Alumni of Influence

Joseph Halpern is a prolific and award-winning computer scientist and mathematician who is currently the Joseph C. Ford Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University (tenured since 1996). After receiving his PhD from Harvard University in 1981, Halpern joined IBM’s Almaden Research Centre (1982-96) before moving to Cornell. His research interests are in the areas of reasoning about knowledge and uncertainty, security, distributed computation, decision theory and game theory. He has co-authored five patents, three books and hundreds of technical publications, winning a wide range of honours for contributions to his field. Some of his more recent honours include being elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering (2019), being named the Moore Distinguished Scholar at Caltech (2018-19), winning the Kampe de Feriet Award (2016), being elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2015), and being appointed the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Natural Sciences and Engineering at Hebrew University (2009-10).  

A pioneering wildlife biologist and advocate for women in science, Anne Innis Dagg is recognized as the first person to study wild giraffes. Formerly an assistant professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Guelph (1968-72) and senior academic advisor for the Independent Studies Program at the University of Waterloo (1989-2013), Innis Dagg has published 25 books, including the world’s first monograph on giraffe biology. Her groundbreaking work has led to a wide range of awards, including being appointed Fellow of the Zoological Society of Ontario (1967), receiving an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Waterloo (2019) and the University of Toronto (2020), and being appointed to the Order of Canada (2019). Her life and work were the subject of an award-winning documentary, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (2018).

Sharona Kanofsky has been a national leader in the development of the physician assistant (PA) profession in Canada. She is currently an associate professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Family & Community Medicine, the Consortium of Physician Assistant Education Program, at the U of T. Kanofsky has also worked as a PA in a variety of clinical settings and served as the founding academic coordinator of the PA program, currently serving as Research & Scholarship Lead for the program. PAs help provide medical care in collaboration with physicians and improve access to healthcare for rural, remote and otherwise underserved communities. A natural leader, Kanofsky’s outstanding work as an advocate has helped make PAs increasingly common across Canada, significantly improving health care for Canadians. Her pioneering work has led to several awards, including the Tom Ashman Physician Assistant of the Year award from the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (2013).

An award-winning writer, Deirdre Kelly’s work has helped elevate the performing arts both in Canada and around the world. Shortly after graduating from the U of T with a MA in English (1984), Kelly was hired as the Globe and Mail’s full-time dance critic. At this time, she was the only female critic in the newspaper’s arts department. After more than three decades at the Globe and Mail as a dance critic, reporter, investigative reporter and columnist, Kelly joined York University in 2017 to become editor of The York University Magazine. In addition to her work as a journalist, Kelly sits on numerous boards and has written two best-selling nonfiction books, Paris Times Eight (2009) and Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection (2012). She has a long list of accolades, including winning two Nathan Cohen Awards (2014 & 2020) from the Canadian Theatre Critics Association. Kelly has also remained active with University College as a mentor to students interested in journalism careers.

Born in Canada to parents who fled slavery in the United States, the late Alfred Lafferty forged an incredible career that included numerous firsts. Known as an excellent student, Lafferty won several academic awards and, after graduating from UC with a BA in Mathematics and Classics, later earned a master’s degree. Following his post-secondary education, Lafferty worked as headmaster at numerous schools and, in 1872, he moved to Guelph and became the first Black principal at a high school in Ontario.  Lafferty would later move to Chatham to work as principal at a new school for Black settlers in the area. During this time, he began studying law. A few years later, he became the first Canadian-born Black lawyer in Ontario. Lafferty passed away in 1912, leaving behind a rich and lasting legacy.

Liviya Mendelsohn has dedicated her career to advancing equity and accessibility for youth across Ontario. Currently, Mendelsohn serves as executive director at the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence. She previously served as director, accessibility and inclusion, at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (2016-21), as well as artistic director at the ReelAbilities Film Festival (2015-21). Living by the principle “nothing about us without us”, Mendelsohn is well-known for her work to advance equity and accessibility. She was recently awarded a Mandel Fellowship in Executive Non-Profit Management (2021-23) and has won several awards, including Programming Excellence Awards from the Jewish Community Centre Association of North America (2016, 2018, 2019 & 2020) and the City of Toronto Access, Equity and Human Rights Award (2019).

Dr. Daniel Nadler is the founder and CEO of Kensho, the leading provider of market analytics systems to Wall Street. Kensho’s clients include the largest global banks. In addition to Kensho, Dr. Nadler is the Director of Research for Financial Technology at Stanford University’s School of Engineering. He completed his PhD at Harvard University.

Carol Nash is an internationally recognized academic whose research spans the philosophy of education and the history of medicine. Since 2012, Nash has served as Scholar-in-Residence as part of the History of Medicine program in the Department of Psychiatry at the U of T. She is also the founder and volunteer facilitator of the Health Narratives Research Group at U of T and a volunteer mentor in various on and off-campus programs.  A widely published philosopher of education, Nash is a compassionate facilitator and mentor who has devoted her career to inclusive education, developing many programs that encourage self-directed learning, including co-founding Alpha II Alternative School with the Toronto District School Board. Nash is a recipient of the Leaders & Legends Innovation Award from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the U of T (2020), the Arbor Award from the U of T (2015), and various mentorships awards.

Photo Credit Mike Young

A widely recognized expert in the area of constitutional law, Peter Oliver is currently a Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa (2007-present). He formerly held various governmental and academic positions around the world, including serving as Scholar in Residence with the Canadian Department of Justice (2005-06) and as a special advisor and senior advisor to the Privy Council of Canada (2006-12). Included amongst his many honours and awards are an appointment as Chair in Constitutional Law at King's College London (2005), an appointment as Scholar in Residence at Justice Canada (2005), a Christensen Visiting Fellowship from St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford (2015), the Outstanding Contributor Prize from the Ottawa Law Review (2019), and the Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship (2006).

Ruth Richardson is a global leader who tirelessly advocates for shifting food and agriculture systems towards greater sustainability, security, and equity. She is currently the executive director of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, a strategic alliance of more than 25 international philanthropic foundations. Her former positions include being the inaugural director of the Unilever Canada Foundation, founding chair of the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network, and the first environment director at the Metcalf Foundation. Richardson also served as the lead consultant to establish The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. Richardson sits on various advisory and steering committees and is the founder and past chair of Small Change Fund, an online vehicle for micro-philanthropy.

The founding dean of the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Ryerson University (2020-present), Donna Young has broken numerous race and gender barriers throughout her career. Young was formerly a long-time professor of law at Albany Law School and a joint faculty member at the University of Albany’s Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She was appointed as Albany Law School’s President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy (2018-20) before coming to Ryerson as only the second Black woman to be appointed dean of a Canadian law school. A highly sought after speaker at conferences and events, Young’s research and work has focused mainly on criminal and employment law, as well as gender and race studies. In 2021, she was selected as a Top 25 Women of Influence and won the Female Trailblazer Excellence Award from the Canadian Law Awards.

Linda Bertoldi is a leading lawyer in the power and infrastructure sectors, providing advice on changes in law and regulation, mergers and acquisitions, governance, business development, finance, and relations with Indigenous communities. The former chair of National Electricity Market Groups, she retired as senior partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in 2019. She received the inaugural Zenith Award for leading women lawyers (2009), was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women (2012) and was recognized with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s award for excellence in advocacy and philanthropy on behalf of those with dementia (2017), among other honours. In 2019, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Ontario Energy Association, for outstanding contribution to the power sector.