all photos courtesy of Neil Ta.

Read more about our award winners below:

The Service Excellence Awards:

Presented to our unsung heroes—those whom the department simply could not do without.

Facilities & Services

Andrzej Kosiorek, Caretaker, Caretaking

F&S would like to recognize Andrzej Kosiorek with a Service Excellence award for over 25 years of hard work with the University. After joining U of T as a Caretaking service worker, Andrzej was promoted to caretaker, where he supports morning and day shift operations. An energetic, dedicated team player, Andrzej’s proactivity and commitment to customer care make him an invaluable member of staff. He consistently seeks new improvements and efficiencies, embracing technology and overhauling project workflows to achieve greater results—and his affable, kind demeanour have made him a pleasure to work with throughout his many years of service.

Blair Gallant, Sheetmetal Worker, Trades Services

F&S would like to recognize Blair Gallant with a Service Excellence award for his years of hard work with the University. As a sheetmetal worker with Trades Services, Blair emphasizes superb customer communication, completing work safely and on schedule. His purview extends to scoping (and manufacturing duct work), as well as drip trays, custom HVAC components—all of which keep our campus appropriately climate controlled. A true collaborator, Blair is appreciated by his own teammates and the other trades which he works.

Christie Anderson, Administrative Assistant, Building Services, Grounds & Trades, and Sustainability & Energy Management

F&S would like to recognize Christie Anderson with a Service Excellence award for her invaluable and diverse administrative support to different F&S teams. Christie embodies dedication—jumping in to support any initiative with enthusiasm. She embraces hard work and is genuinely motivated to do her best in all she does. Her organizational skills are impeccable; she never loses track of deadlines and proactively follows up to ensure the team is progressing. Christie leverages her educational background in environmental science to advance U of T’s sustainability mandate and has significantly contributed to business continuity planning and various office projects. Christie’s teammates celebrate and value her can-do attitude, positivity, and her problem-solving work ethic as a mainstay of the office.

Peter Domjancic, Journeyman, Control Technicians

F&S would like to recognize Peter Domjancic with a Service Excellence award for nearly three years of exemplary work with the University. As a subject matter expert with Honeywell controls, Peter is a wealth of essential knowledge and supports of U of T’s extensive automation portfolio across a vast range of buildings and projects. A collaborative, engaged professional, Peter is always ready to assist his teammates and go above and beyond to provide technological enhancements. He is solutions-focused and creative, always seeking new efficiencies, innovations, and developments to advance the University’s mission. Peter is most deserving of this award.

Ronald Shakespeare, Property Manager, Property Management

Facilities & Services would like to recognize Ron Shakespeare with a Service Excellence Award for more than five years of integral work, consistently demonstrating dedication, skill, and a strong commitment to the F&S mission—and that of the University at large. His U of T journey has been marked by multiple large-scale renovation, maintenance, and capital projects as property manager for the Faulty of Law, the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, and the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Ron is known for his easygoing nature and his winning sense of humour; we are excited to watch his continued success.

Information Services

Deyves Fonseca stepped up this year to be our Acting Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). He embodies true excellence in service. His leadership during a significant security breach was nothing short of remarkable. Deyves not only safeguarded our systems but also fostered strong relationships across the organization. His comprehensive cyber programs have garnered incredible participation, making him our “could not be without” person. Deyves Fonseca’s unwavering commitment to security and IT@UofT collaboration sets an inspiring example for all.

Mladen Stojanovic stands out as the epitome of service excellence at the University of Toronto. His exceptional leadership and compassionate approach have been instrumental in navigating ITS through challenging times. Mladen’s innovative strategies and ethical guidance have not only enhanced our cybersecurity resilience but also fostered a culture of accountability and respect. His unwavering support and positive influence have made him indispensable, truly our “could not be without” person. Mladen’s impact is a testament to his dedication and visionary outlook, making him an exemplary nominee for the Service Excellence Award.

Planning & Budget

Andy Chien, Business Intelligence Developer

Andy has been an outstanding member of the Planning & Budget team since he joined in 2007, focusing on developing and supporting innovative technology solutions to improve the way we manage and access critical data on planning and budgeting to support decision making. He consistently demonstrates outstanding performance as a BI Developer on the Planning Analytics team and his dedication, expertise, and commitment to excellence has significantly contributed to the success of the team and the University as a whole. Each project has its own unique technical challenges and Andy meets these challenges by thoughtfully considering the problems, the needs of key stakeholders, testing, consulting with team members, and delivering accurate data based on source data sets and stakeholder requirements. Many of these projects have required strong partnerships with peer P&B and EASI teams to ensure success – including his work with EASI to improve data quality in both the Enrolment Count and Degrees Awarded datasets and his ongoing work to supply data to support planning work in P&B and divisions across the University. Andy’s reputation as a collaborative colleague on these projects is unparalleled.

Spaces & Experiences

Meriem Ali, Catering Coordinator, Food Services

Meriem has been an employee of the University since July 2016. Much of that time, has been within the Catering and Event Services department, in late 2022 taking on the role of Catering Coordinator, with primary responsibility for St. George Catering. Meriem brings huge amounts of professionalism to her role, tempered with a wry sense of humour, which makes her a delight to have in the office. Always ready to pitch in an assist where required, it would not be unusual to see Meriem assisting a coworker in the office, putting a gathering together on the loading dock, or jumping on with a driver to make sure an order is delivered with service excellence. Meriem also consistently provides outstanding customer service to her clients. She is sensitive to the varying levels of comfort and experience that St. George Catering customers have in planning events. To those who are working in unfamiliar territory, Meriem is provides them with expert guidance and advice, while ensuring the customer still feels that they have a hand on the tiller. To those clients that she has worked with since the inception of St. George Catering, Meriem provides a sense of continuity, and great ease in the knowledge that she understands their needs and wants. Meriem holds herself to a high standard. She is beyond dependable, and professional. She is a great role model to other staff, and a wonderful, collaborative member of the Catering and Event Services team.

Jerry Cabral, Maintenance Technician, University Family Housing

Jerry has made a measurable impact over the last 24 years as a skilled and committed maintenance technician with University Family Housing. His technical expertise along with his passion has supported the UFH community greatly during his time here. This includes his strong leadership which was particularly noticeable during the pandemic. Jerry is always willing to go above and beyond to overcome maintenance challenges. The role Jerry plays as a front facing, client service provider is essential to our operation and his excellent work is noticed by our residents regularly. Whether it’s thank you emails or positive comments received through the tenant survey, Jerry’s work and professionalism is always appreciated and a big reason tenant satisfaction with maintenance services provided is near 98% positive. The University Family Housing maintenance program remained 24/7 during the pandemic, and Jerry’s work and dedication throughout that period helped maintain a very high level of resident satisfaction, and ultimately a good living experience. His contribution to the University Family Housing is noticeable and appreciated by residents and our team.

