By John-Paul Bonadonna
The University of Windsor Alumni Association will celebrate the achievements and impact of three remarkable graduates at the 2026 Alumni Awards of Excellence.
The annual event takes place Wednesday, April 8 in the Alumni Auditorium at the CAW Student Centre, and recognizes alumni who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, professional accomplishment and service to their communities and the University.
The Alumni Awards of Excellence recognize graduates in three categories: the Alumni Odyssey Award for emerging leaders, the Alumni Ambassador Award for mid-career alumni making significant contributions and the Alumni Award of Merit for distinguished lifetime achievement.
This year’s recipients are Mandeep Bumbra (BScN ’12, MBA ’17), Kurt Michael Downes (BA ’03, BEd ’05), and Dr. Bryan E. Walls (BSc ’69).
Alumni Odyssey Award: Mandeep Bumbra
The Alumni Odyssey Award honours alumni in the early stages of their careers who have already achieved notable success or demonstrated meaningful leadership.
This year’s recipient, Mandeep Bumbra has built a career dedicated to improving healthcare systems and advancing health equity.
A registered nurse, Bumbra began her career delivering frontline care in medical-surgical and hemodialysis units, experiences that helped shape her understanding of the challenges patients and providers face within the healthcare system.
Today, she serves as manager of Symptom Management, Oncology Nursing and Experience and Engagement with Ontario Health, where she collaborates with hospitals and partners across the province to improve access to care, strengthen quality and advance equitable health outcomes.
Alumni Ambassador Award: Kurt Michael Downes
The Alumni Ambassador Award recognizes alumni in mid-career who have achieved distinction in their professional lives while also serving as ambassadors for the University and contributing meaningfully to their communities.
Kurt Michael Downes exemplifies this spirit through his work as both an educator and a nationally recognized athletics coach.
An award-winning teacher with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, Downes is also the president and head coach of Border City Athletics Club.
Over the course of his coaching career, he has served on 14 Team Canada national coaching staffs, including at the Tokyo Olympic Games as well as multiple World Championships and World Youth Championships.
Beyond elite sport, Downes is deeply committed to youth development and community engagement. He has led initiatives that connect Olympians and elite athletes with young BIPOC girls and launched The Learning Never Stops campaign to support student engagement following the pandemic.
Downes also maintains strong ties to the University of Windsor, serving on several committees while pursuing a PhD in kinesiology.
Alumni Award of Merit: Dr. Bryan E. Walls
The Alumni Award of Merit – the Alumni Association’s highest honour – recognizes graduates whose distinguished accomplishments have brought pride and distinction to the University of Windsor.
This year’s recipient, Dr. Bryan E. Walls, is a renowned scholar, historian, author and humanitarian whose lifelong work has preserved and elevated African-Canadian history, particularly the legacy of Underground Railroad descendants in Southwestern Ontario.
After earning his Bachelor of Science from the University of Windsor and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Toronto, Dr. Walls practiced dentistry for more than three decades while also dedicating himself to public education, social advocacy and historical preservation.
In 1989, he founded the John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum on land purchased by his ancestors from the Refugee Home Society. The site has become a nationally recognized cultural and educational landmark, welcoming thousands of visitors each year and preserving the story of Black resilience and freedom in Canada.
Dr. Walls is also the author of The Road That Led to Somewhere, a memoir chronicling his family’s journey from slavery to freedom.
His extraordinary contributions have been widely recognized, including appointments to both the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada.
Join the celebration
The Alumni Awards of Excellence are open to the campus community and the public. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the awards program commencing at 6:15 p.m.
Admission is free, though guests are asked to register with this link by April 2.
Parking will be available in the Assumption Hall/CAW Student Centre parking lot accessed from Huron Church Road.
Learn more about the Alumni Awards of Excellence, awards categories, and recipients on the event website.