Alan Harrison

Chair

Dr. Alan Harrison completed a five-year term as Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) at Queen’s University on July 31, 2016. In this position, he was the University’s chief academic officer, chief operating officer, and chief budget officer, working with others to ensure that planning was fully integrated across the University, supported its academic mission, and was appropriately supported by resources.

Prior to this, Dr. Harrison served as Provost at Carleton University (2003-2006) and the University of Calgary (2006-2011), after 26 years at McMaster University, culminating in six years as Dean of Social Sciences.

Dr. Harrison received his PhD from the University of Essex. His papers have been published in major economics journals and his research was supported for many years by grants from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

After stepping down as provost at Queen’s University, he served as a Fellow at the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, following which he was Interim Executive Director of the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance for over a year.

Dr. Harrison served as a special advisor to the Minister of Colleges and Universities on options to support Laurentian University’s path to financial sustainability. He remains active in the postsecondary sector as a consultant, advising mainly on various aspects of university budgeting. Most recently, he served as Chair of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities’ Blue-Ribbon Panel. He also maintains his interest in competencies and credentials.

Currently Vacant

Member / Out-of-Province Quality Assurance Expert

Samantha Brennan

Member / Faculty Dean Representative

Dr. Samantha Brennan (PhD Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1993) began her second term as Dean of the College of Arts at the University of Guelph in January 2023.

As a feminist philosopher and ethicist, Brennan’s research spans a wide range of areas in contemporary theoretical and applied ethics, including rights; moral issues within families, such as children’s rights, parental obligations, and family justice; feminist ethics; and the moral and political value of equality.

Brennan co-founded and co-edited Feminist Philosophy Quarterly, a peer-reviewed, online, SSHRC funded, open-access journal. She has served as President of the Canadian Philosophical Association. Brennan also has a long-standing commitment to public engagement, maintaining an extremely active presence on social media across various platforms. Brennan co-founded the Fit is a Feminist Issue blog, which connects thousands of readers with feminist ideas about fitness.

Brennan serves on the executive of the Council of Ontario Deans of Arts and Science as Past Chair, following her term as Chair 2022-24. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Ethics Bowl Canada.

Brennan went to Guelph from Western University, where she served for eight years as Chair of the Department of Philosophy. Brennan has held visiting fellowships at the Australian National University, the University of Otago in New Zealand, and the University of Toronto’s Centre for Ethics. Born in England, Brennan grew up in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. She completed an Honours BA at Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College.

Shirley Hoy

Citizen Member

Shirley Hoy worked in the public service of the City of Toronto and the Ontario provincial government in different capacities for over 30 years.  She served as City Manager of Toronto from 2001 to 2008.  From 2009 to 2014, she was the CEO of the Toronto Lands Corporation, a subsidiary of the Toronto District School Board, responsible for the management and disposal of surplus school properties. At the beginning of 2025, Shirley completed her Senior Advisor at Strategy Corp, a public affairs & management consulting firm.

In her volunteer activities, she served one term on the Board of Regents of Victoria University, U of T, and 3 terms on the Governing Council of U of T, with responsibilities as vice-chair for 3 years, and in 2016 -17, as Chair of the Council.   Shirley also served on the board and its Chair at the United Way of Greater Toronto.

Shirley has a BA, and MSW from University of Toronto, and a MPA from Queen’s University.

Serge Demers

Member / OCAV Representative

Before becoming Registrar, Serge Demers held various positions at Laurentian University such as interim Vice President Academic and Provost, Associate Dean of Education and Health, Director of the School of Education and Full Professor. Provincially, he was President of the Ontario Association of Deans of Education (OADE) for two terms, as well as a term as President of the Ontario University Registrars Association (OURA), and nationally, was the President of the Canadian Education Researchers Association (CERA).

Nicholas Rule

Member / OCAV Representative

Dr. Nicholas Rule is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto where he serves as the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs. He previously served as Chair of the Psychology Department in the Faculty of Arts & Science and as Dean of the University of Toronto Mississauga. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Rule led the University Resilience Project, which helped the university’s three campuses transition back to in-person activities after the lockdown period, gathered lessons learned during those years, and developed strategies for a more resilient university community. His research on social perception has been recognized with numerous provincial, national, and international awards, and he has served in several leadership positions across professional organizations in his field. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

Andrew McWilliams

Member / University Representative

Andrew McWilliams earned his BSc from Dalhousie University in 1996, and both his MSc (1999) and PhD (2001) from the University of Toronto. For two years he worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary. In  2003, he was hired as faculty at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), where he is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biology. His research interests include the development of new materials with anti-microbial properties, as well as development and validation of new teaching technologies with applications in introductory, organic and inorganic chemistry courses.

Dr. McWilliams has served as a member of the Toronto Metropolitan University Senate since 2014. During his tenure at TMU, he has held several roles related to program planning and development including serving as a member of the Senate Sub-Committee on Experiential Learning, acting as the Co-op Faculty Advisor for the Chemistry, Biology and Contemporary Science Programs, serving as the Academic Coordinator for the First Year and Common Science Office, and, serving as the Academic Coordinator member for Chemistry and Biology programs at the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education. He also currently serves as the Academic Colleague for Toronto Metropolitan University.

