List of Toronto Metropolitan University people

The following is a list of notable people associated with Toronto Metropolitan University.

Notable alumni

Media and arts

Entertainment

• Paul Chato - comedian and member of The Frantics comedy troupe
• Kyle Forgeard - YouTuber and co-founder of NELK
• Natalie Glebova - Miss Universe 2005
• Sabrina Jalees - comedian
• Dominic Panganiban - Filipino-Canadian YouTuber and animator known for his YouTube channel "Domics"
• Lauren Riihimaki - YouTube Celebrity

Film and theatre

• Brad Abraham - screenwriter, RoboCop: Prime Directives
• Barry Avrich - film director, film producer, playwright, author
• Liane Balaban - star of the film New Waterford Girl
• Marjorie Beaucage - Métis filmmaker
• Kristin Booth - actress
• Alex Bulmer - playwright and theatre artist
• Chad Connell - actor
• Brandon Cronenberg - film director and son of David Cronenberg
• Nicole Dorsey - director and screenwriter
• Shelley Gillen - producer, screenwriter and songwriter
• Alicia K. Harris - director and screenwriter
• Michael Healey - playwright
• Zoe Leigh Hopkins - filmmaker, actor; her 2004 film Prayer for a Good Day premiered at Sundance Film Festival
• Kenneth Joel Hotz - filmmaker, actor, journalist, photographer, writer; Kenny vs. Spenny and South Park
• Kate Kelton - actress
• Michael Kennedy - film and television director, Little Mosque on the Prairie
• Julia Kwan - Canadian screenwriter and director
• Hawick Lau - actor
• Mena Massoud - actor cast to play Aladdin in Disney's live-action remake of Aladdin.
• Bruce McDonald - feature film and television director, Hard Core Logo, Pontypool and The Tracey Fragments
• Haley McGee - actress and playwright
• Debra McGrath - actress and comedian
• Denis McGrath - screenwriter (Across the River to Motor City, Skyland, Charlie Jade)
• Pat Mills - director and screenwriter
• Michelle Mohabeer - filmmaker, film professor
• Andrew Moir - filmmaker
• Christopher Moloney - writer and photographer
• Jasmin Mozaffari - film director and screenwriter
• John Paskievich - Genie Award-winning filmmaker
• David J. Phillips - actor and producer
• Jeremy Podeswa - film and television director
• Kazik Radwanski - film director and screenwriter
• Keerthi Reddy - Indian Bollywood and Tollywood actress
• Katherine Ryan - Comedian, writer, presenter and actress based in the United Kingdom
• Kenn Scott - WGC award-winning screenwriter
• Nia Vardalos - writer and actress, Academy Award-nominated writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding
• Ellen Wong - actress
• Elizabeth Yake - filmmaker

Journalism and publishing

• David Anaglate - Ghanaian Journalist, formerly head of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC)
• Glen Baxter - journalist, FashionTelevisionChannel, formerly with Citytv
• Christie Blatchford - columnist for The Globe and Mail^[1]
• Susan Bonner - CBC radio and television journalist, anchor of The World at Six
• Tyler Brûlé - journalist, founder of Wallpaper* and Monocle (Did not graduate)
• Dianne Buckner - television journalist
• Joan Donaldson - journalist, formerly of CBC, and CTV, founding head of CBC Newsworld
• Francis D'Souza - journalist, Citytv
• Natasha Fatah - journalist and producer, CBC Radio One
• Gemma Files - horror writer
• Matthew Fraser - editor-in-chief of National Post
• J.M. Frey, science fiction and fantasy writer
• Michael Friscolanti - senior writer for Maclean's magazine, and author
• Gayleen Froese - horror/mystery author
• Liza Fromer - former co-host of Breakfast Television on Citytv
• Kimberly Halkett - Al Jazeera's White House correspondent
• Bill Haugland - Canadian journalist and former news anchor for CFCF-TV in Montreal
• Helen Anne Henderson - journalist and disability rights advocate
• Tanya Huff - fantasy author
• Paul Hunter - television journalism, CBC News
• Maureen Jennings, novelist^[2]
• Nil Köksal - journalist, CBC Television
• Tanya Kim - entertainment news journalist, TV host
• Marcia MacMillan - anchor, CTV News Channel
• Sam Maggs - author, entertainment journalist, and comic book and video game writer
• Heather Mallick - columnist and author, formerly with The Globe and Mail
• Carol Anne Meehan - anchor of CTV Ottawa
• Suhana Meharchand - television host and journalist, CBC
• Wendy Mesley - television anchor and host, CBC
• Tony Parsons - broadcaster, formerly of CTV and CHUM, former host of Canada Tonight on Global
• Louise Penny - mystery novelist
• Monita Rajpal - news anchor for CNN International
• Robert J. Sawyer - Hugo Award-winning science-fiction writer
• Alison Smith - journalist, CBC Newsworld
• Graeme Smith - Moscow bureau chief for The Globe and Mail
• Brian Stewart - Senior Correspondent, The National, CBC News
• Betty Thompson - news presenter at CKCO in Kitchener, Ontario
• Robyn Urback (born 1988) - journalist and political commentator
• Isobel Warren - journalist
• Marcia Young - broadcast journalist, host of The World This Hour on CBC Radio

