Alumni of Distinction - 2022

A women's champion for equity, Angela is the founder and chief creative officer of This Naija Girl Studios. As a first-generation Canadian immigrant from Nigeria, she went to college to network with others and gain the training and confidence to tell African and women's stories through the lens of her new reality.

She produced an award-winning documentary, "Operation Lights Out," from one of her college projects. She used Conestoga's Venture Lab to jumpstart Studio D-20, a women-in-filmmaking collective, and The RISE Class, a social enterprise for aspiring filmmakers. Her creative work is showcased and recognized around the world.

An advocate for women in STEM and refugees from her home country of Ukraine, Bohdana uses her experience, expertise and connections to transform lives and workplaces. She developed the “Hire Ukraine” and charity mentorship programs that have helped more than 20 Ukrainian IT professionals secure employment and support the Ukrainian cause.

Using the skills she learned at Conestoga, Bohdana designed an app that has been downloaded 28,000 times and another that has been used to manage 2,000+ annual applications to Canadian school boards. She also developed and led workplace teambuilding and staff onboarding programs while mentoring 20 aspiring female designers. Bohdana currently works as a product designer with Upsiide where she continues to learn and challenge herself.

Brett McQueen is challenging the manufacturing status quo and improving lives and our planet. As the North American innovation director for Linamar Corporation and head of its Innovation Hub (iHub), Brett has initiated partnerships with three promising, high-tech start-ups and leveraged Linamar's manufacturing expertise and global supply chain networks to commercialize world-leading technologies in power electronics, water conservation and electric vehicles.

Brett credits his innovative thinking and adaptability to skills gained across three Conestoga programs – a cross-training model he duplicates to mentor the next generation of innovators.

Chris joined JLL in 2021, bringing 16 years of experience in office real estate in the southwestern Ontario market. Chris is consistently recognized as a top performer and has been involved in more than 970 transactions totaling $3.17B. His clients include global, national and local companies across office sectors including hi-tech, professional services, medical, financial services and institutions. Chris' success is largely due to his commitment to delivering exceptional results.

With his team and JLL's unparalleled platform support, Chris offers clients various commercial real estate solutions to address business needs. He is an active volunteer in the community and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Lisaard & Innisfree Hospice. He has also served on boards for Supportive Housing of Waterloo, Kitchener – Waterloo Association of Realtors and Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region.

Dima Aldera has an art diploma from her home country of Syria and worked as an art teacher in the United Arab Emirates for a decade before coming to Canada as a refugee in 2018. She enrolled at Conestoga and completed two programs when she arrived. Dima volunteered as a graphic designer, lending her expertise to the Canadian Arab Women's Association and ShamRose.

Motivated by her entrepreneurial spirit, she established her own "9b pencil design" business as a freelance graphic designer catering to clients in Canada and Dubai. Dima's passion for making a difference extended beyond her professional endeavors.

Driven by the plight of her home country, she joined Conestoga's Venture Lab to work on her capstone project, Findsuri. As a non-profit organization, Findsuri serves as a platform for Syrian families to search for their loved ones who went missing during the war and earthquake crisis.

The Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services hired Donny Runstedler after he graduated with high distinction in 2014, where he remains employed as an Advanced Care Paramedic. Donny has received acclamations from management, colleagues, allied services, as well as patients and families for his service, integrity, respect, collaboration and innovation. 

With over eight years of experience as a paramedic lab instructor and evaluator at Conestoga, Donny engages and inspires paramedic students and informally mentors those interested in pursuing a career in the field. He also takes McMaster ER residents on ride-alongs as part of their educational program. Donny has been on the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Crowd Response Team since 2018, and he is an Ontario Ministry of Health Patient Care and Transport Standards Review member.

George Vezza's rise through the ranks of food service giant Nestlé, where he works as European Head of Sales and Digital (Switzerland), started with the top Canadian sales award a year after graduation from Conestoga. Over the next four decades, he reinvented Nestlé's sales and marketing in 35 countries, reviving underperforming markets, injecting sales leaders into decision-making roles and helping Nestlé Europe surpass pre-COVID sales numbers.

George's greatest legacy is Nestlé's digital customer relation platform launch – the first in the world, now adopted by the entire global team. He is a champion of next-generation leaders through the Nestlé Professional Toque d'Or hospitality competition and a mentor to hundreds of young professionals.

In 2018, Jennifer enrolled in the Women in Skilled Trades (WIST) General Carpenter Pre-Apprenticeship program where she developed new skills and a passion for the trades. During the program, Jennifer spent one term volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, gaining valuable experience while helping the community. Although the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly brought everything to a standstill two weeks before the end of her program, Jennifer was able to find employment with Mazerolle Builders Ltd., a local, family-run framing and renovation company where she is still employed.

