Walker ready to ‘spread her wings’ in new role
Trista Walker’s career has taken some turns over the past decade but, if you ask her, the trajectory has always been clear. Last month, she was named Western’s Alumni Relations executive director, making her the face of the university for thousands of alumni.
She accepted the position following a national search and candidate review that looked for input from a 10-member search committee comprised of representatives from the Alumni Association board, its branches and chapters, as well as Western administration and staff.
“(Over the years) I’ve had so many opportunities to expand my leadership skill set and to meet hundreds of alumni through the course of my interactions. I can now really think about where I want to take Alumni Relations at Western. I’ve received tremendous support from the board, from our volunteers and my colleagues. It is a nice environment to be able to spread my wings,” she said.
Walker, who started at Western in 2001, is thrilled to take on her new role and responsibilities, the first of which include building her team under a new structure, developing position descriptions and filling vacancies in her department.
What really excites her, though, is the opportunity to hone her time and energy into working with and engaging not only former, but current members of the Western family.
“In Alumni Relations, we really feel we take the best student experience and take it further. We really try to create the best alumni experience,” Walker said. “(My job) is very rewarding at the end of the day, but it’s not just pastries and making sure the balloons are there. There’s more to it if we’re going to make the impact that we want to make. We work at a campus that centres on excellence and we need to ensure we’re in line with that.”
– Adela Talbot
NEWS AND NOTES
- Western student Pavninder Singh Athwal was awarded the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award, one of the world’s most prestigious awards, in Ottawa by His Royal Highness Prince Edward. Pavninder was selected in 2010 for an Ontario leadership program and represented Canada at the UN for Global Leader conference in 2011. Pavninder, who speaks Punjabi, English, French and Dutch, won a scholarship for a study program in Germany. If being a martial arts brown belt is not enough, he is also due to get his degree in music from the Thames University, London, England. Pavninder also got advanced entry into the Richard Ivey School of Business.
- In September, the D. B. Weldon library posted a map on its bulletin board and invited library users to mark their hometown with a pin. In the end, 268 people put a pin in the map on 67 countries. Top countries included: Canada, 54; China, 36; United States, 24; South Korea, 12; Saudi Arabia, 10; Iran, nine; India and England, seven each; Hong Kong and Germany, six each; Russia, Serbia, Columbia, Italy and Poland, four each; Pakistan, Egypt, France, Mexico and Venezuela, three each. Many of the countries had at least two pins, and 40 had only one.
- Oct. 27-28 marks the Third Annual Campout for Mental Health, a philanthropic event to raise awareness for mental health disorders and funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The 24-hour campout in Victoria Park features live bands, a concert and a headphone party that promises to continue through the night. The fundraising goal is set at $20,000.
The event is being run by Western students, in honour of a Western student Austen Berlet, who committed suicide three years ago after a battle with mental illness. While at Western, Berlet helped with the founding of a chapter of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity; since we can no longer return the favour, organizers ‘pay it forward’ and help raise money and awareness for people in similar situations to Berlet. - Western Law students Blake Jones, Lee Nicholson, Jennifer Simpson and Raluca Hlevca took part in an innovative project for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), commissioned by the Canada-United States Law Institute. The four explored ways to harmonize bankruptcy legislation in Canada and the United States in the field of agriculture.
- In partnership with the Ontario Electronic Stewardship, Western will host an e-waste drive 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15-Sunday, Oct. 21 in the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building parking lot. By bringing your old electronics to Western’s e-waste drive, coinciding with National Waste Reduction Week, you will be disposing of them in a safe, environmentally friendly way. Accepted items include TVs, computers, printers, cell phones, audio/video devices and many others. For the complete list of the electronic materials that will be accepted at this event, visit recycleyourelectronics.ca.
- Dr. John Denstedt was appointed Special Advisor to the Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry on Health Globalization, Internationalization and Simulation. In this role, Denstedt joins the senior leadership team of Schulich, providing leadership for the implementation of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry White Paper on Globalization and Internationalization, with a specific focus on developing, enhancing and maintaining internationalization initiatives.