AfroGlobal TV 2016 Excellence Awards Gala a Tremendous Success 

Mitzie Hunter is the Minister of Education and represents Scarborough-Guildwood in the Ontario Legislature. She has served as the Associate Minister of Finance, responsible for pension reform. As the former CEO of the Greater Toronto Civic Action Alliance, Hunter worked to solve some of the toughest social, economic and environmental challenges affecting the GTA.

She had also served as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Vice-President with Goodwill Industries and Regional Director at Bell Canada. Hunter understands the community and the power of working together.A lifelong city builder, she is passionate about unlocking Ontario’s potential by ensuring fair and inclusive access to employment and prosperity. From 2013 to 2014, she served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community and Social Services.

Minister Hunter has also served in various Parliamentary Committees, including Developmental Services, Government Agencies as well as Finance and Economic Affairs. Hunter and her family immigrated to Canada from Jamaica in 1975. She grew up in Scarborough, graduated from University Of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and recently completed her MBA from the Rotman School of Management. She receives the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award, presented by Afroglobal Television’s Excellence Awards program.

Competing in his first Olympics in 2016, Andre De Grasse backed a silver medal in the 200m finals, behind Usain Bolt in Rio, Brazil. He ran a new personal best in the 100m final to capture a bronze medal as well.De Grasse went on to win his third medal of the games, anchoring the men’s 4x100m relay team to a bronze medal in a new national record time of 37.64.

Before the 2016 Olympics, De Grasse competed at the IAAF World Championships in 2015, tying for the bronze medal in the 100m race. This made him Canada’s first world medalist in the event since 1999. Today, he is considered the man to watch in Olympic glory, after the Usain Bolt years.Inthe 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, De Grasse swept the 100m and 200m events in a dramatic fashion. He had made headlines across Canada and the United States when he won the 100m and 200m in a span of 45 minutes at the NCAA Championships in June 2015.

Raised by Beverley De Grasse in Markham, young De Grasse would regularly volunteer alongside his brother Julian at a downtown youth recreation and community centre. Despite turning professional and signing a lucrative contract with Puma, he is committed to completing his studies at the University of Southern California in the USA, where he is pursuing a degree in Sociology. He receives the 2016 Rising Star Award, presented by Afroglobal Television’s Excellence Awards program.

Harriet Thornhill is a Vice President at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), where she leads the bank’s Contact Centres, including Telephone Banking, Direct Investing, eMail, Chat, Online Banking, Social Media and Remote Office teams. She oversees seven centres and 3,700 Banking Advisors as well as Investment Specialists.

Prior to her current role, Thornhill was the Head of Caribbean Markets Personal Banking at RBC. Her responsibility spanned across six strategic regional markets for 19 countries. She was one of the Caribbean Banking Operating Committee members responsible for setting the overall strategic direction of RBC Financial (Caribbean). She has an Executive MBA from the University of Athabasca.

In over 30 years at RBC, Thornhill has held senior roles in Marketing, Recruitment, Client Experience Strategy, Leadership Development and Sales Leadership. Her community involvement includes Charity Trust Leadership Cabinet, the RBC Greater Toronto Region Executive Champion for the Black Cultural Markets, and Chair of the Black Business Professionals and Association’s (BBPA) National Scholarship Fund. Thornhill was the 2014 Cabinet Chair for the Contact Centre, as part of RBC’s national employee giving campaign. She was a torchbearer for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and received the BBPA Women of Honour award in 2011. Thornhill and her husband Wayne live in Toronto, and have 3 children. She receives the 2016 Professional Achievement Award, presented by Afroglobal Television’s Excellence Awards program.

Marlene Street Forrest, is the General Manager of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) and Director of its subsidiaries. In 2015, the Jamaica Stock Exchange had the best performance in the world. Street Forrest has a wealth of experience having worked in senior management positions at varying private and public sector organizations in Jamaica and overseas.

It is under her stewardship that the JSE became demutualized and the Caribbean Exchange Network, the US Denominated Market and the Junior Market were launched. She also spearheaded the Registrar Division of the Jamaica Central Depository (JCSD) when she served as General Manager for the subsidiary.A graduate of Titchfield High School in Portland, Street Forrest attended the University of the West Indies, Mona, where she read for a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Studies, and later gained her Masters in Business Administration at the Barry University in Florida, USA.

Street Forrest is a Justice of the Peace and serves as a Director for the Good Samaritan Inn, a Christian outreach aimed at uplifting the poor and marginalized. She is married to Franklin and has two daughters, Francia and Keena. She receives the 2016 Global Impact Award, presented by Afroglobal Television’s Excellence Awards program.

Justice Donald F. McLeod was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice on October 2, 2014. He is a Founding Partner of The McLeod Group, Barristers and Solicitors. He has been an accomplished litigator for over a decade, with a keen interest in community and social justice issues. The McLeod Group had a well-known and respected reputation as one of the leading boutique criminal, administrative and human rights law firms in Toronto. In 2009, Justice McLeod was involved in the case of R v. Douse, a landmark case, which revolutionized the traditionally used racial vetting process to now take into consideration non-conscious racism. McLeod remains very active in the community as well as conducting seminars at various legal conferences and community functions.

Notable seminars have included a presentation with Paul Burstein to Federal Crowns with Madame Justice Feldman of the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Provincial Judges Conference in London, Ontario; with respect to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; as well as a guest lecturer at Queen’s University Law School in Criminal Advocacy. Justice McLeod has provided legal commentary in high profile media programs including CBC Newsworld, The Hour, Metro Morning, CFRB 1010, CNN, Fox News, CTV Morning as well as TVO’s Studio Two on a variety of topics and community related issues. Together with other visionary leaders, he founded 100 Strong, to help turn African Canadian boys into men of significance. He receives the 2016 Visionary Award, presented by Afroglobal Television’s Excellence Awards program.