Richard Aminez, Maintenance Technician, University Family Housing

Richard Aminez is committed to maintaining a high level of satisfaction with the maintenance program at University Family Housing. Richard’s skills and commitment to the University Family Housing community is admirable. Richard’s high-level ability to balance the ongoing demands of a maintenance technician while remaining positive has truly inspired and motivated others on our team. He shows up everyday ready to tackle maintenance challenges with a positive outlook. Richard is always willing to go the extra mile to help find solutions and maintain a positive environment. Even when the operations suffered staffing shortages, Richard was willing to change his regular evening shifts to morning shifts to help with the daily workload and to maintain high service levels for the community. The University Family Housing maintenance program remained 24/7 during the pandemic, and Richard’s effort and attitude throughout that period helped maintain a very high level of resident satisfaction. He plays a large role in providing a good living experience for the residents at University Family Housing.

Michelle Thi Tran, Housing Admissions Assistant, University Family Housing

Michelle Thi Tran does exemplary work in the front-line service role of Housing Admissions Assistant within University Family Housing. Michelle continues to show exceptional dedication and empathy in managing the complexities of student accommodations, particularly in addressing rent arrears with a compassionate approach. She consistently goes above and beyond by proactively offering financial resources to student tenants and connecting them to university support services to help navigate financial challenges. Michelle often meets with student families in person, providing a personal touch that ensures each tenant feels heard and supported. Michelle’s diligent efforts in maintaining open lines of communication and her meticulous attention to the sensitive nature of this task significantly contributes to a positive and supportive housing culture while balancing the operational needs of University Family Housing. Michelle embodies the core values of our institution, making her an invaluable asset to our team.

The OREP Impact Award

The Impact Award has been designed to recognize individuals or teams who, above and beyond their regular roles and responsibilities, have developed, revised or implemented a system, tool, process, initiative or program, which concluded in the last calendar year, that had a positive impact within their unit or portfolio, or across the University. The new Impact Award replaces the previous Outstanding Individual Employee and Outstanding Staff Team Awards.

To be considered for the award, the nominee must have made an impact in at least one of the following ways:

• enhanced service delivery;
• created efficiencies;
• enhanced productivity;
• supported sustainability efforts;
• enhanced the university environment and/or experience; or
• decreased organizational risks

Impact Award Winners (Individual) 2024

Peter Kita, Electrician-Foreman, F&S

Peter has showcased unparalleled dedication and ownership of our electrical distribution system, consistently going above and beyond to ensure its seamless operation. Peter’s meticulous and thorough approach to his work has resulted in a significant reduction in impactful electrical shutdowns across our campus. His proactive strategies and attention to detail have led to enhanced service delivery to our clients, ensuring uninterrupted access to essential electrical power. Peter’s commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of his work. He demonstrates exceptional problem-solving skills, quickly identifying and addressing potential issues before they escalate. His proactive efforts have not only minimized downtime but have also optimized the efficiency and reliability of our electrical infrastructure. Peter is always our first choice when it comes to planning for complex and critical shutdowns that impact our research-intensive partners on campus. Recent complex shutdowns affecting the Medical Sciences Building, and departments such as Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Chemistry, and Cell & System Biology; could not have been successful without Peter’s sustained efforts during planning, execution and closeout. Moreover, Peter’s leadership qualities shine through in his ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues and stakeholders across various departments. He fosters a culture of teamwork and accountability, inspiring others to uphold the same high standards of excellence. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the university community, I wholeheartedly endorse Peter for this award. His unwavering dedication, professionalism, and commitment to excellence make him an exemplary candidate worthy of recognition and celebration.

Ekaterini Kakarelis, Service Worker Caretaking, F&S

Ekaterini is a hard worker who excels at everything she does. She’s always pleasant with the clients and an excellent team player. She quietly completes her tasks and is frequently complimented by clients of her service. Ekaterini began working at the University of Toronto as a Service Worker in the Caretaking Department 24 years ago.Ekaterini has a strong work ethic that she has demonstrated throughout her many years of service. She is very proud of her work, goes above and beyond to ensure customers satisfaction, and cheerfully responds to any special requests. She’s always willing to pitch in and assist with anything, going above and beyond in her daily tasks to make every day a better day for students and staff. Her dedication, loyalty, and commitment to the University Community have not gone unappreciated. On behalf of the Caretaking Department, Facility & Services, we would like to thank Ekaterini for her exceptional efforts over the course of her many years of service.

Carley Ann Moffatt, Communications Operator, Campus Safety, F&S

Carley consistently demonstrates an unparalleled commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our university community. Her dedication, professionalism, and exceptional communication skills make her an invaluable asset to our team.Carley’s unwavering dedication to her role is evident in every aspect of her work. She goes above and beyond to ensure that all computer aided dispatch protocols are updated in an effective and timely manner providing vital information to students, faculty, and staff when they need it most. Her proactive approach to identifying potential safety concerns and addressing them swiftly has undoubtedly contributed to the overall safety and security of our campus. Moreover, Carley’s outstanding communication skills are a cornerstone of her success in this role. She possesses a unique ability to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner, ensuring that recipients fully understand standard operating procedures or protocols. Whether through written communications (e-mail), phone calls, or in-person interactions, Carley consistently demonstrates empathy, professionalism, and a genuine concern for the well-being of communications centre staff and the overall success of Campus Safety within a civilian capacity. Beyond her day-to-day responsibilities, Carley actively seeks out opportunities to improve communications processes and protocols by making changes and updating our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software. She is always willing to collaborate with colleagues, share best practices, and implement innovative solutions to enhance the effectiveness of our Campus Safety efforts. In summary, Carley Ann Moffat is an exceptional individual whose dedication, professionalism, and outstanding communication skills make her an indispensable member of the University of Toronto Campus Safety Communications Centre team. I wholeheartedly believe that she is deserving of recognition for her exemplary contributions to Campus Safety, and I am honored to nominate her for this award.

Nimo Ahmed, Cafeteria Worker, Food Services, Spaces & Experiences

New College Lemonade Wonder !! – Recently we started serving some home-made lemonade at New College, which quickly became a hit with the students. I have attached a sample email from one of the students but we have also received countless verbal appreciation. The whole enterprise was her initiative from initial conversation she had with me about this idea to the fruition of the concept. Once the initial support of the resources was provided, Nimo took complete charge of the execution, implementation, creating and producing the product to the final service to the students. Not only did she have a positive impact on the student experience but also made significant impact on the revenues. She had truly gone above and beyond her role and responsibility to provide an amazing experience to the students. I want to take this opportunity to nominate her for VPOREP Individual Impact Award ‘24 to encourage her, to show the management’s appreciation and to encourage other team members to model her in their own ways. Nimo has truly ‘enhanced service delivery’ at New College because of her zesty and citrus initiative. The impact of this initiative has been so substantial that we are considering making this part of our Food Service offerings at New College for the 2024-2025 academic session starting end of August. I do want to add that last December before the closure we took the initiative to create a festive environment in the dining hall- the whole team came together beautifully to execute but Nimo just exceeded my expectations and her contribution was invaluable in creating a comforting and welcoming environment for the students.

