The FSA Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) is a partnership with the BCIT’s Distinguished Alumni Awards. Each year the Alumni Association selects recipients from BCIT alumni who have demonstrated achievement/leadership to receive these awards. In 2014 the FSA began to partner with the Alumni Association to present an additional DAA to an FSA member who is an alumnus of BCIT and demonstrates excellence in their work at BCIT.
2023 Winner
This recipient was nominated for the 2020 award but the announcement and presentation were delayed due to the pandemic. The award would normally have been presented in October 2020 but will now be presented in 2023.
The seventh recipient of the FSA DAA is Judy Shandler. For over 30 years, Judy Shandler has been an integral part of BCIT. Judy initially joined BCIT as an instructor and then moved into IT Services (ITS) while continuing to teach in Part-Time Studies (PTS) . In both Judy’s teaching and ITS work as a Senior Business Analyst, Judy spent her career helping BCIT deliver excellence in education. Judy has always approached this work with a generous and cooperative spirit, along with her expert knowledge of systems and methodologies. Find out more about Judy on our blog.
2019 Winner
The sixth recipient of the FSA DAA is Jamie Finley. Jamie is a Research Assistant in the Natural Health and Food Products Research Group (NRG) in BCIT’s Applied Research – was nominated for his contributions to BCIT and to the broader community, which are rooted not only in his commitment to BCIT’s applied model but also in his experience as a student and staff person who is Deaf. His approach to sharing information, educating those he works with, and ensuring a better environment for anyone who experiences a difference that BCIT is not always set up for makes all of us better at what we do. His contributions are in many areas – as a researcher, as a team member, as an FSA member, and as an advocate. Find out more about Jamie on our blog and watch his DAA video.
2018 Winner
Our fifth recipient of the FSA DAA is Part-Time Studies Instructor Tara Wilkie. Tara was nominated for her knowledge, expertise, and education in the human trafficking component of forensic nursing in addition to the criteria for the award. Tara’s knowledge has contributed to the work of Fraser Health Authority through the development of a human trafficking awareness module for BC. Find out more about Tara on our blog and watch her DAA video.
2017 Winner
Joe Newton is the fourth recipient of the award. Joe demonstrates the best of BCIT’s educational system – someone with skill, knowledge, a strong work ethic, and an ability to work with others. Joe Newton, a certified ASTTBC AScT from the MAKE+ team in Applied Research, received acknowledgement in his nomination not only for being part of BCIT as a former student – graduating from both Robotics and with a Bachelor in Technology Management – and current employee but also for the many volunteer roles he has taken on while working here. Find out more about Joe on our blog and watch his DAA video.
2016 Winner
The third recipient of the award is Amy Fell. Amy, from the School of Business, has been a part of BCIT in many ways – as a student, services staff, teaching faculty, and FSA president. Amy’s contributions have made the working conditions of her colleagues, the education conditions of students, and the quality of education in BC better. Read more about Amy on our blog and watch her DAA video.
2015 Winner
The second recipient of the award is Ralph Hargreaves from the School of Health Sciences. Ralph has been a part of the Institute since the day its doors opened. Read more about Ralph on our blog and watch his DAA video.
2014 (Inaugural) Winner
The inaugural recipient of the award is Thomas Abbuhl from the School of Construction & the Environment. Tom has been a part of the Institute for almost four decades and has made his mark in many ways. Read more about Thomas on our blog and watch his DAA video.