Arbor Award Recipients 2025: Celebrating Alumni Leadership and Service at UTM
The Arbor Award, University of Toronto’s highest honour for volunteer service, recognizes alumni whose sustained commitment has strengthened the University and its communities in meaningful and lasting ways. This year, two UTM alumni are recognized among the recipients for their leadership, mentorship, and sustained contributions that continue to shape the student experience.
Megha Wadhwani (HBA ‘10) and Brianna Clendinning (MMI ‘18) represent a shared commitment to giving back, grounded in a deep connection to the UTM community. Through governance, mentorship, and community engagement, both alumni have remained actively involved in supporting students and strengthening alumni networks long after graduation.
Megha Wadhwani (HBA UTM‘10)
Megha Wadhwani is a technology lawyer whose work focuses on helping organizations navigate the legal and regulatory complexities of building and scaling data driven products.
For Megha, staying connected to UTM was a natural extension of her student experience. After completing her law degree abroad, she found herself drawn back to a community that had played a defining role in her personal and academic development.
“When I came back from law school in Edinburgh, I really wanted to find a sense of community again, and I was naturally drawn back to UTM,” she says. “It had shaped me in many ways, and I had such a positive experience there that staying involved in, and giving back, felt like an easy decision.”
Since then, Megha has contributed to UTM in a range of meaningful ways, including serving as a Board Member of the UTM Alumni Association (UTMAA) and supporting alumni recognition initiatives through the Nominating and Alumni Awards of Distinction Subcommittee. Her involvement also includes mentorship and participation in alumni programming.
“For me, it’s always been about the people,” she says. “There’s a shared commitment to education, growth, and community that makes the experience deeply meaningful.”
Receiving the Arbor Award, she notes, is both humbling and affirming. “My involvement has always come from a genuine passion for the UTM community, so to receive an award like this is both meaningful and affirming,” she says.
Brianna Clendinning (MMI UTM‘18)
Brianna Clendinning is a health care innovation leader whose career has focused on designing and implementing programs that improve care delivery through technology, collaboration, and systems transformation. Having recently transitioned into the role of Manager, Innovation and Evaluation at GreenShield Canada, she continues to drive initiatives that advance innovative approaches to health and wellness. Prior to joining GreenShield, she held leadership roles in digital health and health care transformation, including at Mackenzie Health, where she supported projects aimed at improving outcomes for patients and communities.
For Brianna, her connection to UTM has always been rooted in a desire to give back. “UTM played a formative role in shaping how I think, lead, and build community,” she says.
Brianna has contributed through governance, mentorship, and alumni engagement, including serving as a Board Member of the UTMAA. “Mentorship has been the most meaningful part of my involvement,” she says. “Helping students see the possibilities ahead of them is incredibly powerful. My volunteer involvement has always felt like gratitude in action,” she adds. “Receiving this recognition is deeply meaningful.”
Together, Megha and Brianna exemplify the spirit of the Arbor Award through their sustained service and commitment to the UTM community.
The University of Toronto Mississauga congratulates both recipients and expresses its deep appreciation for their ongoing contributions to the UTM community.
