PCTIA Board of Directors Election

We are pleased to have 10 candidates running in the upcoming PCTIA Board elections. They represent a variety of institutions and have a broad mix of skills and experience.

Abu-Ulba, Awni  - Awni is the Founder and President of Utopia Academy. He has been involved in the spa industry since 1970 and started his first school in 1979.

Awni has a Bachelor or Education degree with a specialty in Vocational Education from the University of Alberta, diplomas in Hairdressing and Cosmetology .

Donaldson, Gwen - Gwen is the President and owner of Canadian Tourism College. She has worked at the college since 1984 and purchased it in 1991. Among other boards she has also served on the BCCCA Board and the Board of the International Society of Travel and Tourism Education.

Gwen has post-secondary education in Human Resources and Business.

Kennedy, Patricia - Pat is the Chief Operating Officer at the Pacific Flying Club. She has served on seven different boards and committees including, most recently, the Certified Management Accountants of BC and the Member Strategic Planning Committee. Pat  has been involved in the private career training industry since 1991.

Pat is a Certified Management Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University.

McCormick, Mitchell - Mitchell is the Director and owner of the Pacific Coast Community College. He has worked in the education industry since 1994. Mitchell currently serves on two boards: BCCCA and the Private Career Development Contractors Association of Alberta.

Mitchell has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Calgary and has training in mediation.

Novek, Richard - Richard is the Director of Operations at Greystone College. He has worked in the private education sector for 15 years. Since April 2009 he has served on the PCTIA Board and is currently the Vice-Chair. He has also served on the board of BCCCA and presently serves on the BC Premier’s Project Council for International Education.

Richard has a BSc degree in Science and a Diploma in Education from McGill University.

Pankratz, Yourie - Yourie is the President and owner of the Royal Canadian Institute of Technology (two campuses: in Vancouver and Surrey). He has been involved in education as a professor since 1973 and later as a senior university/college administrator. He has published four books and 75 articles. Yourie sits on several committees and boards including the BC University Prep Educational Society, Canadian Academy of Independent scholars, Universal Peace Federation.  He is an Honorary Member of the International Rotary Club (Los Lunas, NM, USA).   He used to be a member of BCCCA Advisory Committee on International Students and Immigration.

Yourie has a BA and a Master degree in English, Linguistics, ESL, Germanic Studies and Scandinavian languages and a Ph.D. in Linguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, Communications and TESL.

Predyk, John -John is the Vice-President of Operations at Sprott-Shaw Community College. He has worked in the education industry since 1990 and in private career training since 2000. John has served on many boards and committees including the Career Management Association of BC and the Community Advisory Committee – ETHOS Career Management Group.

John holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary.

Rainsforth, Kelly - Kelly is the Director of Human Resources and Educational Administration at the Vancouver Film School. He has worked for many years in the education industry with the last eleven in private career training. Kelly has served on the PCTIA board for three years, most recently as Board Chair. He has also previously chaired the Bylaw and Quality Assurance Committee.

Kelly has a Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary and a Master of Science in Policy and Management from the University of Oregon.

Sabell, Jeremy - Jeremy is the President of Stenberg College. He has worked in the private career training sector since 1999 and he currently serves on the board of TEC The Education Company.

Jeremy has a Bachelor degree in General Studies from the University of Victoria.

Wells, David - David is the Academic Dean with NEC Native Education College. David has nearly 20 years of experience in the post-secondary education sector. He has served on the boards for Open Door Group and Wildlife Rescue Association of BC.

David has a Bachelor of Arts from SFU, a Master of Arts from, SFU and a JD (Juris Doctor) from UBC.

Ballots will be mailed to all institution’s voting representatives on March 9^th. Ballots must be returned by 4 pm on Friday, March 23^rd to be counted. The ballot count will be conducted by BDO Dunwoody on Monday, March 26^th. The results of the election will be announced at the end of the day on Monday, March 26^th though email, twitter, and the PCTIA website. An orientation meeting for new board members has been set for the morning of April 2^nd, 2012.