Jose Manuel Lopez Lujan, Manager, Servers, Storage & Virtualization, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions, ITS

Nominated in recognition of José’s exceptional efforts in developing a billing application which has significantly streamlined Telecom’s operations and enhanced our service delivery. Operating as a self-funded entity, the Telecom department functions on a cost recovery model. This means that it proactively manages its finances by covering initial expenses, such as payments to vendors for services and equipment, before recuperating these costs from more than 500+ various departments and faculties it serves within the university. In 2022, Telecom was assigned the mandate to transition its VoIP phone service to MS Teams phone. The prerequisite for the project’s success was a functional billing program. Before initiating the planning phase, it was crucial to confirm the feasibility of a solution that wouldn’t require years of development. Therefore, we sought assistance from José to address this critical requirement. With remarkable foresight and technical expertise, José designed a system that automates the entire billing process for Telecom’s MS Teams phone service, from calculating charges, sending invoices, to issuing credits with seamless efficiency. This automation not only saves time and resources but also ensures accuracy and consistency in our financial transactions. It has helped minimize human error, standardize procedures, and improved overall service quality and strengthen our relationships with clients and stakeholders. One of the most impressive aspects of José’s billing program is its versatility and user-friendliness. The program empowers the Telecom team with the ability to effortlessly manage various aspects of user subscriptions, including adding new licenses, canceling subscriptions, editing account/user information, and even transferring users between accounts. José’s solution has revolutionized our workflow, allowing us to adapt quickly to the constant change requests coming from the U of T community. Furthermore, José’s billing program offers invaluable reporting capabilities, enabling us to generate comprehensive account summary reports with a simple click of a button. This feature provides us with valuable insights into the migration status, billing trends, and historical invoice details of our clients. The Individual Impact award is meant to recognize outstanding effort that is “above and beyond” a person’s normal duties. Give that building billing applications isn’t actually part of José’s job description, it is truly remarkable that he both willing and able to provide such a comprehensive solution in his “spare” time. In appreciation of his outstanding contributions to the Microsoft Teams Phone Project, I wholeheartedly endorse José for the Individual VPOREP Impact Awards. José’s dedication to excellence and his tireless commitment to innovation have significantly contributed to the success of our department. He has been an invaluable asset to this project from its inception, and we consider ourselves very fortunate to have him as a colleague. Thank you for considering José for this well-deserved recognition.

Jeffery Moore, Senior Catering Supervisor, Food Services, Spaces & Experiences

Jeff is the Senior Catering Supervisor and is responsible for the customer service side of St. George Catering. In the almost 2 years that Jeff has been part of the team, he has radically modified the St. George systems to significantly reduce delivery issues and improve productivity. In the post-pandemic era, the catering business as changed dramatically. This is true in the broader marketplace, and on the UofT Campus as well. Our clients are less likely hold in-person meetings, and when they do, they are greatly reduced in scope. This could have had a deleterious impact on our business. However, with excellent service, and flexibility in our model, the St. George Catering team have managed to stave off the negative impacts and continue to grow our client base. Jeff’s impact is clear in this growth. Developing excellent relationships with clients old and new, and providing staff training to ensure the service levels are consistently meeting and exceeding our clients’ expectations. Jeff understands well that nurturing these relationships is critical to the sustainability of our operations. Ann Vuletin – Coordinator of the GPLLM program at the Faculty of Law – in a letter supporting Jeff’s nomination stated, “Jeff and his team have made catering for our program absolutely seamless… Jeff’s ability to take initiative and be proactive in finding solutions to issues that arise has been such a critical advantage to our community and has improved the quality of our class weekends”. She went on to say that “It is my opinion that Jeff’s qualities… in addition to his extensive experience in hospitality make him the prefect candidate for the VP OREP Impact Award”.Brenda Registe – Alumni Development Officer at New College – a longtime supporter of St. George Catering commented that “Jeff has demonstrated superb management and leadership skill with his team, and this strong leadership has resulted in remarkable enhancement of our events”. Additionally, Brenda stated that “having the full support of professionals like Jeff, who come alongside us to help ensure the smooth execution of events is invaluable”. I am so very pleased to be able to nominate Jeff for this prestigious award. We believe that an associate’s true value should not be measured in single events, but in the totality of their contributions. Jeff makes this workplace better for our stakeholders every day that he is part of our team.

Rajko Jakovic, Senior Manager, Project Development, UPDC

For several years it has been a goal within the Project Development & Controls team to streamline the procurement processes affiliated with Level 1 projects (those that are less than $10M in total project cost). On a yearly average, these projects represent about 50% of the total project volume (by count) that come through the group and represent approximately $50 million in cumulative total project cost per year. Despite managing a heavy and complicated day-to-day workload, Rajko volunteered himself to lead the creation and management of a Vendor of Record (VOR) process. Rajko researched precedents and composed a bespoke RFSQ that strategically targeted three building programs that covered the vast majority of the Level 1 project type. The call was issued publicly to the design consultant community and yielded over 50 submissions, a record response. This level of interest is a clear indication of the University’s attractiveness as a client, but also a reflection of the quality of the material that was issued! With so many submissions, Rajko managed and coordinated an extremely complicated evaluation process, ultimately leading to the successful shortlisting of architects in the three building programs. Front to back, the process took 6 months and represents a significant time commitment made on his part. This VOR is now in use. It is yielding significant efficiencies, enhancing the team’s overall productivity and decreasing organizational (procurement) risk. PD&C is now better positioned to serve its clients even faster than they already were. We are likewise seeking ways to share this shortlist with other OREP groups such as F&S Property Management and Infrastructure Planning & Implementation (IPI) so as to broaden the positive impact of this significant effort.

