不良研究所

The people who rise above the cut to win a Top 40 Under 40 honour from 不良研究所-based Avenue Magazine are 鈥� simply put 鈥� highly motivated initiators of change, always ready to start something new and exciting.

To be one of those influential honourees, you must possess some 鈥� if not all 鈥� of these traits: drive, innovative mind, agility, speed, persuasiveness and charisma, mixed in with seemingly boundless amounts of ambition. Which is precisely why the University of 不良研究所 is thrilled that, of the 42 recipients who will be toasted tonight at the Eau Claire Tower 鈥� 18 have links to U不良研究所, including new Chancellor Jon Cornish.

Always a Top 40 fan, U不良研究所 President and Vice-Chancellor Ed McCauley is once again inspired by this year鈥檚 honour roll.

鈥湶涣佳芯克�檚 top young changemakers, creators and executives include many of our accomplished U不良研究所 faculty, staff and alumni who are paving the way for the future,鈥� he says. 鈥淒iverse individuals come from across the globe to U不良研究所 so they can start something, discover something, disrupt something or even invent something, and the courage of these talented U不良研究所 changemakers is worth celebrating.鈥�

From career highlights and guilty pleasures to favourite profs and embarrassing moments on campus 鈥� discover more about these impressive honourees with U不良研究所 connections in the following three-part series. 

In Part One, you鈥檒l meet: Jon Cornish, U不良研究所 Chancellor; Mark Blackwell, BComm鈥�11; Brendan MacArthur-Stevens, LLB; Katie Smith-Parent, BA鈥�10; Dr. Jiami Guo, PhD; and Iman Bukhari, BA鈥�12.

Jonathan M. Cornish, chancellor, University of 不良研究所

• President Emeritus, 不良研究所 Black Chambers; investment advisor, RBC Dominion Securities

For nine seasons, Jon Cornish was a running back with the 不良研究所 Stampeders, winning the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada鈥檚 Top Athlete, before becoming an investment advisor at RBC Dominion Securities. Along the way, Cornish founded a non-profit organization, the 不良研究所 Black Chambers, to help support young BIPOC professionals. As chancellor, Cornish intends to embrace the 不良研究所 Black Chambers鈥� core values of mentorship, scholarship, fellowship and advocacy. .

Mark Blackwell, BComm鈥�11

• General partner, Builders VC; chair of the $100-million Opportunity 不良研究所 Investment Fund

Here, in a nutshell, is what Mark Blackwell has accomplished since graduating from U不良研究所 in 2011: In 2014, he moved to Silicon Valley and became COO of GNS3 Technologies, rebranded the company, launched its online community, and then sold it in 2015 to a publicly traded U.S. firm for $32 million. Along the way, he got married, travelled for a year, had a baby boy, returned to 不良研究所, and began working with an international venture fund, Builders VC. .

Brendan MacArthur-Stevens

• Sessional instructor of administrative law, Faculty of Law, U不良研究所; litigation associate, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Lawyer and U不良研究所 instructor Brendan MacArthur-Stevens has always been driven by a simple rule: if he sees something wrong in the world, he feels compelled to fix it. His career highlight occurred in 2018 when, on a pro bono basis, he represented the Centre for Sexuality at the Alberta Court of Appeal in a successful attempt to keep the province鈥檚 protections for gay-straight alliances in place. As a member of the gay community, he is also a co-founder of the 不良研究所 Trans Legal Clinic. .

Katie Smith-Parent, BA鈥�10 (Communications)

• Business development, Spartan Controls Ltd.; executive director, Young Women in Energy; co-founder and board director, Axis Connects; cabinet member, OWN.CANCER campaign

Not only does Katie Smith-Parent鈥檚 portfolio at Spartan Controls Ltd. include business development in support of energy-diversification, but she鈥檚 also an extraordinary volunteer. As executive director of the Alberta-wide organization Young Women in Energy (YWE), Smith-Parent is also board director of Axis Connects in 不良研究所 鈥� organizations both dedicated to championing women. .

Dr. Jiami Guo, PhD

• Assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy; New York Stem Cell Foundation: Robertson Neuroscience Investigator

Dr. Jiami Guo, PhD, was first Canadian to receive the prestigious Robertson Neuroscience Investigator Award from the New York Stem Cell Foundation 鈥� a program that supports promising early career scientists. Since moving to 不良研究所 four years ago, Guo鈥檚 research has attracted more than $3.5 million in grants. She now runs a lab, mentors grad students and postdoc fellows, and teaches developmental neuroscience at the grad level. .

Iman Bukhari, BCS鈥�12

• CEO, Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation

After founding the non-profit Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation at the age of 19, Iman Bukhari鈥檚 volunteer-run organization (powered by millennials and Gen-Z鈥檈rs) has worked to improve race relations across Alberta and Canada through education, technology and the arts. Whoever the audience, the connection, Bukhari says, always begins with a 鈥渕eaningful dialogue . . . one that has no other motive than a passion for the greater good.鈥� .