2009 JD Eaton Award for Service to Memorial
Tom Bursey B.Comm. (Hon.) Co-op'83,
MBA'84The J.D. Eaton Alumni Award recognizes exceptional leadership and outstanding service to Memorial University.
Add one part contagious enthusiasm, one part boundless energy, a dash of wild creativity and a sprinkling of marvelous people and organizational skills and you get Tom Bursey.
Memorial University of Newfoundland has no shortage of committed alumni, but Mr. Bursey’s passion and pride in his alma mater is of an entirely different magnitude than what you would expect from a graduate of any school.
There is little that this nationally-recognized expert in human resources and a former vice-president of a global human capital firm could not accomplish if he put his mind to it so Memorial is extremely lucky that Mr. Bursey’s passion for his home province and his former university runs so deep.
Being a people person, Mr. Bursey did not take long to find a group of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and Memorial graduates after he moved to the nation’s capital. It took even less time for him to harness his considerable organizational and people skills in pursuit of a unique event that would nurture a strong and meaningful bond between the expatriate Newfoundland community in Ottawa and their home province and Memorial University. The Ottawa Affinity Newfoundland and Labrador Dinner was born.
Every year, for the past nine years, the Ottawa Affinity Newfoundland and Labrador Dinner brings together over 200 Memorial alumni and friends of the province at the beautiful Fairmont Château Laurier.
Mr. Bursey, who still serves as the chair of the volunteer organizing committee, happily shared his concept with others interested to bring a similar event to their adopted cities. Today, there are four Affinity Newfoundland and Labrador Dinners across the country in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary. Together, alumni in those cities raise thousands of dollars in scholarships and support for current Memorial students. The Ottawa Dinner is again unique in that regard with having created a scholarship supporting a rural Newfoundland student committed to returning to his community upon graduation.
Aside from his volunteer work on behalf of Memorial University, Mr. Bursey is also the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Council of Canadian Academies, an active Board Director and Board Chair of CODE Inc. CODE Inc. contributes to the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations through its global work in democratic governance and by its financial support for the global literacy work of its sole shareholder, the Canadian charity CODE.
Mr. Bursey’s commitment to Memorial, his outstanding contribution to the university and his energy and enthusiasm are this year honoured with the J.D. Eaton Alumni Award.