Michael O’Brien, Chair of the Holland College Board of Governors, is pleased to announce that Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald will take over from Dr. Brian McMillan as President of Holland College. This decision follows a thorough interview process that was conducted with highly qualified candidates across Canada.

For the past three years, Dr. MacDonald has been Vice President, Academic and Applied Research at Holland College. He has been responsible for approximately 4,500 students in P.E.I. and China and has also been responsible for the language training and Adult Education programs at the College. He has worked directly with local, regional, and national companies and groups to address their training and operational challenges.

He was Deputy Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development from 2010 to 2015, and Deputy Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning in 2015. He has contributed to the development of innovative educational policy and administrative excellence provincially, nationally and internationally.

Dr. MacDonald holds a Ph.D. in Educational and Counseling Psychology from McGill University, a Masters in Educational Psychology from the University of Alberta, a Bachelor in Special Education from Memorial University, and Bachelor degrees in Secondary Education and Arts from the University of Prince Edward Island.

Dr. MacDonald spent four years as Canada’s representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Education Association, and a member of the advisory board for Access Mental Health: a five-year longitudinal research project investigating how mental health services are provided to children and youth.

Mr. O’Brien said that the Board of Governors is confident that Dr. MacDonald will be able to provide the leadership the college needs in the coming years.

“Dr. MacDonald brings a wealth of experience, and a strong educational vision to the position of President. We look forward to sharing his vision for the future of Holland College over the coming months,” he said.

Dr. MacDonald will take over from Dr. McMillan on January 1, 2019.