“Balance in Service of Progress.”
Alan Davis is a dynamic and visionary higher-education leader whose career has been defined by the pursuit of institutional excellence, inclusive growth, and practical innovation. Over more than thirty-five years across Canada and the United States, he has navigated complex organizations through periods of transformation, consistently aligning academic ambition with fiscal responsibility and public value. His personal motto—seeking balance in all things—has guided a leadership style that is disciplined yet creative, confident yet collaborative, and always anchored in the long-term interests of learners, faculty, staff, and the communities they serve.
As President and Vice Chancellor of Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) from 2012 to 2025, Davis served as chief executive for a special-purpose teaching university that educates more than 18,000 students across five campuses in Metro Vancouver. Reporting to the Board of Governors, he stewarded an annual operating budget of approximately $300 million and oversaw all academic, financial, administrative, and external affairs. Under his leadership, KPU matured its profile as a polytechnic leader, strengthening applied learning, expanding research in areas such as Sustainable Horticulture, Applied Psychology, Design, and social justice, and deepening community and industry partnerships across one of Canada’s fastest-growing regions. His tenure emphasized transparency and accountability, with rigorous progress reporting and a culture of evidence-informed decision-making.
Davis’s approach to strategy at KPU was both ambitious and practical. He led the conception and execution of three major strategic frameworks—Vision 2018, Vision 2023, and Vision 2026—each crafted through broad consultation with internal and external stakeholders and each translating big aspirations into clear priorities and measurable outcomes. Vision 2018 set an early foundation built around quality, relevance, and reputation, drawing on input from hundreds of participants to establish shared direction. Vision 2023 refined that ambition, making space for agility and sharper focus as KPU diversified programs and modernized operations. Vision 2026 then provided a runway for leadership transition and continuity, ensuring the institution’s momentum could sustain beyond his own term.
Before KPU, Davis served as President of the State University of New York’s Empire State University, now Empire State University, from 2008 to 2012. There, he helmed a progressive, learner-centered institution serving more than 20,000 learners annually through 35 onsite locations, robust online platforms, and international partnerships. He advanced strategic planning through Vision 2015 and a longer-range Vision 2025, broadened innovation in mentored learning and recognition of prior learning, and strengthened the college’s fiscal resilience with a $94 million budget. Working within a unionized environment, he built trust with faculty and staff by engaging openly on issues and elevating shared governance as a driver of quality and innovation.
Davis’s executive leadership was preceded by senior roles that honed his fluency in operations, academic excellence, and workforce development. As Vice President, Education at Vancouver Community College, he shaped a portfolio spanning health sciences, trades, hospitality, design, music, instructor education, and language studies, expanding distributed learning and applied research while stewarding significant faculty and staff teams. At Niagara College as Vice President, Academic and Learner Services, he integrated academic programming, student services, and learning enterprises—such as the College’s Teaching Winery and the Niagara Culinary Institute—into a cohesive experience that connected learning with industry and community outcomes. Earlier at Athabasca University, he served as Vice President Academic, advancing course and program development, educational technology, Indigenous and collaborative programs, and research culture during a critical phase in Canada’s distance and online education movement.
A scientist by training with a PhD and MSc in Chemistry from Simon Fraser University and a BSc (Honours) from University College London, Davis brings analytical rigor to institutional leadership. His early academic work included faculty roles in chemistry and contributions to peer-reviewed literature, cultivating a habit of inquiry that now permeates his executive decision-making. That scientific mindset—hypothesis-driven, data-grounded, and iterative—has proven invaluable in complex environments where resources must be prioritized, risks navigated, and opportunities seized with clarity and speed.
Davis has been an influential voice on the future of learning, open education, and institutional effectiveness. His publications and invited talks range from EDUCAUSE and Polytechnics Canada to the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education, the International Association of University Presidents, and global forums on online and blended learning. He has written on strategic planning for innovation in adult and open higher education, the infrastructure required for high-quality online learning, and the potential of open educational resources to advance teaching, scholarship, and access. Whether presenting on equity, inclusion, and student success or narrating the post-pandemic evolution of higher education, his perspective is grounded in practice and focused on results.
