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Class of 1975

The 2006 Alumni Volunteer of the Year award is presented to Sherry Porter, Class of 1975.

A generosity of spirit and an unending desire to give back, best characterizes NSAC alumnus Sherry Porter, Class of 1975, our 2006 Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award recipient.

Sherry was raised on a dairy farm in Fort Belcher, Nova Scotia and received her Associate Degree in Agricultural Economics from NSAC in 1975. She continued on to the University of Maine to complete her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Resource Economics in 1977.

Sherry鈥檚 farm background and agricultural career has touched on all areas of the agriculture sector from production to marketing and retail. For ten years she was a Marketing Officer with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Marketing. Then came the challenge of marketing unfamiliar commodities with her move to National Sea Products in 1986 where she was responsible for the marketing of their fresh fish line. Always eager for new challenges, Sherry then accepted the position of Vice-President Atlantic Region of the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors.

Sherry has continued to advance throughout her career moving from a variety of increasingly prestigious positions including, Director of Public Affairs for Sobeys Inc., Vice President, Public Affairs and Marketing for Nova Scotia Power Inc., Vice President Corporate and Government Affairs for Shoppers Drug Mart Limited, President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores and partner with Caldwell Partners International. Up until her retirement last year, Sherry was providing corporate counselling for various Atlantic based organizations.

While Sherry worked diligently to advance her professional career she also gave precious time to advancing the objectives of various organizations for whom she was passionate.

Sherry served as secretary to her professional organization, the Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists for three years and as president for one. She was a National Councillor for two years and Vice President for one with the Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC) and with the AIC Research Foundation. She exemplifies the type of hard-working, dedicated agrologist that makes the organization flourish. She has held almost every position possible in the Institute both provincially and nationally and has done it well, receiving the Distinguished Agrologist Award in 1992.

The concept of giving back is important to Sherry as evidenced by her wide variety of community involvement including participating as a Board member of the Runnymeade hospital in Toronto, Chair of the Corporate Campaign for the Metro United Way in Halifax, Co-Chair of the Women of Distinction Program for the Toronto YWCA, Chamber of Commerce, St. Matthew鈥檚 United Church and Chair of the Camp Hill Foundation Marketing Campaign.

Current Board involvement includes the NSAC Foundation, Symphony Nova Scotia - she also served as Chair of the Search Committee for the position of Music Director- Chair of Major Gifts for the QE2 Working Miracles Campaign, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and most recently, Chair of the Pier 21 Society.

Sherry鈥檚 position as Chair of the Pier 21 Society exemplifies her involvement to all that she commits. She joined the Pier 21 Board in 1998 and became Chair in 1999. In her four years as Chair, the fledgling organization raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from private sources. Sherry has been involved in every event Pier 21 has staged since it opened and inspires others to do the same. She is incapable of being marginally involved in an organization. Sherry and her husband Doug are very generous to all organizations in which they are involved and understand that it is very important to lead by example. What is truly remarkable is that while Sherry has been working so diligently for Pier 21 she has also been very involved with other boards and organizations. She is a wonderful ambassador for NSAC.

For her generosity of spirit, her unending desire to give back and the many contributions she has made to her community, Sherry Porter is the ideal recipient of the Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award.

Presented by Executive Director Development and External Affairs Jim Goit
October 21st , 2006