Backgrounder: Celebrating Five Decades of Excellence

Stephanie Dixon
BA (Psychology), Faculty of Social Sciences, 2009
Paralympian Stephanie Dixon has been smashing world records in the pool for years now. Her capacity for embracing life with an inspiring attitude has led this elite swimmer to the very height of her sport and today motivates a new generation. Born in Brampton, ON, Dixon quickly emerged as one of the great athletes in UVic Vikes history, breaking records early in her career. She earned UVic’s Female Athlete of the Year honours on two occasions after setting three new world-record times during the varsity season and at the annual national championships for Canadian universities. Dixon, who was born with one leg, competes in a separate classification at the international level and has been at the top of that classification for more than a decade. At the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Paralympic Games, she reached the podium 19 times. There really isn’t any sport she won’t try: surfing, cycling, skiing and climbing are all elements in her athletic repertoire. Now, leading the young swimmers she coaches in Whitehorse, she instills in them a love of sports and the lifelong benefits of athleticism.

Grand Chief Edward John (Akile Ch'oh)
BA (Sociology), Faculty of Social Sciences, 1974
Grand Chief Edward John (Akile Ch'oh), a Hereditary Chief of Tl'azt'en Nation located on the banks of the Nak'al Bun (Stuart Lake) in northern BC, has dedicated himself to improving the lives of Indigenous peoples. After completing his UVic undergraduate degree and law degree from UBC, he established a law practice in Prince George and founded Tanizul Timber, holder of the first and only tree farm licence awarded to a BC First Nation. He was appointed Grand Chief of the Tl'azt'en Nation in 1992. Chief John’s legal and constitutional expertise contributed to several landmark court decisions, including the 1990 Sparrow case in which the Supreme Court of Canada acknowledged that Aboriginal rights are protected within the Constitution Act. His working life remains focused on the pursuit of social and economic justice for Indigenous peoples in BC, Canada and around the world. Internationally, Chief John participated in the development of the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, is chair of the UN’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and attended sessions in 2009 with Pope Benedict XVI on the role of the Catholic Church in Indian Residential Schools. His involvement with UVic includes service on the committee to form the Aboriginal studies programs in UVic’s School of Public Administration, in which he taught. He holds honorary degrees from UVic and UNBC and is a member of UVic’s 50th Anniversary Honorary Cabinet.

Paul Nicklen
BSc (Biology), Faculty of Science, 1990
Paul Nicklen is a nature photographer based on Vancouver Island whose breathtaking imagery from the polar regions puts the focus on a world being affected by climate change and global warming. His childhood among the Inuit and a professional background as a biologist give him a unique view of the creatures which inhabit the frozen places of our planet and their endangered environments. The recipient of more than 20 international awards, Nicklen has gone ice diving among leopard seals in Antarctica, covered hundreds of miles of terrain in sub-zero temperatures and mastered aerial photography from his ultralight plane. He has published 11 stories for National Geographic, including the August 2011 cover story on the elusive spirit bear, and has worked with numerous other publications including Rolling Stone and Time magazines. His latest book, Polar Obsession, was published in November 2009 and was in its third printing within months of publication. His TED2011 talk, TV appearances such as on Jeopardy and in YouTube videos (one with more than three million hits) also continue to keep him in the spotlight.

Alisa Smith
BA (History in Art), Faculty of Fine Arts, 1994
MA (History), Faculty of Humanities, 1997
Alisa Smith’s widely acclaimed book has had a global impact. The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating (published in 2007 and known as Plenty in the US), which she co-authored with partner and former UVic student James MacKinnon, describes the challenges and triumphs of spending 365 days living on food produced within a 100-mile radius of home. Smith and MacKinnon’s 100-Mile Diet Society developed a popular website, blog and a 100-Mile Thanksgiving campaign. This attention thrust them both into the forefront of the local foods movement. The book put sustainability to the test, struck a chord amid concern about climate change and coincides with widening interest in farmers’ markets. The 100-Mile Diet received a national Cordon D’Or culinary literature award in the US, is reading material in colleges and universities across North America and was adapted into a documentary/reality TV series which aired in Canada and the US as well as through Sundance International in Europe and Asia. Smith, who is based in Vancouver, has published extensively including in Outside, Explore, Canadian Geographic, Reader’s Digest, Elle Canada and Utne magazines.

Tamara Vrooman
BA (History), Faculty of Humanities, 1991
MA (History), Faculty of Humanities, 1994
As president and CEO of Canada’s largest credit union, Tamara Vrooman is responsible for ensuring Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity) fulfills its vision of redefining wealth for members and communities. Vrooman became the leader of Vancity in 2007 after a public sector career that culminated with a three-year post as the province's deputy minister of finance. Raised in Kamloops, she lived in Victoria for more than 15 years before moving to Vancouver in 2007. She oversees the credit union’s $16-billion balance sheet and helped Vancity achieve, last year, the best earnings performance in its 65-year history. Under her leadership, Vancity has also become the first carbon-neutral credit union in North America and the first Canadian financial institution invited to join the Global Alliance for Banking on Values. Among other awards and recognition, Vrooman was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2005 and received the 2003 Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to public service in BC. Vrooman has also been named three times to the Women’s Executive Network: Top 100 Most Powerful Women list, and in 2008, she received the UVic Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award.