Nipissing announces 2024 honorary degree recipients
North Bay, ON – Nipissing University will present five outstanding leaders with honorary degrees, the University’s highest distinction, during its upcoming Convocation ceremonies, taking place June 11 to 13, 2024 at the R.J. Surtees Student Athletics Centre on the University’s campus.
Recipients are selected for this honour for their noteworthy contributions to Nipissing University, their respective fields, and their impact on society. The 2024 honorary degree recipients are:
| Recipient | Honorary Degree | Date / Time |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria Paine-Mantha | Doctor of Letters | June 11 at 9:30 a.m. |
| Corina Moore | Doctor of Letters | June 11 at 2:00 p.m. |
| Jeremy Dutcher | Doctor of Education | June 12 at 9:30 a.m. |
| Robert Shaw | Doctor of Education | June 12 at 2:00 p.m. |
| The Honorable Jody Wilson-Raybould | Doctor of Letters | June 13 at 9:30 a.m. |
Full biographies of the recipients can be found here.
"We are very much looking forward to formally welcoming this cohort of deserving recipients into the Nipissing University community, and to hearing the guidance they will offer to our newest graduates as they embark on the next chapter of their lives," said Dr. Kevin Wamsley, President & Vice-Chancellor, Nipissing University.
Over the course of three days, over 1,100 graduates will cross the stage to receive their degrees.
Community members who wish to attend an upcoming Convocation ceremony can reach out directly to convocation@nipissingu.ca.
For full details regarding Nipissing University’s 2024 Convocation, including a full schedule, visit www.nipissingu.ca/convocation.
A live stream of the ceremonies will also be available at http://live.nipissingu.ca/convocation.html
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Media Contact
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Nipissing University
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Honorary Degree Recipient Biographies
Victoria (Vicky) Paine-Mantha, CPA-CA, MBA
Victoria’s professional biography showcases over 40 years of diverse experience spanning post-secondary education, business, health software sales and implementation, and professional accounting. With a people-centric approach and boundless energy, Victoria boasts an extensive understanding of university and college environments, software development intricacies, and client support dynamics. Her versatility shines through in areas such as marketing, finance, and adept union negotiations, all instrumental in strategic growth and organizational advancement.
Demonstrating exceptional skills in managing substantial budgets, and nurturing robust relationships across diverse stakeholder groups, Victoria's personal competencies are underpinned by her CPA-CA designation, complemented by an MBA and fortified by her previous positions as Vice President Finance & Administration at both Nipissing University and Canadore College, as well as her tenure as President & CEO of two small business enterprises.
Her strategic acumen, coupled with a penchant for conflict resolution and innovative problem-solving, underscores her collaborative approach to leadership. Victoria's commitment to driving positive change has yielded tangible outcomes, all while navigating uncertainties with poise and maintaining a strong community ethos.
In addition, Vicky has generously volunteered her time over the years to serve as a director on numerous boards, including Chair of CAA North and East Ontario, the Ontario Centre for Innovation, and locally, the North Bay Regional Hospital Foundation. Her passion and dedication to local community issues extends to providing mentorship and financial support to many small business owners and startups, further demonstrating her commitment to fostering growth and development beyond her professional endeavours.
Victoria is the proud mother of three successful adult children, grandmother to three beautiful little girls, and has a very supportive and loving husband, Raymond.
Corina Moore
Corina Moore is the Executive-Vice President of Transportation and Infrastructure at WSP in Canada, joining in January 2024. In her role, she leads a team of over 3,400 employees across the country that is dedicated to developing sustainable, resilient, innovative, and Future Ready™ Transportation and Infrastructure solutions.
Prior to joining WSP, Corina spent 17 years with Ontario Northland, a transportation company providing rail freight, rail passenger, motor coach and remanufacturing services. She held multiple senior leadership positions with the company, including being named Chief Operating Officer in 2010, and President and Chief Executive Officer in 2014. During that time, she transformed the company to a thriving commercially driven organization known for being data-driven, customer-centric, and financially sustainable.
Her commitment to Indigenous people, and Truth and Reconciliation led to training and awareness programs and rail and motor coach services essential to safe and reliable access to education, health care, and food. Corina is passionate about mentoring women to gain confidence and achieve their potential.
Prior to joining Ontario Northland, Corina started her career at SST/Brock Solutions, a global industrial automation and engineering software company, followed by positions at Wayport, and Ontera providing wireless and telecom services.
Corina has many notable achievements including:
- First female President and CEO of Ontario Northland since its inception in 1902, and the first female President of a Canadian Railway (2014)
- Awarded “Canada’s Most Powerful CEO” (WXN “Top 100” 2021)
- Appointed as an Honorary Colonel for the Canadian Armed Forces, 21 Squadron (2020)
- Recognized by Progressive Railroading and the League of Railway Women as North America’s Outstanding Woman of the Year (2018)
- First woman to be appointed to the Railway Association of Canada’s Board of Directors since its inception in 1917 (2018)
- Selected by Railway Age as one of ten women who are visionaries in the rail industry in North America (2018)
Corina is a graduate of Waterloo University in Systems Design Engineering, and Business Administration and Management. She is married, and a mother of three.
