Kaitlyn Adair graduated from UNB's Faculty of Nursing in 2011 and went on to pursue her passion for harm reduction and social justice. Soon after graduation, Adair began working in North America’s first supervised injection site in downtown Vancouver, B.C. where she provided care to drug users in the city. Adair completed her speciality education in STI certified practice, forensic nursing and the training to become a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. She also developed an education program for violence in the workplace and later implemented the first street nursing program in Nanaimo, B.C. As a sexual assault nurse examiner, she is also a devoted humanitarian and an advocate for women’s rights, having created a non-profit organization called Acceptance Cooperative that teaches trauma sensitive yoga, by donation with all profits used to make self-care packages for survivors.
Paul Antle is a provincial, national and international pioneer of environmental industries. He is president and CEO of Pluto Investments Inc., a company that focuses on small to mid-sized private equity acquisitions, including the St. John’s Dockyard, Humber Motors Ford and Avalon Laboratories Inc. A dedicated and driven entrepreneur, Antle also founded SCC Environmental Group Inc., Island Waste Management Inc. and a number of other environmental businesses. From 2007 to 2015, he served as president and CEO of Western Mountain Environmental, the first foreign company to take its environmental technology into China. Antle’s contributions to the field have been recognized extensively. In 2017, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame.
Elaine Carty is a clinician, teacher, researcher, administrator and mentor. She is a catalyst in the transformation of health care for women in Canada. Carty graduated from UNB's Bachelor of Nursing program in 1966 and went on to become a certified nurse midwife. Her research around early discharge from the hospital after childbirth influenced hospital policy across Canada. Throughout her distinguished career as a professor at the University of British Columbia, Carty also lobbied for the recognition of midwifery, which became regulated in 1998. She became the founding director of UBC’s Midwifery Program and funds the Elaine Carty Visiting Scholars Initiative at UBC. Carty has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work. In 2017, she was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.
Jane Fritz was named professor emerita in computer science at UNB in 2012 and is an enthusiastic advocate for women in computer science. Fritz began teaching in the Faculty of Computer Science on the Fredericton campus in 1980. Throughout her distinguished career at UNB, she has worn many hats, including the first female dean of computer science, associate vice-president academic, and associate vice-president of integrated technology services. Her work has helped to build New Brunswick’s information technology economy and make UNB a leader in the field. Fritz was also instrumental in helping to create the Human Rights Office and the Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities at UNB. Her work has been recognized through numerous awards including the UNB President’s Medal.
Firat Güder, an assistant professor in the department of bioengineering at Imperial College London, is an innovative contributor to the field of bioengineering. Passionate about training the next generation of scientists and engineers, Firat’s work focuses on the development of new materials and the fabrication of low-cost sensors and actuators, with the goal of transforming the devices into integrated systems. Firat has received numerous recognitions, including the Tom West Analytical Fellowship, and DFG International Research Fellowship. He has published more than 27 peer reviewed articles and is the inventor of multiple patents.
Levi Hargrove is the director of the Center for Bionic Medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, Ill., where he is conducting research on advanced and adaptive control systems for prosthetic legs. In 2012, Hargrove and his research team made headlines when Zac Vawter climbed the stairs of the 103-storey Willis Tower wearing the world's first 'bionic leg'. Hargrove has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and aspires to develop myoelectric control systems that can be made available to people with limb loss. A three-time UNB alumnus, Hargrove previously worked and studied at UNB’s Institute for Biomedical Engineering, where much of his groundbreaking research contributions were developed.
Charles MacDonald exemplifies the qualities that define what it means to be #ProudlyUNB. Though not a graduate of the university, MacDonald’s commitment to UNB grew from his family’s own positive experiences on campus while his son obtained two degrees. In 2010, he established the Patricia and Charles MacDonald Scholarship, which now supports three annual student awards. MacDonald is a strong proponent of student education and makes an effort to meet each of his scholarship recipients. A strong advocate for UNB, he regularly attends alumni events and proudly promotes the university.
Heather Neilson has been a long-standing and enthusiastic supporter of the UNB Associated Alumni. During her time on Alumni Council, she served as chair of the scholarship committee and succeeded to the position of president from 2011 to 2013. A proud alumna, Neilson has shown incredible commitment to UNB through her support of students and her dedication to alumni initiatives. With a genuine passion for physical education and living a healthy lifestyle, Neilson worked as a physical education teacher for over 30 years. She was awarded the Physical Education Teaching Excellence Award in 2006 and the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Citizen Award in 2011.
