From left to right: Nancy Hughes, Margaret Greenley, Elaine Garnett and Kianda Mauch gathered with more than 100 of their fellow nominees at the 2010 Premier’s Awards dinner gala on November 22. The annual event honours outstanding college graduates for their achievements in their respective fields.

December 6, 2010

Durham College had yet another reason to celebrate the success of its graduates last week when four of its alumni attended the annual Ontario College’s dinner gala in Toronto, Ont. to be recognized as nominees of the 2010 Premier’s Awards for Outstanding College Graduates.

The event, held on November 22, saw more than 100 college graduates nominated for the awards which recognize the important social and economic contribution graduates make to the province and throughout the world in six different categories comprised of Business, Community Services, Creative Arts and Design, Health Sciences, Technology and Recent Graduate. Winners were revealed during the gala, marking a significant change from previous years which saw winners notified ahead of time.

This year’s nominees from Durham College were Margaret Greenley (Business); Nancy Hughes (Community Services); Kianda Mauch (Health Sciences); and Elaine Garnett (Creative Arts and Design).

A 1985 graduate of the Business Administration – Marketing program, Greenley has built a reputation as a champion of students at Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) over the past 23 years. She is currently vice-president of Student Affairs for the college and the university and in that role is responsible for financial aid and awards, student life, career and health services, the residences, the Access and Support Centre, the Learner Support Centre and more. In addition, she is also a liaison to Your Student Association and the Student Centre.

Since graduating from the Human Services Counsellor program in 1996, Hughes has worked hard to make a difference in the lives of individuals living in Ontario and the Northwest Territories. A single mother of four when she enrolled in the Human Services Counsellor program, Hughes has gone on to hold key positions with several high profile community organizations including her current role as director of Community Services with the Churchill Regional Health Authority in Churchill, Man.

A 1988 graduate of the Registered Nursing program, Mauch has spent the past 21 years in the nursing field working in the area of pain management. Currently an advanced practice nurse/clinical nurse specialist with the Pain Services division of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Ont., she is working to change the culture of pain management across the organization through the hospital’s Interprofessional Pain Council, which she chairs.

Since graduating from the two-year Advertising Administration program in 1990, Garnett built a successful multimedia career in television, radio and newspaper while developing academic course materials for her role on the college’s Advertising program Advisory Committee. Currently general sales manager for Channel 12, a Corus Entertainment company, she is accountable for more than $1 million in sales revenue each year through the creation of sales opportunities and regular forecasting. In addition, she is responsible for internal and external branding, marketing and competition assessments, incentive programs and the Channel 12 website.

Congratulations to all of Durham College’s nominees. For more information, please visit www.co-awards.org.