Ann Louise Carson, BScAgr’81
Ann Louise grew up on Carsondale Farms, a dairy farm in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. She is a 3rd generation Mac grad, following her Grandmother (1916), Dad (1950) and eldest brother (1978).
Her career started with 4-H and ended as CEO of Holstein Canada, the country’s largest breed association. In between these book ends, Ann Louise was attaché for Québec’s Ag minister, CEO at Boviteq and Eastern Breeders (Semex) and Manager at Lactanet, thus covering Embryo Transfer, Milk Recording and Artificial Insemination sectors of the Canadian dairy industry, finding herself often as first and only female in role.
All chapters of Ann Louise’s career involved extensive Canadian and international travel. It always amazed Ann Louise how she kept crossing paths with Mac grads and professors, whether in the Board room, on farm or at the international level. As an employer, Ann Louise kept an eye open for Mac grads as she found them to be bilingual, dynamic and have a great work ethic. Ann Louise was pleased to continue on the Advisory Boards for various Mac Deans and other Alumni involvement, being a strong Mac ambassador whenever opportunity presented itself and at times, creating the opportunity! Ann Louise also held leadership positions in industry related organizations, at Quebec, Canadian and international levels.
Very appreciative of her formal education received at Mac, Ann Louise credits her success in life to her involvement on campus (Woodsmen, College Royal). This is where Ann Louise feels she developed leadership skills (along with her 4-H background) and met life long friends, who remain important to her 40 years later!
Denham Jolly CM BScAgr’60
Denham is an award-winning businessman, philanthropist, entrepreneur, publisher/author and a human rights activist. Denham was born in Green Island Jamaica and studied at Guelph, Dalhouise and McGill graduating with a BScAgr in 1960. After graduating, he returned to Jamaica doing research for the government, but returned to Canada in 1962, working as an air pollution researcher in Toronto then transitioning to teaching science
He founded a senior care business, Tyndall Nursing Homes, in Ontario and Texas, acting as President and CEO for over 40 years. In 1982 he founded the Black Business Professional Association, established the Harry Jerome Awards that celebrate excellence and achievement in the Black community and bought the community newspaper Contrast.
In 2001 Denham founded Canada’s first Black-owned radio station FLOW 93.5 based in Toronto. His service to his community also includes; the Jamaican Canadian Association, Black Action Defense Committee, Committee for Due Process, Daphne Dacosta Cancer Association, Jane and Finch Concerned Citizens, Harriett Tubman Games, the YMCA and Caribana. For his community service he has been recognized with many distinguished awards, including in November 2020, receiving from the Governor General of Canada the appointment of Order of Canada for his outstanding service to the nation.
Denham also penned his memoir, “In the Black: My Life” tracing his personal and professional struggle for a place in a country where Black Canadians face systemic discrimination, for this he was awarded the 2017 Toronto Book Award.
Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie PhD’16
Dr. Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie is an assistant professor of food systems sustainability and resilience at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He holds a joint appointment at the Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and the Food Science Departments. He has PhD in Bioresource Engineering from McGill University, Canada. Prior to joining the University of Arkansas, he was a Research Associate at the Food and Bioprocess Research lab at Bioresource Engineering Department, McGill University, where he served as manager for International Food Systems Development projects, working in developing countries including Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Bolivia, and Honduras. These projects were focused on enhancing food systems sustainability and strengthening capacity of stakeholders (farmers, farmer cooperatives, small-scale food enterprises, NGOs, and local government departments)
Dr. Kwofie’s research explores the connectivity and dynamics of environmental, economic, and product-process efficiency to address food system sustainability and resilience. His research applies life cycle thinking to evaluate trade-offs of food process, nutritional quality, and environmental impact. Additionally, he focuses on industrial eco-efficiency optimization through techno-eco-environmental modelling and sustainability decision analysis of food and bioproducts across their value chains.
Maxime Leduc BSc(AgEnvSc)’12
Maxime Leduc has a bachelor's degree in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences from McGill University and MSc and PhD in Animal Sciences from Laval University. From September, 2017 until September, 2019, he returned to Macdonald Campus and Lactanet to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in digital agriculture and forage systems. Maxime is dedicated to understanding and creating the best management practices for producers. Specifically, he has a special interest in using numeric agriculture to help forage producers improve their performance and reduce their environmental footprint. Currently, he is a leader and responsible for two projects in forage systems worth more than one million dollars. In addition, he is actively involved in two other projects in veterinary health and sheep production. These are all collaborative projects in which he is working closely with producers, agronomists, veterinarians and researchers, including an important contingent on the Macdonald campus. Besides these research and development activities, he is teaching graduate courses at UQAT on forage systems as well as courses for the Farm Management technology program. He owns a sheep business with his parents in Ferme-Neuve in the Laurentians. His commitment to Quebec agriculture was recognized recently when he received the Young Agronomist of the Year award presented to him by the Ordre des agronomes du Québec.