Meet your local ambassadors
Alberta
Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Katelyn Andrews (BSc’16) moved to Halifax in 2008 to pursue a degree in Biology. While attending Dalhousie, she was a member of the Women’s Rugby League, the Bioinformatics Journal Club, the Evolution and Philosophy Studies Group, and assisted in organizing various events and fundraisers for the school and the community.
Katelyn now works as a Public Health Inspector/Executive Officer with Alberta Health Services. Prior to that, she was a research assistant through the School of Public Health (University of Alberta) studying food safety. She enjoys trying new foods, travelling and watching movies. With a passion for bringing people together, Katelyn hopes to support fellow Edmonton alumni continue to grow, network, and plan engaging events as the Edmonton Alumni Ambassador.
Rebecca Bako (Gibeault), originally from Corner Brook, Newfoundland, graduated from Dalhousie University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science with combined honours in biochemistry and chemistry. Rebecca then moved to Edmonton to continue her studies at the University of Alberta. As a PhD student, she studied the interactions between viral DNA and cellular proteins, publishing several papers in this field. Rebecca graduated with her PhD in Biochemistry in 2017, and transitioned her career from academia to the public sector. After working several different positions in government and the non-profit sector, she settled in her current position as an Indigenous relations coordinator with the federal government.
By becoming a Dal Global Ambassador, Rebecca hopes to connect with other alumni and help develop a community of individuals who, like her, have fond memories of their experiences at Dal!
British Columbia
Penny Tham (LLB’84) is a proud graduate of Dalhousie Law School. In her early career she was a corporate/commercial/securities lawyer in Vancouver B.C. After obtaining her LLM (Securities Regulation - Honours) from Georgetown University, she practised law in Washington D.C. for several years before decamping to Asia and the UK where she worked for a number of international banks in their legal/regulatory departments. Penny was based in Singapore and then Hong Kong; this was followed by several years in London where she continued her work with financial institutions as a senior compliance and regulatory risk manager. Her last position was back in Washington D.C. with the International Finance Corporation, the private investment arm of the World Bank Group. Now retired and living back in Vancouver, Penny is a full time volunteer.By becoming a Dal Global Ambassador, Rebecca hopes to connect with other alumni and help develop a community of individuals who, like her, have fond memories of their experiences at Dal!
Manitoba
Prashila Pokharel (she/her), graduated from Dalhousie with a Masters of Resource and Environmental Management (MREM) back in 2021. Since then, she has had the pleasure to work for the transportation sector and the local government on various sustainability and resource management projects focusing on developing internal communication, leading outreach programs on waste reduction and recycling, and ensuring environmental regulations compliance.
Her time at Dal has had a profound impact on her journey in Canada. Not only did it open doors to awesome opportunities, but she also made lifelong friends and found some seriously inspiring mentors along the way. Now, as a proud Dal alum, she is excited to be a Dal Ambassador as this offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow Dal alumni, build a supportive network, and establish meaningful connections that go beyond their time at Dal. Let’s keep the Dal spirit alive!
New Brunswick
Courtney Wilson is a proud Dalhousie alum, entrepreneur and not-for-profit leader, living in Southeastern, NB with her husband and son. Prior to moving to New Brunswick, she lived in Halifax and served on the Dalhousie Alumni Association’s Board of Directors from 2010-2017. She was elected the Executive Vice President (2013-15) and President (2015-17).
In 2010, Courtney received a Bachelor of Management and was also awarded the ‘Lily Ju Lifetime Achievement Award’ and ‘Malcolm Honour Award’ by the Dalhousie Student Union, and the ‘Community Contribution Award’ and ‘Mentor of the Year Award’ by the Faculty of Management. Prior to graduating, she served on the Dalhousie Student Union as Vice President Student Life (2007-08) and President (2008-09) and volunteered for over 20 student clubs and events.
In 2018 she founded of Happy Hour Club, a social club that hosts events and is inclusive of all women - every industry, sector, profession, and phase of their lives - across the Maritimes. Additionally, she is the Operations Manager for Shelter Movers Greater Moncton - a volunteer powered charitable organization that provides moving and storage services to women and families fleeing abuse and gender-based violence.
Nova Scotia
Mahbubur Rahman, PMP (MASc'16, MPA'22) came to Halifax, Nova Scotia from Bangladesh in 2013. During his studies at Dal, he was Vice President (Finance & Operations) of the Dalhousie Student Union for two years and held many roles as a student leader, including: Vice president (Executive) of Dalhousie International Student Association; Vice President (Academic) of Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students; Vice President (Finance) of Dalhousie Engineering Graduate Society; and President of Dalhousie Bangladesh Student Society. He was awarded Dalhousie’s Board of Governor’s Award in 2015 and Guy Henson Gold Medal in Public Administration 2022.
