Canadore College President George Burton announces that Mary O’Farrell-Bowers will be joining the College’s senior executive team as Vice-President, Academic.
Following Dr. Marguerite Donohue’s retirement announcement earlier this year, the College began the search for a new VPA in early 2016.
“Mary comes to Canadore with a strong record of success and growth,” said Burton. “She brings an exceptional breadth of leadership and experience to our team, and we look forward to further advancing our innovation agenda with her support.”
O’Farrell-Bowers comes to Canadore College from Georgian College’s Orillia Campus, where she served as Campus Principal and Dean, Schools of Human Services and Community Safety.
She began her career in postsecondary education in 1987 and has comprehensive experience in instruction, program coordination, curriculum development, social entrepreneurship, and provincial and national level advocacy and leadership. O’Farrell-Bowers is also well versed in academic planning, curriculum coaching, applied research and fiscal management. Passionate about experiential learning, she was the driving force behind establishing the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Georgian.
“Mary’s strong sense of community and her proven ability to work positively and effectively with stakeholders to create innovative solutions is a welcome addition to all of us here at Canadore and in the communities we serve,” said Burton.
Donohue will officially retire at the end of June, and O’Farrell-Bowers will assume her position at Canadore on August 8.