Denise Ann Rose, Manager, Fire Prevention Services, F&S

Since joining U of T in 2023, Denise has already made a significant impact on the University’s Fire Prevention Services, bringing with her more than 20 years’ experience with the London Fire Department. Denise oversees the day-to-day operations of the Fire Prevention Services team, whose portfolio includes 140 buildings. Her responsibilities include inspections, fire alarm response, construction projects, fire safety education and ensuring the campus complies with provincial regulations. She also supervises the sprinkler fitter team. This past year alone, Denise and her team conducted 119 fire drills on campus, with routine fire drills taking place every three months in residences. She also oversaw 120 annual inspections of University sites and properties. Thanks to her decades of experience, Denise knows the nuances and details of the Ontario Fire Code like the back of her hand; this has allowed her to ensure no regulatory compliance gaps exist at U of T. Her passion for training and education surrounding fire safety extends to all facets of her work, demonstrated by her plans to establish important training modules for fire safety in labs, daycares, and kitchens on the St. George campus. Denise has been instrumental in implementing and updating existing systems, removing barriers to access for U of T community members and ushering in new processes that will shape the future of fire prevention on campus. She implemented a Fire Watch procedure, which allows additional oversight to take place in the event of system failures or planned shutdowns due to maintenance. This ensures that there are no more gaps in the University’s fire prevention coverage at any time. Furthermore, she is currently onboarding her sprinkler fitters to use the computerized maintenance management system, enabling improved and more efficient management and documentation of our sprinkler and hydrant maintenance. This means better and more efficient work, documentation, and adherence to timelines. Most recently, Denise was a central proponent of the University’s move to increase access to smudging and other Indigenous ceremonies involving smoke and fire. During this rollout process, Denise worked tirelessly with Indigenous community and event organizers to pilot new guidelines and a new process, alongside key stakeholders from the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. These efforts facilitated more than 75 ceremonies over the past year. Denise was an essential driving force for this big step forward, bringing in Fire Watch to help reduce barriers to ceremonies while maintaining a commitment to safety and clear communication. While overseeing U of T Fire Prevention Services, Denise has worked to incorporate her learnings from across the sector; this includes a commitment to continual outreach and engagement efforts. She led her team in implementing a new fire extinguisher training process for students, staff, and faculty, which includes both in-person and online courses. In the fall of 2023, she conceived of and executed the University’s first Fire Prevention Week; the event was a huge success, featuring fire extinguisher training and educational booths on campus, as well as games and prizes to the delight of participants. Denise also continually pushes for the development of improved web resources related to fire prevention, and enthusiastically advocates for increasing the quality of communications surrounding this important topic with more thorough, consistent, and frequent service alerts about fire prevention activities, and the design of improved, more accessible signage across campus. Coworkers laud Denise’s positive attitude and spirit of exploration, particularly notable in a field typified by work that can be at once dangerous and routine. Her attention to detail, her good humour, and her willingness to adopt new technologies and means of outreach make her a key ambassador for the Facilities & Services team, and the University at large. She is a leader in our community, actively involving herself in the University discourse to keep fire safety at the forefront of the conversation surrounding the on-campus experience at U of T St. George.

Jesse Beard, Information Security & Privacy Analyst, ITS

Jesse has delivered value to the University by performing consistently high-quality information security risk assessments for over seven years. With a profound grasp of information security risk management and a keen awareness of the University’s environment, he adeptly identifies security risks that could impact the University. His insights enable him to provide valuable guidance to community members on effective risk management strategies. Jesse’s dedication to his work is evident in the fact that during a 6-month period, when the team was without a manager, he stepped up to take on more responsibility to ensure the team’s product quality remained high while diligently managing his own workload. In the course of his work, Jesse engages with community members in a friendly and helpful manner, often sprinkling interactions with humor. Here are some notable highlights showcasing how Jesse has contributed value to the community: ensured continuity of the risk assessment service by stepping up to fill resource gaps: For 6 months, the Information Security Risk Management team was without a manager, and for 3 months of that time, down to two staff. During this time, Jesse ensured the team continued to deliver quality security risk assessments for the community. He effectively managed capacity challenges by prioritizing higher risk assessments, while still providing advice for lower risk assessments. He also made sure that the quality of assessments was not adversely impacted by continuing to guide and review the work of other team members.

Reduced risk for the university by enabling critical services:

Web application vulnerability assessments: Jesse leads this service, conducting assessments as new web services are set up or existing services are upgraded. This includes assessments for critical systems such as RedCap that enables sensitive research surveys. Jesse provides the context that is needed to understand the intricacies of the report, and particularly shines in guiding people to focus on critical areas that need attention. Jesse has completed hundreds of these vulnerability assessments, reducing the likelihood of compromise of web services. His amiable demeanor encourages people to ask questions which he responds to with ease and confidence. His approach has been very effective in educating people in security best practices, leading to continuous improvement.

Vendor and Project Information Risk Assessment Service: Information risk assessments are not glamorous and can be rather tedious. The team receives multiple assessments every week, each being unique and needing thoughtful analysis. Jesse has completed more than 300 assessments. He has tackled each of them with diligence, thoughtfulness, and humility, bringing in humour to lighten the workload of his team. He provides feedback and advice in a friendly manner. Through each interaction, he has helped educate community members, enabling them to make more risk-informed decisions. His advice is insightful and thoughtful, demonstrating his wealth of knowledge, deep understanding of the university environment and ability to critically analyze risk. This goes a long way in reducing information security risk.

Created efficiencies by improving existing processes: Jesse helped set up a tracking system for risk assessments. This has helped streamline the intake process, enabling the team to better track incoming and completed assessments. He has also been instrumental in creating a triage process for risk assessments. The goal with the triage process is to ensure time spent on completing risk assessments is commensurate with the level of risk involved. This will enable the team to focus efforts on higher risk areas and create greater value for the community.

Michael Laurentius, Research Information Security Specialist, ITS

Michael stands out as a valuable member of the Research Information Security Program. His unique ability to bridge the gap between researchers and information security ecosystems is commendable. He not only comprehends the needs of both parties but also translates complex security concepts into practical solutions that resonate with researchers. He created a self-service resource so researchers and other stakeholders can find answers for themselves to many of their questions. He stepped up to review hardware vendors for critical projects at the University of Toronto (UofT), ensuring a new project that impacts many researchers was not delayed. Michael demonstrates unwavering commitment to all stakeholders at the UofT. Driven by his passion for better security at the University, he led an effort to provide password managers to students, staff, and faculty. He knew this would encourage better security practices and result in lifelong habits that can protect community members from malicious attempts to compromise their accounts. Overall, Michael approaches any task with thoughtfulness and intelligence, amplifying the effectiveness of the Research Information Security Program. Demonstrated strong leadership and commitment to stakeholders. A password manager is a very important personal protection mechanism, one that protects individual’s professional and personal accounts, but it is hard to decide what to use. Michael took leadership and ownership for finding out which password manager was best suited for students, faculty and staff. He built the business case and drove the process through to negotiating an agreement that covers faculty and staff use and includes any (and all) students for four years after they start using the password manager. He continues to drive that the password manager is intended for the community first and that administrative use is secondary to providing this protection to all stakeholders. Exemplary commitment to excellence and to collaboration. The Information Security handbook is described as “a self-service resource providing you with short, practical pages filled with actionable steps and other supports related to common cyber security questions and requirements.” Michael has led this initiative and collaborated with many stakeholders including the library, the research ethics board, researchers, information security peers, research security peers to decide and write self-help pages. He consulted nationally and internationally to decide which platform would best meet requirements, and went beyond meeting with the platform provider to make the university one of the first they gave a vanity domain. His exemplary commitment to excellence and attention to detail working resulted in an excellent resource that will continue to grow. Innovation to create a resource that will validate what level of data institutional infrastructure is trusted for. Michael delved deep into the Information Security Framework for institutional infrastructure, and innovated to provide a spreadsheet that can be used reproducibly across the university. The spreadsheet guides IT staff or research faculty on how to apply security controls to the institutional infrastructure they manage, while also capturing how they are meeting controls, and to quickly determine what else they need to do store more sensitive data. The multi-functional uses of self-learning and self-vetting plus capturing data to allow others at UofT to validate the results will allow UofT to transparently display which infrastructure may be used for what type of data

