The Acadia Alumni Association’s Annual General Meeting occurred on Saturday, May 13, 2023. There were approximately 40 attendees from across Canada and internationally. The 2022-2023 Annual Report was presented and is available to view HERE. The Board celebrated the following retiring members who have dedicated years of service to the Association: Jeff Aucoin (’96), Carol D’Amelio (’72), Heather Hickman (’77), Donalda MacBeath (’75) – Former President, Kyle Power (’13), and Ted Upshaw (’80).The Board also welcomed new Directors, including Emma Duinker (’12), Kierstyn Palmer (’22), Matthew Saunders (’09), Shaq Smith (’16), Payton Wood (’18), and ex-officio member and Class of 2024 Life President, Emily Patterson.
Pictured left to right: Matthew Rios (’14, President), Carol D’Amelio, Jeff Aucoin, Ted Upshaw, and Oonagh Proudfoot (’93, ’06, Executive Director, Alumni Affairs). Missing from the photo: Donalda MacBeath, Heather Hickman, and Kyle Power.
Alumni Association Award Recipients
Board of Directors
Matthew Rios (’14) - President Christine Luckasavitch (’11) - Vice-President Sam Zhang (’05) - Treasurer Stephanie Reid (’05) - Secretary Barb Anderson (’77) Paul Black (’00) Allison Dean (’14) Emma Duinker (’12) Natalie Irwin (’01) Moira MacLean (’85) Ron Malcolm (’82, ’83) Leah McNally (’07) Kierstyn Palmer (’22) Véronique Russell (’14) Matthew Saunders (’09) Olivia Shive (’21) Shaq Smith (’16) Kelton Thomason (’07, ’10) Payton Wood (’18) Sophia Blanchard (ex-officio, ’23) Emily Patterson (ex-officio, ’24)
Nominations open for Alumni Association Awards!
Alumni are one of Acadia University’s greatest assets, and the Acadia Alumni Association derives strength from the diversity of our alumni community. As a result, the Association is committed to creating a culture of inclusion and equity in the work they do and encourages nominations from all races, colours, religions, genders, gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, national origins, abilities, or ages as candidates for award consideration.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Acadia Alumni Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of an Acadia University alum whose endeavours have distinguished them professionally or in the community and brought honour to the University. This award is intended to honour alumni who graduated within the past 10 years.
Nomination deadline: July 31 annually. Click here for a Nomination Form.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Acadia Alumni Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of an Acadia University alum whose endeavours have distinguished them professionally or in the community and brought honour to the University. This award is intended to honour senior alumni with greater than 10 years post-graduation from Acadia.
Nomination deadline: October 31 annually. Click here for a Nomination Form.
Acadia Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
The Acadia Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes a continued record of excellence in teaching students and future alumni of Acadia University with a focus on the faculty member’s professional and teaching accomplishments. Candidates for this award must be current full-time, part-time or contract members of the teaching faculty and have taught at Acadia University for at least three years.
Nomination deadline: November 30 annually. Click here for a Nomination Form.
For more information on other Acadia Alumni Association Awards, please click HERE.
Alumni Association Director Profiles
Sophia Blanchard (’23)
Sophia Blanchard (’23) grew up in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and graduated from Acadia with a Bachelor of Science in biology in May. She is the 2023 Grad Class Life President and volunteered at the Biology Help Centre as a tutor. Sophia was Vice-President of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Acadia and is very passionate about getting young girls involved in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) pathways in university and high school.
On campus, she was involved in the Faraone Lab, doing research to help develop new natural product tick repellents, and in Jenny Rand's lab investigating the environment for Indigenous research practices in the institution.
Sophia is interested in health sciences and hopes to pursue an MD in the future. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors and going for hikes with her dog and friends.
Matthew Saunders (’09)
Born and raised on the islands of the Bahamas, Matthew Saunders (’09) moved to Canada in 2005 to begin university at Acadia. It was his first time living outside the Bahamas, but he instantly fell in love with Wolfville and had an amazing university experience, doing everything from serving as a Residence Assistant (RA) in Chase Court to DJing at the Axe. In 2009, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Statistics with Business) and moved to Halifax to begin his career in finance. He would later earn his Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt designations. Currently, Matthew works as a Director of Finance Change, leading continuous improvement programs and finance technology implementation projects.
In recent years, after realizing the immense value of representation and belonging, Matthew has become actively involved with EDI initiatives in his professional and personal life. He helped launch the Black Employee Resource Group at his workplace, serving as chair from 2021-2023. This group worked to raise knowledge and awareness, positively impact the African Nova Scotian community, and eliminate barriers for black employees and prospective employees. Since February 2023, serving as President, Matthew has led the launch of the Bahamian Association of Nova Scotia, whose vision is to “Establish and elevate the presence, impact and culture of the Bahamas in Nova Scotia.” Outside of work and volunteering, Matthew is a new dad who enjoys spending time with his family and friends, travelling, volleyball and golf.