Senior Management Team | Douglas College

The Senior Management Team consists of the President, four Vice-Presidents and five Associate Vice-Presidents, shown below. Administrative support for the Senior Management Team is provided by the Executive Assistant to the President, Jo Bilquist.

Members are:

Thor Borgford – Vice President Academic and Provost

Thor Borgford is Vice President Academic and Provost, and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. In this position, Thor is responsible for academic programming and program quality, business development, and academic partnerships.

Thor joined the College in 2009 as Dean of Science and Technology, became Executive Director of Research in 2013, and was appointed Vice President Academic in 2015. Previously, Thor was the Founder, President, and CEO of Twinstrand Therapeutics Inc. He was also an Associate Professor in the Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Chemistry at Simon Fraser University from 1994 to 2002.

Thor obtained his PhD and BSc degrees from the University of Manitoba and undertook postdoctoral studies in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College, and Department of Biochemistry at the University of Alberta. He maintains a strong interest in pure and applied research, drug development and the applications of Science and Technology for the benefit of Canadians. Thor is the author or co-author of publications in the areas of enzymology and protein engineering and inventor on five core patents regarding ricin-like therapeutic proteins.

Kayoko Takeuchi – Vice President, Administrative Services and Chief Financial Officer

Kayoko Takeuchi is Vice President, Administrative Services and Chief Financial Officer, and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. In this position, Kayoko is responsible for financial management, risk management, facilities and ancillary services, and operational and capital planning. Kayoko is also responsible for overseeing the activities of the Training Group, which is the contract-training arm of the College.

Kayoko joined the College in 2019. Her previous roles include Controller, Director of Finance and Administration, and Vice President Finance and Operations at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. In addition to her experience in the public post-secondary sector, Kayoko has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Legal Information Institute, which is a not-for-profit branch of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. She was formerly a member of the Government Organization Accounting and Auditing (GOAA) Forum of CPABC.

Kayoko completed a Bachelor of Business Administration and an Executive Master of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University. In addition, she holds the professional designation of Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Dave Robert Taylor – Vice President, External Relations and Advancement

Dave Robert Taylor is Vice President, External Relations and Advancement, and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. In this position, Dave oversees College-wide marketing, communications, student recruitment, community relations, and the Foundation and Alumni Relations. Dave serves as an advisor to the President, providing executive leadership in strategic planning, community, media, and governmental issues.

Dave joined Douglas College in 2010 as Director of Marketing and Communications. In 2014, his portfolio grew to include student recruiting and community relations, and in 2020, the Foundation and Alumni Relations. Prior to joining Douglas, Dave was a creative and strategic advisor for national and international cause-based non-profit and political organizations. Earlier, he served as Director of Communications for the David Suzuki Foundation and was an award-winning writer and journalist.

Dave holds an HBA in Philosophy and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Professional Writing from the University of Victoria.

Sarah Dench – Vice President, Student Affairs

Sarah Dench is the Vice President, Student Affairs, and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. In this position, Sarah provides leadership on all aspects of student support and success, and has responsibility for Athletics and Recreation, Douglas International, Enrolment Services, Learning Resources, and Student Affairs and Services.

Sarah joined the College in September 2016, and has over 30 years of experience in public post-secondary education. Previously, she was the Executive Director, Simon Fraser University International, providing strategic leadership in the development of international partnerships, initiatives, projects and programs. She also served as the Director, University Curriculum and Institutional Liaison, in the office of the Vice President Academic at SFU. Sarah began her career in Student Affairs, and held roles in those areas at both SFU and the University of B.C., working in planning and policy, student retention and academic affairs, and strategic projects.

Sarah received a BA (Psychology) from the University of Victoria, an MA (Women’s Studies) from Simon Fraser University. Her thesis work focused on the strategic enrollment management of women in engineering.

Chris Gardner – Associate Vice President, Facilities and Sustainability

Chris Gardner is the Associate Vice President, Facilities and Sustainability, and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. Chris joined Douglas College as Director of Facilities and Ancillary Services in 2016. Before that Chris held leadership roles in Facilities Departments for the City of Port Coquitlam and MTU Maintenance, an aerospace company that serves large commercial aircraft. Chris holds a Mechanical Engineering Degree from the University of Victoria and a diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. He also has training in business and financial management. Those who have worked directly with Chris appreciate the depth of his knowledge and also his warm and positive interpersonal style.

Sherry Chin-Shue – Associate Vice President, Human Resources

Sherry Chin-Shue is Associate Vice-President of Human resources and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. With over 25 years experience delivering strategic and operational HR programs and services, Sherry provides senior-level human resources and labour relations advice and leadership to the College and oversees all HR operations and programs including advisory services, systems and compliance, organizational development, compensation, recruitment labour relations and disability management. She works closely with the HR team to ensure HR practices and priorities support the needs of employees and clients and align with the objectives of the College’s Strategic Plan and Human Resources strategy.

