Chancellor's Award

For their exceptional leadership and impact on the U of T community, two staff members – Mary C. Lyne and Terry Gardiner – have received the Distinguished Leader Chancellor’s Award.

The honour is one of the Awards of Excellence presented by the University of Toronto Alumni Association in collaboration with the university. The prestigious program dates back to 1921 and recognizes outstanding faculty, staff and students.

As chief administrative officer of the Rotman School of Management, Lyne has had a profound impact on initiatives ranging from equity, diversity and inclusion, to financial transparency and the COVID-19 pandemic response.

In honouring Lyne, the alumni association notes that colleagues and staff members credit her for building a culture of professionalism, respect and inclusivity. They praise her balanced and strategic thinking, and her great capacity for collaboration and partnerships.

Gardiner, meanwhile, has worked for more than a decade to advance equity, diversity and inclusion at U of T – first at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and then at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, and now as a student mental health and wellness program manager in the Faculty of Law. He collaborates with students and staff on a broad range of programs and activities that support improved mental health and wellness, volunteers as a dance instructor and conducts weekly mindfulness sessions for LGBTQ+ members of the community.

In honouring Gardiner, the alumni association notes that his supervisors and colleagues praise him as a thoughtful community-builder, a caring mentor and a true leader who is deeply committed to students and their well-being.

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Horatio Bot and Archana Sridhar receive Chancellor’s Awards

lanthierj — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 15:44:11 +0000

Horatio Bot and Archana Sridhar receive Chancellor’s Awards

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lanthierj Fri, 04/16/2021 - 11:44

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(Photo courtesy of Bot; photo by Soko Negash)

For their inspiring leadership and positive impact within the U of T community and beyond, two staff members – Horatio Bot and Archana Sridhar – have received the Influential Leader Chancellor’s Award.

As executive director of budget, planning and finance in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Horatio played a crucial role in the achievement of a key objective for the university sector – the creation of the Ontario University Pension Plan – while providing expertise, diplomacy and exceptional negotiation skills to successfully and positively engage non-unionized employees at U of T and collaborate with colleagues across U of T, Queen's University and the University of Guelph. He also helped form a new standard in defined benefit pension management within the university sector.

The alumni association notes that his colleagues praise him as an exceptional ambassador who patiently guided and motivated his peers throughout previously uncharted waters, with his outstanding negotiation, advocacy and interpersonal skills.

Sridhar, assistant provost since 2012, has demonstrated strong leadership in her roles as crisis manager, project leader, adviser, advocate and mentor. Widely regarded as a master of crisis management, she was chosen to lead the working group that revised U of T’s crisis and emergency response framework, and has presented on the topic to university associations across Canada. She was also at the forefront of U of T’s crisis response to COVID-19, quickly organizing a co-ordinated response across the entire institution.

In honouring Sridhar, the Alumni Association notes that supervisors and colleagues describe Sridhar as a compassionate relationship builder with superb consensus-building skills and unique talents for empathy, nuance and communication.

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Luke Barber and Gina Trubiani receive Chancellor’s Awards

lanthierj — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 15:37:46 +0000

Luke Barber and Gina Trubiani receive Chancellor’s Awards

Community

lanthierj Fri, 04/16/2021 - 11:37

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(Photo of Trubiani courtesy of Trubiani; photo of Barber by Drew Lesiuczok)

For their strong leadership and outstanding contributions to the U of T community, two staff members – Luke Barber and Gina Trubiani – have received the Emerging Leader Chancellor’s Award.

As director of information and instructional technology services at U of T Mississauga, Barber led a complete transformation of campus technology when the COVID-19 pandemic hit – rolling out remote capabilities to equip the entire campus with online resources and upgrading classrooms with camera systems to support remote instructional delivery. He also took the lead in setting up Zoom for the tri-campus community.

In honouring Barber, the alumni association notes that hissupervisors and colleagues praise him as a generous manager who consistently demonstrates his appreciation for others. He is admired as an authentic leader who brings out the best in everyone.

Trubiani, director of occupational health and safety and associate director of environmental health and safety, has long demonstrated her impressive leadership, collaborative style and creative problem-solving. In early 2020, she stepped up to lead the university’s health and safety response to the COVID-19 pandemic – ensuring that essential on-campus work proceeded in compliance with all public health requirements, collaborating on health and safety guidelines for students abroad, and developing COVID-19 case management protocol.

In honouring Trubiani, the alumni association notes that colleagues say Trubiani rose to the challenge of her many new responsibilities with calm, generosity and resilience. Highly regarded for her diplomacy and judgment, she is described as a true leader who instills confidence and gives everyone the reassuring sense that, “We’ve got this, we’ll adapt and persevere.”

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