Alumni Notes

Chamkaur Cheema, MBA’85, retired in 2019 and is living in Vancouver with his wife, Sandy. After graduating from Smith, Chamkaur went on to have a variety of careers, eventually finding his true calling as a post-secondary educator at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in B.C., where he spent 23 years teaching entrepreneurial leadership. He credits the MBA program for giving him the skills to transition between various industries throughout his career. In retirement, Chamkaur continues to be active with several boards and real estate investments.

Bruce Cowle, BCom, has been practising law in his home town of Napanee since 1990. His community involvement and volunteer work were recently recognized with the Napanee BIA Milestone Award. Such involvement includes his positions as President of the Napanee District Community Foundation and member of the Rotary Club, Director and Past Chair of the Limestone Learning Foundation and Past President of the Napanee & District Curling Club, as well as his pro bono legal work for not-for-profit groups in the area. Bruce and his wife Donna have two children, Alex (23) and Jocelyn (20).

Hugh Helferty, MBA’85, Artsci'77, is living in Houston and tells us he published an opinion piece in The Hill calling on governments to harness the capabilities of oil companies to address climate change. He’s working with a number of former industry executives to advocate for this position in Canada, the U.S. and beyond.

Peter Howe, BCom, tells us that after 16 years of living and working in Europe, and leading United World Colleges in Italy, the Netherlands and Wales, he and Sally will be moving closer to Canada. He is taking up the headship of Somersfield Academy in Bermuda in August 2021. “We are looking forward to being closer to family and friends in Canada and still avoiding Canadian winters!” he says.

Maria Scanga-Ricci (BCom), as Co-Chair of Fundraising for Ottawa’s Villa Marconi Long-Term Care Centre and Chair of the city’s Ital-Fest, came up with the novel idea of building the world’s largest marionette to create awareness for the Centre. When she recruited The Hon. John Baird, M.P., as an official witness, she was pleasantly surprised to find out that he was a fellow Queen’s alum (Artsci’92). After a year’s labour, the Centre’s efforts were recognized by Guinness World Records™, which now certifies that “The largest marionette was the mascot to Ottawa’s Ital-Fest, measuring 17 m, 82 cm (58 ft, 5.5 in) in height and was presented by the Villa Marconi Long-Term Care Centre during the annual Ital-Fest in Ottawa, Canada, on 6 September 2008.” Their entry beat the previous record of a 49-ft, 11-in marionette, held by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, New Mexico.