A member of the Lethbridge College Communications team received a national award today for making a significant impact on the employee community through her skilled and engaging communications, her creative problem-solving skills, and her ability to build relationships and make connections with colleagues across campus.
Dawn Sugimoto, who was a senior communications specialist when she was nominated for the award and who recently was named Communications manager, was selected as the Bronze recipient of the Leadership Excellence, Non-Managerial Staff award for this year’s Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Awards of Excellence. While Lethbridge College teams and programs have won CICan awards in the past, this is the first time an individual at the college has been recognized.
“We are thrilled to see Dawn recognized by this national organization for her leadership and commitment to good communications,” says Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College President and CEO. “She is a valued and essential part of our community. As one of our colleagues said in the nomination, everything Dawn provides is strategic, creative and connected to Lethbridge College initiatives. Because of that - and especially during the pandemic - the college is better connected, the culture of community has been nourished, and Lethbridge College is a better place.”
The award recognizes an individual or a team who has made an exceptional contribution within their institution and within the communities it serves. Sugimoto’s nomination described many of the ways she has done just that, highlighting one of her biggest successes – engaging employees through surveys and discussion groups and revamping the twice-weekly internal employee newsletter, Connections. In the end, she created an online news portal that contains all the information employees need – and more.
“I am so very grateful and humbled by this recognition from CICan,” says Sugimoto. “To me, this recognition speaks volumes about the Lethbridge College community. I have had the privilege of contributing to an incredible range of projects, and on each one, I had partners from across campus who work incredibly hard, who are deeply committed to the college and who inspire me daily.”
Sugimoto, a Lethbridge College alumnus, joined the communications team in 2018 after working in K-12 communications with the Palliser Regional School Division. She also enjoyed a lengthy career as a reporter, editor and managing editor at the Lethbridge Herald.
The Colleges and Institutes Canada Awards Program recognizes and promotes excellence within Canadian colleges, institutes, cégeps, university colleges and polytechnics. The awards showcase the extraordinary contribution of individuals to their college/institute communities and highlight the role of our institutions in social, cultural and economic development.