This morning, Dr. Gervon Fearon was publicly named the new president of George Brown College (GBC) after almost a year-long presidential search. Dr. Fearon, who has been the president of Brock University since 2017, and is the former president of Brandon University, is set to begin his leadership at GBC this August 2021.
Dr. Fearon will be the first new president the college has had in over 18 years, replacing former president Anne Sado who served for almost two decades. The new successor says that he is “focused on fostering excellence in student experience and post-secondary education; promoting community development and partnerships; and supporting the skills, knowledge and talent development needed for economic competitiveness and job creation” in a news release by GBC.
“I am passionate about education and the transformative opportunities it holds for individuals, communities and society,” says Dr. Fearon in the release. “It is an honour to join George Brown, a college dedicated to student success and community development in the City of Toronto. I look forward to working with colleagues and partners to support the education and career goals of students and advance industry and community development.”
After Sado announced her retirement in November 2020, this marked the beginning of an extensive search process to find her replacement that involved both internal and external stakeholders in collaboration with Phelps Group Executive search.
After a nine-step process and almost a year later, the decision was made to appoint Dr. Fearon into the role.
Dr. Fearon holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Western Ontario, as well as a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree from the University of Guelph. Along with this, he is a designated Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA), and also holds his Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D).
Dr. Fearon has a wide background of involvement in the area of post-secondary education. In the past, he has held other roles including Dean of the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University; Associate Dean at York University’s Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies; Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington; and Associate Professor at York University.
“Dr. Fearon’s strong leadership skills, his commitment to diversity and inclusion and his outstanding reputation as a community builder made him the top choice for our new President, and we feel confident he will do an exceptional job in fulfilling the vision for the future of George Brown College.” says Kevin Costante, Chair, Board of Governors.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Fearon join us at George Brown to advance the mission and vision of our college in innovative new ways. He is a collaborative, inclusive, vision-oriented and mission-driven leader, with all the skills and experience to propel George Brown into the future.”
