Class Notes

Class Notes

Welcome to Class Notes!

Share news about your growing family, new job or travel adventures and see updates from your old classmates and friends.

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Welcome to Class Notes!

Share news about your growing family, new job or travel adventures and see updates from your old classmates and friends.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Taylor Patterson

RTA, 2018
2018 Career and professional The Creative School (formerly the Faculty of Communication and Design)

I worked as blogTO’s first full-time video host and correspondent for four years, where I spent my time interviewing celebrities on the red carpet, helping small business owners, documenting the city’s food and culture and sharing stories that resonate with Canadians. In May 2025, I left my position at blogTO to pursue my own content creation business, Co-sign Creative, where I’ve been working alongside brands and businesses to bring their stories to life through social video content.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Carl W. Jones

Communication and Culture, 2015
2015 Career and professional Yeates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Carl completed his PhD at the Royal College of Art in London in March 2025. His thesis was completed in the School of Communication and explores decolonial approaches to advertising practice. He now lives in Edgware, Middlesex, U.K.

Carl W. Jones.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Dena Jackson

Public Relations, 2012
2012 Career and professional The Creative School (formerly the Faculty of Communication and Design)

Dena released her debut book, Self Help Me: The Book, in October 2025. The book shares honest, funny and personal stories with targeted wellness tools to process heavy emotions. Dena is a stand-up comedian who has performed throughout North America including Just for Laughs, New York Comedy Festival and Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas. She has completed yoga and mindfulness teacher training and is also a certified reiki master and breathwork facilitator. She hosts the Self Help Me podcast on The Sonar Network.

Dena Jackson poses in a studio portrait, holding the back of a chair in front of a dark neutral background.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

William Chan

Commerce, 2011
2011 Career and professional Ted Rogers School of Management

Since graduating from TMU, I have built a dynamic career within the financial services sector. My professional journey began as a financial advisor, followed by increasingly senior roles including sales manager, regional financial planning specialist and business development leader. In late 2020, I founded my own independent financial planning practice, driven by a commitment to shaping the future of financial advice. I was recently featured in The Globe and Mail/Globe Advisor’s Behind the Advice column, and I was honoured to be named Best Financial Advisor and Best Financial Planning Services by Best of Mississauga Reader’s Choice Awards

William Chan.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Sandy Wynia Katz

Social Work, 2001
2001 Career and professional Faculty of Community Services

I enjoyed over 30 years as a social worker, including work in developmental services, children’s mental health and as an advocate in the now-defunct Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. I am now proud to serve Canadians and those seeking to make Canada their home as a tribunal member at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. I am a governor in council appointee and I adjudicate in the Refugee Appeal Division.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Angela Wallace

Arts and Contemporary Studies, 2008
2008 Career and professional Faculty of Arts

In 2024, Angela was named Trailblazer of the Year by PARO, a leading organization for women in business, in recognition of her success within a historically male-dominated industry. Angela is co-owner and co-founder of a new enterprise, Good Wares Distribution, a wholesale leader growing emerging brands in Canadian retail. Good Wares was selected as a first-time exhibitor for the national Pharmasave tradeshow in May 2026 and is on track to innovate in the industry.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Timothy Yeung

Arts and Contemporary Studies, 2008
2008 Career and professional Faculty of Arts

Timothy’s latest feature film, Finch & Midland, is set in Scarborough and explores the lives of four Hong Kong immigrants who came to Canada in the 1990s seeking new beginnings: a former pop singer reconnecting with his daughter, a woman balancing caregiving and love, a single mother dreaming of a career in real estate and a factory manager facing the limits of advancement. Timothy is a Canadian-born Chinese filmmaker and MFA graduate from New York University. A TIFF Filmmaker Lab alumnus, his short film, 90 Days, was acquired by Sundance Selects, and he received the MAS Award at the Busan Asian Project Market in 2018.

Poster for Timothy Yeung’s film Finch & Midland, showing four faces in vertical panels on a dark background.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Marissa Stapley

Journalism, 2003
2003 Career and professional The Creative School (formerly the Faculty of Communication and Design)

A miniseries adapted from Marissa’s book, Lucky, will premiere on Apple TV in July 2026. The book, which was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club choice in December 2021, is about a tough, talented grifter who has just pulled off a million-dollar heist and who must avoid capture while trying to make a life for herself. Stars of the miniseries include Anya Taylor-Joy, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Reese Witherspoon and Cassie Pappas are producers.

Marissa Stapley's book cover, Lucky.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Nigel Sankar

Commerce, 2004
2004 Family and personal Ted Rogers School of Management

My original goal was to build a career in events management — a passion I discovered while serving as VP social for the TMU Business Students’ Union. While my career eventually took me in a different direction, those early experiences helped spark my interest in leadership, organization and bringing people together. Today, I’m the owner of Sona Franchise Consulting, where I help aspiring entrepreneurs transition into business ownership by identifying and scaling franchise opportunities. I’m based in the GTA, where I enjoy staying active, travelling and working on creative projects with my two children. My wife — also a TMU graduate — and I actually met while living at Neill-Wycik Co-op during our time as students — a connection that makes our TMU experience even more meaningful.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Kirk Moss

Journalism, 2003
2003 Career and professional The Creative School (formerly the Faculty of Communication and Design)

Teaching high school students is my passion, coupled with coaching various sports teams, mentoring numerous student clubs and creating dynamic, equitable and vibrant classrooms that spark student growth and lifelong learning.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Winston Thorne

Architectural Science, 1998
1998 Career and professional Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science

Winston Thorne, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, CSBA, is the president of Winston Thorne Architect, a Los Angeles-based firm that serves California and Arizona. His professional practice focuses on small-scale residential and commercial retail, higher education, historic preservation and community-oriented projects. Winston’s positions include chair of the Pasadena mayor’s Central Library Technical Oversight Committee, SoCal NOMA’s Altadena Rebuild Coalition, past-president of the AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter and the first African-American president of AIA California. Currently, he serves as AIA California’s strategic councillor at the national level. His career embodies his dedication to advancing design, strengthening communities and facilitating the future of planning and development through professional practice and civic leadership.

Posted Jul 8, 2026

Vlad Levitsky

Business Management, 1994
1994 Career and professional Ted Rogers School of Management

For the past five years, I’ve been responsible for employee communications, based in the European team of car rental giant Enterprise Mobility. I am also a trustee at a local London, U.K., youth charity in the neighbourhood where I live with my lovely wife and beastly cat. After a two-decade-long career in product marketing at Acco Brands, Sony, Fellowes and Canon Europe, I changed direction and found my calling in internal communication and employee engagement. I did stints at Barclays and AT&T before joining Enterprise Mobility. The jobs and my love of travel have taken me to places around the world that I never thought I’d experience. I feel fortunate to have spent too many hours in local pool dives and to have become a fanatical Arsenal fan — my neighbourhood football club.

Class notes are written and submitted by TMU alumni. While we may make minor edits for clarity and length, we do not verify every detail and are not responsible for the accuracy of the information provided.