Ontario Tech announces the newest members of its Board of Governors

Ontario Tech University has strengthened its leadership and governance with the addition of five new members to its Board of Governors:

• Dr. Ahmad Barari (elected Teaching Staff Governor) is an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering with Ontario Tech’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Dr. Barari joined Ontario Tech in 2005. In addition to his teaching and research responsibilities, he has served as a faculty representative with the Ontario Tech Faculty Association, and as a member of the university’s Academic Council.
• Dr. Christopher Collins (elected Teaching Staff Governor) is the Canada Research Chair in Linguistic Information Visualization and Associate Professor with Ontario Tech’s Faculty of Science. He has witnessed exciting institutional growth and change throughout his 11 years at Ontario Tech. He is committed to furthering research excellence at the university, championing equity, diversity and inclusion, and supporting the university’s vision to become a hub for learning, collaboration, and innovation in Durham Region.
• Ran Hao (appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council), is a Business Insights Analyst at TD Insurance with extensive experience working in risk assessment and analysis related to banking, capital markets and insurance. She has spent the last 10 years working in database management—building statistical models and data analysis. She uses her knowledge of data mining techniques to inform decision-makers and address key issues and opportunities.
• Matthew Mackenzie (elected Administrative Staff Governor) is the Manager of Government Relations at Ontario Tech. He focuses on advocating for the university with all levels of government, as well as developing collaborative partnerships between government, industry and Ontario Tech. Matthew is an active member of the university’s Risk Management Committee. A government relations and strategic communications professional, he has served in a variety of sectors, including industry associations, private-sector consulting, publicly traded corporations and post-secondary institutions.
• Joshua Sankarlal (elected Student Governor) is a graduate of Ontario Tech University’s Game Development and Entrepreneurship*program (class of 2021) where he was heavily invested in the growth of his peers during his time as President of the Game Development Students Association. Josh currently serves as the President of the Ontario Tech Student Union.
  
  * As of Fall 2021 this program has been renamed Game Development and Interactive Media.

The university also thanks all of its outgoing board members for their dedicated service.

See the full list of current board members, and learn more about the role of the Board of Governors.