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L-R: Dean Sylvain Charlebois, Ayse Dai-Gammon, Jennifer Coombs, Leslie McNabb, Susan Haydt and Anna Cranston. (Photo credit: Nick Pearce)

This May, the Faculty of Management celebrated four recipients of the inaugural Staff Recognition Awards.

Recognizing everyone’s work

In his introduction at the awards celebration, Dean Sylvain Charlebois explained that the awards were established as a part of Management strategic pillar 2.3, which aims to recognize contributions of students, staff and faculty. "We need to recognize the work and talent that runs this institution 12 months a year."

Anna Cranston, assistant dean, coordinated the award nomination and selection process, along with a selection committee of the dean's executive and two staff members representing the DPMG and NSGEU employee groups. The committee received 17 nominations for 11 staff members.

"I've known for a very long time the great contributions made by many, but these last six months have given me a window into some of the other jobs our staff do – and how much difference they make every single day," Cranston says. "They are the threads that hold the fabric of our Faculty together."

The 2018 recipients

Impact Award for Supporting Colleagues: Recognizes a staff member for professionalism, collaboration, creativity and initiative in supporting faculty and staff colleagues in achieving their goals.

Recipient: Susan Haydt, research facilitator

In her role supporting the associate dean of research, Haydt reviews funding applications for grants, manages a database of funding opportunities and works on strategic research initiatives such as research chair applications. Researchers throughout the faculty endorsed her as someone who goes above and beyond to immerse herself in their research material in order to provide detailed feedback that has resulted in many successful research grants.

"Sue consistently fulfills her responsibilities with commitment, dedication and passion, offering in-depth, substantive contributions to the research endeavours she supports," says Dominika Wranik, one of the people who nominated her for the award. "She has clearly been a strong positive influence on our community."

Impact Award for Supporting Students: Awarded to a staff member who demonstrates excellence and professionalism, actively pursuing opportunities to expand knowledge and skills in the field of student service.

Recipient: Jennifer Coombs, career and recruitment specialist (Management Career Services)

Coombs works with Commerce co-op and Management internship students. Her colleagues cited her work over the last year to raise awareness of the BMgmt internship program, and her support of international students. Coombs works closely with the International Student Success Program to deliver workshops and events, and coordinates the Workplace Experience Program, which allows first and second year international students to spend time with a host organization to experience Canadian workplace culture.

"Jennifer's dedication to serving both Commerce and Management students is characterized by her nurturing approach to one-on-one student coaching and engagement activities, her collaborative approach to developing inclusive and informative programming, and the pride and professionalism that she has demonstrated in delivering exceptional career education," says Andrea McKay, who nominated her for the award.

Impact Award for Service to Community:  Awarded to a staff member who demonstrates creativity and initiative in pursuit of enhancing the Faculty of Management’s reputation and service to external partners.

Recipient: Ayse Dai-Gammon, associate director of strategic partnership development (Management Career Services and the Centre for Executive and Graduate Education)

Dai-Gammon’s work focuses on the development of relationships with external partners to support their talent acquisition and development. She works with employers from across Canada to meet their recruitment needs and engages them with our faculty, students and recent graduates through a range of recruitment and career development events. Her expanded role during the past 9 months included supporting external partners' training and professional development through Dalhousie's wide range of programming designed for working professionals. Dai-Gammon has successfully established many internal and external collaborations with key stakeholders that benefit multiple departments at Dalhousie and enhanced services to external partners.    

"The employment of our students and graduates is one of the strongest ways we demonstrate the impact our Faculty has on organizations and society," says Robert Wooden, who nominated Ayse for the award. "Her consistent engagement with employers has allowed us to increase the employment of our students and graduates. She is a worthy recipient of this award."

Inspiration Award:  Recognizes a leader who promotes a respectful workplace, displays a positive attitude and inspires others to work collaboratively, contributing innovative ideas which encourage out-of-the-box thinking.

Recipient: Leslie McNabb, Associate Director (CDL-Atlantic)

McNabb joined Dalhousie as an alumni relations officer, and built strong relationships within the faculty and across campus. In her role as director for the Centre for Family Business and Regional Prosperity, she supported student case competition teams, brought representatives from all over North America to the Family Business Summit and worked with faculty from across disciplines to support the research agenda of the Centre. In 2017, she joined the Creative Destruction Lab (Atlantic) team, where she executes high-profile programming with attention to detail and limited resources.

"Leslie is an excellent role model, especially to the co-op students she has supervised over the years," says Louis Beaubien, who nominated her for the award. "She is supportive, always has a positive attitude, and leads with a spirit of collaboration, integrity and dedication."