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Retired President, Humber College

Chris Whitaker has worked in higher education for over 35 years. He served as president and CEO at both Humber College in Toronto and St. Lawrence College in eastern Ontario, and held various other roles including Vice-President Academic and Dean of Business. He is an advocate of polytechnic education as a model for transforming higher education through greater institutional differentiation and improved learner and labour market outcomes. Chris received his BA (Hons) from Queen’s, MA from York, and PhD from OISE/UT.

President, Fleming College

Maureen Adamson was appointed as the sixth president of Fleming College effective August 20, 2018. She has more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience in the postsecondary, health care, government and not-for-profit sectors.

Prior to joining Fleming, Maureen was the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Deputy Minister of the Status of Women for the province of Ontario. She served as President and CEO for the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, as CEO for Cystic Fibrosis Canada, and as Vice-President Corporate Services at Mohawk College.

Her volunteer work has included Chair of the Board of Directors of Research Canada, Vice-Chair and Commissioner for the Toronto Transit Commission, Director for the Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre, and Board Chair of the Scarborough Health Network. Maureen is currently the inaugural Chair of the Scarborough Health Research Institute beginning in Spring 2021.

Maureen holds a diploma in Business Administration from Fleming College, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lakehead University, and an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She has completed the Director’s Education Program at the Rotman School of Management and the Institute of Corporate Directors, and is a certified Director with the Institute of Corporate Directors of Canada. Maureen is a PhD candidate, currently working on her Doctor of Philosophy, Higher Education.

President, Niagara College

President of Niagara College since 2020, Sean joined the College in 2006 as Vice President of Student and External Relations and CEO of the Niagara College Foundation and later served as Vice President, Academic and Senior Vice President, International. Sean also held senior roles at Red Deer College and the University of Alberta. A leader in international education and student services, Sean has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Bureau for International Education, chaired the Colleges Ontario Student Access and Success Coordinating Committee, and has served numerous various community boards. Sean holds a Master of Public Administration and is completing Doctoral studies at the University of Toronto.

President, Kenjgewin Teg

Beverley Roy (Ph.D. ABD in Higher Education) is an Anishinaabe-kwe with over ten years of experience in the Indigenous post-secondary sector with Kenjgewin Teg; Kenjgewin Teg is located on M’Chigeeng First Nation, Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario, and is one of nine Indigenous Institutes in Ontario recognized under the Indigenous Institutes Act of 2017. Beverley has held different roles within Kenjgewin Teg (President, Director of Quality Assurance, Director of Post-Secondary Education and Training), gaining various experiences and perspectives on the challenges, advocacy and approaches needed in advancing Indigenous (Anishinabek) lifelong learning and Indigenous Institutes as part of Ontario’s higher education system. As an organizationally accredited place of learning by the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council, Kenjgewin Teg is positioned to begin its development of Indigenous (Anishinabek) worldview diplomas, certificates, and degrees.

Provost, George Brown College

As Provost, Dr. Cory Ross leads George Brown College’s strategy in the areas of academic programming, international, research and work-integrated learning. His leadership in delivering high-quality and innovative academic programs is integral to the college’s reputation, both domestically and internationally, as a leading provider of post-secondary education.

Working collaboratively with the vice-president, academic and deans, Cory oversees the creation, delivery and academic priorities and programs at the college’s seven academic centres, as well as research and innovation activities and global partnerships and education — all with a focus on George Brown’s strategic priorities as outlined in Vision 2030, Strategy 2022-2026.

Cory has held progressive leadership positions since joining George Brown College in 2007, including Interim Executive Dean and Dean of the School of Community Services & Early Childhood and the School of Health Sciences and Vice-President, Academic. Prior to joining George Brown, Cory was Vice-President, Academic and Executive Director of Institutional Development at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine from 1994 to 2003. He was the Manager of Organizational Health at Mount Sinai Hospital from 2004 to 2007, and he was the president and CEO of a biotech research firm from 1989 to 2004.

Cory’s extensive research career has attracted more than $5 million in research grants, and he has published more than 50 research papers in peer reviewed journals. Cory earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Science in Anatomy at the University of Manitoba, a Doctor of Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, a Diploma in Strategic Management from Oxford University, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Health Care Management from Queen Margaret University in Scotland. He is a Certified Health Executive (CHE).

In 2015, Cory was granted a fellowship from the U.K.-based Royal Society for Public Health. He is one of only 10 Canadians to receive this prestigious designation. In 2018, Cory was granted member laureate status by the Bethune Medical Development Association of Canada, an organization that promotes co-operative efforts between Canadian and Chinese medical professionals in medical research, education, public health, patient care and humanitarian work.

Cory was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP Edin) in the spring of 2019.