Premier’s Awards recognizes Ontario’s college graduates' tremendous contribution to the province's success and beyond. The awards were established in 1992 to mark the 25th anniversary of Ontario’s colleges.
Presented annually, awards are given in the following categories: Business; Community Services; Creative Arts and Design; Health Sciences; Recent Graduate; Science, Technology and Engineering; and Skilled Trades.
Visit www.co-awards.org to learn more.
Conestoga's Premier's Awards recipients
Fiona Coughlin
Award category: Community Services (2024)
Program: Business Administration – Management Studies
Graduating year: 2000
Jehan Salim
Award category: Community Services (2023)
Program: Bachelor of Applied Technology - Architecture - Project and Facility Management
Graduating year: 2013
Jehan Salim has put her college degree to work on the international stage, using her project and facilities management expertise to lead post-conflict rebuilding efforts and operate the largest refugee camp in the world. She oversaw the reconstruction of Mosul University and 12,000 homes in Iraq; built a 400-bed COVID isolation clinic at Jordan's Za'atari refugee camp; assured the safety of 100 staff and key border assets during Russia's invasion of Ukraine; and led the rehabilitation of 250 homes in Syria. From Iraq to Afghanistan, Jehan has prioritized giving marginalized women income, experience and a voice.
Jennifer Green
Award category: Apprenticeship (2022)
Program: Industrial Mechanic Millwright Apprenticeship
Graduating year: 2008
Jennifer Green is breaking gender barriers and bridging Canada’s skills gap. As the only woman in her Industrial Mechanic Millwright program, she has cleared the path for thousands of women in the skilled trades through advocacy, mentorship and by sharing her opinions and experiences at events and in articles, radio programs and podcasts. She launched Skills Ontario’s first virtual conference for women and reimagined Canada’s largest skills trades competition as a virtual contest with live video feeds from competitors’ kitchens, garages and backyards. Jennifer is one of WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women and a Universal Women’s Network Woman of Inspiration.
Massi and Meti Basiri
Award category: Business (2021)
Program: Fitness & Health Promotion (Massi); Business - Marketing (Meti)
Graduating year: 2014
Massi and Meti Basiri are on a mission to educate the world. In 2015, the twin brothers co-founded ApplyBoard, now the world’s largest online platform for international student recruitment and one of the fastest-growing technology companies in Canada. They have helped more than 200,000 students study at 1,500 educational institutions across North America, the United Kingdom and Australia, including 21 Ontario colleges. They’ve raised C$600 million in venture capital funding on a C$4 billion valuation, making ApplyBoard Canada’s only second “edtech unicorn” company. In 2019, Forbes named Meti and Massi to three different Top 30 Under 30 lists.
Clarice Ward
Award category: Apprenticeship (2019)
Program: General Carpenter Apprenticeship; Women in Skilled Trades Pre-Apprenticeship
Graduating year: 2011, 2007
Clarice Ward is a national advocate for diversity and inclusion in apprenticeship training. As an assistant project manager of specialty contracts at Melloul-Blamey Construction Inc., she is the first woman to transition from tradesperson (general carpenter) to construction management in Melloul-Blamey’s 37-year history, and one of the only tradeswomen to serve on the board of directors of the Canadian Association of Women in Construction. A speaker, mentor and champion of women in apprenticeships, she has influenced thousands of women to consider skilled trade opportunities. Ward was awarded a 60th Anniversary Gender Equity Fellowship by the University of Waterloo in 2019.
Kevin King
Award category: Health Sciences (2019)
Program: Ambulance and Emergency Care
Graduating year: 1995
Medical simulation has been the driving focus in every step of Kevin King’s career as a paramedic, sales leader and entrepreneur. Inspired to act after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he created the first mobile simulation program for paramedics in eastern Canada and founded a national alliance for simulation specialists and educators. In 2010, he was recognized by the prime minister of Canada for his emergency services leadership during the G8 summit. In 2018, King founded ECHO Healthcare, featuring a world-first approach to simulation service and support that earned the company global recognition and profitability after just one year.