At Mazerolle Builders, she has become the site safety representative and assistant site supervisor as well as obtained her telehandler license and first aid certification. She's completed levels 1-3 of general carpentry school and plans on becoming a Red Seal carpenter. Jennifer regularly visits WIST classes at Conestoga, encouraging students to pursue a career in the trades.

After graduating from Conestoga, Jonathan Mansilla focused on building his media production company, Jony Studios. What started as a childhood hobby with his friends became a thriving business. Jonathan is now leading a team of media creatives and Jony Studios has become one of North America's most well-known recording studios, with clients such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, Bakertilly and the University of Waterloo.

Jony Studios has been recognized as the Best Recording Studio by the Waterloo Region Record Readers' Choice Awards and was nominated for the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards two years in a row. The studio has also provided value in the audiobook and podcast industry, as they continue to innovate to serve clients.

From a young age, Andrew Whiteside knew he wanted to be a chef and travel the world. After meeting his childhood hero, Pasquale, an Italian chef he watched on TV, Andrew enrolled in the Culinary Skills - Chef Training program at Conestoga. After graduation, Andrew worked in the southwestern Ontario hospitality industry until 2013 when he moved to Jasper, Alberta to join Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. While he worked for Fairmont, he moved to Southampton, Bermuda and Seattle, Washington where he worked his way up from a restaurant and banquet chef to executive sous chef and executive chef.

In Seattle, Andrew competed in Cocchon555, a whole-animal cooking competition, hosted the James Beard Taste America Dinner, catered the Microsoft CEO summit and housed honeybees. In 2019, Andrew joined Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts as executive sous chef in Hawaii before moving to California where he now spends his time between three of the hotel’s locations on a task force assisting its properties.

Scott Freiburger is the managing director and CEO at AET Group, a multi-disciplinary environmental consulting, auditing and scientific services company specializing in air, building sciences, energy, audits, compliance, waste, greenhouse gas, mitigation, management systems, sustainability, water and home flood protection. As the founding principal of AET, Scott pioneered the design, implementation and monitoring of solid waste management programs to put construction and demolition organizations in compliance with regulations, reduce waste generation and increase waste diversion on site. 

Scott has contributed to the environmental field through numerous articles, papers, presentations and speaking engagements, including guest lecturing and sessional instructing at the University of Waterloo, where he is an Environmental Studies graduate. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Environmental Approvals Board with ECO Canada. Through Scott’s leadership, AET is committed to becoming carbon neutral across all operations by 2030. In 2019, AET became a Certified B Corporation, and in 2020, its head office in Kitchener became a certified net zero carbon building.

Larry Freiburger is the director of operations at AET Group. He joined the company in 2001 and has more than 50 years of experience in project management and construction engineering technology, with expertise in solid waste management and indoor air and groundwater remediation projects. Working with government and industry, Larry brings technical and analytical expertise in waste characterization, waste assessments, waste minimization and long-term waste management planning. He has completed over 700 waste projects across Canada and developed waste management and optimization programs for several public and private industries.

Within the construction industry, Larry has supervised multiple large-scale home builders and managed over 200 home construction projects, renovations and retrofits. Currently the project director for the Home Flood Protection Program across Canada, he also consults with developers, building owners and design teams to help them achieve zero carbon building certification. Larry is a sought-after speaker on various waste management topics and volunteers with organizations including the Ontario Waste Management Association and the Mary-Allen Neighbourhood Association in Waterloo.

Mary Radyk is a registered nurse with 37 years of experience in acute care hospital nursing, clinical research and private medical care. She manages the Waterloo Wellington Cardiovascular Research Institute (WWCRI) which she was instrumental in establishing in 2018. A non-profit organization committed to advancing cardiovascular research and improving patient care, WWCRI has become a leading institution, conducting innovative research studies to enhance the standard of care in cardiovascular health.

Having led numerous multi-centre clinical trials, investigator studies and feasibility studies, Mary's expertise includes various aspects of research, including ethics submission, consent submission, administrative and financial approvals, and regulatory audits. She also plays a pivotal role in supporting the design of case report forms and protocols, training study teams and medical students, and managing the budget and finances. Under Mary’s leadership, WWCRI has significantly grown, participating in more than 30 comprehensive clinical research projects, and enrolling nearly 1,000 participants/patients.

Tandy Magama graduated from the Occupational Therapist Assistant & Physiotherapist Assistant program and worked in the field until her passion for cooking had her enrolling in Conestoga's Culinary Management program where she exchanged her scrubs for a chef uniform. After graduation, Tandy joined the Old Marina Restaurant as a food prep cook and supervisor, assisting with updating the restaurant's menus.

After the restaurant closed, Tandy joined Aramark Canada's culinary team at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) where she caters to thousands of employees, helps create new menus and mentors and coaches new hires. When she isn't working at TMMC, Tandy is busy with her catering company, Tandi's Kitchen, where she offers pre-made meals and specialized menus influenced by her worldly culinary experiences and Southern African heritage.