Niagara College graduates go on to have impactful and important careers. With their diplomas, degrees and certificates in hand, they shape industries and communities, affecting everything from what we eat or wear to our safety and security.

This year, Niagara College has nominated seven members of its alumni community, which is more than 100,000 strong, for the 2021 Premier’s Awards. Presented annually since 1992 by Colleges Ontario, the Premier’s Awards celebrate the outstanding contributions of college alumni in Ontario and throughout the world. Awards are presented in seven categories: Apprenticeship, Business, Community Service, Creative Arts and Design, Health Science, Recent Graduate, and Technology.

The 2021 Premier’s Awards nominees representing Niagara College include:

• Apprenticeship – Aaron Foster (Hendersonville, Tennessee – from Port Colborne), Executive Chef, W Hotel, and graduate of NC’s Culinary Management (Co-op) program (2003);
• Business – Lora Tisi (Oakville – hometown of St. Catharines), International retail strategist, and graduate of NC’s Fashion Arts program (1979);
• Community Service – Monique Belair (Belleville), Director of Emergency Services and Fire Chief, City of Belleville, and graduate of NC’s Law and Security Administration program (1985);
• Creative Arts and Design – Mark Suknanan/Priyanka (Toronto), Entertainer, first winner of Canada’s Drag Race (2020), and graduate of NC’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program (2012);
• Health Science – Kevin Smith (Niagara), Chief of Niagara Emergency Medical Services, Director of Emergency Services Division, and graduate of NC’s Ambulance and Emergency Care program (1992);
• Recent Graduate – Ryan Thorpe (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Investigative reporter at the Winnipeg Free Press, and graduate of NC’s Journalism program (2017); and
• Technology – Wanito Bernadin (Ottawa), Chief Information Officer, National Capital Commission of Canada, and graduate of NC’s Business Administration – Marketing (Co-op) program (2003).

“We are thrilled to nominate these outstanding alumni for provincial recognition through the Premier’s Awards,” said Niagara College President Sean Kennedy. “Our 2021 Premier’s Awards nominees are shining examples of how Niagara College graduates are making impactful contributions in every corner of society in Niagara and beyond, and we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments.”

Nominations were submitted from each of Ontario’s 24 community colleges, with 125 nominees overall for the 2021 awards. Nominees will be celebrated and winners will be announced at a virtual celebration on November 18.

Over the years, several Niagara College alumni have been recognized with Premier’s Awards, including:

• 2014 winner Royal Canadian Navy Capt. Rebecca Patterson (Nursing grad, 1987);
• 2012 winner David Pratt (Greenhouse Technician grad, 2007);
• 2011 winner Jerry Howell (Computer Engineering Technology grad, 1988);
• 2008 winner Jordan Harris (Winery and Viticulture Technician grad, 2004);
• 2003 winner Heather Kilty (Social Welfare Worker grad, 1969); and
• 1995 winner Carol Alaimo (Journalism-Print grad, 1984).

For information about the Premier’s Awards and 2021 nominees, visit co-awards.org.

Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine science, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. Visit niagaracollege.ca.

More about Niagara College’s 2021 Premier’s Awards nominees

Aaron Foster (Apprenticeship)

Executive Chef, W Hotel, and graduate of NC’s Culinary Management (Co-op) program (2003)

Aaron Foster is executive chef at the new W Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, where he oversees two restaurants headed up by New York celebrity chef Andrew Carmellini and helps to generate revenue of more than $30 million. Earlier in his career, he was named best new chef by an influential Thai magazine when he worked in the Red Sky Restaurant at the Centara Grand Hotel. Under his leadership, Red Sky was also named best new restaurant. Foster has accomplished much, all with a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which he speaks about openly in an effort to support young cooks facing similar challenges.

View Alumni Spotlight on Aaron Foster here.

Lora Tisi (Business)

International retail strategist, and graduate of NC’s Fashion Arts program (1979)

Throughout her career, Lora Tisi has tapped into the emotions and memories of the consumer, helping to grow emerging fashion retailers into popular name brands. In the mid-1980s, she grew Northern Reflections into an iconic Canadian brand, rising from buyer to company president in just 13 years. She then led American Eagle Outfitters in Canada, launching 46 stores in 108 days, and grew RW&CO’s market for men by recruiting Montreal Canadiens hockey player P.K. Subban as a model. She also established an Indigenous ambassador in model Ashley Callingbull for the brand. More recently, Tisi became a board member for the Indigenous Advanced Education Skills Council (IAESC), which works to address the low graduation rate among Indigenous youth, and was appointed to Niagara College’s Board of Governors earlier this year.