Music

• Stefan Babcock - musician, lead singer and guitarist of the punk band PUP
• Simina Grigoriu (born 1981), Romanian born Canadian-German electronic musician
• Hayden - folk singer-songwriter
• Tyler Stewart - musician, drummer for the Barenaked Ladies
• Chris Stiliadis - Commercial music producer & rapper

Radio and television

• Raymond Ablack - actor, Degrassi: The Next Generation
• Emily Andras - showrunner, Wynonna Earp
• Ralph Benmergui - radio and television personality, host of Friday Night! with Ralph Benmergui and Benmergui Live on CBC-TV
• Rick Brace - president of CTV
• Kevin Brauch - host of The Thirsty Traveler
• Milan Chvostek - TV director and producer
• Dave Devall - former CFTO-TV weather personality
• Nina Dobrev - actress, star of The CW show The Vampire Diaries and Degrassi: The Next Generation
• Raina Douris - radio personality
• David James Elliott - star of JAG
• Martin Gero - writer and producer, Stargate Atlantis
• Jessica Holmes - comedian-actress on Royal Canadian Air Farce
• Ross Hull - star of the TV series Student Bodies
• Jason Jones - The Daily Show correspondent
• Dan Levy - actor, director Schitt's Creek
• Eric McCormack - Emmy Award winner, star of Will & Grace
• Stuart McLean - Canadian radio broadcaster, humorist, monologist, and author
• Ari Millen - actor (Orphan Black)
• Shay Mitchell - actress Pretty Little Liars
• Joseph Motiki - television personality, former co-host of the TVOKids Crawlspace
• Zarqa Nawaz - creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie
• Candice Olson - host of Divine Design
• Terry O'Reilly - host of Under the Influence on CBC Radio One
• Valerie Pringle - broadcaster, former co-host of Canada AM
• Mike Sheerin - Gemini nominated documentary director (Secret Mulroney Tapes)
• Cliff Solway - producer and director, CBC Television
• Hannah Simone - MuchMusic VJ; actor on New Girl
• Patty Sullivan - children's television host, Kids' CBC
• Torri Webster - actress, star of TV series Life with Boys
• Tonya Lee Williams - actress, notably of The Young and the Restless
• Jeff Wincott - actor of TV series Night Heat and Sons Of Anarchy
• Jacqueline MacInnes Wood - actress, star of CBS show The Bold and the Beautiful

Sports

• Tom Anselmi - sports executive, former president and COO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE)
• Jamie Campbell - Sportsnet broadcaster
• Steve Dangle - Born Steve Glynn, CEO of SDPN, YouTube Creator for Rogers Sportsnet, sports analyst, author
• Michelle Duff - as Mike Duff, raced in World Championship motorcycle events
• Martine Gaillard - sports anchor on Rogers Sportsnet, formerly with The Score
• Gail Kim - professional wrestler
• Monika Klisara - karateka and professional wrestler
• Michael Landsberg - Host of TSN's Off The Record
• Steve McAllister - sports editor for Yahoo! Canada, formerly with The Globe and Mail
• Bob McKenzie - sports broadcaster on TSN, formerly of The Hockey News and The Toronto Star
• Jay Onrait - TSN SportsCentre host
• Keith Pelley - sports media executive
• Cabbie Richards - TSN personality
• Paul Romanuk - sportscaster
• Rob Rusnov - Olympic competitor for Canada in archery
• Doug Sellars - sports television executive for CBC Sports and Fox Sports
• Adnan Virk - sports anchor for ESPN

Visual arts and fashion

• Lida Baday - fashion designer
• Brian Bailey - mentor to designers on Project Runway Canada
• Edward Burtynsky - landscape photographer
• Walter Chin - commercial photographer
• Yuri Dojc - commercial photographer
• Sunny Fong - fashion designer
• Jeremy Laing - fashion designer, won a scholarship to Toronto Metropolitan and now shows at New York Fashion Week^[3][4]
• Todd Lynn - fashion designer ^[5]
• Scott Moore - sports television executive at CTV/Rogers Sportsnet, CBC Sports, and Hockey Night in Canada
• Erdem Moralıoğlu - fashion designer
• Marian Penner Bancroft - artist and photographer
• Bill Reid - Haida artist and wood carver

Politics

• Omar Alghabra - politician
• Gary Carr - politician, Chair of Halton Region, former Ontario PC Party MPP and Liberal Party MP
• Olivia Grange - Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture in Jamaica, Member of Jamaican Parliament
• Paul Godfrey - Canadian politician and businessman (honorary)
• Jim Jones - city councillor, former Member of the Canadian Parliament
• Ted Moses - politician
• Mario Racco - Councillor in the City of Vaughan and former Ontario MPP for Thornhill
• Adam Vaughan - Member of the Canadian Parliament; former city councillor for Ward 20 Trinity—Spadina; journalist, formerly of Citytv and CKLN-FM

Activism

• Cathy Crowe - "street nurse" and social activist

Science and technology

• Nasra Agil - civil engineer and entrepreneur
• Wendy Walsh - clinical psychotherapist, Ph.D.