Brittany Paat

Member / University Representative

Brittany Paat is from Sault Ste. Marie where she has been working at Algoma University since 2012 in various capacities as both a staff member and a faculty member. Since 2015, Brittany has been responsible for assisting with all quality assurance activities and policies at the university and championing the continuous quality improvement of the university’s academic programming.  She brings a wealth of practical, first hand knowledge and experience in working with academic programs to the Quality Council. Brittany is a graduate of both Algoma University and the University of Ottawa where she received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees, respectively.

Ashok Mathur

Member / Graduate Dean Representative

Dr. Ashok Mathur is the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies (2018-present) and Vice-President, Research, at the Ontario College of Art and Design University (2021-present), administrative posts he has held since arriving at OCAD U in 2018. Prior to that he was the Head of Creative Studies at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, and Canada Research Chair of Cultural and Artistic Inquiry at Thompson Rivers University. His research program encompasses cultural, critical, creative, and academic practices and investigates new models of artistic research and interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly those that pursue a social justice agenda. As a writer, cultural organizer, photographer, and interdisciplinary artist his work addresses the intersections of race, text, image, and creative and artistic research. His editorial work includes the anthology Cultivating Canada: reconciliation through the lens of cultural diversity (Aboriginal Healing Foundation, 2011), numerous special volumes of arts and literary journals such as West Coast Line and Prairie Fire, and both novels and poetry collections including hokkaido haibun(2020), The First White Black Man (2019),  A Little Distillery in Nowgong (2009), The Short Happy Life of Harry Kumar (2001), Once Upon an Elephant (1998), and a poetic novella, Loveruage (1993). Most recently he has been producing digital and analog photography work paying attention to platinum/palladium processes to incorporate new materials into lens based processes.

Pamela J. Bryden

Chair, Appraisal Committee / Ex-officio

Dr. Pamela J. Bryden is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has held administrative roles in the University including Chair, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Science, Acting Dean of Science, and founder and Director of the Sun Life Centre for Healthy Communities. Professor Bryden has engaged in the quality assurance process from several perspectives, including the creation and evaluation of new programs and cyclical reviews, a member of Laurier’s Program Review Subcommittee that oversees the quality assurance process, and as a member of the Appraisal Committee of the Quality Council since 2018.

Professor Bryden’s research has focused on the cognitive, perceptual, and motor determinants of behaviour in normal and clinical populations across the lifespan, and, in particular, on the mechanisms underlying lateral dominance. Currently, Pam and her team are exploring motor performances in typically developing children and youth, as well as individuals with developmental disabilities (e.g., ASD, ADHD). Her research program in motor development and control has been funded by an NSERC Discovery Grant continually for over 20 years. She has over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles (>1900 citations and h-index = 28) and book chapters, along with over 100 conference presentations. She is currently the Specialty Chief Editor for the Developmental Psychology section of Frontiers in Psychology.

Douglas McDougall

Chair, Audit Committee / Ex-officio

Professor Doug McDougall is a professor emeritus of Mathematics Education. He served as a member of the University of Toronto Governing Council and Chair of Academic Board (2022-2025). Previously, he was Associate Dean, Programs (2015-2019), Chair of CTL (2010-2015, 2023-2024), and Master of Teaching Coordinator (2000-2009) in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning. An experienced academic administrator, Dr. McDougall served on the Academic Board (2005-2014, 2020-2025), was Chair (2012-2014) and Vice-chair (2006-2012) of the Committee on Academic Policy and Programs, and served on the Academic Appeals Committee and Honorary Degrees Committee.

Professor McDougall has been a member of the Audit Committee of Quality Council since 2016 and has served as chair of the Audit Committee and Audit Executive Committee since 2021. He has been a member of seven Audit Teams over these years. During his time as a faculty member at OISE, he has supervised 65 doctoral students and 24 master students to completion, and currently is supervising 10 doctoral students. Dr. McDougall’s research is directed at helping mathematics teachers improve their teaching practice; particularly supporting those students situated in challenging circumstances. He has had research projects in China, Cuba, Greece, and Canada.

Chris Evans

Executive Director / Ex-officio

Dr. Chris Evans holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Ottawa. He held increasingly senior leadership roles at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), including department Chair, Associate Dean, inaugural Vice Provost Academic and Interim Provost. In these roles he contributed to the University’s trajectory of growth and innovation. Chris’ scholarly focus has always been cross-disciplinary and he has taught and performed research in the Faculties of Science, Engineering and Architectural Science and Communication and Design at TMU.

Chris has championed the promotion of curriculum quality assurance for many years. As Vice Provost Academic, he led the design, Senate approval and implementation of TMU’s Institutional Quality Assurance Policies and processes. He also worked closely with the Quality Council on planning key contact meetings, led the preparation for TMU’s first Quality Council audit and founded the University’s Office for Curriculum Quality Assurance. Chris also played a pioneering role in promoting the experiential learning curriculum for entrepreneurship, known as Zone Learning.

Prior to joining TMU, Chris was a faculty member at the University of Iceland. His scholarly interests include organic photochemistry, deterioration of archival photographic images and experiential learning pedagogy. He has served on TMU’s Board of Governors as well as on the Board of e-Campus Ontario.