Growing up in Owen Sound area guided new Mohawk College president

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When Paul Armstrong begins his tenure as president of Mohawk College in a couple of weeks, his upbringing in the Owen Sound area will have a strong influence on how he fulfills his new role.

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Armstrong, who was raised on a farm near Annan and Leith and went to school in Owen Sound, was recently appointed the president of the college in Hamilton he first attended in 1986 when he began his post-secondary education in medical imaging there.

Armstrong grew up in a family of skilled trades professionals who worked in the Owen Sound area, including carpenters, electricians and plumbers.

He said Wednesday that background and influence taught him how to be a hard worker, how to treat others and the importance of community, which has helped shape how he has approached his own career at Mohawk, one of the province’s largest trainers in the skilled trades and apprenticeships.

“I still remember that and I still think that there is a very strong place for that sense of community outside of what we do at Mohawk College,” Armstrong said less than three weeks before he becomes the school’s president effective July 1. “Making sure I am a strong member of the community and I am contributing in different ways, I think that really goes back to how I grew up and how I was brought up.

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“I have carried that and I will continue to carry that into this role.”

Armstrong, 56, spent most of his childhood on the farm his parents, Tom and Pat, owned near Leith until about seven years ago when they moved into Owen Sound. Along with his younger brothers Bob and Chris he spent his days working on the farm or enjoying Georgian Bay at nearby family cottages.

After going to school in Owen Sound at St. Basil’s, St. Mary’s and OSCVI, he decided to pursue his post-secondary education in Hamilton on the advice of a co-worker in the hospital kitchen he worked at, who had himself attended Mohawk.

“That was really the only reason at the time I made the decision to leave Owen Sound, was to get the schooling that I wanted,” Armstrong said.

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Today he still calls Hamilton home with his wife Lucy. They have two adult children Daniel and Katrina. But the Owen Sound area still remains near and dear to his heart and he visits regularly. Both Armstrong’s brothers have relocated back to the area, and one running joke among them is when he will be making the same move.

“There are still lots of connections and friends and relatives who have spent their life in Owen Sound,” said Armstrong, who added he expects to be enjoying breakfast at the popular breakfast spot, the Boot and Blade, again very soon.

Mohawk College is a place Armstrong is very familiar with. Not only is he a graduate of the school – earning a diploma of radiological technology in 1988 and a diploma of medical diagnostic ultrasound in 1989 – but his career there has now spanned more than 30 years.

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He worked at Hamilton General Hospital and McMaster University Medical Centre as a radiological technician from 1988 to 1989 and as an ultrasound technologist from 1989-1992.

Armstrong joined Mohawk as a faculty member in 1992 in the department of medical imaging.

He worked his way to becoming the Dean of the School of Health Sciences, Community and Urban Studies, a position he held when his career successes and achievements were recognized in 2013 with an Alumni of Distinction Award in the Health Sciences category.

In 2016, he was appointed Mohawk’s vice-president of academic and in 2020 he took on his current role of chief operating officer.

Throughout his career with Mohawk he has led many successful initiatives and partnerships. He led the development and implementation of the college’s current strategic plan, a key element of which is the ongoing work there to advance truth and reconciliation, and equity, diversity and inclusion. He led the development of the college’s first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, and has worked closely with Indigenous college and community leaders to enable programs and services that support their communities.

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Working with 15 other colleges, polytechnics and cegeps from across Canada, Armstrong has helped establish the Canadian Colleges for Resilient Recovery, a coalition that works together to offer Canadians the training and skills they need to succeed in a green economy.

He is currently chair of the board for Skills Ontario and director on the board for Skills Canada. He is past chair of the board of directors with the Industry Education Council of Hamilton.

One area he is particularly proud of, and one that again relates to his home community and his background in medical imaging, is the work he has done to grow and expand Mohawk’s role in healthcare.

Before his mom Pat passed away about a year ago, she would hear from people in healthcare in Owen Sound that they knew Armstrong or he had taught them at Mohawk. Armstrong said Owen Sound is fortunate to have a great hospital and healthcare system, one that is full of Mohawk graduates.

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“I think the work I have done in a whole bunch of different roles to really build out the work we have done to create more healthcare professionals, to grow enrollment, to place people in all areas including Owen Sound, I think that is one of my sort of biggest pride moments,” Armstrong said.

He said Wednesday he was honoured and privileged to take on the opportunity and serve as the school’s president.

“I have been working at Mohawk now for over 30 years and this is really a meaningful way for me to finish my career and keep giving back and doing the great work we are doing,” he said.

Armstrong said his transition from his clinical work and teaching career to management and ultimately the leadership team at the college has evolved naturally over the years.

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Early on in his career when he was provided with the opportunity to teach in the medical imaging department at Mohawk he was able to experience life as a faculty member and found he was able to resonate with people as they developed their skills in the field.

“As I moved into different positions I found I could make bigger impacts for people and create more change,” said Armstrong, who holds a Masters of Business Administration from Queens University and has completed the advanced management program from the Harvard Business School.

“I would say the transition kind of came naturally to me, and it wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the clinical part of it or the teaching. It was really just an evolution for me as an individual.”

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Armstrong said he is very proud of the college system in the province and what it has accomplished, including Georgian College and its campus in Owen Sound. He said the schools work closely together and he looks forward to doing more of that in the future.

“I am proud of Mohawk, but I am also proud of the role that colleges play generally in all of the communities we serve,” he said. “We serve a lot of them, both large and small.”

Mohawk’s board of governors began its search for a new president in December engaging the services of the executive search firm Phelps. Current president Ron McKerlie will continue in the position until Armstrong takes over at the start of July. McKerlie will then assist in the transition in an advisory role until July 31.

“With more than 30 years of experience as an educator and leader at Mohawk College, Paul Armstrong has dedicated his career to advancing and accelerating the opportunities available to learners, employees, and the broader community,” board chair Anna Filice said in a news release. “Paul is a recognized leader in the college sector, provincially and nationally, and has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Ontario colleges today. As president, Paul will use his experience and insight to position Mohawk College for continued innovation and leadership.”

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