Distinguished Service Awards

​Dr. Lindsey Fair’s advocacy to advance the cause of higher education, through her creative and collaborative leadership has inspired countless individuals. With deep commitments to mentorship, innovation, and excellence she continues to embolden institutions across Canada and the professionals within.

Her remarkable contributions to the sector spurred her nomination which came from numerous individuals across 3 separate institutions - a true testament to her outstanding career and the impact she has made.

Fair’s career spans almost two decades of progressive leadership roles that have seen her seamlessly move between the private and public sector, and university, college, and polytechnic environments. Her accomplishments are many, and her contributions to the field of educational advancement are grounded in integrity and authenticity. She has had held senior leadership roles at Queen’s University, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and most recently at the University of Victoria.

“Lindsey is a pioneer. She challenges the status quo, and she inspires others to be better in their approach to communications and marketing, ensuring that efforts are audience-driven and data-informed. In her leadership roles at Queen’s, SAIT, and Victoria, Lindsey has led the development of new institutional strategic plans, structured and reorganized portfolios and units to enable cross-pollination of ideas and collaboration, and  implemented new digital platforms for recruitment and ecommerce.”
Melinda Knox, Director, Thought Leadership and Strategic Initiatives, University Relations, Integrated Communications, Queen’s University

Her Marketing and Communications background is renown from coast to coast within Canada. Her expertise spans a wide range of topic areas, including brand strategy, brand health, institutional reputation, issues management, internal communications, corporate communications, public relations, marketing, fundraising, web and digital communication platforms, public relations and brand management. She has been recognized tremendously for these accomplishments, receiving countless awards, with over 20 in just the last few years.

One of her most profound accomplishments, while at SAIT, was when she united 11 polytechnics in a single, integrated major national marketing campaign designed for collective success, rather than having them compete with one another individually. This campaign launched with a two-page spread in Maclean’s magazine and earned an impressive 18,000 conversions.

At the University of Victoria she led the development of UVic’s first ever integrated marketing and communications strategy elevating the institution’s reputation as a leader in education, innovation, and community impact by increasing web users by 29%; seeing a 458% growth in campaign conversions; and 36% improvement in positive earned media.

“Dr. Fair's strategic approach to branding has empowered the University of Victoria to communicate its values, vision, achievements, and unique value proposition more effectively. This has proven invaluable in cultivating positive relationships with prospective students and instilling a strong sense of pride among current students, alumni, donors, and the wider community.”
Maria A. Tanna’s Administration Manager, Communications and Marketing, University of Victoria

Fair’s career includes major consulting projects such as the Boys and Girls Club of Canada (Kingston / Eastern Ontario), St. Lawrence Parks Commission, and IBM, (to name a small sample). She is a highly respected presenter sharing her knowledge both in professional learning spheres and with students at the University of Victoria where she is adjunct professor. She is a published author of numerous articles and a small business strategy book, further showcasing her expertise in the field. During her career at SAIT, she earned a PhD in Place Branding from Queen’s University in 2022 and while teaching at St. Lawrence College, running a business and raising her tiny human she completed her MBA from Cape Breton University.

Even with such a busy and illustrious career, Fair has always found the time to give back. She has served as a valued member of the CCAE Board, on the SEMM Forum advisory panel, as a senior leader on the Manulife Alumni Summit, and as a Canadian Marketing Association senior judge for their digital marketing awards. Additionally, she has dedicated her time to various charitable organizations, including Awesome Kingston, Kingston Arts Council, United Way, CYBF, Junior Achievement, Opportunities Kingston.

The true philanthropic nature of Lindsey Fair, however, is through her abilities as a mentor. Her colleague, Melinda Knox from her time at Queen’s University shares, Lindsey’s motto is to “let them dream big, feel safe enough to fail, and celebrate the wins.” At Queen’s Dr. Fair created an environment where individuals can be flexible and grow.

“Lindsey is always the first to put her energy and support behind a new idea or program that could open doors for underrepresented students and first-generation students in post-secondary education. In our leadership meetings, Lindsey would remind us of our target audience and the student voice, expertly backed up with survey results from her data-driven approach to marketing campaigns.”
Jenny Corlett, Community Integration Liaison, Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion), Queen’s University

At SAIT beyond the inspiration she created to her staff team and fellow employees she also made an impact as a mentor in the WITT (Women in Trades and Technology), where she played a crucial role in guiding and developing emerging talents.

