Nipissing honouring three with Alumni Awards
Nipissing University is honouring three exceptional individuals at the annual Alumni Awards celebration: Jennifer Conley (nee Seguin), Chief Advancement Officer and President and CEO of the Carleton University Foundation, is receiving the Dr. James Jamieson Influential Alumni Award; Annie Sumi, singer-songwriter and ethereal-folk artist, receives the Rising Star Alumni Award; and Dr. Matti Saari, Professor of Psychology, will be named an Honorary Alumni.
“Nipissing is home to some truly remarkable alumni members who are doing amazing work, which makes these decisions difficult. We are very pleased and excited to be recognizing Jennifer, Annie and Matti with these awards,” said Alumni Board representative Jade Nighbor. “Each of them has already achieved a great deal of success in their career and life, and have made a significant and positive impact on our world. The Alumni Board and I look forward to celebrating with them on awards night.”
The Alumni Awards celebration takes place on June 22, at the Grande Event Centre in downtown North Bay, 6 -9 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please email the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@nipissingu.ca or call 705-474-3450 ext. 4573.
Jennifer Conley (BA Hons ’94, BEd ’95) has devoted her career to leading change in the nonprofit and charitable sectors. Her focus on advancing causes related to education, health care and international development have had a measurable and positive effect on the Nonprofit Sector and Ontario society.
In 2014, Carleton University appointed her as Chief Advancement Officer and President and CEO of the Carleton University Foundation to lead all alumni relations, development, advancement communications, international stakeholder relations and its $300M comprehensive campaign – the most ambitious campaign in Carleton’s history. Under her transformational leadership, results and progress continue to be unprecedented.
Previously, Conley served as Carleton’s Director, Faculty Development and Major Gifts. Prior to Carleton, she served for over 10 years as the first Executive Director and Campaign Director for The St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa Foundation, creating the entire fundraising infrastructure from the ground up while concurrently leading the $10M campaign to build the new St. Patrick’s Home - the largest campaign successfully completed in Ontario’s long-term care sector.
Conley started her career in nonprofit while in her first year of studies as a student caller for Nipissing University, and she worked continuously for the Alumni and Development Office throughout her studies. Upon completing her second degree at Nipissing, she was named the university’s first Alumni Officer – allowing her to create the Alumni Office and all Alumni Programs and architecture from scratch.
Conley volunteers extensively for the nonprofit sector and has provided counsel and mentorship to countless individuals and organizations locally and nationally. She has served on the Boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and is a frequent speaker at conferences across Canada. She is an active leader and participant in industry associations and achieved her Certified Fundraising Executive credential in 2010. She serves as a guest lecturer for Carleton’s Masters in Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership Program.
She was named one of Ottawa’s Top Forty Under 40 by the Ottawa Business Journal (2011) and as the Association of Fundraising Professionals Ottawa’s Outstanding Fundraising Executive of the Year (2016).
Conley is receiving the Dr. James Jamieson Influential Alumni Award, which is presented to a graduate whose dedication and leadership has influenced significant change and prosperity within their community. The recipient may be an alumnus of one of the following institutions: North Bay Normal School, Teacher’s College, Nipissing University College or Nipissing University.
Annie Sumi (BA ’15) is a critically acclaimed, singer-songwriter and ethereal-folk artist from Ontario. Since the release of her debut-album, Reflections, in her graduating year, she has received nominations for Best Singer-Songwriter (TIMAs, 2015), Contemporary Roots Album of the Year (Hidden Roots Collective, CFMAs, 2017), and more.
As a Nipissing student in 2012, Sumi beat out nearly 200 other musical entries from all over Canada to win the chance to open for Lights, the Juno-Award-winning singer-songwriter and performer.
Sumi’s musical talent was also featured in a short video Nipissing created in 2015, Live at the Library, where she played three original songs in Nipissing’s newly opened Harris Learning Library.
With the release of her most recent album, In the Unknown, Sumi has brought colour and vision to the Canadian music scene. Her live performance is renowned for showing her vulnerability as she consistently gives her heart to the stage and inspires the audience to feel emotion.
A proud graduate of Nipissing’s English program, Sumi has shared her songs and stories with audiences around the world with over 300 live performances across Canada, the United States and Continental Europe.
Sumi is receiving the Rising Star Alumni Award, which is presented to a recent graduate of Nipissing University who has demonstrated significant achievements on a professional, community and/or volunteer basis or has displayed promise of significant future accomplishments. Restricted to alumni up to and including their fifth year of graduation.
Dr. Matti Saari immigrated to Canada from Finland in 1956. After completing his undergraduate work at Laurentian University, he was admitted for graduate work at Carleton University where he completed his PhD in Psychology in 1977. That same year he joined the faculty of Nipissing University College of Laurentian University. There were only two other full-time members of the department at that time. Departmental structure was not yet established and Nipissing did not become an independent degree-granting institution until 1992.
Dr. Saari was promoted to Associate Professor in 1982 and full Professor in 1993. He has served the university as Chair of Psychology, as a Senator, including secretary of Senate, and as Board of Governors member. He has also represented Nipissing at the Council of Ontario Universities, the Ontario Council of Faculty Associations, and the Canadian Council for Animal Care. Dr. Saari was an active member of the Nipissing University Faculty Association and has served as President of the Association.
His research focuses on the general area of neural plasticity and he has published in scientific journals such as Nature (New Biology), Brain Research, and Neuropharmacology, among others. Dr. Saari has also served the Community as a member and Chair of the North Bay Psychiatric Hospital Community Advisory Board, among other organizations.
He fulfilled the legal requirement to be able to practice Psychology and became a Registered Psychologist in 1978. He and his wife studied with Masters and Johnson in Saint Louis and started a practice in Sexual and Marital Therapy in North Bay. Dr. Saari also served as supervisor for several psychologists in the area who were meeting the requirements for registration.
He has always loved teaching and he was awarded a provincial teaching award in 1991 as well as the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from Nipissing University.
Dr. Saari has mentored numerous undergraduates in his laboratory and many of these have gone on to graduate studies and beyond. Just last year Nipissing hosted a conference entitled Forty Years of Neuroscience at Nipissing University. The majority of the papers during the two-day conference were delivered by students who started their careers at Nipissing in Dr. Saari’s research group.
Dr. Saari will receive an Honorary Alumni award, which is presented to an individual who is not a graduate of the university, but whose actions and dedication have had a positive impact on the Nipissing University experience. This honour recognizes friends of Nipissing University for outstanding service, commitment and contribution, past or present, to the university.