Lisa LaFlamme
Doctor of Letters
(honoris causa) DLitt
Canadian journalist Lisa LaFlamme has been at the forefront of global reporting for more than 35 years, covering the biggest issues of our time, from war zones and natural disasters to changing political climates around the world.
LaFlamme has traveled to some of the world’s most dangerous places and through her extensive war coverage of Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine has documented the reality of how conflict warps society, punishes the most vulnerable and benefits the most corrupt.
She has interviewed major newsmakers, Prime Ministers, Presidents and Princes while always keeping the spotlight on the injustices that plague the world’s most oppressed.
LaFlamme, a passionate advocate for democracy, is an Officer of the Order of Canada, longtime ambassador for Journalists for Human Rights and for Plan International, board member of Samara Centre for Democracy and advisory committee member for Canadian Law Commission.
Anthony Rota
Doctor of Letters
(honoris causa) DLitt
The Honourable Anthony Rota, P.C., M.B.A. is a distinguished Canadian public servant, business leader, and former Member of Parliament for Nipissing—Timiskaming, first elected in 2004. He served with distinction as the 37th Speaker of the House of Commons during the 43rd Parliament and was re-elected to the role in the 44th Parliament. During this time, he also chaired the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic, guiding parliamentary operations through an unprecedented period.
Throughout his parliamentary career, Rota held several key leadership roles, including Assistant Deputy Speaker and Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole, Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, and Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. He also served as Chair of the Liberal Party caucus and Ontario caucus.
Beyond Parliament, Rota has contributed to academia and innovation as Director of Government Relations and Director of Technology Transfer at Nipissing University. His earlier career includes work with the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, as well as entrepreneurship in finance and real estate. He also served on North Bay City Council as Chair of Planning and Economic Development. Over the years, Rota served on numerous boards where he achieved leadership positions.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a diploma in Finance, and a Master of Business Administration.
Marianne Berube
Doctor of Letters
(honoris causa) DLitt
Marianne Berube has over 40 years of diverse business and transformative leadership experience in the finance, construction and wood industries. She graduated from Nipissing University with degrees in Environmental Science and Business, and later received the Fellow, Canadian Institute of Bankers (FICB) and Certified Investment Management designations.
After graduating from Nipissing, Berube began her career in banking and became the first female bank manager in Northern Ontario. She held several senior leadership roles in the banking and investment industry for over 20 years, before joining the wood industry.
Berube was the Executive Director of the Canadian Wood Council’s “Ontario Wood WORKS!” program for 22 years, building the program from its pilot launch in North Bay to the Provincial initiative it is today. By working with industry and government partners, she has led and supported the transition of low-carbon wood systems from demonstration and pilot stages into mainstream market adoption, with particular emphasis on mass timber, mid-rise construction, and off-site prefabrication.
Living and working in North Bay her whole life made volunteering and giving back to the community a priority. Her passion and dedication included serving as a director on numerous community boards including the North Bay Canoe Club and Nipissing Rotary Club. Her institutional impact extended beyond business having served as Canadore College’s Chair, two terms as Nipissing University’s Board of Governors Chair and championing Ontario universities as Chair of the Council of Chairs of Ontario Universities. Currently Berube is the Chair of the Centre for Research & Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE).
Working with a hearing disability over the last 40 years, Berube learned to cope with her disability and advocate for others. The Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons (CFPDP) has recently appointed her as one of its representatives for “A Seat at the Table”.
She has also been recognized with the CIBC Chairman’s Award, the Influential Women’s Award from Northern Ontario Business, the Ontario Forest Sector Champion Award from the Ontario Forest Industries Association, and the Influential Alumni Award from Nipissing University.
Berube’s greatest achievement and pride in life is her family. With her very supportive husband Andre, they have two successful adult children and four grandchildren.
Beckie Scott
Doctor of Education
(honoris causa) DEd
Beckie Scott is one of Canada’s most respected leaders in sport, recognized nationally and internationally for her achievements as an athlete and advocate. A three-time Olympian, Scott made history at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City by winning Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. She competed at the 1998 and 2006 Olympic Winter Games and remains one of the most accomplished Nordic skiers in Canadian history.
An Olympic champion and Officer of the Order of Canada, Scott is the Founder of Spirit North, Canada’s largest sport-for-social-development organization, working to change health, wellness, and education outcomes for Indigenous youth through the power of sport and play.
Following her athletic career, Scott rose to become a leading figure in anti-doping, chairing the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athletes’ Commission and playing a prominent role during the Russian doping scandal, where she was acknowledged globally for her principled leadership and advocacy for integrity, athlete rights, and clean sport.
Scott currently serves as the CEO of Nordiq Canada, the national sport organization for cross-country skiing and para Nordic skiing, where she is focused on strengthening high-performance systems, and driving values-based organizational change.
Her contributions to sport and society have been widely recognized. She is an inducted member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, and Canadian Ski Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence. She holds Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Alberta, the University of British Columbia, and Mount Royal University, and is a frequent CBC Sports broadcast analyst.
Lise Maisonneuve
Doctor of Education
(honoris causa) DEd
Former Chief Justice Lise T. Maisonneuve is a strategic leader in judicial administration with extensive experience in governance, judicial ethics, and codes of conduct. With more than twenty-two years on the bench, she is widely recognized as an expert in criminal law and an innovator in court modernization, with a proven track record of organizational leadership.
Justice Maisonneuve received her LL.B. from the University of Ottawa in 1989 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1991. From 2003 to 2023, she served in several key judicial roles, including puisne judge, local administrative judge, Regional Senior Justice, Associate Chief Justice, and ultimately Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice. In her role as Chief Justice, she led the Court’s strategic and operational response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2024, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) by the Law Society of Ontario in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the administration of justice and public service.
In May 2024, she was appointed Commissioner of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission. She delivered her final report in March 2026. The report, the first of its kind in Canada, includes ninety-eight calls to action addressing the future of the national sport system, with a particular focus on strengthening safe sport.
Prior to her judicial appointment, Justice Maisonneuve practiced criminal law. She has also served in numerous advisory roles, including as counsel to the Canadian Armed Forces Special Advisory Group on Military Justice and Military Police Investigation Services, and as an advisor to several Department of National Defence initiatives, including oversight and reform committees. She has further contributed as a special advisor to both the Military Police Services Review Group and the Thomas Review Group.
Justice Maisonneuve is a member of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO), the National Association of Women and the Law, and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies.