Robert Gillett

President
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology

Robert C. Gillett is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology.  He was appointed President in January 1996.  Prior to becoming President, he served as a Governor of Algonquin College for five years.

Having forty years experience in education in Ontario, including thirteen years of teaching and administration and twenty-seven years of senior management, Mr. Gillett was Director of Education and Secretary/Treasurer for the Ottawa Board of Education.  As a teacher, Mr. Gillett taught at the high school level in both French and English.

Mr. Gillett holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton University as well as a Master’s degree in Education and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa.  He is married and he and his wife, Anne, have two daughters:  Stephanie, a psychologist who has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Ottawa and Dianne, who holds an Honours degree in Criminology from Carleton University.

Mr. Gillett is a Director and past Chair of the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI).  He also serves on the National Capital Institute of Telecommunications Board (NCIT), the Knowledge Ontario Board, the Ontario College Applications Service (OCAS) Board and the United Way Board of Directors.  He is the College representative for The Ottawa Partnership (TOP) Committee of the City of Ottawa. 

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Dr. Don Wright

President
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

Don Wright’s career has included experience as a teacher at several universities, a senior government official, and a private sector executive.His government service has included positions as Deputy Minister in the ministries of finance, forests, economic development, and education in the Saskatchewan and British Columbia provincial governments. He was British Columbia Deputy Minister of Education in 1996-97. Don was Vice-President of Forestry, Environment and Corporate Affairs with Weldwood of Canada from 1997 to 2001. He returned to government in 2001, and was the British Columbia Deputy Minster of Forests until 2003. In 2003 he established Analytica Consulting which provided advice to public and private sector clients.

Don holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan, a Masters degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University. He and his wife Nancy have three children.

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Dr. John Tibbits

President
Conestoga Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Dr. John Tibbits has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Conestoga Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning since 1987. In that time Conestoga has moved forward into a leadership position in the Ontario college system.

Dr. Tibbits holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Diploma in Education from McGill University, a Master of Education degree from the University of Vermont and a Doctorate in Education from Boston University. He has held senior administrative positions at Dawson College in Montreal, Touche Ross & Partners in Ottawa and Canada Post Corporation in Ottawa.

Currently he is a member of the Board of Cambridge North Dumfries Hydro, the Accelerator Network and Canada's Technology Triangle. Dr. Tibbits has also been Chair of Grand River Hospital and a Board member on the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, the March of Dimes, Skills Canada (Ontario), Thyssen Krupp Budd Canada, and Communitech, and was President of the Chicopee Tennis Club.

In 2000 Dr. Tibbits was voted Business Leader of the Year by The Chamber of Commerce of Kitchener and Waterloo. He was also presented with the Impact Award by Communitech, which recognizes the individual who has shown significant commitment, support and dedication to the development of Communitech.

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Anne Sado

President
George Brown College

Anne Sado became president of George Brown College in January 2004. In this role, she is responsible for driving the college's overall direction, objectives and future growth. She is the College's primary ambassador, building on three years of unprecedented growth with the highest enrolment increase in Ontario's college system.

Ms. Sado brings strong leadership, customer service and communication skills to the College from her career in business and extensive volunteer involvement. In 2003, Ms. Sado received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for her ongoing work on the board of the YWCA of Greater Toronto. She has also received the Professional Engineers Ontario citizenship award and an Arbor Award from the University of Toronto.

Prior to joining George Brown College, Ms. Sado spent 25 years at Canadian corporate leader Bell Canada, holding numerous positions in engineering, field operations, customer service, business development and business planning. Appointed Senior Vice-President Business Processes and Operational Effectiveness in 2000, she championed new customer service initiatives and supported company goals with significant earnings improvements.

Ms. Sado holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Toronto as well as a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering. She is Director - Legacy Private Trust, Director - Trillium Health Centre, Director – ORANO, Director – Housing Services Inc., Director - Canadian Urban Institute, and is a member of the Dean's Advisory Board at the University of Toronto Faculty of Engineering.