View Alumni Spotlight on Lora Tisi here.

Monique Belair (Community Services)

Director of Emergency Services and Fire Chief, City of Belleville, and graduate of NC’s Law and Security Administration program (1985)

Monique Belair is the City of Belleville’s Director of Emergency Services and Fire Chief. Throughout her career in a traditionally male-dominated field, Belair has risen the ranks and worked diverse posts, including fire suppression, communications, training and education, investigation, and fire prevention. She spent seven years working in the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office, and was Deputy Fire Chief for both the St. Catharines and Oakville fire departments. In 2019, she established Camp Molly, a program that aims to empower and educate young women to want to explore a career in the fire services, just like she did when she enlisted in the Canadian Forces Fire Academy at the age of 19.

View Alumni Spotlight on Monique Belair here.

Mark Suknanan / Priyanka (Creative Arts and Design)

Entertainer, first winner of Canada’s Drag Race (2020), and graduate of NC’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program (2012)

When Mark Suknanan walked into an audition for the first edition of Canada’s Drag Race dressed as Priyanka, he knew his life was going to change. Weeks later, Priyanka walked off the reality television show set as its first winner. More than that, Priyanka was the first drag queen of Indo-Caribbean descent to win in the worldwide Drag Race franchise and the first drag queen featured on the front cover of Elle Magazine. All of it followed 10 years of hard work to become a hugely popular correspondent on the YTV kids’ show, The Zone.

View Alumni Spotlight on Mark Suknanan here.

Kevin Smith (Health Science)

Chief of Niagara Emergency Medical Services, Director of Emergency Services Division, and graduate of NC’s Ambulance and Emergency Care program (1992)

Throughout his career, Kevin Smith, Chief of Niagara Emergency Medical Services, has prioritized community need. A shining example is the Mobile Integrative Health Program that Smith developed, which has become a provincial model for a new type of emergency care. The program was established after calls to Niagara EMS started reaching unmanageable levels, taking a toll on paramedics and the health system. To solve the problem, Smith partnered paramedics with mental health practitioners or occupational therapists, who would go into the community to assess the needs of frequent callers and connect them with the right resources. The province invested $8.2 million in the program this year. Smith, whose career spans more than three decades, is also a member of Niagara College’s Board of Governors.

View Alumni Spotlight on Kevin Smith here.

Ryan Thorpe (Recent Graduate)

Investigative reporter at the Winnipeg Free Press, and graduate of NC’s Journalism program (2017)

As a young reporter with the Winnipeg Free Press, Ryan Thorpe went undercover and infiltrated a neo-Nazi group just two years after graduating from NC’s Journalism program. He broke the story and followed the case as the group’s leader was sentenced recently in the U.S. The dangerous work earned Thorpe prestigious professional awards and nominations, national and international media attention, anda CBC podcast called White Hot Hate, a six-part series following the case from Thorpe’s perspective as an infiltrator. All of this followed winning a National Newspaper Award for his writing about drug use and gang violence in Winnipeg, where he continues to chase important and challenging stories that tap into his interest in social justice issues.

View Alumni Spotlight on Ryan Thorpe here.

Wanito Bernadin (Technology)

Chief Information Officer, National Capital Commission of Canada, and graduate of NC’s Business Administration – Marketing (Co-op) program (2003)

As the Chief Information Officer for the National Capital Commission of Canada, Wanito Bernadin oversees heritage buildings, agriculture facilities, infrastructure, including bridges and parklands, and the six official residences in Canada’s capital, Ottawa. His mandate is to ensure the nation’s capital is a source of pride for all Canadians. Bernadin is known for his public speaking and people skills, and has a talent for bringing out the best in his staff. He volunteers in his community, counselling members of his church and feeding and caring for people living in challenged communities within Ottawa.

View Alumni Spotlight on Wanito Bernadin here.

Photo: Collage: Niagara College has nominated seven members of its alumni community, which is more than 100,000 strong, for 2021 Premier’s Awards.