NEWS RELEASE
GEORGIAN COLLEGE
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Don Gordon of Midland is the new chair of the Georgian College Board of Governors, which held its first meeting of the academic year last night. Gordon joined the board in September 2013 and served as vice chair for two years before being elected as chair by colleagues on the board.
He has made exceptional contributions to the board as chair of both the Finance and Audit Committee and the Advancement Committee. Gordon has also been a member of the Executive Committee and the Recognition Committee.
“It has been rewarding to see Georgian evolve over the past few years,” said Gordon. “With seven campuses and our new Advanced Technology Centre, Georgian is positioned to not only meet the educational needs of students but also to help support business and industries with employees who bring the most current skills and expertise to help strengthen and diversify our regional economy.”
Gordon is a retired manufacturing executive and graduate of the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario. Before launching his business career, he went to teachers’ college and taught at a public school in Scarborough. Following that, he worked in financial services and for a cattle import company before spending over 40 years in the concrete industry. Over the years, he served on the boards of several associations linked to the concrete masonry industry. This included five years as a board member and three as chair for Masonry Canada, and eight years as a board member and one year as chair for the National Concrete Masonry Association. He retired in 2015.
His passion for education and serving others extends beyond Georgian. Gordon is a trustee of the Weber Foundation, which has donated over $20 million to the Simcoe County community over the last 10 years. He is a member of the Patient Advisory Committee for the new cardiac facility at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre and is very involved with the Midland Cultural Centre as member of the Finance Committee, Ambassador Committee, Fundraising Committee and Governance Committee.
Also new as a community member to the board this year is Margot Ballagh, a lawyer and former vice-chairperson and administrative law judge for the Social Security Tribunal of Canada.
“There’s tremendous diversity on the board in terms of experience and a wealth of leadership capability,” noted Gordon. “Our shared goal is to optimize each student’s experience at Georgian. And as a resident of Midland, I’m proud Georgian serves all of our communities across the region.”
2018-19 Board of Governors
- Chair Don Gordon (Midland)
- Vice Chairs Brian Davenport (Owen Sound) and Paul Larche (Barrie)
- MaryLynn West-Moynes, President and CEO, Georgian College
- Marilynn Booth of Wasaga Beach
- Richard C. Gauthier of Sharon
- David Johnson, administrative representative, Georgian College
- Ali Khonsari of Barrie
- Margot Ballagh of Barrie
- Angela Lockridge, Secretary-Treasurer to the Board and Vice President, Corporate Services and Innovation, Georgian College
- Andrea Lovering, faculty representative, Georgian College
- Jeff Czetwerzuki, student representative, Georgian College
- Dianne Martin of Barrie
- Lyn McLeod of Alliston
- Angelo Orsi of Orillia
- Teresa Snelgrove of Shanty Bay
- Eric Jerome, support staff representative, Georgian College
- Kevin Wassegijig of Wiikwemkoong
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