donna feledichuk

I have always been fascinated by how people learn and how strong educational systems are built. That curiosity has taken me from teaching science in K–12 classrooms and mentoring new teachers to school administration, teacher preparation, curriculum development, and executive leadership in post-secondary education. Working across those different parts of the education system has taught me to see both what happens in the classroom and the structures needed to support it.

At the University of Alberta, I taught assessment and inclusive education to future teachers in the Bachelor of Education program for eight years and managed the Centre for Teaching and Learning for the Faculty of Arts, where I specialized in assessment and used research-informed approaches to support instructors in strengthening curriculum, teaching practice, and student learning. I also developed online learning and helped educators translate learning theory into practical teaching strategies. My work with Alberta Education on curriculum design and review further strengthened my understanding of how curriculum moves from provincial direction into schools and classrooms.

Most recently, I have served as Vice President Academic and Research at Portage College. One of my greatest strengths is the ability to think big and work across different time horizons. I can see what a program or organization could become in one, three, five, or ten years and then identify the steps, partnerships, resources, and systems needed to get there. I have used that ability to guide institutional growth, develop academic and research strategies, and lead the development and successful approval of Portage College’s first degree, an elementary Bachelor of Education pathway.

My academic background includes a PhD in Educational Psychology, a Master of Education in Instructional Technology, a Bachelor of Education in Adult Education, and a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science. Outside education, I am an award-winning wildlife photographer. Photography has strengthened my patience, curiosity, and ability to observe closely, recognize patterns, and see how individual details connect within a much larger system. Those are the same habits I bring to curriculum, assessment, and strategic planning.