Laura Jo Gunter appointed NAIT’s seventh president and CEO
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Polytechnics to play critical role in economic recovery
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) has a new president and CEO: Laura Jo Gunter.
Gunter, a national leader in the post-secondary and private sectors, assumed her new role on Aug. 24. She comes to the Edmonton-based polytechnic after serving as president and CEO of Bow Valley College in Calgary.
“NAIT is very well respected in the post-secondary environment, especially among polytechnics,” says Gunter. “To be able to join an organization like NAIT and work on some of the challenges and opportunities that are facing the post-secondary sector and reinforce NAIT’s leadership position is really exciting.”
Gunter’s appointment follows an international selection process after the back-to-back retirements of former presidents, Dr. Glenn Feltham and Dr. Ray Block.
Board chair Ray Pisani says he’s confident Gunter is the right person to lead NAIT toward its vision to be one of the world’s leading polytechnics. That’s never been more important given the knowledge and skills that will be required to lead the country out of the economic malaise of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Laura Jo Gunter is an exceptional leader who places emphasis on strong industry and community connections, enriching educational experience and being agile and responsive,” he says.
Experienced post-secondary leadership
As a leader, Gunter says she tries to “unleash people” to do their best work. That’s critical during the pandemic, when post-secondaries like NAIT have pivoted to deliver a large number of programs virtually.
“Necessity is the mother of invention – or in this case, innovation,” she says. “What can we do to really innovate, to build back better, to re-energize post-secondary and also help our students be more successful.”
Gunter honed her leadership skills by leading Bow Valley College through its most recent strategic plan and through innovations in teaching and learning. She also held senior executive roles at George Brown College and Seneca College in Toronto – both polytechnics like NAIT – and leadership positions at the Vancouver Film School and Simon Fraser University.
In her role as senior vice-president academic at George Brown College, she led the academic portfolio, as well as student services, domestic and international enrolment, and applied research. She also served as vice-president of programming, special projects and industry partnerships at the Vancouver Film School.
Her private-sector experience includes working in the startup space as an entrepreneur, which have shaped her views as a leader and strengthened her relationships with industry.
As CEO and co-founder of the digital entertainment-gaming company Condition30 Inc., she sought out partnerships with post-secondaries to develop product prototypes.
“It gave me a view from the other side of how industry interacts with post-secondaries, and to recognize how we can help remove potential barriers to make it easier for industry to work with post-secondaries.”
Polytechnics have role in leading recovery, innovation
The prospect of returning to a polytechnic was one of the attractions of the job, Gunter says. The diversity of activity – from the types of credentials offered to experiential learning to industry relationships and applied research – makes it “an exciting place to be.”
“There’s always something innovative and creative going on at a polytechnic,” she says. “We’re preparing our students and graduates with skills they need to succeed in rewarding careers, as well as supporting innovation to fulfill the needs of our community and industry.”
Given the current challenges facing Canada’s economy, from the downturn in oil and gas to the pandemic, the role of post-secondaries has never been more important, she says. NAIT’s programming, ranging from health care to sciences, technology, entrepreneurship and the skilled trades, plus strong relationships with industry and applied research partners will be critical in meeting employers’ needs and fostering economic diversification.
“We can be growing the economy in new and different ways and create made-in-Alberta solutions that can be applied throughout Canada and the world.”
Gunter has a master’s degree in business administration from Queen’s University and a bachelor’s in journalism from Carleton University.
Her leadership in the community includes serving on Advanced Education’s Skills for Jobs Task Force. She also served on boards for TELUS Spark Science Centre, North York General Hospital, Interactive Ontario, and New Media B.C.
This story was provided by NAIT for commercial purposes.