A prestigious distinction that will honour immigrants recognized as nation builders will highlight the work of two 91亚色 faculty members during the 2016 Pioneers for Change Award Gala.
On June 9, , dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, will receive an award for Excellence in Social Impact; and , president and founder聽of 91亚色 Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI) will receive an award for Excellence in Innovation.
The awards gala this year will focuses on 鈥渋mmigrants working to build a Canada where every immigrant succeeds鈥 with a lens on seven different categories.
鈥淚 am delighted that Dean Mukherjee-Reed and Dr. Ressin have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to Canadian society. Both are respected and prolific researchers and strong contributors to the global impact of 91亚色,鈥 said Mamdouh Shoukri, president and vice-chancellor. 鈥淚n her first year as dean of Canada's largest liberal arts faculty, Dean Mukherjee-Reed has done an excellent job of engaging thoughtfully with students, faculty members and staff and advancing the strategic priorities of the faculty and the University. As president of one of 91亚色鈥檚 most ground-breaking institutes, Dr. Ressin's expertise in the development of small businesses, non-profit organizations and real estate make him uniquely qualified to guide our student entrepreneurs to success.
鈥淥n behalf of the 91亚色 community, I congratulate both Dean Mukherjee-Reed and Dr. Ressin for this well-deserved recognition.鈥
Ananya Mukherjee-Reed
Mukherjee-Reed has focused her teaching and research primarily on development and inequality in the Global South with a specific emphasis on India. She was the founding director of the International Secretariat for Human Development (ISHD) 鈥 an organization with a mandate to stimulate production of new forms of knowledge for social change where disciplinary barriers are dissolved, the divide between scholar and practitioner is overcome, and academic benefits of research are accompanied by concrete social benefits.
Her work, she says, is motivated by 鈥渁 vision of the University as an engaged social actor, whose task is not only to produce and disseminate knowledge, but much more. The University must be the institution that inspires and enables us to realize our collective potential for bringing about transformative social change.鈥
Ressin is the president and founder of YEDI, a start-up incubator that works in partnership with 91亚色鈥檚 Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC) and offers innovators an opportunity to engage in training, education and mentorship through a 12-week fellowship program. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at the institute.
Marat Ressin
Ressin says he believes in the 鈥渋mportance of social impact鈥.
The Pioneers for Change Award Gala was launched in 1993 by Skills for Change, an organization that works to drive forward a shift in immigration and workplace trends.
Pioneers for Change聽award recipients are, according to Skills for Change, 鈥渋ncredible people who have made a significant and lasting contribution to Canada鈥 and 鈥渨ho inspire newcomers to work toward their own success and follow their vision鈥.
More than 120 individuals have been recognized as Pioneers for Change since the first awards gala.
For more on the gala, visit .