Welcome to the Algonquin Board of Governors’ website

From Rodney Wilson, Chair

Algonquin College is governed by a board that strives to provide learners with a superior, experiential education that will prepare them for lifelong professional and personal success.

Board members play an essential role in the continued success of the College. They help the College by establishing structures of governance, plotting strategic directions and overall institutional goals, approving programs of instruction and supervising and assessing the performance of the College’s president and CEO.

Our goals in the coming years focus on creating an equitable and inclusive work environment, empowering staff, and furthering learner-driven education. From developing College-wide systems that ensure flexibility in programming to incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into the very fibre of our institution, Algonquin College’s goals for the future ensure that our best days are ahead of us.

About Rodney Wilson

Rodney Wilson, a former Board Chair of the Algonquin College Foundation, continues his longstanding volunteer commitment to Algonquin College as the Board of Governors Chair. Professionally, he serves as the Chief Technologist for Academic & External Research Networks at Ciena Corporation. In this capacity, he oversees Ciena’s interactions and funded research endeavours with academic institutions, leads government research and development programs, and spearheads international research network initiatives. Wilson’s primary objective at Ciena is to facilitate successful collaborations between technology innovators, research and education networkers, and researchers with Ciena’s research and development technology leaders.

Prior to his tenure at Ciena, he held diverse roles at Nortel and Bell Northern Research, including Global Marketing Director of Broadband Switching, R&D leader for Optical Ethernet Development, and senior advisor to the Chief Technology Officer. His career also encompassed the design and operation of the University of Toronto’s UTLAS international bibliographic service network and Bell Canada’s national packet data communication services operations.

Mr. Wilson commenced his electrical engineering training at Ryerson Polytechnic Institute in Toronto, Ontario. Subsequently, he graduated from the Executive Management School at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Mr. Wilson is a member of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He completed the Ontario College Centre, Board Excellence & Leadership Advanced Good Governance program. In recognition of his contributions, Mr. Wilson received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award, an honorary degree from Algonquin College in 2022, and numerous professional awards through his work with the IEEE. A lifelong advocate for youth development, Mr. Wilson volunteers with Scouts Canada in both local and national capacities. He holds an Advanced Amateur Radio operators license and engages as a citizen scientist on several significant research projects.

Rodney Wilson was appointed to the Board of Governors on October 22, 2020, became Vice Chair in September 2024, and appointed Chair for the 2025–26 term. He has also served the College in various other Board capacities, including Chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee, member of the Audit and Risk Management Committees, and industry participant in the Strategic Planning Task Force.

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to seeing you at a future Board meeting!