Recognizing Remarkable Colleagues – September 2026
Recognizing Remarkable Colleagues continues to be a meaningful way for our community to celebrate one another. To date, 291 submissions have highlighted the exceptional work, dedication, and kindness of our colleagues.
Thanks to the ongoing interest and participation, submissions will continue to be featured in upcoming issues of Campus Connector. You can read this month’s submissions (organized in alphabetical order) below.
It’s inspiring to see our community come together to recognize those who go above and beyond every day. We thank everyone who has taken the time to share stories of appreciation and celebration for their colleagues.
Submissions for next month are now open! Share your note of recognition by the last Friday of the month, and let’s continue celebrating the amazing colleagues who make our campus shine.
As part of our continued efforts to grow and improve this program, we’ve introduced a new submission form. With this updated process, the colleague being recognized will automatically receive an email notification that they have been recognized and will appear in next month's Recognizing Remarkable Colleagues issue. For more details on the program, including links to past issues and details on the new submission form, please click here.
Colin Bowley, Marketing and Communications
Colin has kept our Marketing and Production Unit spinning during our busiest and most challenging time of the year—supporting student recruitment work, managing multiple projects simultaneously, and maintaining meticulous reports so we're always improving. His work ethic is second-to-none, and he's just a great colleague.
Lisa and Gloria, AVC Café
Lisa and Gloria bring incredible energy, warmth, and care to the AVC Café every single day. As individuals, they are deeply thoughtful and community minded. Together, their presence lights up the entire space. They work seamlessly as a team, complete with a shared rotation of the absolute best tunes, and take immense pride in every interaction with students, staff, and faculty. Lisa and Gloria embody what it means to make people feel at home and like they truly belong on campus. Thank you for everything you do, Lisa and Gloria!
Jeff Clow, Faculty of Education
Jeff has been such an amazing member of our BEd team! He arrived in the late spring and hasn't stopped moving yet—he's improving our partnerships with our community partners, building strong relationships with our students, and is a delight to be around. We were lucky to welcome him to our faculty!
Shara Clow, Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Research
Shara has been such a helpful and supportive colleague as I settle into the University and my new role. She is a pleasure to be around and wonderful to work with!
Jeehan Cooper, Registrar’s Office
Shout-out to Jehaan Cooper in the Registrar's Office for going above and beyond during the start of term. Over the past several weeks, Jehaan has been an incredible help with registration, scheduling, and audit requests, consistently providing support with impressive speed and care. Their responsiveness has made a real difference for students, faculty, and staff and has made the start of term run smoothly. Thank you, Jehaan!
Ross Doucette, Clinical Learning Simulation Centre, Faculty of Medicine
Ross is simply one of those people who makes the Clinical Learning and Simulation Centre (CLSC) within the Faculty of Medicine a better place to work and learn. He is an incredibly hard worker who is always willing to jump in, lend a hand, and do whatever is needed to support the team and the people using our Centre. No matter how busy the day is, Ross always seems to have a smile on his face and brings a positive attitude to his work.
What we appreciate most about Ross is how he treats people. He has a natural ability to make everyone who comes through the doors of the CLSC feel welcome. Whether it is a learner coming in for the first time, a faculty member preparing for a simulation, or one of our regular partners, Ross takes the time to say hello, help them find their way, and make sure they feel comfortable.
Ross may not always realize the impact these small interactions have, but they are an important part of the culture we are building at the CLSC. His kindness, work ethic, sense of humour, and willingness to help others do not go unnoticed.
We feel very fortunate to have Ross as part of our CLSC team, and he is very deserving of being recognized as a Remarkable Colleague.
Krissi Ewing, Student Office of the Associate Vice-President, Students
Krissi and the Welcome Week team persevered through multiple days of torrential rain and wind, and even a power outage to deliver Welcome Week for new and returning students. A huge round of appreciation and applause!
Katherine Gottschall-Pass, School of Climate Change and Adaptation
Kathy is one of the hardest working colleagues around. You can depend on her sound advice, critical thinking to help solve a challenge, and her consistent support for colleagues and students. Her knowledge of UPEI is strong having dedicated time and talent in many ways and through many roles. Her dedication to ensuring our learners receive the best educational experience possible is palpable and a truly outstanding example of being student focused.
Donna Lawless, Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Research
Donna is such an enjoyable person to have around the office. She has been so helpful as I get settled into my new role and being new to the University in general. She is always so pleasant and brings smile and laughs when she is around. Thank you for being such a wonderful, helpful, and supportive colleague!
