Niagara Immigration Employment Council

Dr. Dan Patterson’s career spans three different levels of activities all involving human resource development. He began his career in Ottawa with the federal government where he held various senior management positions including Director of Planning for the Department of Indian Affairs. From there, he moved to the provincial level in Toronto where he became Director of the Partnership and Training Support Services Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Skills Development. He was responsible for implementing a $70 million program that focused on developing a training culture within Ontario industries. The next phase of his career brought him to the region of Niagara where he assumed the position of Vice-President of the Ventures Division at Niagara College for a four-year period before becoming Niagara College’s fifth President.

Dan was appointed President of Niagara College in 1995, an $87 million operation that provides education and training to individuals, organizations, business and industry. The College has more than 6,000 full-time post-secondary and post-graduate students, another 1,500 in skills upgrading and customized training programs, and about 20,000 continuing education registrations annually. Major achievements during his tenure include overseeing a significant restructuring of the College's administration, and construction of a $38 million state-of-the-art campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which was a part of a $60 million master plan to expand and improve the college's facilities. In addition, Dan has played an integral role in establishing and strengthening partnerships with a variety of industries and public sector organizations - a key priority under his leadership.

Dan has strong service links to the Niagara community. He has served as a member of a variety of organizations, including the Niagara Gateway Project, Vision Niagara Inc., CH Advisory Board of Directors, Niagara Information Technology Management Board, Business Education Council, the St. Catharines Chamber of Commerce and the United Way. He was also a founding Director of the Niagara Economic and Tourism Corporation. He is currently a member of the Forum for International Trade Training Board of Directors, the Bibliocentre Governing Board, the Early Years Advisory Group for the Niagara Region and the Rotary Club of St. Catharines.

At provincial level, Dan is former Chair of the Committee of Presidents, which advocates on behalf of Ontario's 24 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. He chaired this group for two consecutive terms during a critical period, including the introduction of baccalaureate degrees in some Ontario Colleges, funding advocacy, and a new provincial mandate for all Colleges in Ontario. Two years ago, he was appointed by Order-in-Council to serve on the College Compensation and Appointments Council, an agency established under provincial statute responsible for the appointment of governors to the 24 college boards, collective bargaining on behalf of the colleges, and for providing strategic advice to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities on matters relating to colleges.

Dan is a lifelong learner. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Political Science from the University of Windsor, a Master of Science from The London School of Economics, and a Master of Adult Education from the University of Toronto. In 2003, Dan was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Pedagogy by Niagara University, New York State. In 2005, he earned a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Toronto in the field of higher education.