President & CEO

Laura Jo Gunter

Laura Jo Gunter became NAIT’s seventh President and CEO on August 24, 2020. An innovative leader, she brings extensive post-secondary knowledge and an entrepreneurial spirit to her role.

Biography

Laura Jo Gunter became NAIT’s seventh President and CEO on August 24, 2020. An innovative leader, she brings extensive post-secondary knowledge and an entrepreneurial spirit to her role.

Prior to joining NAIT, Ms. Gunter was President and CEO of Bow Valley College in Calgary. During her tenure she led the creation of a new strategic plan, Open Doors – Open Minds. She also expanded Bow Valley College’s brand locally, nationally and internationally through significant partnerships with global companies. In addition, she initiated Pivot-Ed, a platform that re-imagines adult education to help those needing to pivot in their careers. Pivot-Ed incorporates AI-driven assessments based on workplace simulations and micro-credentialing using blockchain technology.

Before coming to Alberta, Ms. Gunter spent a number of years in Ontario. She was the Senior Vice-President Academic for George Brown College. Her portfolio included all academic divisions, the office of applied and institutional research, international, academic services and student affairs, and registration.

Prior to joining George Brown College, Ms. Gunter was Dean of the Faculty of Information Arts and Technology at Toronto’s Seneca College, where she was later Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Art and Design.

Ms. Gunter began her career in academic leadership in British Columbia where she was the Continuing Education Program Director for Applied Science at Simon Fraser University and then later the Vice-President of Programming, Special Projects and Industry Partnerships for the Vancouver Film School.

Ms. Gunter has also been an entrepreneur. She was the CEO and co-founder of Condition30 Inc., a software and game company based in Toronto and Vancouver. As well, Ms. Gunter was the Vice-President of Creative and Community for the British Columbia-based User Friendly Media.

A community builder, she has also given her time to advancing skills development and post-secondary education and to improving the communities in which she has lived in. She is a member of the Minister of Advanced Education’s Skills for Jobs Task Force and a member of the Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta. She was also a supporting contributor to the Skilled by Design: A Blueprint for Alberta’s Future Workforce report by the Business Council of Alberta. Previously, Ms. Gunter was a board member for Telus Spark, she chaired the Coordinating Committee of Vice-Presidents Academic for Colleges Ontario, was a member of the Interactive Ontario Board, and served as a board member of the North York General Hospital.

Ms. Gunter has a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University, and a Master of Business Administration from Queen's University.

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Contact

Phone: 780.471.7700
Email: president@nait.ca

The Executive Team

Vice-President Administration and Chief Financial Officer

Nazim Merali joined NAIT as Vice-President Administration and Chief Financial Officer on December 19, 2022.

Vice-President External Relations

Melanie Rogers joined NAIT as Vice-President External Relations in August 2021.

Vice-President Academic

Peter Leclaire joined NAIT as Vice-President Academic in March 2022.

Vice-President Students and Campus Life

Gerard Hayes joined NAIT as Vice-President Students and Campus Life in May 2022.

The Curious President Podcast

Ever since we launched the polytechnic's strategic plan, The NAIT Effect, in October 2021, I have been curious about the people at NAIT who are making an impact. Ultimately, that’s what our plan is all about – impact. 

So, I put on my reporter hat – I graduated from journalism school before finding my passion for administration – met with staff, students and instructors from different programs, asked them questions about what they’ve been working on, and listened to their stories.

The result is a new project, The Curious President, a six-episode podcast series that I co-host with Matt Rea, from NAIT's communications department. Each episode relates to an aspect of The NAIT Effect.

Thank you to the staff and instructors at the NAIT Campus Radio studios, including Patrick Galenza, Dave Albright and Dave Sawchuk, for all their help. You can listen to the first episode on the YouTube link above or on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We hope you enjoy it and continue to join us on our exploration of NAIT's impact on communities here in Alberta and beyond.

- Laura Jo Gunter, NAIT President and CEO

The Curious President
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