Carina MacDonald, Human Resources
Carina is the best! Having her as our contact person for HR has been super helpful. She is always so positive, efficient and quick to respond. She has taken the time to learn our departments, the roles we have within them, and the challenges we face. It's always a pleasure to work with Carina!
Anna MacDonald, Marketing and Communications
Anna MacDonald is a longstanding and loyal UPEI employee who embodies all the characteristics to be recognized as a remarkable colleague. She has decided to retire from her current role as Communications Officer, with her last day being October 9, 2026. In addition to writing her own stories, proactively leveraging news releases to elicit media coverage, and responding quickly to media requests seeking UPEI expertise, Anna serves as the de facto university editor. She reviews and edits external communications written by UPEI Communications, Athletics and Recreation, Development and Alumni Engagement, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, and other staff. Anna is the consummate professional when it comes to editing news releases, university publications, marketing collateral, and messages. She goes over and above to ensure that others’ writing is the best it can be and meets the high standard expected from an institution of higher learning. As Communications Officer, Anna is required to perform a number of day-to-day duties, which she does exceptionally well. However, she never hesitates to jump in and “perform other duties as assigned,” to volunteer, or to give in other ways, illustrating her care for and interest in all things UPEI and her understanding of the value of education. For example, she is the lead citation writer for Convocation and for the Recognition of Founders ceremony, beautifully capturing the achievements of our honorees; she is currently the floor warden for the lower level of McDougall Hall and served for several years as public information officer on UPEI’s emergency management/response team. She is responsive 24-7—despite knowing she doesn’t need to be—and her work ethic is unmatched. In all her positions over the years at UPEI, she has put her attention to detail, organizational ability, and editorial acumen to good use and has garnered the respect and admiration of all those who know her, including members of the media. UPEI Marketing and Communications will greatly miss her, but we wish her all the best as she begins her next chapter! - Nicole Phillips
Shawn MacFadyen, Facilities Management
Shawn makes work better every day. Shows up with a smile and always has a “let's get it done” attitude. He's never in a bad mood and makes everyone around him laugh.
Jeff MacLean, Faculty of Medicine
Jeff MacLean has been an invaluable leader and trusted colleague throughout the evolution of medical education in Prince Edward Island. Through his calm, steady, and highly collaborative approach, Jeff has played a pivotal role in supporting admissions for the Memorial University regional campus in PEI while also helping lay the foundation for admissions processes within the emerging UPEI MD program. His deep institutional knowledge, sound judgment, and willingness to share expertise have been instrumental in supporting transition planning, building partnerships, and advancing a shared vision for medical education on PEI. He is a great colleague and a valued team member with the UPEI Faculty of Medicine.
Kylie Muio, Diagnostic Services, Atlantic Veterinary College
Kylie is extremely dedicated to her work and shows up every day with a smile and a positive attitude. Despite her own heavy workload, she is always willing to help others. She brings a feeling of warmth to the workplace and makes those around her feel heard and important. She is definitely a Remarkable Colleague who deserves to be recognized.
Karen Anne O’Halloran, Faculty of Education
If there were an award for knowing everything, Karen Anne would hold it. There isn't a question you need answered that she can't help with. The Faculty of Education is blessed to have this amazing human as a resource to us all!
Stephanie Palmer, Research Services
Stephanie has positively impacted my work as a faculty member at UPEI on numerous occasions.
While wrestling with the cognitive demands of pulling together a tenure file in recent years, Stephanie volunteered to write me a letter of recommendation outlining some of my service contributions on campus. This act, voluntarily stepping forward to support a colleague in a demanding time, has stayed with me for a long time.
Moreover, as Compliance Coordinator responsible for the Research Ethics Board, one of Stephanie's key roles is volunteer recruitment. While I recently declined an invitation from Stephanie to step into an increased service role, I was incredibly inspired by her response, where she thanked me for “making the best choice for the balance of my commitments.” This, to me, was an incredibly kind, compassionate, and accepting gesture. It has helped me realize that while we can't always show up for every opportunity, we can always strive to meet the world with kindness.
Stephanie demonstrates this on a day-to-day basis and is a true pleasure to work alongside.
Lisa Perry, Financial Services
Lisa is an absolute pleasure to work with. She is very patient and thorough. She answers questions quickly and clearly and will work with you and others to find the answers to questions instead of pawning you off to someone else. Her hard work in Research Accounting keeps the research process flowing and deserves a world of recognition.
Kim Porter, Office of the President
Kim has been a fantastic support as I get settled in a new workplace and new role. Thank you, Kim!
