College Leadership
College Management and Administration Leadership & Advisors
Swenam College is aiming to become one of the leading educational institutions in Canada, therefore it is important to be headed by leaders and professionals in their respective fields, in order to bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. and to provide the college management team with valuable insight and perspective on current trends, challenges and opportunities in the industry. Their invaluable contributions help to shape the direction and future of the college, ensuring its continued growth and success.
Swenam College is led by a board of distinguished and diverse group of very well-educated lecturers, researchers and professors in all fields from prestigious universities, community members of different backgrounds, legal matter experts, financial experts, international education experts, government policies experts, higher education experts, and research and innovation funding experts.
The main goal of the board is to ensure that the college maintains the highest standards of academic and professional excellence. It provides integral support to the college by advising the president, management and faculty on strategies and programs, and on activities related to teaching, research, extension, education and funding. They will be working to drive the institution towards its aim; to be a people-focused institution that delivers a future-proof applied education, to provide a high-quality education that points graduates to meaningful and future-proof careers.
Dr. Nancy Vered
Educational Policy and Strategic Planning
Dr. Vered is a higher education management professional with comprehensive experience and training in the public, private, international education sectors, strategic planning, policy research and development, finance and budgeting, and human resources management. Dr. Vered holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy, and certificates in University and College Administration and Intercultural Communication. She has also undertaken professional development in the areas of international development, leadership coaching, and appreciative leadership.
Dr. Joann Anokwuru
Educational and Curriculum Development
Dr. Anokwuru is a special/inclusive educator, advocate, and author. She holds a B.Ed. and M.Ed. in Special education from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Pedagogy, Leadership, and Administration from the University of British Columbia. An Advanced Diploma, Inclusive education from Queens University, Belfast, and a PhD in Curriculum Studies from UBC. Dr. Anokwuru is a Certified Educational Assessor with Real Training UK and a member of the British Society of Psychologists BPS, UK. With over 28 years of teaching experience as a special educator, Dr. Anokwuru wants to see school systems where people with disabilities are given access to learning, sharing and being. Dr. Anokwuru is the coordinator and teacher for Gateway to Adulthood (GTA), a Learning district program, Vancouver School Board.
Professor Marco Ciufolini
Research Training, Innovation and Development
NTx Co-founder & Vice President for Chemistry. Professor Marco Ciufolini is a leading expert in organic and medicinal chemistry. He is an inventor on over 40 patents and has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles. Professor Ciufolini has more than 37 years of experience in academia, with focus on the development of new synthetic methodologies and their application to the total synthesis of nitrogenous natural products. He Co-founded 7 companies, 3 of which are currently in operation: NanoVation Therapeutics, Inc., Integrated Nanotherapeutics, Inc. (both in Vancouver, BC, Canada) and AB Science SA (Paris, France). Contributed to the development of 3 products currently on the market: Masitinib (kinase inhibitor; AB Science, France), Onpattro (first-in-class siRNA medicament, Alnylam, USA), Triasorb (photoprotective agent, Pierre Fabre, France),
Professor John Hutchinson
Professor of Chemistry at Rice University in the United States of America. He served as the Dean of Undergraduates from 2010-2018. Professor Hutchinson is a 1977 graduate with highest honors of the University of Texas. He also did his doctoral work at UT, and his doctoral dissertation was recognized as the Outstanding Dissertation in the University in 1981. After graduation, Professor Hutchinson taught at the University of Denver and the University of Colorado, Boulder, before joining the Rice faculty in 1983. In addition to his previous position as Dean of Undergraduates, he has served as Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs, and Director of Academic Advising.
Dr Bibiana Campos Seijo
Dr Bibiana Campos Seijo is an international, award winning media executive with a track record of driving growth in market share, quality, reputation, and financial performance. She has led media organizations for almost two decades and across two continents, and has experience both in the nonprofit and for-profit world including appointments as Vice President and Editor in Chief for Chemical & Engineering News Media Group, the news organization of the American Chemical Society, and as Publisher and Editor of the Magazines Group at the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 2021 Dr Campos Seijo was honored with the G. D. Crain Jr. Leadership Award in recognition of "outstanding contributions to the development of editorial excellence in business media.” She received a joint degree in Chemistry from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), UK. She holds a PhD from MMU.