Mahbubur is currently a project manager with the Government of Nova Scotia. He has 20 years of professional experience. He is also the current Vice President (Program) of Project Management Institute Nova Scotia Chapter. Mahbubur is an active mentor with multiple organizations. Through these mentoring programs, he mentors multiple young professionals, recent grads, international students and newcomers. Mahbubur’s leadership, professional excellence and community engagement was recognized through multiple awards including STEM Connector Mentor Award 2022.
Mahbubur has taken leadership roles in a number of nonprofit organizations and works with people from diverse communities. He also has been volunteering in many facets of community, including multiculturalism, diversity, education, children, student life, event programming, housing, fundraising, and urban life. For his dedicated engagement and outstanding contribution to the community, he is recognized with a Most Inspiring Immigrant of the Maritimes (2018), Provincial Volunteer Award in Nova Scotia (2017), Halifax Regional Municipality Volunteer Award (2017), and Halifax Hero Award (2017).
Mahbubur is an active volunteer with Dalhousie Alumni Association in Halifax. He has been organizing the Dalhousie Alumni Water Station in Blue Nose Marathon for the last eight years. He was one of the founders of the International Student Holiday Dinner which has been organized since 2015.
Mahbubur is a proud Dalhousie alum living in Halifax and dedicated to enhancing experiences for Dalhousie alumni and the Halifax community.
Muhammad Usman Asad (PhD'23) earned his PhD degree in electrical engineering from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dalhousie University, Canada. He is working full-time as an instructor with Navel Engineering Fleet School. He is registered as a professional engineer with the province of Nova Scotia in the electrical engineering discipline. Based on his significant professional contributions of more than a decade, he was elevated to senior member of IEEE. He is serving as a vice-chair of the IEEE CAS/SSC Society joint chapter and vice-chair IEEE Canadian Atlantic Section and Events Team in the project management institute, Nova Scotia Chapter (PMINS). He is a recipient of various national and international research awards and published 80+ papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences with over 1000+ citations.
Ontario
Al Rashdan is the CIO of Business Cloud in Toronto, Ontario. Al has over 20 years of international experience advising various organizations with IT Governance, Digital Transformation, and Cybersecurity. Al helped many startups and public companies navigate the complexities of the digital landscape by leveraging his multidisciplinary background and business acumen to drive innovation and foster growth.
Al graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Management majoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the Rowe School of Business.
Al is looking forward to building an engaged community of Dalhousie alumni in Toronto.
Tina Omrani is a proud Dalhousie alum. She graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Dalhousie University in 2017. Following graduation, Tina joined WSP Canada in Dartmouth, NS, where she improved her skills in civil engineering and project management. Her passion for development projects led her to explore opportunities with a developer company, where she gained valuable insights in real estate and construction.
With a commitment to continuous learning and professional development, Tina obtained her Professional Engineers Certificate (P.Eng.) and pursued further education at the University of Toronto, graduating with a master's in civil engineering (M.Eng.) degree in 2022.
Throughout her career, Tina has been actively involved in the construction and civil engineering industries, working with prestigious consultancies to deliver innovative solutions for complex projects. However, in 2024, Tina decided to pivot her career path and transitioned into real estate.
Tina believes that serving as a Global Ambassador provides a unique opportunity to stay connected, contribute to Dalhousie's success, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of students and fellow alumni worldwide.
Asia
Ding Fan graduated from Dalhousie University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Management degree. She has dedicated 10 years of her career to entrepreneurship and innovation, international relations, and life coaching for youth in both Canada and China.
In recognition of her contributions to the community, Ding was honoured as one of the Top 25 Immigrants in the Maritimes for Nova Scotia, received the HRM Volunteer Award, and was named one of the Top 30 Under 30 Innovators in the Maritimes. During her time at Dalhousie, she won the Board of Governors Award and led the Dalhousie Chinese Students and Scholars Association to be recognized as the Most Impactful Cultural Society for 2013-2014.
She is thrilled to serve as a Global Ambassador, following several years of active involvement, and looks forward to strengthening and expanding the alumni community in China.
Kyra Panagapko graduated from Dalhousie University with a major in English Language and Literature in 2014. During her studies at Dalhousie, she spent her free time volunteering at the International Centre, where she welcomed new international students to Dal and helped them adjust to their life in Canada. Kyra always had a passion for learning about other cultures and traveling and enjoyed meeting new students from around the globe.
Kyra decided to go to South Korea as an exchange student before graduating. She went to Kyunpook National University and also joined the internship program where she got her first taste of teaching. She came back to Canada to graduate and got a job at the International Center as an Outbound Exchange Student Advisor. She also did some part-time work advising international students on immigration and visa matters. After graduation, Kyra decided to return to Korea and studied for a master's at Korea University in English Education specializing in second language learning. During her time there, she became especially interested in second language acquisition in young children.
