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Dal alumni join Order of Canada ranks

Three trailblazers with Dalhousie connections, including Mayann Francis (LLD’16), Corinne Sparks (LLB’79, LLM’01) and Kona Williams (BSc’04), were among the 61 individuals appointed to the Order of Canada last week.

Posted: July 2, 2026

By: Dal News staff

Collage of portraits with Mayann Francis, Corinne Sparks and Kona Williams. Left to right: The Honourable Mayann Francis, Judge Corinne Sparks, Dr. Kona Williams.

On Friday (June 26), Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, Governor General of Canada, announced 61 new appointments to the Order of Canada.  

Established in 1967, the Order of Canada recognizes people from all sectors of Canadian society who make extraordinary and sustained contributions to the nation. Friday’s announcement included 56 Canadians who were newly appointed to the Order alongside five promotions within the Order.

Among the appointments were several individuals with Dalhousie connections — three of them notable for being significant Canadian firsts. Corinne Sparks (LLB’79, LLM’01), a two-time Dalhousie Law alum and the 2020 recipient of Dalhousie’s Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service, was Nova Scotia’s first African Nova Scotian judge and Canada’s first Black woman on the bench. Kona Williams (BSc’04), Dal Science graduate, is the first First Nations forensic pathologist in Canada. And the Honourable Mayann Francis (LLD’16), honorary degree recipient, was the first African Nova Scotian to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. (She was also Dalhousie’s first employment equity officer.)

Below are the official Order of Canada citations for those three as well as King’s alumni Gordon Earle and Stephanie Nolen.

Dalhousie alumni recognized

Mayann Elizabeth Francis, O.C., O.N.S.

The Honourable Mayann Francis is a distinguished public servant, human rights advocate and historic trailblazer. Appointed as Nova Scotia’s 31st lieutenant governor in 2006, she became the first African Nova Scotian and second woman in the role. She later continued her public service and authored several books, including her 2019 memoir.

Mayann Francis portrait.

Corinne Etta Sparks, O.C.

The Honourable Judge Corinne Sparks, a trailblazing Canadian jurist and mentor to Black lawyers, transformed the country’s legal landscape. The first Black judge in Nova Scotia and the first Black woman to serve as a judge in Canada, she notably issued a landmark decision on racial and judicial bias that was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Judge Corinne Sparks portrait.

Kona Kristen Chant Williams, C.M.

Dr. Kona Williams, the first First Nations forensic pathologist in Canada, has transformed forensic practice through culturally informed leadership, national advocacy and system reform. Her work strengthens death investigations, advances equity for Indigenous communities, and modernizes forensic standards. As a national advisor and academic leader, she champions justice, representation and improved responses to missing Indigenous people.

A woman in a white lab coat smiling in a lab.

King’s alumni

Gordon Sinclair Earle, C.M.
Gordon Earle (BA'63) is a distinguished public servant and politician who has advanced human rights, accountability and equity in Canada. In 1997, he became Nova Scotia’s first Black member of Parliament, a milestone in national representation. His leadership strengthened public institutions and left a legacy of fairness, inclusion and principled civic service.

Stephanie Nolen, O.C.
A distinguished journalist and author, Stephanie Nolen has reported from more than 80 countries, exposing inequities in health, conflict and social justice. Renowned for her groundbreaking HIV-AIDS coverage in Africa, she has earned major national and international awards, and has written acclaimed books on AIDS, art history, and women’s roles in the space race.

Also meet Dal's latest honorary degree recipients