1990s
Kristi L. Burns (BA'94) graduated from Lakehead with a Bachelor of Arts before obtaining her LLB from the University of Manitoba. She was called to the Bar of the Province of Ontario in 1999 and joined Buset LLP in Thunder Bay where she has practiced various areas of law including residential and commercial real estate, development law, commercial financing transactions and general litigation. Kristi is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of Ontario, and the Thunder Bay Law Association. She also served on the board of the Children's Centre Thunder Bay for nine years.
2000s
Terry-Lynn Johnson (BEd'07/MEd'12) has published Sprigs and Twigs: A Solitary Note & Selected Poems. Terry-Lynn, who is originally from Nipigon, Ontario, describes herself as a contemporary romantic poet and her poetry explores themes such as nature, spiritualism, death, and hope. Sprigs and Twigs contains both new and older poetry and is published by FriesenPress. Find out more about Terry-Lynn on her website www.lakeheadpoet.com and on Twitter at @lakeheadpoet. Sprigs and Twigs is available for purchase at Chapters-Indigo and Amazon.ca.
Filippo (Fil) Lettieri (BA/BEd'07) was named the new superintendent of education of the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board in February 2022. Fil began his career in education in 2007 as an elementary school teacher at St. Mary's Catholic School in Blind River, Ontario. He's also taught at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Elliot Lake, Ontario, and St. Mary's College. In 2013, Fil became the principal of Our Lady of Lourdes French Immersion in Elliot Lake and in 2016, he became the principal of St. Bernadette Catholic School where he worked until 2022.
Sarah Pash (MED'05/PhD'14) was recently re-elected chairperson of the Cree School Board located in Eeyou Istchee, Quebec. Prior to joining the Cree School Board, Sarah was executive director of the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute, which offers regional cultural programming for the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Nation. Sarah is also a board member of both the Indigenous Heritage Circle and the Eenou Eeyou Community Foundation. She has a Master of Education and a PhD in Educational Studies, specializing in First Nations education, from Lakehead University as well as degrees from the University of Toronto.
2010s
Kathleen (Katy) Commisso (JD'16) is a graduate of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law's charter class. She joined Buset LLP in Thunder Bay as a first-year law student in 2013, became an associate lawyer in 2016, and was made a partner in 2022. She has a litigation practice focused on insurance-related cases. Katy is dedicated to her community and her profession. She's a member of the E-hearings task force, the Superior Court of Justice Civil Working Group, and the Ontario Bar Association's board of directors. In 2020, Katy received the Thunder Bay Law Association's Service to the Community Award and rejoined the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law as a clinical instructor.
Jessica Hochins (HBScF'13) earned a Forest Technician diploma in ecosystem management from Confederation College before transferring to Lakehead to complete an Honours Bachelor of Science in Forestry. After graduating in 2013, Jessica worked in the woodlands departments of several sawmills. Later, she shifted to planning and silviculture and is currently the operations supervisor at Skeena Sawmills in Terrace, British Columbia. She's also responsible for Skeena's safe certification program and is the environmental management system coordinator of the sawmill's Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) and the Skeena BioEnergy pellet plant's Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) certification.
Karilynn (Kari) Kluke (HBK'13) was hired as the City of Elliot Lake's director of recreation and culture in January 2022. Kari earned an Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology degree from Lakehead before going on to earn a master's degree in sports management from Brock University. She has been living in Northern Ontario for the past two years, but she's excited about her new position because it's given her the opportunity to return to her hometown.
Cameron MacDonald (BADM'17) recently opened The Cave Collectables in Orillia, Ontario, a store offering an array of collectible cards, figurines, and plush such as Pokémon, Star Wars, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Cameron, who is from Brampton, Ontario, earned a Business Administration degree from Lakehead in 2017. He credits Lakehead with giving him the skills to become a Scotiabank financial advisor, which allowed him to save money to start his business. As well as having a physical location to visit, customers can also purchase items on Cameron's online store.
Nikki Stein (ENGDP'14/BEng'16) won a Forest Products Association of Canada Rising Star Award in 2021 for her work developing forest by-products. Currently, Nikki is the newsmill shift superintendent for Resolute Forest Products' Thunder Bay operations. After graduating from Lakehead with her chemical engineering degree, Nikki was hired as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) in Resolute's technical services department. In addition, she worked as a newsmill process engineer for Resolute's TMP plant and paper machine before being hired as newsmill shift superintendent in 2020. Nikki also has an MBA from the University of Fredericton.
In Memoriam
Bishop Thomas A. Corston (BA'72) died on January 7, 2022, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Thomas earned a Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead in 1972 and was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1975. He served as the ninth Bishop of Moosonee from 2010 to 2013 and held incumbencies in Gogama, Longlac, South Porcupine, Fredericton, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury. He was the Archdeacon of Manitoulin from 2002 to 2010 before his ascension to bishop. In 2008, Thomas was given a Queen's Jubilee Medal for his service as chaplain to the Ontario Command of the Royal Canadian Legion. Friends may make memorial donations to the Diocese of Moosonee, the Anglican Church of Canada, or to the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund.
Harold Roger Hamilton (BA'74) recently passed away. He was born on July 10, 1944, in Chilliwack, British Columbia, and moved to Geraldton, Ontario, with his parents in 1945. Roger earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and an Ontario teaching diploma from Lakehead University. He then took a full-time teaching position in 1966 at the Alexander Public School in Marathon. In 1976 he moved to Marathon High School to teach English. Later, Roger completed a Guidance Specialist Program at the University of Toronto and a Co-operative Education Specialist Program through Lakehead University. He finished his last 23 years as Marathon High School's guidance counsellor and head of social services. After retiring, he served on Guidance Ontario's board of directors and consulted with Northern Ontario school boards.
Eamonn Percy (BEng'86, Electrical) passed away on November 9, 2021, leaving behind his heartbroken family. Eamonn, who was born on May 2, 1961, was an exemplary father, partner, son, and brother. In addition to being a true family man, he was a successful businessman, corporate executive, and astute entrepreneur. He had a fulfilling career that spanned more than 30 years and multiple industries, businesses, and positions. Of equal importance, Eamonn was a lifelong learner and voracious reader. His book The 1% Solution was published in 2017 and he was in the process of writing his second book, From Chaos to Order. Eamonn was a pillar of the community who volunteered his time with various organizations throughout the years where he felt he could give back and make an impact on people's lives.