John W. Tibbits
Inducted In
2020
Since 1987, Dr. John Tibbits has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. He is currently the longest serving president of an Ontario college.
Under his leadership, Conestoga College has been transformed from a small school of 2,000 students into a leading polytechnic post-secondary institution serving 23,000 full-time and 38,000 part-time students across eight campuses.
John’s vision for growth and development has enabled Conestoga to offer career-focused education and training programs that support the local and regional workforce, and contribute to the well-being of the community. Graduates from the college have reinvested in Waterloo Region creating more than 3,500 businesses locally, and more than 5,000 across Ontario.
In addition, John has held voluntary board positions with many local, provincial, and national industry and community organizations including Grand River Hospital, Polytechnics Canada, Communitech, Skills Canada – Ontario, and the March of Dimes.
He has been recognized with numerous honours and awards, including Business Leader of the Year Award from the K-W Chamber of Commerce (2000), a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce (2011), and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). John was also inducted into the Skills Canada – Ontario Klaus Woerner Hall of Fame in 2009 and was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International in 2011.
Photo courtesy of Conestoga College