Steven Moore, Staff Sergeant, Campus Safety, F&S

Steve has been a valued and respected member of Campus Safety Special Constable Service for three years, joining the University after serving as a sergeant with the Toronto Police Service for three decades. As a staff sergeant, he is tasked with ensuring officers are answering calls efficiently and professionally. This responsibility highlights some of Steve’s most notable traits: his compassion and empathy. Steve holds himself and his team accountable—but he does so calmly, with kindness and clarity. Over the past year, Steve has increasingly taken on a leadership role within Campus Safety, mentoring his staff and encouraging them to be more proactive in their careers with the University. One of the corporals under his supervision was recently promoted to staff sergeant, a promotion that reflects Steve’s leadership abilities. He has coached and led numerous members of the team and urged them to grow in their roles and reach their full potential. Steve’s vast experience clearly has a positive impact on his teammates, who are often required to deal with challenging situations on campus. By prioritizing the mental health and wellbeing of his team, Steve continues to set precedent for the ways in which U of T approaches safety on the St. George campus, raising the bar by seeing the whole person and understanding the impact that their work has on the University community at large. Over the past year, Steve has stepped up to provide level-headed, compassionate leadership while working to deescalate tense, highly charged situations on campus—such as recent political protests. As a manager and teammate, Steve takes initiative, pursues constant improvement, and shows a deep confidence in his staff—which is repaid in turn. He is continually supportive of recruitment efforts, encouraging his teammates to attend fairs such as the Blueline Recruiting Expo. Off campus, Steve acts as an ambassador for U of T, upholding the standards of professionalism, respect, and competence for which Campus Safety is known. On Steve’s watch, U of T has spearheaded and explored several important, innovative programs, including the use of various documentation technologies to enhance transparency, accountability, and safety for Campus Safety operations. After overseeing a complex procurement process and selecting a vendor for one project, Steve managed camera installation and arranged for Campus Safety staff to be trained in their use for pilot programs. Even when faced with setbacks, Steve continues to be a champion in leading complex initiatives. His colleagues report an overwhelmingly positive response, with officers citing increased safety for them and their teammates (as well as the University population). Looking ahead, Steve recently introduced a K-9 trauma support dog program as part of Campus Safety’s offerings to the U of T population, further demonstrating Campus Safety’s commitment to and alignment with U of T’s overall mental health strategy. He is also the driving force behind a pilot body-worn camera project, proactively developing policies and procedures before formal implementation. Outside of work, Steve is a devoted family man. He is emblematic of the high standards to which U of T holds Campus Safety, and its staff as a whole. We unreservedly recommend Steve for the OREP Impact Award with the full weight of our endorsement on behalf of Facilities & Services and Campus Safety.

Impact Award Winners (Team) 2024

Secure Cloud Adoption with Azure Landing Zones and VirtualWAN (Systems and Solutions Group, EIS,ITS)

Team Members:

• Ashok Arokiaswamy
• Andrew Tomkins
• Lloyd Kwong
• Kevin Wong

Reason for Nomination:

The EIS SSG’s Azure Cloud team, in collaboration with the EIS Enterprise Networking team has transformed the way the University leverages cloud technologies. Through a strategic partnership with Microsoft, the cloud team has been instrumental in enabling the university’s successful adoption of cloud technologies over the past year. They spearheaded several critical initiatives that improved security, resilience, and research capabilities by engineering a robust cloud architecture and deploying enterprise-grade Azure Landing Zones, along with a dedicated Azure Virtual WAN environment tailored specifically for the University’s needs. By providing a secure, scalable, and accessible platforms, this transformative initiative has not only equipped divisions with the tools and guidance necessary to harness the potential of cloud-based technologies for local operations but has also facilitated the establishment of an enterprise-scale cloud environment with a focus on security and efficiency. This nomination seeks to recognize their extraordinary contributions and achievements in enhancing service delivery, creating efficiencies, and elevating the University’s technological landscape.

Specific Achievements and Impact:

They spearheaded several critical initiatives that yielded substantial business impact leveraging technology for academic and administrative excellence.

• Designing and Implementing Azure Landing Zones with vWAN: The team designed and implemented Azure Landing Zones with Virtual WAN to provide a robust, reliable, and secure network connection from onpremises infrastructure to Azure. This significantly enhances data protection and compliance when working with sensitive data in the cloud.
• Establishing Geo-Redundant Disaster Recovery: Disaster recovery protections were bolstered enormously by leveraging Azure Application Gateway in vWAN to enable geo-redundant failover across regions for high priority university systems such as SAP. This proactive approach ensures business continuity in the face of unforeseen disruptions, safeguarding vital university mission-critical operations and data against potential risks.
• Onboarding Faculties and Divisions to Azure Landing Zones: The team’s efforts in assisting faculties and divisions in onboarding to Azure Landing Zones have empowered researchers and academic staff to leverage cloud capabilities effectively.
• Championing “Cloud for Research” Initiatives: By advocating for cloud adoption in research projects, the team has enabled researchers to harness advanced computational resources for time-sensitive projects
• Migration of IRDG’s Informatica Database to the Cloud: The team’s critical support in migrating IRDG’s Informatica database to the cloud has resulted in a smooth transition and improved performance, positioning this critical system for the future.
• Promoting Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration: In addition to their technical achievements, the team has promoted a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration within the university’s IT community. Through user community workshops and collaborative projects, they have fostered continuous learning and innovation, driving organizational excellence. Their commitment to collaboration and skill building strengthens cloud competencies university-wide.
• Alignment with Award Criteria:This project demonstrably fulfills the Impact Award criteria in the following ways:
  • Enhanced Service Delivery: The Azure Landing Zones and Virtual WAN environment provide a secure, scalable, and accessible foundation for deploying cloud-based services across the University. This empowers departments to leverage cloud technologies for improved efficiency and functionality in their operations.
  • Created Efficiencies: By establishing Azure vWAN as the central hub connecting the University to Azure, the team has optimized network connectivity and streamlined data flows and disaster recovery capabilities. The introduction of a university’s secondary Azure region in Canada East has bolstered redundancy measures, ensuring robust continuity planning and minimizing operational disruptions. Particularly, the implementation of Azure Application Gateway for SAP Disaster Recovery has fortified disaster recovery capabilities, enhancing overall system resilience and efficiency.
  • Enhanced Productivity: The team’s efforts have led to a marked increase in productivity university-wide. By championing Cloud for Research initiatives and facilitating researchers’ onboarding to Azure, the team has empowered researchers to leverage cloud resources for their time-sensitive projects effectively. Furthermore, their support for critical projects such as IRDG’s Informatica DB migration to the cloud has ensured uninterrupted connectivity and resource stability, enabling smooth transitions and minimizing downtime.
  • Supported Sustainability Efforts: By providing divisions with the tools and guidance necessary to harness cloud-based technologies efficiently, the team has contributed to the University’s long-term sustainability by promoting the adoption of resource-efficient and scalable IT solutions.
  • Enhanced University Environment and Experience: By fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration within the IT community, the team has not only elevated technological capabilities but has also contributed to a more cohesive and supportive work environment. Through their dedication to excellence, the team has positively impacted the University IT community’s overall atmosphere, fostering innovation and growth.
  • Decreased Organizational Risks: The team’s meticulous approach to security and efficiency has significantly decreased organizational risks. Through the establishment of robust security measures within the Azure Landing Zone architecture and Virtual WAN environment, the team has fortified the University’s data protection mechanisms, mitigating potential cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. Moreover, their focus on redundancy, business continuity and resilience in the face of unforeseen challenges has helped minimizing operational risks.

