The York U Alumni Awards - Division of Advancement

Each year, the York University Alumni Awards recognize outstanding alumni who have achieved the extraordinary and are working to right the future by creating positive change in their fields. The Awards celebrate the broad York alumni community of innovators, activists, and researchers and its long-standing commitment to the public good. The tradition of recognizing their contributions will continue at the York U Alumni Awards Show. If you have any questions about the Alumni Awards Show, please contact Rose Lucibello, Manager, Advancement Events at crocitto@yorku.ca. If you have any questions about the nominations process or recipients, please contact Nicole Light, Senior Alumni Engagement Officer at nlight@yorku.ca.

View previous Alumni Awards recipients here.

View the 2024 York U Alumni Awards gallery.

The York U Alumni Awards Categories

AWARD	DESCRIPTION
Outstanding Contribution	An alum who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of York and its students through exceptional service, commitment and/or philanthropic contributions.
Outstanding Achievement	An alum who has achieved distinction in their field and whose integrity and ability inspire alumni, faculty, staff and students.
Tentanda Via	An alum who has demonstrated innovative, unconventional and daring leadership and success, reflecting the university’s motto, “The way must be tried.”
One to Watch	An alum who has made a significant impact in their field and/or community within 15 years of a bachelor’s degree or 10 years of a professional/graduate degree.

2024 York U Alumni Awards Recipients

The remarkable recipients of the 2024 York U Alumni Awards are: Michael Eubanks (BA ’93), Dr. Scott D. Tanner (BSc ’76 PhD ’80), Alia Abbas (BA ’13, MA ’17) and Dr. Bri Susanna Darboh (BA ’15, MA ’18, MBA ’22, PhD ’24).

Outstanding Contribution

An alum who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of York and its students through exceptional service, commitment and/or philanthropic contributions.

Michael Eubanks (BA ’93)

Chief Information Officer, goeasy Ltd.

Michael A. Eubanks is the chief information officer of goeasy Ltd. Michael leverages more than 30 years of diverse experience across the retail, financial services and digital and information technology sectors in both Canada and the U.S. As a leader in enterprise strategic planning, he specializes in implementing complex technology changes to meet shifting business models for public and private companies. A believer of strong leadership at every level, Michael is passionate about identifying and mentoring the next generation of leaders. 

Before Michael’s appointment at goeasy in 2020, he was chief information officer at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS). He has also held senior technology management roles at the Canadian Tire Corporation and Best Buy International. Michael is a graduate of York University and has completed the Institute Corporate Director’s Program Certification from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.  Michael is currently a board member and chair of the Human Resources Committee for Toronto Hydro Corporation, as well as a board member of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada.

Outstanding Achievement

An alumnus/a who has achieved distinction in their field and whose integrity and ability inspire alumni, faculty, staff and students.

Co-founder & CEO, DVS Sciences; former Principal Scientist, Sciex; Professor, University of Toronto

Scott arrived at York in 1972 to join the gymnastics team and stayed through his BSc (’76) and PhD (’80). After his doctoral work, Scott joined Sciex – an innovative developer of mass spectrometry instruments and became a world leader in atomic mass spectrometry. During his 25 years at Sciex, he invented successful instruments for the measurement of pollutants in air, dioxins in soil and most notably a series of instruments for measuring the atomic composition of matter. In 2005, he joined the faculty at the University of Toronto where he was 2011 Inventor of the Year in Biomedical and Life Sciences and co-founded DVS Sciences, to bring the new power of mass cytometry to the world.

He is currently a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Plasma Spectrochemistry, the Human Proteome Organization Award for Science and Technology, the Manning Innovation Award of Distinction and the WAE McBryde Medal from the Canadian Society for Chemistry. Upon retirement in 2015, Scott enjoyed an appointment as adjunct faculty in the Department of Chemistry at York University and sat on the board for Ontario Life Sciences and Ontario Genomics. After moving to Nova Scotia in 2020, he became chair of the Three Churches Heritage Foundation in Mahone Bay.

