Alumni Awards of Excellence

Event Location and directions

The event will be held in Alumni Auditorium, 2nd Floor of the CAW student centre. 

For Google map - click here

Event timing for the evening

5:30 pm - Doors open
6:00 pm - Dinner
7:00 pm - Awards Presentation

How to book a ticket

Tickets to attend are $50/perso, which includes a cocktail reception, dinner and the awards presentation. To confirm your attendance, proceed to the event registration page to complete your request. If you are attending to support a specific recipient, please indicate it on the form. 

Proceed to the registration link 

About our recipients

---

Jordan Goure - Alumni Odyssey Award
Jordan has been an entrepreneur throughout his entire career, launching his first business at just 19. Recently, he has expanded into software development, focusing on solving workforce challenges he's 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, Jordan is now ready to embrace the exciting challenge of developing ethical AI. In addition to his professional achievements, Jordan holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Windsor. He is also an active community leader, having founded and served on several local boards and committees.

Mathew Zaia - Alumni Odyssey Award
Mathew Zaia 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 practiced criminal defence at Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP. Mathew completed his J.D. (cum laude) at the University of Ottawa, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Ottawa Law Review. He holds a B.A. (Hons.) and M.A. in Criminology from the University of Windsor, where he was awarded the Board of Governors Medal and a SSHRC scholarship. Mathew has maintained his academic interests while in private practice and has published articles in journals such as the Canadian Criminal Law Review, the Canadian Bar Review, and the Canadian Journal of Law and Technology.

---

Lisa Voakes - Alumni Ambassador Award

Lisa proudly holds a Bachelor of Human Kinetics degree and a Bachelor of Education degree from the university of Windsor. She has been a dedicated and experienced Secondary School teacher and coach at the Greater Essex County District School Board since 2001.  Currently, she serves as the Physical Education Department Head at North Star High School where she is passionate about giving students opportunities to find a love for sport and active living.  She is the Chair of the non-profit organization, LAWS: Leadership Advancement for Women and Sport. 

LAWS has made significant strides in promoting gender equity in sports and physical activities. Her work with LAWS often involves collaborations with the University of Windsor. Girls in Motion is held at the University of Windsor’s Toldo Lancer Centre and the GOALS program: Girls Organizing and Leading Sport, is organized in collaboration with teacher candidates enrolled in the Service-Learning course in the Faculty of Education Department at the University of Windsor. Lisa is a proud graduate of the University of Windsor, and she is grateful for the many opportunities provided throughout the years. 

Lisa Williams - Alumni Ambassador Award
Lisa Williams recently retired as a radio personality on AM800 CKLW.  She spent 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 on AM800, Lisa kept listeners informed and entertained for decades, earning their loyalty and respect. 

Her successful career and 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 (RTDNA).

Lisa lives in Windsor with her husband Craig, and together they share four adult children; Kristi, Devon, Connor, and Sarah. Deeply connected to the Windsor-Essex region, Lisa is grateful for a career that has allowed her to make a difference in people’s lives by providing important information they can use in the community she calls home.

---

Irene Moore Davis - Alumni Award of Merit
Irene Moore Davis is currently Assistant Curator at the Amherstburg Freedom Museum. She 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 graduate of the University of Windsor, Western University, and Queen’s University and a retired college administrator who continues to teach courses in Black history and equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Irene’s published work has included poetry, history, and journalism. As an avid historian, Irene Moore Davis has greatly contributed to the recording of the history of the Windsor/Essex area and her work on Canadian Black settlements is included in 2016 book Fluid Frontier: Slavery, Resistance, And The Underground Railroad In The Detroit River Borderland. Her documentary producer credits have included the award-winning The North Was Our Canaan (2020) and Across the River to Freedom (2023.) She was featured in the 2022 Discovery Channel mini-series Secrets of the Underground Railroad and the 2023 CBC series Black Life: A Canadian History.

Irene fulfills community roles including President of the Essex County Black Historical Research Society, co-host of the All Write in Sin City podcast, co-founder of Black Women of Forward Action, member of the board of Canterbury College, and member of the University of Windsor Board of Governors. She serves on national committees of the Anglican Church of Canada. In 2022, Irene was the recipient of the Harriet Tubman Award for Commitment to a Purpose from the Ontario Black History Society and was named to the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women. In 2025, Irene received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her contributions to Canada. Irene resides in Windsor, Ontario, with her husband, Rodney Davis.

Dr. Bukola Salami - Alumni Award of Merit
Professor Bukola Salami is a Full 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. She also has cross appointment at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary. Professor Salami’s research program focuses on policies and practices shaping migrant health as well as Black people’s health. She has been involved in over 100 funded studies totalling over $250 million. She founded and led the African Child and Youth Migration Network, a network of 42 scholars from four continents. She 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. Her work on Black youth mental health informed the creation of the first mental health clinic for Black Canadians in Western Canada. She has presented her work to policy makers (including to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health). Her work has contributed to policy change, including that related to Black people’s well-being. Dr. Salami is the Vice President of the Canadian Nurses Association as well as member of the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She is an advisory board member of the CIHR Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health, the Public Health Agency of Canada Advisory Committee on Global Health, and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Global Health to the Government of Canada.

How to Nominate

Nominations for Alumni Awards are collected throughout the year in the following categories:

• Alumni Odyssey Award
• Alumni Ambassador Award
• Alumni Award of Merit 

Read more about the award descriptions and go to the nomination forms on the Alumni Award page.