College names new president
Okanagan Edge Staff - Oct 22, 2020 - People in Business

Photo: Contributed
Dr. Neil Fassina will be the new Okanagan College president.

Okanagan College has found its new president.

Dr. Neil Fassina will take over for Jim Hamilton, who is retiring in the spring after 17 years at the helm. Dr. Fassina will come to the college from Alberta’s Athabasca University, where he served as president for the last four years.

“After a search that drew candidates from around the world, Okanagan College’s board of governors has selected a Canadian educator who has balanced classroom experience with leadership experience to lead Okanagan College into the next stage of its evolution and growth,” Okanagan College board of governors chair Gloria Morgan said in a press release.

“Dr. Fassina has an impressive curriculum vitae that speaks to innovation, growth and—most critically—the importance of student support and success.”

Dr. Fassina, who will start in his new role on April 1, was provost and vice-president of academics at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology from 2013 to 2016, and before that he was dean of the JR Shaw School of Business and School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts from 2011 to 2013.

He received a Ph.D. in organizational behaviour and human resource management from the University of Toronto in 2005 and a bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Calgary in 1999.

“I know that Okanagan College is an outstanding success story among Canadian post-secondaries,” Fassina said. “The values and approach that have fuelled such success were among the influences that convinced me that serving as president will allow me to join its remarkable cadre of team members and continue to grow our reputation as an institution driving social, cultural and economic development for the region, the province and the country.”


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