National Capital Region's Top Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 16
16
SPONSOR CONTENT
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
Investing in staff is key to Carleton’s community legacy
H
elping people has
always been a
source of joy for
Alicia Poole, and
that’s exactly what
she’s able to do for the Carleton
University community every day.
For Poole, however, community
safety is a holistic endeavour.
“A healthy workplace isn't just
about physical activity, but also
mental health awareness and
financial awareness,” explains the
acting community safety coordinator, who has been at Carleton for
more than 20 years.
From community outreach to
mental health resources, Poole
is passionate about the ways
in which she is able to support
faculty, staff and students.
When it comes to building a
strong community, Poole sees
Carleton’s investment in people as
the key to success both on and off
campus.
“Carleton really invests in
its staff through learning and
development, but also with
healthy workplace initiatives,”
she explains. “It creates a positive
workplace – a good feeling when
you come into work.”
In over two decades with the
university, Poole has seen Carleton
grow not only in campus size, but
also in the amount of resources
for faculty and staff. Investing in
employees can include internal
offerings like the Carleton Leader
initiative on leadership, tuition
perks and robust health and
wellness benefits, all of which
have contributed to creating a
supportive campus environment
for all.
For Poole, that meant having the
ability to pursue an emergency
management graduate certificate
from Algonquin College with her
supervisor’s blessing.
“That was big,” says Poole, who
was able to work around her
schedule to complete the certificate one course at a time.
Having that support went
beyond logistics, and Poole felt actively encouraged by her executive
director in the endeavour.
“They know that this is for
Community members at Carleton University take part in the university’s annual Round Dance event.
the betterment of the staff,”
says Poole. “I am very fortunate
that I had a supportive working
environment where my executive
director saw that this was of value
and I could bring it back.”
Working together to start
something new and do it
in a way that involves the
community seems to be
imprinted in our DNA.
— Jerry Tomberlin
Interim President
and Vice-Chancellor
The benefits of employee satisfaction spill into the larger Ottawa
community, where Carleton gives
back through many initiatives
including, among others, the
annual United Way campaign,
fundraising for Shepherds of
Good Hope and hosting food
drives for Minwaashin Lodge.
Working for the university has
also inspired Poole’s personal
volunteerism, motivating her to
donate time to the Red Cross and
as a Girl Guides leader.
“By investing in us, the university motivates us to help others,
too,” says Poole. “We're energized
to give back to the great Carleton
community.”
And community has always
been at the heart of Carleton’s
story, dating back to its founding in 1942 to support veterans
returning from the Second World
War so they could pursue a higher
education.
“Carleton came out of the
