Efosa Obano and Suzanne Stewart recognized with Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Award of Excellence
University of Toronto Scarborough alumnus Efosa Obano, creator of the Black Founders Network, has received a Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Award of Excellence for his extraordinary contribution in supporting Black entrepreneurs and creating more Black-led businesses.
“We’re just getting started in our mission to support aspiring and existing Black founders with community, capital and capacity building.”
Efosa Obano
Launched in October 2021, the Black Founders Network aims to accelerate the success of Black startups by providing support and resources to entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey. Having this community is valuable, Obano says, “because it allows us to learn from entrepreneurs, investors and mentors with shared lived experiences as we build our ventures.”
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Suzanne Stewart, an associate professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, director of its Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health, and leader of the Indigenous Research Network, has received a Minister of Colleges and Universities’ Award of Excellence for assisting with Indigenous-led COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
The work our group does in public health is about changing the system to better meet the needs of Indigenous peoples to close the gap in health outcomes among our peoples both on and off reserve; this is especially challenging because the colonial systems thrust upon us are created to oppress and prevent healing
Suzanne Stewart
Photo of Suzanne Stewart by Nick Iwanyshyn / Photo courtesy Efosa Obano