23
SHIRLEE SHARKEY
BA ’76, BScN ’78
S
hirlee Sharkey is president and CEO of Saint
Elizabeth, a leading national health care organization
that delivers more than six million health care visits
annually and employs 7,000 people providing nursing,
rehabilitation, personal support, crisis, research and
consulting services.
Sharkey is chair of the World Homecare and Hospice
Organization, past chair of George Brown College, and a
former president of the Canadian Home Care Association
and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. In
2007, the Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term
Care appointed her as an expert advisor on staffing and
care standards for long-term care homes in the province.
Academically, the UWindsor alumna is cross-appointed to the University of
Toronto’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and the Institute of Health
Policy, Management and Evaluation as an adjunct professor.
Sharkey received an Award of Excellence in Nursing Leadership, Ontario Hospital
Association in 2005, and was named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women,
Women’s Executive Network, in 2007.
In 2012, she received the Diamond Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II, the
Order of Excellence from Excellence Canada in organizational innovation, quality and
wellness, and the Innovation Award for Healthcare Leadership from the Canadian
College of Health Leaders.
Sharkey says her time at UWindsor provided a wide base of knowledge in the areas
of nursing and psychology and a strong foundation for further education in health
administration and business. “Beyond that, I gained great people skills, an ability to stay
focused amidst competing priorities, and the will to persevere.”
MICHELINE RAWLINS
LLB ’78
M
icheline Rawlins was the first black woman to be
appointed to the Ontario Provincial Court.
The alumna, who assumed that post in 1992, is a
stalwart advocate for women in the legal community
and, in particular, those of African-Canadian descent.
Passionate, she exemplifies the importance of combining
hard work and community involvement with hearty doses
of enjoying the moment.
Rawlins has served on the Board of Governors at
the University of Windsor. Her community involvement
has involved work with the Girl Guides, the Boy Scouts,
Robinson House, Windsor Urban Alliance, and the
Windsor Media Council.
She established the African Diaspora Empowerment Fund at the University, a
scholarship that provides financial support to students who aspire to higher education
but are without the financial means to do so.
ROB NICHOLSON
LLB ’77
R
ob
Nicholson
has served
as Canada’s
Minister of
National
Defence since
July 2013.
The
University
of Windsor
holds a special
place in the alumnus’ heart, he says. “I have
nothing but the best of memories from my
time at the University of Windsor.The time
I spent obtaining a first-class education from
Windsor Law were three of the greatest
years of my life.”
First elected to Parliament as the
representative from Niagara Falls in 1984,
he was re-elected in 1998, 2004, 2006, 2008
and 2011. Nicholson has significant federal
experience, illustrated by his appointments
as Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney
General, Minister for Science, and Minister
responsible for Small Business. As well, he
served as Parliamentary Secretary to the
Leader of the Government in the House
of Commons from 1989 to 1990 and
Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney
General from 1989 to 1993.
“I owe so much to this faculty and to
this city,” says Nicholson. He has returned to
his alma mater to speak with students and
career opportunities several times.