Dr. Amal Elnaggar
Dr. El-Naggar is a board-certified Pathologist and a scientist at BC Cancer/and the University of British Columbia. Twenty years of experience as a medical doctor, a mentor, and a researcher successfully interacting with patients, medical staff, dedicated world’s leading scientists, students, technicians, research assistants, community members, and organizations, all honed my abilities to craft an esteemed leadership style, a meaningful teaching philosophy, and patient-centered research strategy and goals. Dr. El-Naggar’s interest is in conserved cell stress signaling pathways and how they relate to human pathology, as well as identifying novel targets for the treatment of cancer. Her current research focuses on targeting specific components of stress signalling to block childhood sarcoma metastasis.
Professor Mohamed Hefeeda
Professor in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada, where he leads the Network Systems Lab. His research interests include multimedia networking over wired and wireless networks, mobile multimedia, and AI and multimedia systems. Dr. Hefeeda has co-authored more than 130 refereed publications and multiple granted patents. He maintains strong ties with industrial partners such as AMD, Huawei, CBC, Nokia, and Cisco, where some of his research software systems have been used.
Mr. Carl Baillargeon
Mr. Carl Baillargeon holds the position of Ambassador / President - Life Sciences, Health Tech and Innovation for Groupe UIG, a very active and influential organization providing consolidation in the Life Sciences and Health Technologies (LSHT) ecosystem in Québec and Canada. Mr. Baillargeon is also very implicated in the political and chemistry/biology labs real estate levels, providing a constructive solution for infrastructures much needed in LSHT in Canada. He has held many high-level position in strategic communications, branding, marketing and image-building for many leader companies/organizations in LSHT, Innovation, Health Care, agtech, biotech and cleantech. A renowned public speaker in the local, regional and provincial diversified audiences, Mr. Baillargeon also holds strategic positions in several Boards of Directors.
Dr. Maria Ezhova
Dr. Ezhova is a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Expert with advanced training in physics, chemistry, and biology and have a deep understanding of the underlying principles of NMR spectroscopy. Dr. Ezhova is a Research Assistant in the chemistry department at UBC
Mr. Chang Han
Mr. Han who joined the team as an advisor, is a Lead EiR (Entrepreneur in Residence) at entrepreneurship@UBC. Mr. Han teaches strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). He co-founded, invested in, and worked for startups in education, biotech and regulated services, digital media software and hardware, gasfitting trades, franchising, solid state lighting manufacturing, import and export and retail distribution for food and beverage, and digital marketing. His areas of expertise include: International Law, Trademarks, Patents, Contracts, Distribution, Growth (Hacking), Scaling, Product-Market Fit, SEM, PPC, Online Marketing, Management Science, eLearning, GxP, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Business Entities, Franchise startup & expansion, and Startup fundraising.
Mrs. Mahsa Haghjoo
Mrs. Haghjoo is an energetic, determined and result-oriented person with an outstanding interpersonal and communication skills acquired by coordinating courses and exams and animating communities. She has more than five years of experience in hiring, training, coordinating, teamwork, leadership, event planning and event management. Mrs. Haghjoo has a strong ethical professional with a Master of Applied Science focused in Electrical Engineering from The University of British Columbia.
Mr. Amr Ayad
Mr. Ayad is an experienced professional with over 21 years of industry and academic experience. His experience portfolio is multidisciplinary and very diversified. Amr has over ten years of experience in university teaching in Canada and overseas in water resources, civil and environmental engineering, management science and project management. Mr. Ayad also has multidecadal expertise in engineering design, data analytics, systems modelling, strategic planning and operations, renewable energy and sustainability, energy markets and macroeconomics, business development and administration, commercial agreements and negotiations, and resource and project management.