Now she has opened her own English academy in South Korea where she is teaching elementary and kindergarten students. Her program incorporates reading, art and activities as a method to interest young kids to learn English in a stress-free environment. So far, her business has been doing well and she is continuously improving the program. After running her school for a few years, she plans to return to her studies and get a PhD (maybe at Dalhousie? :)
Australia
William (Bill) MacNeil graduated with an LLB from Dalhousie Law School in 1984. The rigorous training and broad education that he received at Dalhousie has made possible an international academic career spanning Britain, Hong Kong, the United States, Canada and Australia. Currently, he is based in Byron Bay NSW, Australia where he is an Honorary Professor at the TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland, as well as a Distinguished Fellow of the Law and Theory Lab, University of Westminster and an Adjunct Professor of Law, University of the Sunshine Coast. Previously, William was Dean of Law at Southern Cross and Griffith Universities. His scholarly and pedagogic interests are jurisprudence, law-and-literature and cultural legal studies; and he has published extensively in those fields. His last book, Novel Judgements: Legal Theory as Fiction, won the Penny Pether Prize for Scholarship in Law, Literature and the Humanities. William is the founding editor of the book series, ‘Edinburgh Critical Studies in Law, Literature and the Humanities’, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and the former Chair of the Council of Australian Law Deans. “I look forward to sharing my experiences as a scholar, lecturer and university administrator with all Schulich students interested in a career in the global legal academy.”
Europe
Armaan Ahluwalia graduated with a degree in business management with a focus on entrepreneurship & innovation from Dalhousie University in 2013. Armaan was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and has since lived all over the world including places like San Diego, Kansas City, Brooklyn, and now Oxford, England. Following graduation from Dalhousie, Armaan went back to work for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during their inaugural season at IG Field. He then went on to complete his MBA at San Diego State University. Following his degree, he worked for the Kansas City Chiefs organization holding a variety of roles in the corporate partnerships and suite servicing departments. Armaan also held a variety of roles at BSE Global, the parent company of the Brooklyn Nets & New York Liberty. Armaan now holds the title of Head of Strategic Commercial Solutions at Alpine F1 in the UK. Armaan currently sits on the Dalhousie Alumni Advisory Board where he has served since 2023. He serves on the Auram Awards and Nominations committees. He also volunteers his time mentoring through the Rowe Sports Business Society. Armaan wanted to be a global ambassador as a way to continue to give back to Dalhousie and bring people together all over the world!
Mimika Georgakopoulou-Toli, originally from Greece, moved to Halifax when she was 18 and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology with a minor in psychology at Dalhousie (graduated in 2016). Her dream has always been to become a doctor, so she studied medicine in Bucharest (graduated in 2023). Her minor in psychology inspired her to become a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, which is what she will be specializing in, during the following years.
Dalhousie, Halifax, and in general Canada, made Mimika the person she is today and she will forever be grateful for that. During her undergrad, she met some of the best people she ever met in her life, from many different cultures and backgrounds and she will always keep a special place in her heart for each and every one of them. At Dalhousie, Mimika was taught a lot of extremely interesting subjects by kind, generous, and willing-to-help professors. Most importantly, she became a completely different person when it comes to her way of thinking. Coming from the Balkans, one might assume that it would be hard for her to change her mentality about the world, but, Dalhousie, Canada and the people she met there made it possible for her to become the caring, kind, and open-minded person she is today!
The Global Ambassador Program will help her meet other alumni, connect with them through shared and non-shared experiences from Dalhousie, and it will also give them all a chance to bond through fun activities and events! Mimika can’t wait to see what they will plan together!
United States
Giovana Celli graduated from Dalhousie University with a PhD in Biological Engineering in 2016. Since then, her career has spanned across several leadership roles in the food and beverage industry, focusing on innovation, quality assurance, and food safety. In her last role, she served as the Vice President of Innovation & Quality at The Whole Coffee Company, where she led product development and ensured compliance with the highest standards of food safety and quality.
Giovana returned to Dal in 2020 for a keynote presentation at the IDEA Speaker Series, in which she shared my accomplishments after completing her degree.
Giovana is eager to serve as a Global Ambassador because she believes in the importance of building a strong, supportive alumni network. In this role, she aims to foster a vibrant community of Dalhousie alumni in Miami, facilitating networking opportunities, and enhancing their collective engagement through events and initiatives. Her goal is to create an inclusive platform where alumni can connect, share experiences, and contribute to the ongoing success of their alma mater and its current students.
Become a global ambassador
Joining as a global ambassador has benefits for you and your community.
This is a leadership volunteer role acting as a liaison between alumni near you and Dalhousie. You’ll strengthen connections within your community and participate alongside the network of global ambassadors. Get in touch if you want to:
- Grow your personal and professional networks.
- Meet members of the Dal community with a range of expertise.
- Attend specialized university events.
- Help shape programs and events for alumni.