New President Search Underway
A Message from the Humber College Board of Governor, Ana Fernandes:
Tags: December 2021, Vol. 2, Issue 2
Humber President and CEO Chris Whitaker has decided to retire upon the completion of his second term at the end of June 2022.
Chris has made an indelible mark on Humber through his leadership, strategic vision, and prioritization of people and partnerships. During the past year and half, he has helped chart the college through the uncertainty and challenges of the pandemic, ensuring Humber’s values informed decision-making and commitment to all employees.
Beyond our campuses, Chris has helped shape post-secondary education in Ontario for more than 34 years. He began his career in the sector as a professor at St. Lawrence College and held progressively senior roles there, including President and CEO.
As a true champion of polytechnic education, Chris’ legacy will continue to shape Humber for many years. Chris is known for leading with integrity and a good sense of humour. We will miss those qualities when he retires and wish him the best on his next chapter.
On behalf of the Board of Governors and as the Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, I also wanted to update you on the work that has begun to support the search for the next President and Chief Executive Officer, which will include consultations with our community. A Presidential Search Committee will be established, representing key constituencies from the college community.
The College has also engaged the services of search firm KBRS (Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette) to support the committee in identifying candidates. Founded in 1975, KBRS is a strategic talent advisor to universities and colleges across Canada and is among Canada’s largest academic executive search firms.
The search will begin immediately and a presidential search webpage has been created. Updates and new information will be added to this page in the weeks to come. We will continue to provide updates about the process as the search progresses.
If you have any questions about the search, you may contact Lori Diduch, Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness at lori.diduch@humber.ca.
Humber accomplishments under his leadership include:
- Development and implementation of Humber’s first institutional Academic Plan and Digital Campus Plan
- Establishment of Humber’s Faculty model and the Centres of Innovation Network
- Development and launch of the Humber International Graduate School in downtown Toronto
- Launch of Unlimited, the College’s first major fundraising campaign
- Creation of countless new programs, including Humber’s first engineering degrees and stand-alone Bachelor of Science in Nursing that launched this fall
- Growing enrollment to 38,000 full-time students
- Strengthening Humber’s financial position, building critical infrastructure and innovative system collaborations, and championing sustainability
- Implementing new approaches to continuous professional learning, real estate education and corporate training