Mona Jules BGS’08

Mona Jules (BGS’08) graduates from SFU’s Kamloops program with a Bachelor of General Studies with a minor in linguistics. Her focus is preserving the Secwepemc language and culture and teaching it to new generations.

Help from Harvard Bailey Klinger (BBA’02) is assisting entrepreneurs in developing countries to get start-up money for new businesses. He works for Harvard University and with funding, in part from Google, is behind a new way of screening applicants called “psycho-metric” testing that predicts entrepreneurial success in contexts where people don’t have credit or bank histories and their skills are not known to lenders. Klinger lives in Peru and is also working to export sacha inchi, a vegetable nut rich in omega oils.

Computer Recyling Shiva Nanda (MA’85) heads up Newport Computer Services, Inc., in New Hampshire. The company audits, tests, and deconstructs used computers and peripherals for reuse and recycling. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services recently recognizes the company as one of its Aspiring Leaders, a program that honours businesses that improve both the environment and the economy.
<www.newportcomputers.com>

Moving On David Mitchell (BA’75, MA’76) is the new head of the Ottawa-based Public Policy Forum. He was most recently vice-principal at Queen’s University and before that held senior positions at SFU and the University of Ottawa.

Moving Up Paul Ski (MBA’85) is chief executive officer – radio, for Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. He was most recently president of CHUM Radio in Toronto and is current chairman of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Radio Council as well as a member of the board of directors of both the Radio Marketing Bureau and the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement.

AIDS Origins The HIV/AIDs epidemic actually began around 1900, much earlier than previously thought, according to the University of Arizona’s Michael Worobey (BSc’97). The 1997 Rhodes Scholar focuses his research on understanding the origins, emergency control, and pathogen of retroviruses, including HIV. His research indicates that the most pervasive global strain of HIV began spreading among humans between 1884 and 1924, suggesting that growing urbanization in Africa set the stage for the pandemic.

He’s in the Band Daniel Moxon (BFA’04) is the vocalist, songwriter, guitar, and keyboard player for the five-person band Bend Sinister. Their new album, Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers, is called “sensational” and leads to a European tour.
<www.myspace.com/bendsinistervancouver>

Outstanding Alumni Awards

Shooting Star That’s what BC Business calls Amiee Chan (MBA’03), recognizing her as its turnaround champion of the year. Chan is president and CEO of Norsat International, a public company providing microwave and satellite technology. When Chan took over the company in 2006 it was in rough shape with a year-end loss of more than $4 million. Sixteen months after she took over, Chan had the company back in the black with net year-end earnings of $1.5 million.

Remembering an Environmental Legend Jim Fulton (BA’74) dies at 58 after a long battle with cancer. The Outstanding Alumni Award winner, long-time NDP Member of Parliament for Skeena, and executive director of the David Suzuki Foundation is remembered as an early supporter of environmental initiatives. He once slapped a fresh B.C. salmon on the House of Commons desk of then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to get attention for fish issues.

Remembering a Friend of SFU Provincial cabinet minister Stan Hagen (LLD’98) dies suddenly. As the minister of post-secondary education under the Bill Vander Zalm Social Credit government, Hagen was a strong supporter of the university. He is survived by his wife Judith (BA’83) and five children.

An Apple a Day Wilf Mennell (BA’72) produces B.C.’s newest apple, Ambrosia. It’s described as delicious, low acid, crisp, and juicy. It’s considered an all-purpose apple, good for eating, cooking, and serving with cheese.
<www.organicambrosiaapples.com>

9/11 Aftermath Paul Dhillon’s (BA’94) Sweet Amerika is a dark look at post-9/11 paranoia in New York City. It is produced on a shoestring budget in just 14 days, is shot mainly in Surrey, and stars Bollywood leading man Gulshan Grover. Dhillon is now working on a “powerful family drama” about South Asian gangs.

Steve Kojima BBA’04

Former SFU All-American lacrosse player Steve Kojima (BBA ’04) is now producing lifestyle clothing. His company, laxfuj.com, distributes an exclusive apparel line through retail stores in B.C. and Alberta. The brand also licenses merchandise for major international programs including Bermuda and Finland Lacrosse, as well as for the Western Lacrosse Association in Canada.

Family Story Maiko Bae Yamamoto (BFA’96) bases her play Train on a true story told to her by her mother. The story is about possibilities that take us in completely unexpected directions. It stars Yamamoto and her father Minoru Kofu, a master of the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese flute. Yamamoto and friends formed their own theatre company, Theatre Replacement, to produce work that speaks to people from diverse backgrounds.
<www.theatrereplacement.org>

Dress for Success The Costume Museum of Canada in Winnipeg has a new executive director. Archaeologist Roland Sawatzky (PhD’05) is committed to showcasing a new selection of the museum’s 35,000 artifacts every eight weeks. There are wedding dresses, Chinese and Japanese kimonos, embroidered garments from Europe, rare pieces of Egyptian linen, and a fine collection of fashion items from the 1940s through to the 1960s.

In Charge Anne Mack (BA’95) is the new chief of the Toquaht First Nation on Vancouver Island. She is now known as “Wii-tsuts-koom,” which in the Nuu-chah-nulth language means wealthy in terms of having lots of family.

Yukon Old-Timers What happens to hardy Yukoners when they get old? Tony Massil (BFA’08) explores that question in Forty Men for the Yukon, which wins best documentary at the Montreal Student Film Festival and is then shown at both the Vancouver and Toronto Film Festivals. More than 18 hours of footage was edited down to the 20-minute film that started as a fourth-year film program project at SFU.

Top Forty Under 40 Business in Vancouver names four SFU alumni in its annual list: Mark Forward (BBA’96), Concord Security Corp.; Salim Karim (BBA’93), INNHouse Licensed Retail Concepts; Rob Chase (BBA’91), Absolute Software; and Todd Kobus (BBA’96) Canucks Sports and Entertainment.

Prince George’s Best Michael Kerr (BSc’90) is named Prince George’s Citizen of the Year. The industrial technology advisor for the National Research Council is honoured for his significant contributions to diversification of the local economy, particularly his efforts to promote bioenergy. aq

Photograph of Mona Jules by Stuart Colcleugh/PAMR, Outstanding Alumni by Greg Ehlers/LIDC,. Steve Kojima courtesy Paul Harrison/laxfuj.com

print this story
top of page