Service Delivery Process Transformations (Systems and Solutions Group, EIS, ITS)

Team Members:

• Vincenzo Borghese
• Esther M MacAdam

Reason for Nomination:

In 2023, the EIS SSG’s Customer Success and Service Delivery team embarked on a transformative initiative aimed at elevating the quality of service delivery and enhancing the client experience. Recognizing inherent challenges in the inefficient and convoluted request intake process, which led to delayed response times and a lack of follow-through on requests, as well as decreased staff productivity resulting from frequent context switching within ineffective workflows, the team took proactive measures to initiate a comprehensive process revamp. The SSG’s process transformation efforts were augmented through collaborative initiatives with various groups within the University community, where expertise and experience from our process improvement journey were shared. Additionally, the team played a key role in optimizing and enhancing institutional ESC functions and features, resulting in heightened efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. This nomination highlights SSG’s exceptional service orientation, innovative approach, and unwavering commitment to continuous improvement. Their collaborative efforts have resulted in the establishment of a more robust and efficient service delivery framework, contributing to increased staff productivity, and ultimately enriching the service experience for all stakeholders within the University community. Achievements and Impact: Strategically leveraging industry-standard tools such as ServiceNow, alongside methodologies like Agile and ITIL, the SSG significantly enhanced request processing efficiency and reduced bottlenecks. This concerted effort led to a remarkable 30% decrease in average resolution time. Furthermore, by cultivating a culture of shared responsibility and collaboration, the team significantly boosted productivity and sustainability, contributing to a positive university environment, and reduced organizational risks. These initiatives not only underscore the team’s exceptional commitment to service excellence but also highlight their consistent ability to exceed client expectations. This process improvement also played a significant role in empowering staff, enabling them to perform their duties more efficiently and effectively. Alignment with Award Criteria: The project aligns perfectly with the criteria for the Impact Award, as demonstrated by: Enhanced Service Delivery: The initiative led to a notable improvement in service delivery, characterized by streamlined processes (leveraging ServiceNow) and a 30% reduction in response times. Created Efficiencies: By implementing ServiceNow, ITIL, and Agile methodologies, the team effectively eliminated bottlenecks and optimized workflows, leading to substantial efficiency gains. Enhanced Productivity: The adoption of Agile principles for process improvement fostered a culture of shared responsibility and collaboration, resulting in increased productivity, the prompt delivery of high-quality services, and the empowerment of staff. Improved University Environment and Experience: The advancements in service delivery quality and responsiveness have significantly increased client satisfaction, contributing to a more welcoming and positive university environment for both clients and team members. Decreased Organizational Risks: By streamlining processes and adhering to best practices, the team effectively mitigated the risks associated with client dissatisfaction and potential service interruptions, thereby reducing organizational vulnerabilities.

Facts and Figures Project Redesign

Team Members:

• Asmaa Maloul
• Crystal Luu
• Shuping Liu
• Adrienne Kasiban
• Michael AY Green

Reason for Nomination:

The team was nominated for its outstanding work on the ‘Facts and Figures Redesign Project.’ This initiative aimed to overhaul the University’s public-facing reporting of key metrics, ensuring transparency, accuracy, and accessibility.

Project Description: The ‘Facts and Figures Redesign Project’ involved a comprehensive review of UofT’s existing metrics, which serves as a critical resource for both the general public, and UofT’s staff, faculty and students. The metrics presented in ‘Facts and Figures’ demonstrate the institution’s accountability across domains such as student success, research productivity, and operational excellence. However, the existing report had become outdated and inconsistent due to various divisional reports across campus.

Challenges Addressed:

• Outdated Content: The existing report needed a refresh to reflect current metrics and priorities.
• Inconsistencies: Divisional reports conflicted with ‘Facts and Figures’ in terms of methodology and/or included different metrics.
• User Experience: The report was published as a PDF document, making it challenging for users to navigate.
• Approach: The team embarked on a complex planning and implementation process, focusing on the following key steps:

Environmental Scan: Reviewed peer institutions’ public-facing sites to understand content and formatting expectations.

Comprehensive Metrics Review: Evaluated metrics across UofT’s domains to identify those most relevant to strategic priorities. Added or removed metrics as needed.

Methodology Standardization: Confirmed and standardized metric methodologies for consistent public reporting.

Format and User Experience: Transitioned from PDF reports to interactive dashboards and data visualizations; Directed users to more detailed reports where necessary.

Business Glossary: Documented metric definitions to ensure consistency.

Deliverables: The team successfully delivered a new set of interactive dashboards with approved methodologies for public reporting. These dashboards are now accessible on data.utoronto.ca.

The team collaborated extensively with units across the institution, aligning metrics with strategic priorities. Significant efforts were undertaken to design the dashboards and visualizations. Final dashboard reviews involved executives from each domain to ensure relevance. An annual process to review and revise metrics was also developed as part of the project.

Value to UofT:

Transparency and Accountability:

‘Facts and Figures’ now serves as the authoritative ‘front door’ for institutional data. It offers a high-level overview of key metrics, linking to detailed information.

Standardized Methodologies:

Consistent reporting supports UofT’s data governance goals.

Responsive Design:

The redesign reflects UofT’s commitment to excellence and user-friendly digital experiences.

The ‘Facts and Figures Redesign Project’ exemplifies the team’s dedication and impact to improving service delivery. Their work contributes significantly to UofT’s reputation and transparency.

