Image: Top row from left to right: Leanna Losario Barwick, Alea Drain and Jules Goss. Bottom row from left to right: Mia Lamia, Kevin Reid-Morris and Heather Robson.
OCAD U welcomes six new members to the Board of Governors
OCAD University’s Board of Governors welcomed six new members at its recent meeting held on October 4. These included Alea Drain, Kevin Reid-Morris and Heather Robson whose terms began in July 2021, Jules Goss whose term began in September 2021, and Leanna Losaria Barwick and Mia Lamia whose terms began in October 2021.
The 28-member Board of Governors is responsible for governing the affairs of the University, including approving the budget and establishing policies and institutional priorities. Its members include 18 external members, which include six appointees from the Government of Ontario, 10 elected by the Board and two elected by the OCAD U Alumni Association.
The remaining eight members are drawn from the OCAD U internal community, including three faculty members who are cross-appointed by Senate, and one staff and manager who are elected from their respective constituencies, and three students (two undergraduate and one graduate). The President and Chancellor are ex-officio members of the Board.
Meet our new Board members
Leanna Losaria Barwick, Undergraduate student representative
Losaria Barwick is a multidisciplinary creative practitioner and fourth-year undergraduate student in the Digital Futures Program who was elected to serve a two-year term. Her practice engages game design and development, physical computing and sculptural installation. Professionally, she works with individuals and teams on leadership culture building, visioning, strategic planning and accountability.
Alea Drain, Staff representative
Drain has been a proud member of the OCAD U community since 2007 when she started as a fine arts student, graduating in 2011 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting. Returning to OCAD U in 2014, her career has grown from assistant to coordinator, IT Services, to IT Communications and Client Relations Specialist. She is currently the project lead for the GO Forward-sponsored customer service project, Prism designed to improve service delivery to the OCAD U community. She is the chair of the Change Advisory Board, which oversees technical changes under the purview of IT Services at the University. In addition to her work at OCAD U, she is a practising artist with gallery representation at Hashtag Gallery in Toronto.
Jules Goss, Faculty member, Senate cross-appointment
Goss is an associate professor in the Faculty of Design whose work involves the integration of design thinking, process and practice in health care. In 2011, he became the first designer-in-residence situated within a Canadian hospital. His current professional work facilitates design strategy and user-focused development in a wide variety of sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals to manufacturing. He is particularly interested in the intersection of design ‘thinking’ and organizational strategy in institutions and is currently working on defining and integrating design-informed models for the delivery of optimal client experience in the health sector, specifically long-term care.
Mia Lamia, Undergraduate student representative
Lamia is a third-year undergraduate student in the Creative Writing Program and is the first international student to be elected to serve a two-year term on the Board. She is also the director of Academic Affairs at the OCAD Student Union and a former student Senator representing the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Since joining OCAD U, she has been engaged in community work, advocating for the student body. She believes in the power of student voices and their power to shape the University for the better.
Kevin Reid-Morris, External Board member
Reid-Morris is an independent advisor, board director, educator and artist. He is also the founder of Readmore Ventures, an advisory and consulting firm that helps organizations pursue sustainable and inclusion innovation. He holds an MDes in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD U, where he has served as a sessional instructor, leading the graduate course, Strategy Development. He has guided major corporate and institutional strategy and innovation efforts for clients including LEGO, Johnson & Johnson, Loblaw, RBC, TIFF and the Government of Canada. His creative practice spans photography and interiors. His work has been featured and published in the Venice Architecture Biennale, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Dwell, Azure and Fast Company.
Heather Robson, Management representative
A proud OCAD University graduate, Robson has more than 10 years of experience in research administration and project management in the post-secondary education sector. An effective grants and awards facilitator with a passion for supporting arts and culture, she is a trusted relationship builder and advocate for creative thinkers, artists and designers. Prior to taking on the role of director, Research Services, Robson held administrative positions at OCAD U, York University, the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Arts Council.
Thank you to our outgoing Board members
On June 30, 2021 the Board said farewell to five dedicated members who completed their terms: Alvaro Araya, Elaine Gaito, Camille Isaacs, Jevi Peters, Martin Shewchuk. On September 30, 2021, Ernesto Ramirez's term came to an end. On October 4, 2021 Idris Mootee and Paul Rowan also completed their terms.
The Board of Governors extends their deep appreciation for the work of the former Board members.