George Brown College celebrates Convocation Week, June 9 – 13

Teresa Resch is the inaugural President of the Toronto Tempo, the first Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise outside the U.S., which will begin play in 2026. Ms. Resch has been a leader in basketball development on a global scale for more than 20 years.  She was a senior leader with the Toronto Raptors for 11 seasons, bringing basketball to the forefront of Canadian sport.  From 2013 – 2024, she played an instrumental role in major projects including the design and construction of a new Raptors’ practice facility, the OVO Athletic Centre, launching the Raptors 905, Toronto’s NBA G-League affiliate based in Mississauga, and transitioning the Raptors to Tampa during COVID-19 for the 2020-21 season.

Prior to joining the Toronto Raptors, Ms. Resch served as Ultimate Hoops National Basketball Operations Manager for Life Time Fitness where she was responsible for programming at 104 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Ms. Resch began her career at the NBA League Office.  She planned Basketball Without Borders Camps on four different continents, established the first camp to feature women campers and expanded the NBA’s relationship with the U.S. Department of State’s SportsUnited Program.  

Ms. Resch currently serves on the Advisory Board for the International Programs Office at Augustana University.  She has served on the Board of Directors of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities since 2023 and in the same year was elected as a Class B member of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Ms. Resch holds an MBA in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University in Florida and a BA in Business Communications from Augustana University in South Dakota.

Edwin Frizzell is the Regional Vice President, Accor Canada, and General Manager of Toronto’s iconic Fairmont Royal York. Since his appointment in 2014, Mr. Frizzell has overseen significant transformations across several hotel properties, most notably at the Fairmont Royal York with one of the most substantial upgrades in its 96-year history. This project included one of the largest carbon retrofits in North America and earned certification from the Canada Green Building Council with the 'Zero Carbon Performance Certification.’

In his regional role, Frizzell supports notable properties including Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, Fairmont Palliser, Fairmont Winnipeg, Fairmont El San Juan and Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire (a Fairmont-managed hotel). He began his hospitality career more than 35 years ago as a front desk agent in his hometown of Charlottetown, PEI, and went on to hold leadership roles at top hotels including the Delta Chelsea, Sheraton Centre Toronto, W Chicago City Centre, Hilton Toronto, and Westin Harbour Castle.

A passionate leader and industry advocate, Mr. Frizzell serves on the Board and Executive Committees of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association and Destination Toronto. He was awarded the prestigious Hotelier of the Year Pinnacle Award by Hotelier Magazine in 2019.

Mr. Frizzell holds a Bachelor of Tourism & Hospitality Management from Mount Saint Vincent University, as well as executive certificates from Cornell University.

Born into a family of educators, civic engagement has always been part of the fiber of Zanana Akande’s personal and social landscape.  Ms. Akande has endlessly strived for equity by focusing on education, communication, feminism, race relations and social change. Her teaching career with the Toronto District School Board was a vindication for her parents who were denied the right to hold teaching positions in Canada. She went on to become a consultant designing programs for students with special needs, an adjunct instructor of special education and an accomplished principal. 

In 1990, Ms. Akande was elected to the Ontario Legislature and was recognized as the first Black woman to be elected to the Provincial Parliament. In her appointment as Minister of Community and Social Services, she became the first Black woman to hold a cabinet position in Canada.  Her time in office was instrumental in shaping public policies fundamental to the lives of marginalized women. Ms. Akande has led meaningful social welfare reform which materialized into increases in social assistance rates and benefits supporting women in shelters. 

During her time as the parliamentary assistant to the Premier, Ms. Akande contributed to the passing of Ontario’s first employment equity legislation – legislation that would institutionalize rights and break down barriers for all women and people of colour, including the differently-abled in the workplace. 

Ms. Akande received the 2018 Women of Distinction by the YWCA Toronto and was presented the Key to the City of Toronto by former Mayor John Tory for her work in equity and social justice. In 2024, she received an Honorary degree from the University of Toronto for her tireless leadership in public service and her fearless advocacy for equity and diversity.