a bridge-builder. He actively connects his professional and community networks to campus initiatives, frequently inviting new partners to the Cougar Classic and university concerts. Known to staff as the "truest bluest alum," Don exemplifies the power of dedicated advocacy.

As recipient of the Community Ambassador Award, Don Ingram provides a blueprint of how one passionate and generous alumnus can profoundly advance our mission, inspire institutional pride and foster the deep community connections that define Mount Royal University.

As equipment operators in the Grounds Department, Chris Burke (not pictured) and Luke Sheedy demonstrate extraordinary commitment to Mount Royal University’s core values. Luke and Chris consistently take on a demanding, unsupervised afternoon-and-evening shift to manage snow removal across the entire campus. Disrupting their regular working hours and family routines, this dedicated pair work independently after hours to ensure pathways, stairs, parking lots and event spaces are safe, clear and accessible for the community every morning.

With a combined 15 years of experience at MRU, Chris and Luke operate with autonomy, technical skill and mutual trust. Communicating seamlessly with the day shift via job boards and messaging, they pivot between manual labour and heavy machinery operation to execute complex, stage-based snowfall responses.

Beyond snow clearing, they consistently seek out ways to improve operational efficiency. The duo reorganized department storage spaces and engineered an innovative 250-gallon fresh water system to allow Grounds equipment to be washed without interruption during municipal water restrictions.

Luke and Chris embody collaboration, resourcefulness and care — whether overcoming equipment breakdowns, keeping evening event spaces immaculate, or creatively using a forklift to rescue a family of ducklings trapped under a parking-lot drain. Their quiet resilience, safety-first mindset and unwavering reliability keep MRU running safely. The Team Achievement Award celebrates Chris Burke and Luke Sheedy for their exceptional teamwork, ingenuity and selfless service to Mount Royal University.

As an associate professor in the Faculty of Health, Community and Education (HCE), Dr. Giuliana Harvey has transformed experiential learning at Mount Royal by developing a scalable, interdisciplinary approach to healthcare simulation. Drawing on her internationally recognized expertise and certification in simulation best practices, Giuliana expanded simulation beyond individual disciplines, creating opportunities for collaboration across HCE that reflect team-based professional practice.

Beginning as the HCE Scholar in Teaching, Giuliana developed an interactive faculty guide to establish a shared framework for simulation. She later brought together faculty leads from Social Work, Education, Health and Physical Education, and Child Studies, and chaired the Simulation Oversight Committee to develop competency rubrics and evaluation processes. Under her leadership, HCE expanded the use of best-practice simulation from two programs to 10.

Giuliana is also leading a scoping review for publication to evaluate and share the framework nationally while building sustainable infrastructure for simulation at MRU and creating new options where community placements may be limited. The Innovation Award recognizes Dr. Giuliana Harvey for her creative vision, collaborative leadership and lasting contribution to interdisciplinary teaching and learning.

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As training, development and continuous improvement specialist in Academic Advising, April McNulty has transformed how advisor onboarding and professional development are delivered at Mount Royal University’s Academic Advising department. When the university centralized its advising team, April identified an urgent need: a standardized, comprehensive training framework that could bridge diverse backgrounds and establish a unified standard of excellence.

Leveraging her unique perspective as a specialist and faculty member, April designed and launched a ground-breaking six-module D2L curriculum aligned with national advising standards. She went beyond standard course design by creating an interactive, high-impact learning experience. When faced with platform limitations, April’s technical ingenuity shone through — she independently coded custom HTML scripts to enable advanced response tracking, significantly boosting student-focused engagement.

This curriculum is now the benchmark for advisor onboarding. New staff consistently report feeling better prepared than their counterparts at other institutions, and the rollout has successfully unified foundational knowledge across the entire department. The Innovation Award celebrates April McNulty for her visionary curriculum design, technical ingenuity and dedication to empowering colleagues to provide the best possible support for our students.

 As acting manager of Youth Programming, Connor Luitwieler has become a transformational leader for MRU Camps. During his 14-month tenure, Connor elevated MRU youth programming to Calgary’s "gold standard," overseeing three full-time and 100-plus seasonal staff while impacting more than 3,000 children annually across 30 curriculum-driven programs. A proud Mount Royal alumnus, Connor leads with emotional intelligence and inclusivity, building trust with families and his team.

Connor’s vision has expanded MRU’s regional community presence. He forged strategic collaborations with organizations such as the Calgary Adapted Hub, WinSport, the University of Calgary and Westside Recreation Centre. Notably his team provided essential, affordable childcare during the 2025 school board strike, contributing to an impressive 80% parent satisfaction rating and record-setting 2026 registration.

