Barbara Gibson (BA'71)

Lifetime Achievement Award

As a highly regarded career diplomat, Barbara Gibson (BA’71) served Canada in influential positions around the globe for more than three decades. Through her expertise on the world stage, Gibson advanced the crucial role that diplomacy plays in the pursuit of Canada’s national interests and in building global consensus for a rules-based international order. 

Gibson was born and raised in Saskatoon, where she attended Evan Hardy Collegiate before studying at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Arts and Science and earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971. Gibson’s international career began shortly thereafter, when she began working for the New Zealand Department of Trade and Industry in 1974 and then subsequently for organizations based in Belgium, the UK, and Nigeria. In 1983 she joined the Canadian Foreign Service and went on to serve with professionalism, excellent judgement, and dedication in a variety of key roles, including in 2014 as the director of the Middle East Division of the Canadian Department of External Affairs (now Global Affairs Canada), which included managing Canada’s relations with Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran. Read more.

Carolyn Tastad (BComm'83)

Lifetime Achievement Award

As an inspiring executive at the global corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G), Carolyn Tastad (BComm’83) made an international impact through her passionate advocacy of gender and intersectional equity within the workplace and the world. Tastad is known as a transformative leader inside and outside of P&G, delivering breakthrough business results and changing organizational capabilities and culture.   

Tastad grew up in small-town Saskatchewan, where her father farmed and her mother taught school. After high school Tastad attended the University of Saskatchewan, where she earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1983. Upon graduation, she immediately joined P&G Canada as a management system analyst, moving on to sales and general management. She worked across P&G’s full portfolio of brands and led national, multinational, and global organizations, living in Canada, the United States, and Switzerland. Read more.

Scott Thon (BE'85)

Lifetime Achievement Award

As a distinguished executive in the global energy industry, Scott Thon (BE’85) leads a diverse group of businesses in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain and has driven major energy infrastructure projects in Canada and around the world. In addition to his impact as president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Thon is a leader in his community through his remarkable philanthropic and volunteer efforts.

A proud University of Saskatchewan alumnus who remains connected to his Saskatchewan roots, Thon received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in 1985 from USask’s College of Engineering. After earning his degree, he went on to become a registered professional engineer and a graduate of Western University’s Ivey Business School Executive Education program. In 2015, Thon earned his ICD.D designation through the ICD-Rotman Directors Executive Education program, further demonstrating his commitment to excellence in the boardroom. As someone who grew up playing minor hockey in Saskatchewan, Thon continues to attribute many of his core values around teamwork to his involvement in the sport and to the guidance that he received from teammates and coaches, including his father. Thon and his companies have also become supporters of a Hockey Canada youth initiative to provide registration fee subsidies to families. Read more.

Brad Berg (BComm’91, LLB’92) and Brian Rolfes (LLB’91)

Outstanding Impact Award

The professional achievements and personal commitment of Brad Berg (BComm’91, LLB’92) and Brian Rolfes (LLB’91) have significantly advanced 2SLGBTQQIA+ rights and inclusivity in Canada and around the world. Their work includes the campaign for equal marriage in Canada and deep contributions to charities and educational organizations.   

Berg and Rolfes met in 1993 while clerking at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal after studying at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law. In 1998, they held a commitment ceremony at the United Church at St. Andrew’s Chapel on the USask campus, with 130 friends and family members attending. It was one of the first same-sex union ceremonies on the prairies. They then helped to lead the national campaign for equal marriage in Canada, with Rolfes serving for eight years as chair of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. The church performed Canada’s first same-sex marriages in 2001 and was part of the litigation (Halpern v. Canada) resulting in equal marriage being recognized by the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2003. In celebration, Berg and Rolfes—who grew up in Dorintosh and Saskatoon, Sask., and now live in Toronto—had their wedding vows renewed and finally legalized. Read more. 

Joshua Letendre (MPAcc'20)

One to Watch Award

Joshua Letendre (MPAcc’20) is a proud Métis accounting professional, university instructor, and non-profit leader who uplifts Indigenous voices and strengthens the social, cultural, and economic well-being of his community. Through his grassroots leadership, cultural pride, and commitment to economic reconciliation, he is sparking transformative change in Alberta and beyond. 

Letendre earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting at MacEwan University before completing his Master of Professional Accounting degree at the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business in 2020. Letendre went on to achieve his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation in 2023 and was then awarded the CPA Alberta Early Achievement Award in 2024, an honour reflective of his rapid and meaningful impact on the profession and the community. Letendre began his career in public practice at MNP LLP, where he focused on agriculture and Indigenous audits, contributing to economic reconciliation and community development. He later served as director of finance and corporate services at Rupertsland Institute before launching his own firm in 2023—Max Accounting and Business Solutions—and providing individuals and corporations with culturally relevant services. Letendre currently serves as an Indigenous instructor with the CPA Western School of Business, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping the national Indigenous Learners in Accounting Initiative. He also teaches accounting, finance, and data analytics as a sessional instructor at MacEwan University. Read more.

Dr. Keely Shaw (BSKI'16, MSc'20, PhD'24)

One to Watch Award

Dr. Keely Shaw (BSKI’16, MSc’20, PhD’24) is a scientist and elite Para athlete who has demonstrated excellence in her academic and athletic pursuits. She has inspired others through her journey as an award-winning Paralympian and six-time World Championship medalist, and through her interdisciplinary research that has the potential to significantly impact human health.

Shaw grew up in Midale, Sask., where she experienced a life-changing horse-riding accident on the family farm at the age of 15 that resulted in partial paralysis on her left side. Prior to the accident, Shaw was a high-level hockey player who aspired to compete in the Olympics; after the accident, she struggled with the realization that her body had changed. Shaw’s Paralympic career began when she was working out at the Physical Activity Complex on the University of Saskatchewan campus and a classmate connected her with a sports scientist, who told Shaw that she would be a classifiable Para athlete and to “pick a sport.” At the time, Shaw had been commuting by bike to USask and decided to try Para cycling as a result. Upon completing her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology degree at USask in 2016, Shaw entered her first competition in Moose Jaw, Sask.—and the rest is history. Realizing that she had found the right sport for her, she emailed every person she could from the Canadian Paralympic website to let them know that she was interested in competing. The Paralympic team put her in touch with a Cycling Canada NexGen coach, and Shaw competed at her first National Championship in August 2017 and at her first World Championship in March 2018. Read more.

Award design

The use of greystone is intentional in our Alumni Achievement award. You might recognize it as the defining feature found on many USask buildings.

What does it mean?

We caught up with influential past award winners to see what being a USask Alumni Achievement Award winner has meant to them.

Past recipients

Who are Alumni Achievement Award winners? They are leaders in their fields and being what the world needs.

• View photo album of 2024 event