Jeremy Dutcher
Jeremy Dutcher is a Two-Spirit song carrier, composer, activist, ethnomusicologist, and classically-trained vocalist from New Brunswick, Canada who currently lives in Montréal, Québec. A Wolastoqiyik member of the Tobique First Nation in North-West New Brunswick, Jeremy is best known for his debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa (The Songs of the People of the Beautiful River), recorded following a research project on archival recordings of traditional Wolastoqiyik songs at the Canadian Museum of History. Jeremy transcribed songs sung by his ancestors in 1907, and recorded onto wax cylinders, transforming them into “collaborative” compositions. The album earned him the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2019 JUNO Awards. His 2019 NPR Tiny Desk Concert has over 95,000 views.
Jeremy studied music and anthropology, at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After training as an operatic tenor in the Western classical tradition, he expanded his professional repertoire to include the traditional singing style and songs of his community. Jeremy’s music transcends boundaries: unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day resistance.
Jeremy has toured the world, from Australia and Norway to Italy and the Philippines. He has worked with and performed for iconic artists such as Beverly Glenn Copeland, Joni Mitchell, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Jeremy is regularly sought out for his perspectives on queerness, Indigeneity, language revitalization, and fashion, including a 2022 appearance as a guest judge on Canada’s Drag Race. In 2022, Jeremy and his family launched Kekhimin, the first ever Wolastoqey language immersion school, in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw was born and raised in North Bay, Ontario. He attended Chippewa High school, graduated from the BPHE program at Nipissing University in 2013, and completed his PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies at The University of British Columbia in 2021. Having incurred a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury in 2011, he is greatly aware of, and knowledgeable about, the many barriers restricting participation and access for people living with disabilities. This knowledge and experience helped form the foundation for his PhD research that investigated the impact that peer support can have on people with spinal cord injuries. His research is being used to advance how disability organizations measure and evaluate outcomes related to peer support, select and train peer mentors, and deliver peer support services.
He was awarded over 350k in scholarships during his PhD and Postdoctoral fellowship, and has published 18 refereed articles, 2 book chapters, 12 abstracts, and delivered 21 conference presentations. The knowledge products created from his research findings have been disseminated and used in Canada and abroad which has led to him being sought out and engaged as a consultant for national and international organizations (e.g., Lululemon Athletica, Rick Hansen Foundation, Government of Canada, BNP Paribas International Banking Group, the United Nations) to improve products, policies, and services for people with disabilities in Canada and around the world.
Outside of academia he volunteers as a spinal cord injury peer mentor and has acted as a disability advisor for academic institutions regarding classroom, campus, and curriculum accessibility. Dr. Shaw is also a major advocate of sports for people with disabilities. He volunteers as a coach at introductory community tennis events and has been competing internationally in wheelchair tennis as a member of Team Canada for eight years.
His professional tennis career has seen him win 6 Canadian National Singles and Doubles titles to go along with 47 ITF Tour Titles. He secured gold at the 2019 Parapan-Am Games, silver at the 2023 Parapan-Am Games, achieved a career-high ranking of #6 in the world, represented Canada at the Tokyo Paralympics and is a 3x Grand Slam Doubles Finalist. In addition to being a professional player, Dr. Shaw sits on the ITF Classification Science Advisory Group, is vice-chair of the ITF Player Council, is a member of Tennis Canada’s Mental Health Strategy Task Force and was appointed the position of Athlete Representative for Wheelchair Tennis Canada where he provides recommendations to ensure the sport of wheelchair tennis evolves fairly and equitably for all participating athletes.
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, PC, OBC, KC, was raised to be a leader. The daughter of a hereditary chief and Indigenous leader, she always knew that she would seek leadership roles and responsibilities. As a lawyer, an advocate, and a leader among Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, she’s built a strong reputation as a bridge builder, and champion of good governance and accountability. She shares her unique perspective as both a community and political leader on topics such as Indigenous rights and reconciliation, democracy and governance, leadership, and justice.
Wilson-Raybould was first elected as a Member of Parliament for the new constituency of Vancouver Granville in 2015. She was then appointed the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada making her the first Indigenous person to serve in this portfolio. In January 2019, she was appointed the Minister of Veterans Affairs of Canada and Associate Minister of National Defence, positions she held until she resigned from cabinet in February 2019.
During the 2019 election, Wilson-Raybould was re-elected as an Independent Member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville, making her Canada’s first-ever female Independent MP elected, and the only elected Independent in the 43rd Parliament.
Prior to politics, Wilson-Raybould was a provincial crown prosecutor in Vancouver and served three terms as an elected Commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission. She was also elected BC Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009, where she devoted herself to the advancement of First Nations governance, fair access to land and resources, as well as improved education and health care services. She served until 2015, holding responsibilities for governance and Nation building on the Assembly of First Nations Executive.
Wilson-Raybould is a descendant of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk and Laich-Kwil-Tach peoples, which are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw, also known as the Kwak’wala speaking peoples. She is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation with her traditional name, Puglaas, which means “woman born to noble people.” She served two terms as an elected councillor for her Nation and was also a director and chair of the First Nations Finance Authority, and a director of the First Nations Lands Advisory Board.
Wilson-Raybould is the national #1 best-selling author of “Indian” In The Cabinet: Speaking Truth To Power, which was a finalist for The Writers' Trust Balsillie Prize for Public Policy, and Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, From Where I Stand: Rebuilding Indigenous Nations for a Stronger Canada and True Reconciliation: How To Be A Force For Change.