StFX alumna and former award winner Sarah Murphy delivers speakers’ series address
Katia Beales-Salovitch and Elizabeth Kennedy, two fourth year Gerald Schwartz School of Business students, were recognized for their leadership, academic achievements, and outstanding engagement with their communities when they received the 2023-24 Dr. Trudy Eagan Women in Business Award during a ceremony held November 17, 2023, in the Schwartz School.
The awards have been bestowed annually to two outstanding female students at the Schwartz School since 2000 when Dr. Trudy Eagan, business leader, community activist, Xaverian, StFX honorary degree recipient, Hall of Honour inductee, friend and mentor, founded the Women in Business Speakers’ Series and Award Presentation.
Sarah Murphy, from the StFX Class of 2010, a former Women in Business Award winner, and now a partner at Pelorus Venture Capital and a podcast host, delivered the keynote in this year’s Speaker Series. Her presentation centered on being successful when entering the workforce following graduation.
Ms. Murphy, who has a background working with early-stage startup companies, including Harbr.com and as a founder of her own construction-tech startup, drew from examples from her own career as she told the large group of students in attendance three things she believes are important are to create your network as you go, to pursue what genuinely interests you, and to be true to yourself.
Ms. Murphy was an EIR with Propel ICT, an Atlantic Canada accelerator, and has mentored startups throughout Atlantic Canada through groups like Propel, Volta, and Creative Destruction Lab. She currently sits on the board of three investee companies: Cyno, Swiftsure, and SiftMed. She is also one of the co-authors of the Gender Diversity Playbook, a collection of best practices that startup companies can use to build more diverse and stronger performing organizations.
The StFX Women in Business Society hosted the event.
2023-24 Dr. Trudy Eagan Women in Business Award Recipients
Katia Beales-Salovitch
Katia Beales-Salovitch is a fourth year business student enrolled in the honours BBA in management and leadership program with a minor in political science and is an international student from New Jersey. Nominators say Ms. Beales-Salovitch has embraced her StFX experience as an academically gifted student and through a myriad of activities. She was inspired to create the Nova Scotia Sports Leadership Confernce in 2023, which brought athletes from across Nova Scotia together to learn about mental health, supporting mentorship and leadership. In 2024, the conference has expanded to the Atlantic Sport Leadership Conference. Ms. Beales-Salovitch is currently co-president of StFX Enactus and has been involved with both the Schwartz Business Society and the Schwart Women in Business Society. She was also the founder and head of the Royals Dance Team at Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School and she continues to teach dance in the local community. Ms. Beales-Salovitch is involved on campus as a community educator, social media coordinator for the Frank McKenna Centre and as an academic tutor. One of her references commenting about her founding activities (including the conference and dance team), stated, “Katia emphasized accessibility and inclusivity by removing barriers that might prevent someone from attending while also ensuring participants in these reprograms received beneficial growth opportunities.”
Elizabeth Kennedy
Elizabeth Kennedy is a fourth year student enrolled in the advanced major in accounting program at the Gerald Schwartz School of Business. Ms. Kennedy travelled across Canada from Vancouver, BC to Antigonish, NS to attend St. Francis Xavier University. In addition to achieving an exceptional grade average throughout her academic terms, she is currently the president of the Schwartz Women in Business Society, captain of the X-Women Basketball varsity team and the Senior Class Development Officer. With the Women in Business Society, she planned and executed the largest annual undergraduate student conference in Atlantic Canada. The Schwartz Women in Business Society is an active society with over 120 members and a list of accomplishments and activities. As the Class of 2024 Development Officer, Ms. Kennedy is responsible to organize the Class of 2024 gift, which will be a bursary that will help future students offset rising costs and increased housing difficulty in Antigonish. She also carves out time to tutor and acts as both a notetaker and a teaching assistant. One of her references stated, “Liz truly stands out as a model of student performance and engagement, setting a standard to which we hope all out students will aspire.”
