Registration is now open for the annual Alumni Awards of Excellence ceremony, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, in the Alumni Auditorium, CAW Student Centre.

The evening will recognize the accomplishments of 2025 awards recipients.

Alumni Award of Merit for distinguished accomplishments which have brought honour to the University of Windsor.

• Irene Moore Davis (BA 1993), assistant curator at the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, is an educator, historian, writer, podcaster, and community advocate who speaks and writes frequently about equity, diversity, inclusion, and African Canadian history. She is a retired college administrator who continues to teach courses in Black history and equity, diversity, and inclusion. President of the Essex County Black Historical Research Society and a member of the University of Windsor Board of Governors, she has greatly contributed to the recording of the history of the Windsor-Essex area. Her documentary producer credits include the award-winning The North Was Our Canaan and Across the River to Freedom.
• Bukola Salami (BScN 2004) is a professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Black and Racialized Peoples Health in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Dr. Salami’s research program focuses on policies and practices shaping migrant health as well as Black people’s health. She founded and led the African Child and Youth Migration Network, a network of 42 scholars from four continents, and co-led the establishment of the Institute for Intersectional Studies at the University of Alberta. In 2020, she founded the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program.

Alumni Ambassador Award for significant achievements in professional, community, and volunteer work.

• Lisa Voakes (BHK 1999, B.Ed 2000) has been secondary school teacher and coach at the Greater Essex County District School Board since 2001, currently, serving as department head of physical education at North Star High School.  She is the chair of the non-profit organization Leadership Advancement for Women and Sport (LAWS), which promotes gender equity in sports and physical activities. Her work with LAWS often involves collaboration with the University of Windsor: Girls in Motion is held at the Toldo Lancer Centre and the  Girls Organizing and Leading Sport program is organized with support of teacher candidates enrolled in the education service-learning course.
• Lisa Williams (BA 1991) recently retired as a radio personality on AM800 CKLW after 38 years behind the microphone in morning news/talk radio, becoming a trusted and familiar voice in the Windsor-Essex community. As co-host of The Morning Drive, Williams kept listeners informed and entertained for decades. The bond she shares with the community has earned her recognition and awards over the years, most recently the Windsor Police Services Citizen Award, the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County Community Legend Award, a Lifetime Achievement award from the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce, and an additional Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

Alumni Odyssey Award for those in the early years of their career path, having distinguished themselves through successes in career endeavours, notable achievements in their local community or the University of Windsor, or through a significant or innovative achievement in their professional or personal life.

• Jordan Goure (BA 2014), a co-founder and CEO of Picsume, has been an entrepreneur throughout his career, launching his first business at just 19 years old. Recently, he has expanded into software development, focusing on solving workforce challenges he has encountered across various industries. With a track record of successfully launching over 10 startups in fields such as hospitality, beverage manufacturing, real estate, marketing, and technology, Goure is now ready to embrace the exciting challenge of developing ethical artificial intelligence.
• Mathew Zaia (BA 2016, MA 2018) is a lawyer in the litigation group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, maintaining a diverse trial and appellate practice. Prior to joining the firm, he clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and practised criminal defence at Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP. Zaia has published articles in such journals as the Canadian Criminal Law Review, the Canadian Bar Review, and the Canadian Journal of Law and Technology.

Learn more about the Alumni Awards of Excellence, awards categories, and recipients on the event website.

The $50 admission includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and the awards presentation. Purchase tickets here.