Sheridan alumni vie for Colleges Ontario Premier’s Awards

A leader in basketball who supports both Canada’s national team and NBA players; an award-winning leader in the comic arts world; an activist who fights for meaningful work for individuals with disabilities; and a photographer whose lens exposes the reality of people experiencing homelessness all make up Sheridan’s cohort of nominees at the 2024 Premier’s Awards.

Launched in 1992 by Colleges Ontario, the Premier’s Awards annually celebrate college alumni by recognizing one winner in each of the competition’s categories. Sheridan alumni have taken home the prize 18 times. The nominees will be celebrated at an awards gala in Toronto on November 25.

“Our Premier’s Awards nominees exemplify the very best of what a Sheridan education can unlock for our students,” says Dr. Janet Morrison, President and Vice Chancellor of Sheridan. “They are leaders in their community who demonstrate excellence in all areas of their work, and they inspire everyone in our learning community.”

This year, Sheridan’s nominees are:

• Michelle Bell (Bachelor of Applied Health Science – Athletic Therapy ’11) is nominated in the Health Sciences category for her work to ensure the well-being and fitness of elite basketball players. Bell is currently director of coaching operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, a role she landed after working with the Toronto Raptors in the 2022–2023 season. She has also supported basketball teams at the provincial, national and university level in Canada and gives back by nurturing young talent. In 2022, Bell was the event liaison at the NBA Academy Games for high-school girls and in 2023 she founded the Soul2Sole Women in Sport community event. She is also the founder of Sport Exodus, an online resource to help student athletes adjust to life after sport.
  
  
• Artist, designer and the managing director of the Royal Academy of Illustration & Design (RAID) Ramon Perez (Illustration ’95) is Sheridan’s nominee in the Creative Arts & Design category. Perez is the founder of the RAID Press micro-publisher and he has worked as an artist for clients like Owlkids, DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment, contributing to projects like Wolverine & The X-Men. He also adapted the graphic novel of Jim Henson’s Tales of Sand which earned him Harvey Awards, Eisner Awards and a Shuster Award. Perez’s original work also includes the graphic novel JANE and the ongoing series Stillwater. His list of awards includes ForeWord Reviews’ Book of the Year Award in the Juvenile Non-Fiction category for Cyclist BikeList.
  
  
• In the Community Services category, Mark Wafer (Social Service Worker ’82) is nominated for his tireless advocacy to provide people living with disabilities with meaningful work. As a Tim Hortons franchisee, he became a champion for hiring individuals with disabilities – including speaking out to bring an end to ‘sheltered workshops’ where employees with disabilities were paid as little as 50 cents an hour. After retiring from entrepreneurship, Wafer became a full-time advocate serving as chair, and then interim CEO, of Abilities Centre Whitby. He has also served as a member of the Federal Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and as a member of the OMEDEI Partnership Council. In addition, he is chair of Canadian Hearing Services and co-founder of Canadian Business SenseAbility. Among his many honours, Wafer is a member of the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame.
  
  
• Award-winning photographer Leah den Bok (Bachelor of Photography ’22) is nominated in the Recent Graduate category for her powerful portraits that reveal the stories of those affected by homelessness. The work is part of her ongoing project, Humanizing The Homeless, and her book series, Nowhere to Call Home. den Bok donates 100% of the profits from her books and exhibitions to homeless shelters in the areas where she exhibits her work, and she’s spoken at events including ARTWALK New York and WE Day/WE Family events where she addressed 40,000 people.

In addition to the nominees, a talented Sheridan graduate will also serve as the event’s master of ceremonies. James Cunningham, a 1996 alumnus of the college’s Theatre and Drama Studies program, is a comedian, television host and corporate emcee who has hosted the Premier’s Awards for multiple years.

Sheridan Alumni welcomes suggestions for Premier’s Awards nominees from our alumni community. Anyone interested in nominating a Sheridan graduate is invited to email alumni@sheridancollege.ca.

— Pictured in photo grid are Sheridan 2024 Premier's Award nominees (from left) Michelle Bell, Ramon Perez, Mark Wafer and Leah den Bok.