About the 2012 Women of Distinction Recipients
Arts, Culture & Design
Violet Goosen - General Manager, Vancouver Chamber Choir
Violet has enabled the award-winning Vancouver Chamber Choir to not only survive in an increasingly difficult financial climate but to thrive. For 38 years Violet has sung, led, mentored, inspired and single-handedly made the Vancouver Chamber Choir an international tour de force. She has championed Canadian music by raising funds to commission hundreds of new works by local composers as well as those from outside British Columbia. In addition to her tireless efforts to advocate for the arts in Canada, Violet has been instrumental in developing and enacting initiatives in the area of music education and outreach programs for youth and young professionals.
Business & the Professions
Patricia Graham - Vice-President of Digital, Pacific Newspaper Group
Patricia is an award-winning 30-year journalist who is currently the Vice-President of Digital at Pacific Newspaper Group. In an era of immense change in the newspaper industry, as Editor-in-Chief Patricia transformed The Vancouver Sun from a six-day-a-week newsprint publication into a multi-platform publisher delivering content seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Under her leadership as an early adopter of digital innovations, the newspaper experienced exponential online growth unprecedented in Canadian newspapers. Patricia has built bridges with a range of cultural and special-interest groups, including launching The Sun's new Chinese-language website. An active community member, she dedicates many hours to mentorship programs and community boards, including participating multiple times as a Women’s Executive Network mentor.
Community Building
Ginny Dennehy - Co-Founder, the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation
Ginny co-founded the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation in 2001 after losing her son to depression-related suicide. She took her own tragedy and turned it into hope and education for others. To date, the foundation has raised more than $4.1 million, part of which has created Ginny’s visionary project, The Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre at BC Children’s Hospital. Ginny’s devotion to suicide prevention has gained respect from not only leaders in mental health in BC but the numerous sufferers who regularly contact her for support. Ginny is tireless in her devotion to raising awareness about children who are suffering from depression and erasing the stigma that keeps mental illness in the dark.
Education, Training and Development
Catherine Vertesi - Vice President, International, External Relations and New Initiatives, Capilano University
Catherine, Vice President, International, External Relations and New Initiatives, Capilano University, is an award-winning educator and administrator with a distinguished record in international education, teaching and program innovation. ‘International education’ did not exist as an education model in Canadian universities when Catherine began her teaching career. However her passion for student learning and her unflagging belief in the importance of bridging people, countries and cultures has resulted in a 30 year legacy of educational excellence and best practice in international study programs and cross-cultural experiences. She has mentored students and young professionals, led workshops for colleagues, represented the province and Canada in international conferences and she has voluntarily taken on demanding leadership roles within provincial, national and international organizations.
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Nicole Stefenelli - Founder and CEO, Urban Impact
A pioneering spirit in the sustainability sector, Nicole is the founder and CEO of Urban Impact, the first multi-material recycling company in Metro Vancouver. Nicole first saw the value in recycling waste as a university student and established the company as a university project. Through Urban Impact, Nicole has proven a commitment to zero waste is financially and environmentally possible. She has grown the company for more than 20 years from four initial clients to in excess of 5,000 clients. In 2011, Urban Impact diverted more than 95% of the 100,000 metric tonnes of materials collected and processed from landfill. Active in the community, Nicole leads school tours to inspire environmental stewardship, mentors women entrepreneurs in the environmental sector and serves on multiple boards, including as President of the Waste Management Association of BC.
Environmental Sustainability
Louise Schwarz - Founder, Recycling Alternative
After more than two decades of establishing ethical environmental business opportunities, Louise has forged a thriving path towards sustainability. In 1989 she established Recycling Alternative, a waste stream and materials recovery company. From its humble beginnings picking up used office paper in Louise’s old hatchback, Recycling Alternative today employs over 30 people. The company has provided a home for projects such as the Vancouver Biodiesel Co-op, with Louise driving the concept of Green Hub, an initiative to create a business centre for ‘green’ enterprises. In 2011, in partnership with Vancouver’s Farmers Markets, she lobbied to establish the city’s first Food Scraps Drop Spot program, a composting project that has already diverted 40,000 pounds of food scraps from the landfill, and one which she continues to volunteer significant time towards.