Community of Institutional Researchers (CIR)

Team Members:

• Alexandra Agostino
• Helen Chang

Reason for Nomination:

Alex Agostino and Helen Chang in Planning & Budget were nominated for their leadership of the Community of Institutional Researchers (CIR). Alex and Helen took over co-chairing the CIR group in 2021 and since then have done an incredible job in growing the group and establishing it as a real community of practice for more than 200 staff across the University in academic and shared service portfolios. Their efforts here have gone beyond their regular work duties and demonstrate the leadership, initiative, and collaboration that the OREP portfolio prioritizes. The success of this group has not only supported the ongoing operations of IRDG projects around enhancing institutional data governance, but offered a space where front-line analysts and people-leaders from across the University can learn and share best-practices to the benefit of the whole institution.The work of Alex and Helen this past year (2023) has included co-ordinating three separate lunch-and-learn style events that brought together more than 100 participants at a time to hear talks from VPIUE, UTM, (Student Retention & Graduation), URO (Financial Need Navigator), and Faculty of Information (data analysis and communications). These events introduced the broader community to institution-wide data assets and projects, offered learning opportunities about project development, management, and implementation, explored the institution’s data infrastructure, and ways to enhance analysis and communication of large data sets. Helen and Alex did all the work to co-ordinate these events, including arranging speakers, organizing meetings, moderating the discussion, and after-meeting communications.Helen and Alex also take an active role in the CIR Teams group, which has become an active place where analysts can post questions, seek advice, learn about new projects, data developments, job opportunities, and share tips, tricks and hacks for working with the data at the University. As a community, the CIR – through Helen and Alex’s leadership and initiative – has played a central supporting role in the work of IRDG’s data governance efforts, including its priorities of communication and community-building. Helen and Alex have both directly fed into these efforts, participating on various working groups that have fed into the uData hub, and promoting uData through the CIR network as both information and to get volunteers to provide information, beta test, or otherwise support the site. I believe that Alex and Helen have demonstrated through their leadership of the CIR the excellence that the OREP awards were designed to recognize. And for neither of them is this a one off; it is part of an ongoing commitment to make working at UofT – and UofT itself – better.

Tri-Campus Harmonized Client-Architect Agreement Initiative

Team Members:

• Christine Kellowan
• Michael Clesle

Reason for Nomination:

The University Planning, Design and Construction team maintain a set of contract templates for a variety of consultant services and construction delivery methods. These contracts all carry University-authored supplementary general conditions (SGCs) that tailor the contracts to the specific strategic needs of the university. These contracts all tend to receive reviews and updates on a regular basis. In the case of the standard client-architect agreement, updates were occurring regularly, but the base contract itself was a long-expired version (from 2008) and its continued use was an increasing liability to the University. Christine Kellowan and Michael Clesle used this fact as an impetus to drive meaningful change. Christine being UPDC’s head legal counsel and Michael being PD&C’s primary client-architect contract expert, the two teamed up to modernize the contract by using the most recent base contract (2021) and rebuilding the supplementary general conditions from the ground up. Perhaps even more importantly, this process was undertaken within a broad tri-campus consultation process so as to create a consensus-based approach to using a single form of contract for architectural services across the facilities and construction teams of all three campuses. Until this initiative, each campus was using its own versions of the contract and it had often led to confusion within the consultant community and represented significant risk to the University due to contractual inconsistencies. The updating process ran over several months with Christine and Michael alternating in leadership roles. The net completed outcome was a comprehensive and streamlined new client-architect agreement that has been completely modernized and that is now in use as a standard document across all three campuses. Christine and Michael’s work is a fantastic example of collaboration and teamwork that has created new connections with our colleagues across the university, introduced increased efficiencies and decreased organizational risk for the UPDC portfolio and beyond.

Data Asset Inventory and Information Risk Self-Assessment (DAI-IRSA)

Team Members:

• Rishi Arora
• Kanupriya Kejriwal
• Jeffrey Waldman
• Kalyani Khati
• Kiren Handa
• Sue McGlashan

Reason for Nomination:

The Data Asset Inventory and Information Risk Self-Assessment (DAI-IRSA), a collaborative effort between Information Security and Data Governance, plays a pivotal role in managing risks to University’s data and digital assets. Over the past five years, DAI-IRSA has evolved into a cornerstone of the Information Security program. DAI-IRSA enables units to self-identify their security risks and develop action plans to mitigate these risks effectively. The DAI-IRSA team has worked to promote the program and increase participation from units through community engagement and outreach. Today 97 units participate in DAI-IRSA, with 80 units having completed their 2023-24 risk assessments. This program has been instrumental in driving risk-based decisions at both institutional and unit levels, allowing for strategic allocation of investments to maximize risk reduction. The impact of the program is evident in the fact that 57% of returning respondents this year improved their security maturity scores by more than 10%. During the 2023-24 cycle, the project team focused on evolving the program to drive holistic and ongoing risk management. The team released guidance for units to mature their risk management programs. This includes tools, templates, and best practices for creating risk registers, risk acceptance processes, and clearly defined risk management roles and responsibilities.

The project team made other significant enhancements, key among them being:

Platform migration: Migrated the risk self-assessment to a new platform specifically designed for information risk management, paving the way for future improvements to overall risk management capabilities. The team deftly managed and communicated the change, ensuring the transition was seamless for end users. Remarkably, this transition was successfully accomplished in less than six months.

Data asset guidance: Released new guidance for units to complete the data asset inventory, manage data assets and identify critical digital assets.

Better reporting: Created new reports summarizing risks and data assets within each unit, facilitating informed decision-making and prioritization.

Year after year, DAI-IRSA continues to raise awareness about accountability for information security risk management. It allows the University to collectively target areas for improvement, ensuring that our attention remains focused on what matters most in terms of safeguarding our data and maintaining a robust information security posture.

Given the tremendous value created by the DAI-IRSA program, the project team behind it deserves recognition for their outstanding work.

Security Awareness & Training (SAT) – Foundations project

Team Members:

• Raphaelle Gauriau
• John Kirk Stewart
• Luis Ernesto Alvarenga Coto
• Magdalene Osei
• Alex Lu
• Ahmad Sameem
• Brian Da Silva
• Ryan Lahti
• Ben Akhirevbulu

Reason for Nomination:

In March 2023, the project team successfully completed phase 2 of the SAT-Foundations project, a collaborative effort aimed at enhancing the information security knowledge of U of T staff, librarians, and faculty. The project has made significant strides, with the enrollment of 9,000 users from various units across the Tri-campus into the Security Awareness & Training platform. The team initiated monthly phishing simulations, achieving a click rate of 4% and a report phishing rate of 60%, surpassing the industry average. This accomplishment underscores the efficacy of training modules in equipping our community with the skills to identify and report phishing attempts.The team launched a customized U of T Report Phishing button, empowering the community to actively participate in maintaining information security. In collaboration with Medicine and OISE, the team developed two custom training modules on ‘How to report Phishing at U of T’ and ‘U of T Policies, Standards, and Guidelines’. The project has fostered a culture of security awareness at the University, as evidenced by the healthy competition among units. This spirit was celebrated during two recognition ceremonies held on September 26, 2023, and March 21, where the team honored units and their first users who completed the training. As of April, 45 units, including large divisions such as UTM, UTSC, Engineering, Arts & Science, have joined this initiative. To ensure the continued success of Security Awareness & Training at the University, the team established the Security Awareness & Training Champion program, which convenes every 2-3 months.