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John Davies

President
Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

John Davies, President, at Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, formerly Vice President, Administrative Services, holds degrees and post-graduate diplomas from the University of Wales, Oxford University, the University of Toronto and Brock University.

Before joining Humber he had a long and distinguished career in the public-school sector in Toronto.

He has been a High School Teacher, Principal, Superintendent and Director of the Toronto Board of Education.
 
He was, in its later phases, C.E.O. of the Education Improvement Commission, which was charged with overseeing the amalgamation of school boards in Ontario, and with the implementation of a province-wide elementary and secondary school governance structure for Francophone Ontarians.
 
Before joining Humber he was chief of staff for the Effective Schools Task Force, charged with advising the Provincial government on ways to improve elementary and secondary school education in Ontario.

He has been on staff at Humber College for five years.

 

Dr. Tom Thompson

President
Olds College

H.J. (Tom) Thompson, President of Olds College since 2001, is passionate about excellence –  whether in leadership, post-secondary education, community service, athletics or life-long learning. During his tenure as president of two Alberta colleges, Dr. Thompson has drawn on a rich background in education and sports-related coaching, marketing and management. He is currently working with government, industry and communities to achieve the Community Learning Campus (CLC) goal of a seamless and integrated learning environment, one which will help rural students remain in rural Alberta.

Starting as a Saskatchewan public school teacher and principal in the mid-1960s, Tom changed his career direction to athletics in the mid-1970s. Over the next decade, he held head coach and front office management positions with university and professional sports teams, including Director of Public Relations for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders, Vice President of Marketing for the USFL’s Michigan Panthers and Director of Marketing for the Calgary Stampeders Football Club.

A life-long learner, Tom completed a Master of Education degree in 1976 at the University of Saskatchewan and completed his Ed.D in education administration at the University of Calgary in 2008.  His fifteen years at Grande Prairie Regional College, beginning in 1986, culminated in positions as Vice-President of Academic Affairs in 1996-97 and the next year as the College President.

A strong supporter of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), Tom has held positions on the ACCC’s Executive and Board of Directors and currently chairs the Alliance of Rural Colleges Leadership Council, responsible for the bi-lateral agreement developed between Canada and USA rural colleges.  Other advocacy roles include past Chairperson of the Council of Presidents for the Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutes, founding Vice-Chairman of eCampus Alberta, Canadian representative at the UNESCO Conference on Re-engineering Technical Vocational Education in China and President Elect for the Post-secondary International Network.

Dedicated to community involvement, Tom was proud to serve as President of the Host Organizing Committee for the 1995 Canada Winter Games held in Grande Prairie. He has also served as board member and chair of numerous organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, Alberta Special Olympics Board and the Hockey Alberta Foundation. In an advisory role, he has contributed to several Alberta Ministers’ committees on issues such as Rural Development, K-12 Learning Outcomes, Post Secondary Transformation, and Veterinary Medicine Academic Preparation.  His many speaking engagements at national and international events have helped to broaden awareness of Alberta’s post-secondary initiatives and best practices.

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Irene Lewis

President and CEO
SAIT Polytechnic

Irene Lewis is President and CEO of SAIT Polytechnic, one of Canada's leading institutes of advanced technology. Ms. Lewis has a distinguished educational background spanning over 40 years and her resume is rich with her contributions to education in three provinces and two continents. Her academic career began in 1963 teaching grade one in northern Alberta and since that time her career journey has encompassed both the K-12 and post-secondary systems as well as service to international, federal, provincial and municipal governments in advisory capacities. A secondment from Alberta to Singapore for a period of six years was to assist that country in developing its workforce using the Alberta model as a guide to lead that country's present and future development. She has since brought what she considers the Alberta model to other countries as evidence of this province's forward thinking attitude.