A dedicated mentor, Connor implemented training that boosted seasonal staff retention from 30% to 50%. He ensures all camp initiatives align seamlessly with university priorities. The Emerging Leader Award recognizes Connor Luitwieler for his ethical leadership, collaborative spirit and unwavering dedication to empowering the next generation at Mount Royal and across Calgary.

Academic advisor Katie Best exemplifies how expertise, authenticity and confidence can transform an organization from the inside out. Following a major structural transition in Academic Advising, Katie served as an anchor in the Faculty of Business, Communication Studies, and Aviation (BCSA). Operating without formal supervisory authority, she modelled transparency, encouraged open dialogue and drew upon her extensive background in student services to help colleagues navigate institutional change with optimism, clarity and trust.

Katie’s forward-thinking approach drives tangible improvements in student success. She created and championed an onboarding campaign reaching more than 800 new Bachelor of Business Administration students annually, providing critical course registration support. She continues to develop proactive pathways to improve retention in Open Studies and streamline major declarations for second-year Business students.

Katie provides comprehensive peer coaching, leads specialized training sessions and hosts drop-in advising sessions. She also co-ordinates, recruits and trains volunteers across university divisions for MRU’s Convocation Planning Committee while encouraging colleagues to engage in broader faculty governance. The Leading from Within Award celebrates Katie Best for her exceptional leadership, proactive initiative and dedication to the Mount Royal community.

As a programmer analyst in Information Technology Services, Cherry He is essential to the smooth operation of Mount Royal University. Known for her technical precision and proactive work ethic, Cherry consistently tackles complex technical challenges and delivers high-quality solutions ahead of schedule. Colleagues across campus rely on her to manage critical systems and ensure that everything runs seamlessly in the background.

Cherry’s analytical problem-solving had a direct impact when she identified and resolved a major gap in HR reporting for Scheduled Instructional Course Hours (SICH). Previously, this data had to be manually gathered from several different sources. Cherry designed and built an automated system that collects and standardizes this data, which eliminated administrative frustration, reduced the chance of errors, and ensured accurate reporting.

Beyond her technical work, Cherry is a supportive collaborator who strengthens her team. She frequently shares her knowledge, communicates clearly with other departments and creates tools that lighten the workload for her peers. The Behind-the-Scenes Service Award celebrates Cherry He for her exceptional ingenuity, dedication and vital role in modernizing MRU’s core systems.

As events and setup coordinator, Laura Medeiros De Araujo is the cornerstone of Mount Royal University’s Facilities Management team. Known for her meticulous attention to detail and unwavering reliability, Laura approaches her work with a proactive, "solutions-first" mindset. She ensures campus spaces are seamlessly prepared for high-stakes milestones, from Convocation to final exams, Open House to major trade shows.

Laura has elevated operations by transforming complex, fast-paced setups into precise, professional executions. Serving as a vital bridge between external partners and the university community, she closes gaps and optimizes processes to resolve operational bottlenecks before they start. When hurdles arise, Laura finds solutions on the fly, ensuring operations remain uninterrupted and exceptional.

Beyond her logistical and technical excellence, Laura is a primary driver of team morale and a steadying force during the most gruelling periods on campus. She proactively anticipates her colleagues' needs, shares her institutional knowledge through mentorship and fosters a collaborative workplace culture grounded in respect. The Behind-the-Scenes Service Award celebrates Laura Medeiros De Araujo for her extraordinary work ethic, steady leadership and indispensable role in making events run flawlessly at Mount Royal.

As the administrative assistant for the Department of Chemistry and Physics, Barb Lindsay is both the welcoming face and operational backbone of her department. Serving as the primary point of contact, Barb turns routine administrative tasks into meaningful acts of support. Whether phoning students to resolve complex registration hurdles or co-ordinating last-minute instructor coverage to prevent class cancellations, her empathetic, student-first mindset ensures that the delivery of our academic mission remains seamless.

Barb’s institutional expertise and collaborative spirit extend across campus. She was the logistical engine behind MRU’s public "star parties," scaling these events from small campus gatherings into major community showcases that now attract over 1,000 visitors — an effort recognized with a national Corporate Award from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. During critical staffing shortages, Barb stepped up to manage multiple departments, later dedicating extensive time to mentoring new colleagues with patience and care.

Known for spreading kindness, laughter and encouragement, Barb is a pillar of our community. The Front-Facing Service Award celebrates Barb Lindsay for her tireless service, selfless leadership and the difference she makes every day.