Business

• Sue Gardner - executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation
• Tony Gagliano - president of St. Joseph Communications; chairman of the Art Gallery of Ontario; winner of Canadian of the Year 2008
• Robert D. Richards - space entrepreneur, co-founder of the International Space University (ISU)
• Isadore Sharp - founder of the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
• Klaus Woerner - founder and former CEO of ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc.; 1997 Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year

Faculty

• Eugene Chan - Professor in marketing
• Olivia Chow - former professor; mayor of the City of Toronto
• Jack Layton - former politics professor; former leader of the NDP, former leader of the opposition
• Gregory Levey - professor, entrepreneur, author
• Donna E. Young - dean of the Lincoln Alexander School of Law

Administration

Principals and Presidents

No.	Name	Term	Notes
1	Howard Hillen Kerr	1948‍–‍1966 (18 years)	Founder of the Ryerson Institute of Technology, previously Director of the Training and Re-Establishment Institute. Namesake of Kerr Hall. Changed name to Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1964
2	Fred Jorgenson	1966‍–‍1969 (3 years)	Renamed the office to President in 1964. Namesake of Jorgenson Hall
–	Anthony Wilkinson (acting)	1969‍–‍1970 (1 year)
3	Donald Mordell	1970‍–‍1974 (4 years)
–	George Korey (acting)	1974‍–‍1975 (1 year)
4	Walter Pitman	1975‍–‍1980 (5 years)	Namesake of Pitman Hall
5	Brian Segal	1980‍–‍1988 (8 years)
6	Terrence W. Grier	1988‍–‍1995[lower-alpha 1] (7 years)	First to be both President and Vice-Chancellor, made the institution a university in 1994
7	Claude Lajeunesse	1995‍–‍30 September 2005 (10 years)	Changed name to Ryerson University in 2002
8	Sheldon Levy [6][7]	1 August 2005‍–‍1 December 2015 (11 years)	Namesake of the Sheldon & Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre
9	Mohamed Lachemi [8]	30 September 2016‍–‍present[lower-alpha 2] (8 years)	Changed name to Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022

Chancellors

No.	Name	Term	Notes
1	David Crombie	1994‍–‍1999 (5 years)	56th Mayor of Toronto
2	John Craig Eaton II	1999‍–‍2006 (7 years)
3	G. Raymond Chang	2006‍–‍18 October 2012 (6 years)	Namesake of the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education
4	Lawrence Bloomberg [9]	19 October 2012‍–‍9 October 2018 (6 years)
5	Janice Fukakusa [10]	10 October 2018‍–‍9 October 2024 (6 years)
6	Donette Chin-Loy Chang [11]	10 October 2024‍–‍2027 (expected)

Notes

1. Dennis Mock served as acting president from August 1990‍–‍January 1991
2. Lachemi served as Acting President from the time of Sheldon Levy's departure on 1 December 2015 until his appointment as full president

References

1. Blatchford Behind the Byline :: Ryerson Review of Journalism :: The Ryerson School of Journalism
2. Napier, Jim (14 May 2012). "Maureen Jennings". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
3. Canadian Art School (17 January 2012). "Jeremy Laing, fashion designer". Canadian Art. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
4. Johnson, Jessica. "The Canadian School". No. September 2010. The Walrus. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
5. "London Calling Canuck Designers Take Centre Stage". TorontoLife.com. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
6. Wass, Joel (7 April 2005). "Three Rounds with Claude". The Eyeopener. Rye Eye Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
7. Capstick, Keith (31 August 2015). "Sheldon Levy to leave in December". The Eyeopener. Rye Eye Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
8. Doherty, Brennan (30 September 2016). "Mohamed Lachemi appointed Ryerson president". Toronto Star. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
9. "Ryerson University names Lawrence Bloomberg new chancellor" (Press release). Toronto: PR Newswire. Ryerson University. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
10. "Ryerson University Names Janice Fukakusa as New Chancellor" (Press release). Toronto: PR Newswire. Ryerson University. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
11. "Toronto Metropolitan University names Donette Chin-Loy Chang as new chancellor" (Press release). Toronto Metropolitan University. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.