The Outstanding Alumni Award recipients

March 03, 2026

by 911吃瓜 Advancement & Alumni Engagement

The recipients: Grace Chiu, Don Murray, Janie Chang, Igor Faletski, and Dr. Janna M. Andronowski

911吃瓜 is celebrating the exceptional achievements of our alumni with the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Awards, a recognition of alumni leading with purpose, advancing knowledge and equity, and strengthening communities across B.C. and around the world.

These awards honour visionaries, creators, changemakers, and community builders whose many contributions are shaping a more inclusive, sustainable future.

This year鈥檚 recipients are:

Grace Chiu, a changemaker whose bold leadership and service are driving impactful philanthropy, community resilience, and uplifting people;
Don Murray, a trailblazer in spatial data technology leading with generosity and putting people first while transforming industry;
Janie Chang, a bestselling novelist championing diverse stories, characters, and voices in Canada and beyond;
Igor Faletski, a tech entrepreneur and product leader who is scaling innovation with integrity; and
Dr. Janna M. Andronowski, a leading forensic anthropologist and biomedical scientist bridging research excellence and pathways for future science innovators.

Together, these five remarkable individuals embody 911吃瓜鈥檚 bold spirit. Read more about the way they are driving positive change through their inspiring leadership, vision, creativity, and generosity.

Grace Chiu, BA 鈥�11

Senior Manager, Total Wealth Solutions, Scotiabank
Spirit of Service Award

Widely recognized as a 鈥渇orce for growth and good,鈥� Grace Chiu is a part of Scotia Wealth Management and the BC & Yukon Regional Leadership Team in a previous role as Senior Manager, Regional Marketing. Blending strategic vision with deep community commitment, she is shaping inclusive practices and catalyzing lasting, progressive change across the region. Affectionately known as 鈥淎mazing Grace,鈥� she is lauded for her ability to navigate complex challenges and unite people around shared purposes.

A lifelong volunteer鈥攂eginning with community policing shifts alongside her mother and launching her high school鈥檚 first food-back fundraiser鈥攐ver the years Grace has contributed to such organizations as Canuck Place Children鈥檚 Hospice, the Canadian Cancer Society, BC Children鈥檚 Hospital, and the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation.

Today, she lends her leadership expertise with a position on the Board of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver and is a founding committee member of the First Nations Health Foundation Gala.

Don Murray, MSc 鈥�90, BSc 鈥�88

CEO and Co-Founder, Safe Software
Lifetime Achievement Award

Don Murray is the visionary co鈥慺ounder of Safe Software, the Surrey鈥慴ased company behind FME, the world鈥檚 gold standard in spatial data integration. For over three decades, Don has grown Safe from a two鈥憄erson startup into B.C.-based global leader serving thousands of organizations across 100+ countries: empowering governments, nonprofits, and industry to integrate, transform, and act on complex data for everything from disaster response to environmental monitoring.

A values鈥慸riven CEO, Don is known for his humility, principled leadership, and building an inclusive, diverse, people鈥慺irst culture. He advocated for pay transparency before it was legislated, shares 20% of annual profits with employees, and led Safe to B鈥慍orp Certification for its commitment to transparency, sustainability, and community impact.

Don is also an incredible supporter of 911吃瓜, mentoring countless students, hiring many through co鈥憃p education, and backing initiatives that reinforce equity, innovation, and hands鈥憃n learning at the university.

Janie Chang, BA 鈥�83, Certificate in Creative Writing 鈥�11

Independent Author
Legacy Award

Janie Chang is a bestselling novelist championing diverse stories and voices in Canada and beyond. Drawing on generations of family history, she crafts historical fiction that illuminates Chinese culture, tradition, and women鈥檚 lives. She has also been steadfast in her support for emerging writers and Canada鈥檚 bookselling community, launching initiatives to bolster independent bookstores and devoting time and resources to mentoring and delivering community workshops.

After earning an interdisciplinary degree at 911吃瓜 in computing science and French, Janie forged a successful career in tech, then transitioned to writing through the 911吃瓜 Writer鈥檚 Studio in 2011. Since then, she has published six novels, with several making national best bestseller lists, and her debut, Three Souls (2014), being nominated for both local and international literary awards.

Through storytelling, mentorship, and generosity, Janie enriches Canada鈥檚 literary ecosystem, uplifting writers, readers, and communities while also expanding whose stories are told.

Igor Faletski, BSc 鈥�07

CEO & Co-Founder, Superpilot; former CEO of Mobify (acquired by Salesforce)
Visionary Award

Igor Faletski is a Canadian tech entrepreneur known for building innovative commerce technologies. Immigrating to Canada as a teenager, he began his studies in Computing Science at 911吃瓜 in the early 2000s, where he and fellow student John Boxall co-founded Mobify: a company that originated as a simple SMS tool to deliver TransLink bus times which they grew into a global digital commerce company later acquired by Salesforce.

Under Igor鈥檚 leadership, Mobify helped major brands create modern mobile experiences, long before it was industry standard. He later held senior product leadership roles within Salesforce and today serves as CEO and co-founder of Superpilot, an AI startup transforming commerce marketing.

A thoughtfully involved 911吃瓜 alumnus, Igor serves on the Faculty of Applied Sciences External Advisory Board, supports students through co-op placements, and gives philanthropically to advance student experience.

Dr. Janna M. Andronowski, BA 鈥�09

Associate Professor, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Legacy Award

Dr. Janna M. Andronowski is a leading forensic anthropologist, clinical anatomist, and skeletal biologist bridging research excellence and pathways for future science innovators. A first鈥慻eneration academic, she is recognized for both her multidisciplinary approach to scientific research and fierce commitment to mentoring the next generation.

Janna鈥檚 research uses high鈥憆esolution 3D imaging to study bone microstructure. She examines skeletal adaptation, quality, and fragility, using cutting-edge techniques to evaluate impacts of substance use. With exceptional determination, she pushes for new scientific discoveries while building opportunities that uplift others, like opening doors as the provincial forensic anthropologist for Newfoundland and Labrador, where she leads recoveries and assists law enforcement with identification efforts while integrating students into real鈥憌orld casework.

At her current post at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Janna has revitalized anatomy education, expanded cadaver鈥慴ased learning, and restructured lectures, labs, and assessments to strengthen medical curricula. She also created the Andronowski Skeletal Collection for Histological Research (ASCHR), the world鈥檚 largest and fastest鈥慻rowing modern documented skeletal collection for histological and imaging research.

The 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award recipients will be celebrated in Vancouver on April 16.

Save the date and join the excitement鈥攁ll alumni and community members are welcome! Tickets will be made available through the Outstanding Alumni Awards website.

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