College appointments

Council names new College Registrar

College Council appointed Brian McGowan as College Registrar and Chief Executive Officer effective October 5, 2006.

McGowan, the College's Deputy Registrar since May 2003, replaces Doug Wilson who retired in September.

Based on their “great confidence in Brian's abilities and judgment” and the rigorous, wide-ranging search that resulted in his appointment as the College's Deputy Registrar in May 2003, Council members decided to name McGowan as the new Registrar.

“Council members have worked closely with Brian for more than three years and we believe that he will be a strong and effective Registrar and Chief Executive Officer,” said Marilyn Laframboise, Chair of the College's third Council.

Since joining the College, McGowan has been instrumental in reviewing and recommending changes to new teacher induction, assisting internationally educated teachers in becoming certified in Ontario, and resolving complaints against members through a dispute resolution process.

Most recently, he headed an 18-month consultation with education stakeholders, the public and College members leading to Council's approval in September of 66 recommendations for change to the Teachers' Qualifications Regulation. The regulation, which has not undergone major updating for over 25 years, sets standards for pre-service and ongoing teacher education and qualifications.

“The College's commitment to working with all our partners has led to a set of recommendations that have broad support within the education sector,” McGowan said. “I look forward to continuing to build those partnerships around other initiatives within the College's mandate.”

The new Registrar came to the College from the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, where he headed the professional development department. Before that he was a teacher and department head with the Dufferin-Peel Separate School Board.

He has also taught Additional Qualification courses at York University, undergraduate courses at the University of Toronto and continuing education at St. Jerome's at the University of Waterloo.

From 1993 to 1995 McGowan was a member of the research and writing team for the Royal Commission on Learning and was deeply involved in the development of the commission's call for the creation of the Ontario College of Teachers and its proposed mandate.

McGowan, who holds an MA, BA and BEd from the University of Toronto, said he's looking forward to working with the new College Council.

“My grounding as a classroom teacher has shaped all my work and I'm very honoured by the Council's confidence in me,” he said.

Brian McGowan's teaching qualifications, along with those of all other certified Ontario teachers, are listed on the College web site at www.oct.ca Find a Teacher. His registration number is 243510.