Health & Active Living
Ann Me
raw - Professional Swimmer & Coach, Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation
Ann has inspired thousands of swimmers of all ages. As a swim instructor and coach for more than 35 years, Ann developed and implemented numerous flagship aquatics programs that have been used by young and old swimmers alike, including the Canadian water babies program. As a professional swimmer, Ann set seven world records (four of which remain unbroken) and became the first female lifeguard in Canada in 1943. Over the course of her career, Ann saved 63 people from drowning, spent 78 years with the Lifesaving Society and performed a special lifesaving performance for King George VI and the Queen Mother. Ann has been honoured with multiple awards, including the Order of British Columbia and the Sports Hall of Fame.
Non-Profit & Public Service
Wendy Au - Assistant City Manager, City of Vancouver
With more than 30 years as a public servant and volunteer, Wendy’s vision has been one of collaboration, innovation and inclusivity. As Assistant City Manager for the City of Vancouver, she has brought together communities and government by identifying needs, creating partnerships and leveraging funding. Her participation has been integral to programs like the Vancouver Agreement, a groundbreaking tri-level government agreement that focuses on improving conditions in the Downtown Eastside and the inner-city. When confronted with rising Vietnamese gang membership not addressed by existing programs, she helped establish the collaborative Vietnamese Integration Project to reach these high-risk youths. She has earned a reputation as a tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion, especially in the Downtown Eastside. As a volunteer to a multitude of organizations, Wendy gives back to build and enhance her community.
Science, Research & Innovation
Dianne Miller - Head Division of Gynecological Oncology, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, VGH & UBC
Dianne is a renowned surgeon, educator, clinician and researcher. Determined to improve the outcomes of patients diagnosed with deadly ovarian cancer, she was instrumental in creating the Ovarian Cancer Research initiative. The initiative successfully and cohesively brought together her vision of a dynamic team of specialists spanning multiple specialties working towards a common goal: to improve the results for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. With a focus on prevention and early detection, Dianne’s leadership, innovative thinking and collaborative approach have pioneered new techniques to help reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer. Dianne is a unique role model who is dedicated to education and mentorship, volunteering her time on countless committees and boards, all while providing the utmost care to her patients and support for her students.
Young Woman of Distinction
Alison Lee - Medical Student, UBC
A community-focused and global-minded UBC medical student, Alison gives back to the next generation through volunteerism and leadership. She is deeply involved in campus life, including organizing more than 120 international exchange opportunities for Canadian medical students as the Canadian National Exchange Officer. She volunteers extensively as both an oncology research assistant and at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and she helped form a new Model United Nations for BC high school students. Passionate about literacy, in 2007 Alison co-founded the Learning Buddies Network, which pairs struggling readers and math students with high-school or university reading buddies. The program started with 40 student-tutor pairs and with Alison’s enthusiasm and conviction it now provides tutoring to more than 250 students annually. Alison was honoured with the BC Premier’s Excellence Award and the UBC Wesbrook Scholar Award.
Innovative Workplace
SAP Canada
An innovative software company, SAP Canada has developed a flexible corporate culture that enables creativity and collaboration for its diverse workforce. SAP offers adaptable working arrangements that support families and work-life balance. It provides a robust portfolio of learning and career development offerings and extensive on-site health and wellness services, including a bike borrowing program. SAP encourages career growth for women through initiatives such as a Gender Intelligence workshop and the Business Women’s Network. It fosters employee-driven committees that inspire community within the workplace and afford opportunities for employees to grow, interact and pursue personal passions. Employees engage in corporate social responsibility, participate in the Green Team or spark positive energy through the FunWorks committee.
Connecting the Community
Wendy Au - Assistant City Manager, City of Vancouver
With more than 30 years as a public servant and volunteer, Wendy’s vision has been one of collaboration, innovation and inclusivity. As Assistant City Manager for the City of Vancouver, she has brought together communities and government by identifying needs, creating partnerships and leveraging funding. Her participation has been integral to programs like the Vancouver Agreement, a groundbreaking tri-level government agreement that focuses on improving conditions in the Downtown Eastside and the inner-city. When confronted with rising Vietnamese gang membership not addressed by existing programs, she helped establish the collaborative Vietnamese Integration Project to reach these high-risk youths. She has earned a reputation as a tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion, especially in the Downtown Eastside. As a volunteer to a multitude of organizations, Wendy gives back to build and enhance her community.