William Werth
Award category: Recent graduate (2019)
Program: Software Engineering Technology
Graduating year: 2017
The chief technology officer at James. E. Wagner Cultivation (JWC), William Werth is using technology to revolutionize the cannabis industry. A former Canadian combat engineer who was awarded the Sacrifice Medal and competed in the 2017 Invictus Games, he designed JWC’s GrowthSTORM Management software, a custom technology for tracking cannabis cultivation from seed to harvest. He also led the refinement of JWC’s patent-pending aeroponic growing platform and helped to pioneer its unique business licensing model. Werth’s innovations were a catalyst for a $1.2-million energy-saving grant in 2018 and the company’s 2018 debut on the TSX-V at a market cap of $100 million.
Allie Libertini
Award category: Recent graduate (2018)
Program: Community Integration through Cooperative Education
Graduating year: 2017
Even among the outstanding graduates of a unique program for students with learning challenges and exceptionalities, Allie Libertini stands out. A world-leading Nordic skier, she represented Canada at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games, earning two silver medals. An advocate of healthy living, she volunteers at a community kitchen and works as an assistant server and member of the food prep team at a restaurant. She was instrumental in recruiting young women to her gym’s first inclusive women program and she is a valued ambassador of her college and program, winning the Alumni of Distinction Award in 2017.
Don Gosen
Award category: Apprenticeship (2018)
Program: Electrical Apprentice; Air and Water Resources Technology
Graduating year: 1980; 1974
Don Gosen is the Ontario apprenticeship program’s biggest champion. A college-trained electrical apprentice, he sponsored more than 70 apprentices throughout his four decades in business before ceding Gosen Electric Limited to three of his former trainees. Today, as director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, Gosen works to strengthen the apprenticeship system by bridging communication and fostering collaborations between the government, union and non-union organizations, and employers and apprentices. He is an electrical apprenticeship instructor at his alma mater and recipient of the 2007 Minister’s Award for Apprenticeship Training.
Marianne Walker
Award category: Health Sciences (2015)
Program: Nursing
Graduating year: 1977
Marianne Walker is changing the future of health care in Ontario. In leadership roles spanning more than 30 years, including her current role as president and CEO of Guelph General Hospital, Walker has worked to refocus health care on the patient. She has led several region-wide and province-wide initiatives that have dramatically improved patient outcomes after stroke, and her elder care strategy is recognized as one of the best practice models province-wide. As a surveyor with Accreditation Canada, Walker is helping to improve health care quality and patient safety across the country and internationally, in countries such as Brazil and Ecuador.
Tahani Aburaneh
Award category: Business (2013)
Program: Business Administration – Management Studies
Graduating year: 1987
Tahani Aburaneh, a real estate entrepreneur, bestselling author and public speaker, moved to Canada from a refugee camp in Jordan at the age of 15 and is now one of the country’s leading experts in real estate development and investment. She is the founder of five companies and recently launched a training and certification program for realtors across Canada.
Chameli Naraine
Award category: Business (2012)
Program: Materials Management and Operations
Graduating year: 1983
Chameli Naraine’s 27-year career as a business leader working for Fortune 500 companies around the world culminated in June 2011 with her appointment as president and CEO of Symcor, one of Canada’s leading financial processing services providers. She is also the founder of Naraine Global Fund, a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and children globally.
2024 nominees
Business nominee - Troy Miller
Business Administration – Marketing, 1993
Troy Miller credits his college education for every stage of his career success, from manufacturing sales to co-owner and COO, to board chair of a small-town materials data management company that he built into a global enterprise, tripling annual revenue in the last decade. He pioneered a high-risk/high-reward approach to sales and a novel pricing model and subscription service that redefined how the data-management industry markets and sells services. Today, Troy applies his entrepreneurial mindset as co-founder of ASAP Data Solutions Ltd., while volunteering as chair of Conestoga's marketing program advisory committee, a role he has held for nearly 20 years.