She is very active in the communities she serves. She has served on the United Way Cabinet, Calgary Technologies Inc. Board of Directors and on the Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors. Currently she serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta, a Director on the Post-secondary Presidents International Network, a Director of the Polytechnics Canada Board, a member of the Federal Judicial Advisory Committee, a member of the Alberta Legislature Centre Redevelopment Advisory Committee, sits on the Calgary Airport Business Advisory Council, the Major's Panel on Urban Sustainability, the Alberta Council for Western Economic Diversification, is the Board of Directors Chair of eCampusAlberta, sits on the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, the Skilled Trades Champion Program, as well as a member of the Board of Management for the Alberta Economic Development Authority. In that capacity she chaired a committee which produced a report "An Urgent Call to Action" which highlights our province's need to invest in education and post-secondary education if Alberta is to have a productive workforce. She also co-chaired another report "Mega Project Excellence: Preparing for Alberta's Legacy -- an Action Plan." It addresses issues and provides recommendations related to the development of Alberta's oil sands, an economic driver to the economy in the province.

She has been President and CEO of two Alberta post-secondary institutions. Her present position is as President and CEO of SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary where since 1998 she has led the transformation of the institution which impacts over 70,000 learners per year. Her contributions to Alberta were recognized when she received the Canadian Governor General's Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, the Gold Premier's Award of Excellence, the Alberta Centennial Medal and the University of Alberta bestowed an Alumni Honor Award for her service to education. She has been recognized by the Alberta Business Magazine Power List of 2003 and Alberta Venture's 50 Greatest Albertans.

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David Agnew

President
Seneca College

David Agnew became the President of Seneca College on July 1, 2009.

Mr. Agnew brings extensive experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors to Seneca.  Most recently he served as the Ombudsman of Banking Services and Investments. Previously, Mr. Agnew was the President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, a Principal at the strategy consulting firm Digital 4Sight and Executive Vice-President and Corporate Secretary for the Credit Union Central of Ontario.

Mr. Agnew was also the head of the public service as the Secretary of Cabinet in the Government of Ontario from 1992 to 1995, led the Public-Private Partnerships Project and was Chief of Staff to the Premier of Ontario for two years.

He was seconded to the University of Toronto from 1995 to 1996, was a Senior Resident at Massey College and is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland. Mr. Agnew's experience extends to the field of journalism, having worked as a newspaper reporter in St. John's, Ottawa, Toronto and Edmonton.

Raised in Toronto, he is active in community affairs and volunteers as a Director of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

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Dr. Jeff Zabudsky

President and CEO
Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Dr. Jeff Zabudsky is Sheridan's sixth President, a position he assumed on February 1, 2010.  He previously served as President and CEO of Red River College in Manitoba for six years.  Red River is Manitoba's largest college, with over 32,000 students and eight campuses.  Under his leadership, the college launched two major campus expansions, earned degree-granting authority, and expanded into under-served rural communities.  While at Red River, Dr. Zabudsky was extensively involved in the broader community.  His activities included serving as Chair of the 2009 United Way of Winnipeg Campaign, as a member of the Premier's Economic Advisory Council and the Manitoba Innovation Council, and as Chair of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

Prior to joining Red River College, Dr. Zabudsky worked at post-secondary institutions in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta, including the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, where he was Dean of Technology and Curriculum Innovation, and Sault College in Ontario, where he was Vice-President Academic.

Dr. Zabudsky spent the early years of his career in broadcasting, producing Open College programs at CJRT Radio in Toronto.  He holds a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Alberta, a Masters of Distance Education from Athabasca University, and a Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Ryerson University.

Since his arrival at Sheridan, Dr. Zabudsky has become actively engaged in the communities served by the college.  He has been appointed to the campaign cabinets for the United Way of Oakville and the United Way of Peel, and is serving as a member of Mississauga’s Healthy City Stewardship Centre.  In addition, Dr. Zabudsky is a member of the Halton Industry Education Council, the City of Mississauga’s Post-Secondary Task Force, and the Toronto Board of Trade “Liveability” Subcommittee.

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