Sherry joined Douglas College in May 2020 as the Associate Vice President of Human Resources. Sherry has an extensive background in private and public sector human resource leadership. Prior to joining Douglas, she served as the Director, HR Operations at Langara College for 5 years and the Director of HR, Canadian Operations for PNR RailWorks Inc., a national construction contracting firm. Previously, Sherry worked for 14 years in the health sector providing HR expertise to the Provincial Health Services Authority, BC Cancer Agency and Foundation, Children’s and Women’s Hospitals, BC Mental Health and Addictions Services and BC Centre for Disease Control.

Sherry is a designated Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) and long standing, active member in the Association for Chartered Professionals in Human Resources, BC & Yukon. She received a BA in Administrative and Commercial Studies from Western University, with majors in Sociology and Social Organization and Human Relations; and a post-diploma Certificate in Human Resource Management from Humber College.

Keith Ellis – Associate Vice President, Institutional Effectiveness

Keith Ellis is the Associate Vice President, Institutional Effectiveness, and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. In this role, he provides leadership to Institutional Research and provides relevant data and analysis to all levels of management, promoting effective, evidenced-based decision making.

Keith joined the College in 1993 as a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and has served in a variety of roles at the College, including Educational Technology Coordinator from 2000-2005, Interim Dean of Science and Technology in 2008 and Special Projects Officer from 2012-2014. Keith’s background in Strategic Management is an asset in aiding in the development and implementation of the College’s strategic plan.

Keith’s holds an HBSc (Chemistry & Biochemistry) from the University of Western Ontario, a PhD (Organic Chemistry) from the University of British Columbia, and an MBA (Strategic Management) from the University of British Columbia.

Leonel Roldan-Flores – Associate Vice President, International Education

Leonel Roldan-Flores is Associate Vice President, International Education, and serves as a member of the College's Senior Management Team. In this position, Leonel oversees all activities of international engagement at Douglas College, including international enrolment and studies, domestic student participation in exchanges and field schools, and international partnerships. Leonel also helps develop applied academic programs for both domestic and international students.

Leonel joined the College in 2021 and has over 20 years of experience in international engagement, both in the postsecondary and government sectors. Before coming to Douglas, Leonel was the Director of UNBC International and the Associate Director of the International Office at UBC. Leonel began his career in the Alberta public service in the area of economic development and trade policy. He later worked in the BC public service in market development, trade, and investment attraction.

Leonel was born in Guatemala and received his BA (Political Economy) from Concordia University of Edmonton and an MSc (Politics of Development - Latin America) from the London School of Economics.

Patty Hambler – Associate Vice President, Student Affairs

Patty Hambler is the Associate Vice President, Student Affairs, and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. Patty has worked as a student affairs professional for over twenty-five years in a variety of roles, including student housing, health promotion and mental wellness, student life and leadership, and peer programs. Since joining Douglas College in 2020 as the Director, Student Affairs and Services, Patty has been a strong contributor to College initiatives. Patty played a key role developing the Mental Wellness Strategy for students; she successfully launched the Testing Centre on the NW campus; and she has worked collaboratively on advancing Indigenization for the College and on improving student service integration. She is passionate about student wellbeing, accessibility, Indigenization, and creating an excellent student experience through meaningful collaboration throughout the post-secondary community. Before coming to Douglas, Patty worked at UBC in a variety of student-focused positions, including residence life.

Patty completed her BA and PDP (teacher education program) at SFU and a Masters of Education at UBC. She is also an alumna of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference and recently served as the President of the Canadian Association of College and University Student Affairs (2022-2024).

Michael Lam – Associate Vice President, Technology and Chief Information Officer

Michael Lam is the Associate Vice President, Technology & Chief Information Officer, and serves as a member of the College’s Senior Management Team. In this position, Michael leads the Information Technology Services department and supports all aspects of the College’s digital ecosystem, including academic technology, software applications, IT infrastructure, client services and information security.

Michael joined Douglas College in January 2018 as Manager, Infrastructure Services, and has made significant contributions in advancing the technology infrastructure at the institution, including leading the technology infrastructure install at Anvil Office Tower and rebuilding the data centres with hyper-converged technology. Prior to joining Douglas, Michael worked for seven years as Director of IT at the Crisis Centre of BC, with responsibility for building life-saving technology to support suicide prevention and intervention services.

Michael holds a BA Psychology from UBC, Human Resources Management Diploma from BCIT, and a Networking Technology Certificate from VCC. He has also earned the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) designations.