Higher Education Strategic Services

To support your institution’s advancement of academic excellence, financial sustainability, and leader development, in an era of ever increasing levels of technical and social complexity is a challenge for all post-secondaries. Our communities, our economy, our budgets, our partnerships will be different. Our organizations will be different. Post-secondaries face many challenges such as constrained funding, changing technology, on-line and e-learning, financial sustainability under study visa caps, capital infrastructure maintenance, equipment renewal, ensuring program relevance to the needs of students and societal expectations, and achievement of the highest academic standards. These are tough issues. I am here to work with you, explore the possible, be bold and innovative, and create with you and your team the pathways to continued success.

Services Provided:

Strategic Planning through the highly acclaimed Keys to Success (TM) Workshop, Operational Plan Development, Leader Development/Coaching, Board Governance Training & Development, Financial Sustainability/Recovery, and Interim/Fractional Executive Support.

The Purpose

In all that I do, in every solution I propose, in every opportunity that comes before me, I always ask the same three questions: Is it good for our students?, Is it good for the Institution?, and Is it good for the Communities we serve?

I always strive to advance my academic clients’ needs through a student-focused, solutions oriented, ethical leadership mind-set.

Driven by my passion for education and the empowerment of the individual (students and institution employees), the programs use an appreciative inquiry approach to build strong teams, innovative and creative solutions, and positive outcomes.

Founder’s Profile

Having developed a deep understanding of the Canadian post-secondary sector by working in 6 provinces, building my knowledge through the full spectrum of academic ranks from Sessional Professor to President to better appreciate the diversity that is the academic enterprise, I bring extensive experience in good collegial governance, a supportive distributed leadership philosophy, and an authentic commitment to student-centric action. I began my career in the Canadian PSE sector as a university professor, department head and then chair; honed my skills as a Dean, Associate Vice-President Academic and then as Provost & Vice-President Academic and Students in the public academic sector where I held administrative oversight for the academic and research portfolios, government relations, industry partnerships, and all student services, including: the Registrar, Counselling, Accessibility, Health & Wellness Services, Athletics, Student Engagement, Indigenous Education, Intercultural Education, Library Services, and Judicial Affairs. I have enhanced my perspective and knowledge through the private college sector as the VP Academic for the nation’s largest and most diversified private college. That career trajectory and exposure to the breadth of the post-secondary sector has been both deliberate and purposeful to deepen my skillset and gain a broader base of experiences so I may apply those experiences in the service of the entire educational sector. Most recently, I served as the President of Olds College where I have been able to apply these experiences to advance the entire institution.

Some experience highlights:

Nationally acclaimed award-winning university teacher; Nationally recognized tech-innovation leader; Innovative Business of the Year Award Winner; Past Chair, National Council of Deans of Technology; Awarded 20 grants from 8 funding bodies (Canada & US), totaling over $17.3M; Transformed a $14.7M structural budget deficit into a $2.3M budget surplus; Certified College and University Administrator (Levels I and II); Certified National Advanced Placement and Prior Learning Advisor.