Diane Stuemer , BJ / 81

Stuemer was a business woman, adventurer, philanthropist, public speaker and author. President of Hi-Rise Communications Inc., she was named one of the Top 40 under 40 in Ottawa. After beating skin cancer, Stuemer and her husband re-evaluated their priorities, and set sail with their three sons, circumnavigated the globe in four years aboard Northern Magic.

In addition to writing a weekly newspaper column during their adventure, Stuemer authored The Voyage of the Northern Magic, A Family Odyssey, a Canadian bestseller. By the time the family returned to Ottawa in 2001, Stuemer was passionate about ordinary people making a difference in the world and established the Northern Magic Foundation to raise funds for projects in Indonesia and Kenya.