Lethbridge College has announced Dr. Brad Donaldson as its ninth President and CEO.
Chair of the college’s Board of Governors, Mike Marcotte, says they did 160 shareholder engagements, in order to develop the profile of their ideal candidate. The feedback was then narrowed down to five categories.
“Someone who had set the tone for culture and organizational leadership, committed to equity and diversity and inclusion in Indigenous communities, strategic leadership qualities and strong board relations, someone who will build partnerships and enhance the external engagement, and someone with the track record of academic excellence,” says Marcotte. “Brad certainly checked all those boxes and we’re very excited to have him.”
Donaldson says his plan for the future is to build upon the college’s existing reputation as a leader in Alberta’s post-secondary community. He looks to empower the college to further its role as an “engine of innovation”.
“The communities we serve really represent our purpose and, if we don’t understand those communities and we’re not engaging with them, how can we possibly know what is the right thing that we’re enabling our students and our employees to do?” says Donaldson.
Donaldson comes from Calgary, where he was most recently the Vice President – Academic (VPA) at SAIT. He brings 17 years of post-secondary experience, with his other credentials including the role of VPA at Red Deer College, Dean of the School of Manufacturing and Automation at SAIT, and various engineering and senior leadership roles in the global manufacturing sector.
Donaldson will start his new role on September 6.