Humber Polytechnic earned three golds and a bronze as part of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan)'s national awards program that recognizes leadership, innovation and impact across Canada's public college and institute system.
The Awards of Excellence were presented during the 2026 CICan Connections Conference. This year's awards highlight individuals, teams, initiatives and institutions whose achievements exemplify the sector's vital role in building strong colleges, strong communities and a strong Canada - the guiding vision of CICan's newly launched Roadmap to 2030.
Humber continues to show leadership while driving impact in sustainability as evidenced by the recognition. Spencer Wood, director, Facilities Management with Humber, won gold in the Leadership Excellence Award for Managerial Staff while fourth-year Bachelor of Engineering - Sustainable Building Engineering student Samara Ocansey won gold in Leadership Excellence Award for Students.
Ocansey has earned multiple scholarships for her achievements and founded and leads the Women in Engineering Club while also serving as a tutor, mentor, and ambassador, actively supporting and inspiring her peers. Awards organizers said ger dedication, initiative and impact make her a highly deserving recipient of this award.
"Samara is not only so strong academically but her contributions to inclusion in engineering are inspiring, and I can only say what an incredible leader she is," said Vaughan.
Over more than 20 years, Wood has led a large team and delivered over 50 sustainability projects, resulting in significant cost savings and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. His innovative approach integrates strategy, operations and sustainability, transforming Humber's campus into a model for environmentally focused collaboration and learning.
"I think I was selected as the gold recipient because one of the very strong results, 30 per cent reduction in energy use, is impressive by anybody's standards but, more than that, to get there we didn't just do an energy efficiency project," said Wood. "Sustainability really has been embedded right into the culture at Humber."
"Humber has committed to being net zero energy by 2029 and I think the proudest accomplishment is building the team that has achieved what we have achieved," he continued.
Humber's SIM Lab Team - Simulation Specialists Jeffrey Ng and Kevin Gonneau as well as Simulation Technologists Pamela Prasetya and Behshta Sadaat - won gold in the Leadership Excellence Award for Non-Managerial Staff. The SIM Lab team, which is within Humber's Faculty of Social & Community Services, enhances student confidence and decision-making through immersive simulations while earning praise from faculty for their creativity and adaptability. By expanding into technologies such as virtual reality, tele-simulation, and gamification, they have significantly increased their reach and impact.
"What's really special about the work that the SIM Lab team has done is they have built a model that's scalable, inclusive and deeply connected to industry and community needs," said Ann Marie Vaughan, Humber president and CEO.
Onoriode Francis Osifo, a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Child and Youth Care program who's also chair of the Board of Directors for IGNITE, won bronze in Leadership Excellence Award for Students.