“Lindsey showcased her exceptional ability to inspire, guide, and foster growth within her team of 36. Her leadership created a safe space for innovation and experimentation, and she provided opportunities for professional development, ensuring that her team had the tools and resources needed to succeed. “
Jacqueline Cox, Director, Marketing & Recruitment, SAIT

At the University of Victoria, she expanded her mentorship with bold strokes and harnessed strategies to build talent, recognize existing talent and spurred their career aspirations. She started the annual ComsCon Conference at UVic, where communications and marketing practitioners gather to take a future-focused and data-driven analysis to make sense of industry trends, and created the “Zesty Awards” as an internal celebration of staff to both bolster recognition but more importantly build a strong internal community.

“Dr. Fair is selfless in sharing her knowledge and passion of marketing and communications that have helped me, and other colleagues make significant improvements to our engagement efforts like increasing our various metrics such as alumni participation or advancing the UVic brand in targeted markets.”
Gina Wheatcroft, Director, Alumni Relations, University of Victoria

“Lindsey challenges the status quo and takes calculated risks to ensure the institution is uniquely positioned to attract prospective students, donors, partners, and supporters… Lindsey has brought together a fragmented community of communications staff across campus and empowered them to contribute more strategically to the university’s reputation building, fundraising and recruitment efforts. She has removed barriers to collaboration, optimized internal processes and created new recognition programs to celebrate excellence.”
Amber Hanson, Director, Communications & Engagement, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (Previously: Associate Director, Research Profile, University of Victoria)

Throughout the last decade of Fair’s career in higher education the campaigns, websites and marketing projects that she has led have won over 30 global marketing awards based on the impact they have made. Many of the ideas she conceived and implemented remain intact and in operation at the institutions she served speaking to the long legacy she leaves behind her.

For all her accomplishments and more, CCAE alongside award sponsor Manulife, is honoured to present the 2025 Outstanding Achievement Award to Dr. Lindsey Fair. Fair truly holds the highest ideals of the advancement profession, through her unwavering dedication to delivering outstanding leadership, mentorship, and innovative strategies, confirming her as an exemplary professional in this sector.

As a valued member of the University of Victoria’s advancement team for the past 4 years, Tannaz Hosseini’s meteoric rise continues to make an impact. Her career at UVic began with a role on the small but mighty alumni relations team, and in just 18 months she was already being promoted within the department.

Her leadership and novel insights were truly awe-striking, earning recognition from her colleagues. She successfully increased alumni engagement by 38% and has spearheaded numerous initiatives to strengthen the connection between alumni and their alma mater. Notably, she played a key role in organizing UVic’s Stocktober, the UVic Alumni Guest Speaker Series, and the newly launched UVic Alumni Book Club.

“As a newcomer to alumni relations and advancement when she began, Tannaz has grown into a thoughtful leader, an inspiring collaborator, and a dedicated advocate for alumni engagement—making her an invaluable part of our team and a rising star in our field.”
Julia Keenan, Manager, Alumni Relations, University of Victoria

In April 2024, for her leadership in the Alumni Winterfest - Pass Along the Positivity: from UVic Alumni to UVic Students initiative, Tannaz received the Campus Kudos Leadership Award, from the President’s Office, at the University of Victoria. Tannaz created and launched an innovative way for alumni to share inspiring messages and memorable experiences with students worldwide through an interactive webpage. The initiative was an enormous success, by leveraging social media and physical postcards to send the messages captured from the webpage, UVic was able to impact over 800 students on campus and in turn strengthened many alumni-student connections.

Her accomplishments did not stop there, she was then bestowed in leading one of UVic’s most prominent public-facing events and programs, the Distinguished Alumni Awards. Tannaz reimagined and elevated this longstanding program to an extraordinary level – through the integration of adding decolonization and indigenization principles into its framework - Tannaz transformed the awards into a meaningful platform for connection and recognition, reflecting the values of both the university and its alumni. She excelled in organizing and liaising with the communications team in the promotion of the awards, the management and review of over 50 nominations, and worked diligently with a selection committee composed of alumni volunteers and staff. The results speak for themselves, with an annual 250+ attendee recognition and celebration event, which is expected to grow this year.