In summary, the SAT-Foundations project has been a resounding success, as demonstrated by:

• The participation and enrollment of users from more than 45 units
• The onboarding of approximately 9,000 staff and librarians onto the SAT platform
• The establishment of monthly phishing simulations as a baseline training tool
• The creation of a culture of security awareness, facilitated by various reward systems
• The organization of two recognition ceremonies, honoring 50 users and 31 units
• The establishment of the Security Awareness & Training Champion framework

This project encapsulates the vision of Information Security: We are Secure, Together! The nominated team members, supported by Ben Akhirevbulu (contractor), have done an exceptional job of driving this project and deserve this award for the value they have created for the community. Looking ahead, the team plans to expand training modules, increase user engagement, onboard faculty, and continue fostering a culture of security awareness at U of T.

Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus (SRIC) Readiness and Launch

Team Members:

• Patrick Leo Brennan
• Lionel Anderson Cooper
• Michael Wald
• Priscilla Guimaraes-Aviado
• Sarah Reid
• Nadine McHorgh

Reason for Nomination:

One of the crown jewels of the University’s recent large-scale construction projects, the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, represents a triumph of planning, design, and development for myriad reasons. Chief among them are the groundbreaking operational models that led to the project’s execution, along with the property’s unique identity as a commercial space on an academic campus. While this fact represents a great opportunity for U of T, it also presented many challenges—challenges that were handily met and overcome thanks to the SRIC Readiness team. Led by Patrick Brennan and Lionel Cooper, the SRIC Readiness team was tasked with determining how the design of the building would inform and relate to bringing in commercial tenants. Due to the reduced timeframe and pressures of the project, Patrick, Lionel, and the team needed to act quickly and finalize commissioning, resolve deficiencies, and ensure operational readiness nearly simultaneously. Because of the continually shifting and evolving industry design standards—and because those standards are different between commercial and academic spaces—the team was first required to determine exactly what would be needed for the first day of operations. The resulting critical path, created by Patrick, included everything from caretaking and security protocols to grounds maintenance standards and beyond. Michael Wald and Priscilla Guimaraes-Aviado provided critical direction and support to ensure the successful leasing of the SRIC space—25% of which is academic-focused space, while the remaining 75% is commercial. Challenged by an office market that has reached almost 20% vacancy after many years of a sub-3% market, their efforts are projected to result in a 90%+ leased building by the end of 2024. Notable tenants added by the leasing team include Vector, Novartis, Unilever, and Kibo Sushi.

Other critically important revenue generating space in the building includes the modern, state of the art conference space on the second floor, and the winter garden spaces on the 7^th and 10^th floors. Sarah Reid “shepherded” these spaces through the design and construction process, paying close attention to every detail to ensure that nothing was missed. Sarah also built out a new conference services team to support events in the building and has already navigated many logistical hurdles associated with staged occupancy to deliver numerous successful conferences and events for donors, tenants and members of the University community. Sarah also took on responsibility for several additional meeting spaces in the building that had not been operationalized, developing a rental and booking model and adding an additional “bonus” revenue stream to the building. SRIC is the first project in U of T’s Four Corners strategy, and is therefore required to be financially self-sufficient – at the same time, it is also an extremely high profile and highly visible building. This meant the development of an operational model to support a commercial office building, and the establishment of a benchmark for future projects. Marketing, communications, tenant relations and responsive service levels are a hallmark of these types of buildings in the private sector, and are particularly important at SRIC because the “ecosystem” in the building is as important a product as the office, collaboration and event spaces. As a result, the leadership of Nadine McHorgh in respect of marketing and communications played a critical role in the launch. Nadine developed a website and digital footprint for the building, and supported Patrick’s team by creating a tenant communications platform – done in record time and requiring extensive consultation with University stakeholders given the profile of the building.

The SRIC represents the leading edge of the future of the Four Corners strategy and has made a considerable impact on the academic industry for its pioneering approach to a university’s involvement in commercial real estate.

F&S Contracts Management Application

Team Members:

• Shuang Guo
• Usama Makary
• Darrel A Fernandopulle
• Mezba Mahtab
• Jozef Nowogorski
• Gabriel Moga
• Nebojsa Marusic

Reason for Nomination:

In late 2023, the Facilities & Services Finance team identified numerous inefficiencies related to contract-related tasks in the department. With vendor information stored across multiple third-party applications, response times were slow and internal work was rendered unnecessarily complex. The team sought a solution that would bring vendor information in house and allow for seamless integration of purchase orders with contact details and the responsible parties at F&S. The resulting application, ContractsManagement, replaces the previous ContractLogix and represents a functional improvement in nearly every way. With the new application, all contract information can be found in one place with the click of a button. Because the team built the application in house from the ground up, they were able to customize it to F&S’s unique specifications and eliminated the costly yearly licensing fees associated with the older systems. Now, a daily data sync between SAP and purchase order actuals increases departmental efficiency and provides real-time data while removing possibilities for human error in data entry. By automating tasks—such as updating contract value line items or sending contract expiry reminder emails—the application has led to increased efficiencies in administrative workflow. By digitizing contract-related documentation, the application provides real-time contract values, as well as expenditure trends and financial commitments; this allows key budget holders direct access to the data they need to analyze expenses and identity further cost-saving opportunities. ContractsManagement can generate reports with customizable criteria, resulting in greater transparency across the board and appropriate placement of essential management information. Furthermore, it acts as a repository for Vendor of Record contracts, which are accessible to all users. It also records all user actions, leading to increased accountability and improved capacity for troubleshooting should errors ever arise. As of this writing, ContractsManagement is being used to manage 73 active contracts with a total value of $221 million. Since its release on April 8, 2024, the application has been used to store the details of over 338 contracts, with a total of over 1,500 associated documents. The application is currently in use by over 75 users, including managers, business officers, and directors, as well as members of the finance and procurement teams. There is, on average, 35 purchase orders imported every month from SAP. ContractsManagement is being used to store details for over 200 active vendors across multiple categories, and supports records management of over 15,000 historical vendors. The team responsible for the concept, design, launch, and implementation of ContractsManagement are most deserving of this nomination for their ability to identify a problem and their superb execution of a complex—and essential—solution. By reconceptualizing the way that F&S handles contract information, the team has met nearly all VPOREP Impact criteria—enhancing service delivery and productivity, creating efficiencies, and decreasing organizational risks