Community Services nominee - Fiona Coughlin
Business Administration – Management Studies, 2000
A passionate advocate of affordable housing and food security, Fiona Coughlin is leveraging her college education and lived experiences to open doors to prosperity and revitalize her community. As the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex, she has led the construction of 52 affordable houses, including the first ever 3D-printed residential home in Canada; launched one of the most successful ReStores in Canada; and reimagined the Windsor Furniture Bank to help more than 650 community members a year remain successfully housed. Fiona is also offering 220 youth a year skilled training opportunities and championing the renewal of Windsor’s marginalized communities.
Creative Arts and Design nominee - Jolene MacDonald
Graphic Design, 1999
Jolene MacDonald believes that having a disability is a superpower. Inspired by the lived experiences of her family, the college-trained graphic designer and disability advocate launched Canada’s first design-focused marketing and communications agency in 2017. Through Accessibrand, she has embedded accessibility into the operations of more than 165 Canadian and international organizations; inspired and taught her graphic design competitors to prioritize accessibility; and provided meaningful work opportunities and mentorship to more than 50 professionals with disabilities. Jolene’s vision of a design-abled, accessible world was launched and built at Conestoga, where she is a committed volunteer and program champion.
Health Sciences nominee - Daniel (Dan) Chen
Respiratory Therapy, 2019
Dan Chen saves lives every day. A respiratory therapist at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital, he is also an educator, clinical researcher, volunteer mentor and personal hero to many. His innovative approaches help streamline respiratory care in the emergency department and ensure families receive compassionate, child-centred care. Dan trains parents to manage their child’s cardiac and respiratory emergencies at home and has educated approximately 400 SickKids parents and clinicians as an instructor with the SickKids Learning Institute. He is also a volunteer high school student mentor and a clinical researcher who is quantifying the life-saving impact of respiratory therapists in Ontario.
Recent Graduate nominee - Dima Aldera
Graphic Design, 2022
General Arts and Science: English Language Studies, 2019
Fuelled by an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for graphic design and community service, Dima Aldera transformed a college capstone project into the world’s first and only independent and secure digital platform dedicated to reuniting families torn apart by the Syrian conflict. The findsuri.org non-profit organization has grown from 30 missing persons in 2023 to 573 today. Leveraging her local and international partnerships, Dima has helped 30 families find closure. She is also supporting the mental health of Syrian families in Ontario with art therapy workshops and providing volunteers and students with opportunities to grow their creative skills and portfolios.
Science, Technology and Engineering nominee - Alison (Ali) Carden
Software Engineering Technician, 2006
Alison Carden’s digital-first mindset and passion for innovation were seeded at college. Now the global practice director of products and platforms at GHD Digital, Alison developed Canada’s first e-procurement tool and supplier performance-tracking technology, and a digital platform that allows residents to access municipal services online. Her innovations empower 623 municipalities, 450 in Ontario, to improve accessibility, efficiency and the lives of 11 million Canadians through technology, while saving 116,000 trees and a million hours of staff time. Alison leverages her experiences to uplift and inspire dozens of women as a tech mentor at GHD and in the community.
Skilled Trades nominee - Brandi Ferenc
Women in Skilled Trades (WIST), 2005
As one of 50 Ontario women in the refrigeration/gas fitter trade, Brandi Ferenc is committed to changing culture and attitudes as the founder and CEO of Fair-Trades Toolbox. She has educated 100 employers on how to integrate women into their workforce; reached more than 25,000 youth with her message of equity and inclusion; and advocated for hundreds of women by giving them a platform to share their lived experiences. Brandi is also a Support Ontario Youth mentor and a college HVAC instructor who credits Conestoga’s Women in Skilled Trades program with opening a door when no one else would.