“Tannaz is a thoughtful leader and a highly respected colleague who brings fresh perspectives through a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion… Her ability to learn swiftly, adapt positively to change, maintain a strong work ethic, and gently persuade others to embody UVic values makes her a role model for all. We deeply appreciate Tannaz and are eager to watch her career flourish.”
Kathleen Bellamano, President, University of Victoria Alumni Association, and Gina Wheatcroft, Director, Alumni Relations & Executive Director, University of Victoria Alumni Association

Outside of the University of Victoria, Tannaz has an intrinsic commitment to Advancement in Canada. She has continued her learning through countless courses, webinars and pro-actively reaches out to colleagues across Canada to stay informed on new trends and innovations. With a never-ending aptitude she aligns her vision to UVic’s Strategic and Indigenous plans to ensure everything she puts her hands on is inclusive, forward-thinking and impactful. This has proven to be of great effect in serving and understanding the diverse communities of the university.

In recognition of her accomplishments and what is a foreseeable very bright future, CCAE and Rising Star Award supporter, Blackbaud are proud to provide Tannaz Hosseini with this prestigious accolade.

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Beth Pelow began her trajectory to reach Rising Star status at Trent University in 2021 serving as the Tracks Co-Director, Partnership & Resource Development through the TRent Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge & Science Youth Program. Through collaborative efforts with the Trent University Development Office, she created an indelible impression through her strategic efforts in securing grants, cultivating sponsorships, and coordinating giving days - demonstrating a passionate start in the field of advancement.

Beth’s authenticity and professionalism distinguished her among candidates when she applied for a Development Officer position within Trent’s External Relations & Development portfolio in 2022. From the outset, she surpassed expectations, achieving remarkable success in her first year and maintaining an impressive upward trajectory.

She quickly ramped up annual giving-day programming, built strong and genuine relationships with donors, secured major gifts including her first $100,000 gift, and significantly increased sponsorship year-over-year for the Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering, underscoring its importance to Trent as a leader in Indigenous education.

"With an unwavering passion and a heart full of optimism, Beth Pelow embodies the true spirit of collaboration and leadership. Her initiative is infectious, always stepping forward with a positive attitude and a genuine commitment to making a difference. Whether working alongside others or inspiring those around her, Beth has an exceptional ability to build relationships and drive meaningful change, proving time and again that success is not just about reaching goals—it's about doing so with purpose and a smile."
Naomi Handley (she/her), Director, Alumni Engagement & Services, Trent University

In 2024, Trent Athletics & Recreation planned to expand advancement support, and there was no one better for the new role of Senior Development Officer, Athletics, than Beth. With her background refereeing soccer at a provincial and national level, this new role was a perfect fit.

Beth took on the role with fervour and has - yet again - surpassed fundraising goals, created robust and accountable sponsorship packages, led the development of the Trent Athletics Momentous Campaign giving pages, created endowment funding opportunities, and re-established important connections between alumni networks through data collection, improving the reach and engagement within the department.

“In only her first 6 months, Beth has already eclipsed the Athletics’ fundraising total from all of 2023-24! Her energy, commitment and dedication have resonated with her Athletics colleagues, varsity coaches, and alumni. This has positioned Athletics very well in building, and in some cases re-building, relationships with alumni and other stakeholders. She has also engaged other donors and corporate partners, which has led to increased financial support … Her passion for philanthropy and advancement is on full display each and every day.”
Nathan McFadden, Director, Athletics & Recreation, Trent Athletics

Outside of her great accomplishments at Trent, Beth is an avid learner and supporter in many realms. She has proactively participated in Trent’s First Peoples House of Learning’s “Just Get Over It” workshop. She is a member of, and a regular attendee at, meetings for the Peterborough Association of Fundraising Professionals (PAFN); has volunteered as a judge for the CCAE Prix d’Excellence awards; and is currently enrolled in Trent University’s Nonprofit Management Essentials micro-credential program.

“In her work to raise funds for Indigenous student supports, Beth Pelow is an example of reconciliation in action. As an ally for the First Peoples House of Learning, Beth has been working with us to raise awareness by sharing truths about the dark history of our nation in a way that does not focus on shame or blame, focusing instead on the ways we can all use our privilege to create a better learning environment and a brighter future for First Nations, Metis, Inuit students, because we all have a role in reconciliation.”
Dawn (Memee) Lavell-Harvard, Director, First Peoples House of Learning

Her volunteerism and enthusiasm also extend outside of the education sector. With a true philanthropic heart, she has volunteered for Kids Help Phone, Ontario Soccer; the East Central Ontario Soccer Association, and the Peterborough Concert Band. 

For all of her accomplishments and accolades and for simply being a very kind and captivating individual, it is with great honour that CCAE and Rising Star Award supporter Blackbaud bestow this well-deserved accolade to Beth Pelow, 2025 Rising Star.