Dawson College has established a Foundation to help support the College’s academic mission through new and existing initiatives. In late December, the College took the final step after filing the paperwork for the Foundation’s charitable status by selecting an Executive Director to oversee the Foundation’s fundraising activities.

Francis Lessard has been appointed to take on the challenge. Francis’ professional path has been unique, building experience in philanthropy with the Fondation UQàM during its capital campaign, in business development with UQàM’s École des Sciences de la gestion (ESG), and in the highly competitive world of hockey management as Executive Director and COO of Momentum Hockey, an agency representing 75 professional hockey players, and as Director, Events and Marketing for the Quebec major junior hockey league QMJHL.

Francis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Information and Communications with a minor in Marketing from the Université de Moncton (N.-B.) and has undertaken an Executive MBA at the ESG.

The Dawson College Foundation is poised to develop a strategy to maximize the College’s strengths by reaching out to the community and to external partners in the coming years. This is an exciting chapter in Dawson’s history as we embark on a forward-looking plan to grow our community’s reputation through outreach that will enhance and support the activities that have made Dawson the college of first choice in Montreal, and a vital partner in the greater community.

A Foundation Board has been established to oversee its activities, bringing together a cross-section of representatives from both within Dawson and external members with close affiliations. It is comprised of former Board of Governors member John Mavridis, who serves as Chair and served the Dawson Board as a Parent Representative, Steven Hatajlo, serving as Vice-Chair and who is a Technical Program Graduate Representative on the Board, and Michael Judson, a Parent Representative on the Dawson Board. Dawson graduates Amy Leitner (Literature and Languages, 1976) is Treasurer, and Steven Merling (Creative Arts, 2001) also serve the new Board, along with teachers Mylène Saucier (Physiotherapy Technology) serving as Secretary, and Chris Adam (Community Recreation and Leadership Training, Sustainable Dawson), as well as Kevin Slezak, Chairperson of the Dawson Student Union, and Recreation Technician Billi-Jo Poirier, a Dawson graduate herself (CRLT, 1992), representing support staff.

They are supported by a number of ex-officio members as resource persons including the Director General Richard Filion, Executive Director Francis Lessard, Student Services Director Ray Boucher and Communications Coordinator Donna Varrica.