Tentanda Via

An alumna/us who has demonstrated innovative, unconventional, and daring leadership and success, reflecting the university’s motto, “The way must be tried.”

Alia Abbas (BA ’13, MA ’17)

CEO and Founder, Alia Consulting; Economic Development Officer, Town of Milton

Alia Abbas is an accomplished and recognized economic development professional based in Toronto. She graduated from York with a Bachelor of Arts with specialized honours in Geography and Urban Studies, a professional certification in Disaster and Emergency Management and a Master of Arts in Geography with a specialization in Economic Development. Alia's exceptional work and unwavering dedication in economic development have earned her international recognition and prestigious awards. She was honoured with the distinguished 2023 Top 40 Under 40 award by DCI and Jorgen Consulting at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Leadership Summit. She received the Bright Ideas Award from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (2020/2021) for her outstanding performance measurement metrics report, which has proven instrumental in assisting economic developers in their recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, her accomplishments were acknowledged by the Premier of Ontario through a personal letter of recognition.

Currently, Alia works with the Town of Milton as their economic development officer, where she continues to drive economic growth and development initiatives. Alongside this role, she passionately runs her consulting firm, Alia Consulting, collaborating with partners across the United States. As the CEO and founder of Alia Consulting, Alia leverages her extensive background in disaster and emergency management, as well as business continuity, to drive the success of her firm. Alia Consulting specializes in providing crucial support to economic development organizations, particularly in disaster and emergency preparedness, with a strong focus on business continuity.

One to Watch

An alumna/us who has made a significant impact in their field and/or community within 15 years of a bachelor’s degree or 10 years of a professional/graduate degree.

Dr. Bri Susanna Darboh (BA ’15, MA ’18, MBA ’22, PhD ’24)

Clinical Psychologist & Neuropsychologist in Supervised Practice; Clinical & Business Strategy Consultant; Adjunct Faculty, Schulich School of Business

As a second-generation Canadian born to Ghanaian parents, Dr. Darboh has navigated and excelled in spaces where she has often been one of the few Black professionals or trainees. She has been recognized with more than 20 awards and scholarships, including York’s Top 30 Alumni Under 30 (2022), Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch (2022) and the Schulich School of Business’ Outstanding Alumni Recognition (2024). She currently serves in multiple influential roles in healthcare and education. At Baycrest Hospital, she is a clinical neuropsychologist in supervised practice, leading the neuropsychology arm of a clinical research project aimed at optimizing dementia care in specialty clinics across Canada. She also holds a position as a clinical psychologist in supervised practice, providing psychotherapy to patients presenting with a diverse range of psychiatric and socioemotional difficulties in a private clinic. Additionally, she is an adjunct faculty member in the MBA program at the Schulich School of Business, where she teaches Strategy in Healthcare. Her expertise extends to the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, where she serves as a clinical and business strategy consultant for the Goal Management Training Program.

Beyond her professional roles, Dr. Darboh is a dedicated community leader, mentor, and health equity advocate. She holds leadership and membership positions in several organizations in service of her commitment to advocacy for underrepresented groups, including the Society for Black Neuropsychology, the Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs' Anti-Racism Working Group, New2Neuropsychology, and Baycrest Hospital’s Health Equity Working Group. She has founded and developed multiple programs aimed at supporting and mentoring aspiring neuropsychologists and has initiated and co-organized several conferences and workshops to raise awareness and foster inclusivity in clinical practice.

Remembering Bruce Bryden, an outstanding York leader

The York U Alumni Awards were inspired by Bruce Bryden who was an exceptionally committed and influential leader at York University for many years. He was a member of our first undergraduate class, was the founding president of the York University Alumni Association (now the York University Alumni Board/YUAB) and was a member of the York University Board of Governors.

The York U Alumni Awards recognize and honour his vision, exemplary leadership and extraordinary achievements.