Board service has been a steady throughline in Davis’s career, reflecting both his governance acumen and his conviction that institutions are strongest when leaders contribute beyond their own walls. He has served with Polytechnics Canada, Universities Canada, the BC Association of Institutes and Universities (including as Chair), the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association, and BCNET on shared IT services. Nationally and internationally, he has contributed to the Association of Governing Boards Council of Presidents, the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning, the Ontario College Quality Assurance Management Board, and the President’s Advisory Council at the University of Illinois. For several years, he has served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council for the University of Illinois. These roles have sharpened his understanding of board dynamics, fiduciary stewardship, and policy landscapes—capabilities he now seeks to apply in broader board and advisory contexts across higher education, construction, and technology.
The connective tissue across Davis’s portfolio is a commitment to partnerships that translate vision into impact. He has developed global programs, fostered collaboration with unions and government, and built enduring relationships with industry to align talent pipelines, applied research, and community needs. His perspectives are informed by extensive international exposure and by practical experiences that bridge classrooms, laboratories, studios, and worksites. Whether advancing open textbooks through BCcampus initiatives or supporting program quality audits across Ontario colleges, he brings pragmatic optimism to the mechanics of quality and change.
Recognitions along the way include the Distinguished Member Award from the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, and his contributions have been memorialized in strategic plans, audit reports, and thought leadership that remain reference points for peers. He has also maintained a strong presence in civic life, from the Peatlands Protection Society to United Way campaigns and community theatre, reflecting a belief that leadership is not merely positional but a responsibility to one’s community. These pursuits underscore his balanced disposition: the scientist who is also a playwright, the president who is also a mentor, the strategist who is also a neighbor. Each year from 2021 to 2025, he was listed by Business in Vancouver magazine as one of the most influential business leaders, and in 2025 was honored with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his many years of leadership and service.
As he transitions from his presidency at KPU, Davis is energized by the opportunity to contribute in new ways. He is actively exploring board and advisory roles where his experience in strategy, finance, governance, and stakeholder alignment can accelerate organizational progress. He is particularly drawn to enterprises at the intersections of learning, workforce development, and technology, including construction and infrastructure organizations that rely on rigorous training, safety culture, and community partnership. In these settings, his balanced leadership and evidence-driven approach can help organizations navigate risk, scale sustainably, and develop the talent pipelines essential for long-term success.
Ultimately, Alan Davis is a builder of systems that serve people. He brings the credibility of a seasoned chief executive, the curiosity of a scholar, and the steadiness of a civic leader who understands that trust is earned over time. His career tells a consistent story: institutions flourish when strategy is clear, resources are aligned, people are supported, and partnerships are nurtured. That is the balance he has practiced, and the value he offers to boards and organizations poised for their next chapter.
Character:
He leads with integrity, consistency, and a deep respect for the people who make institutions work. He balances decisiveness with humility, inviting dissent to strengthen decisions and modeling accountability in outcomes. His civic engagement and mentorship reflect a service mindset that extends beyond titles and terms.
Knowledge:
He combines scientific training with seasoned executive judgment, translating complex data into workable strategy. His scholarship and public speaking across open learning, quality assurance, and institutional effectiveness demonstrate breadth and currency. He continuously learns from stakeholders—students, faculty, staff, industry, and community—to keep strategy grounded in reality.
Strategic:
He builds clear, measurable plans and follows through with disciplined execution and transparent reporting. He is adept at aligning budgets, governance, and talent to strategic priorities, ensuring resilience through cycles of change. He sees around corners, connecting local needs to global trends in technology, workforce, and policy.
Communication:
He is a refined communicator who connects vision to action, translating complex issues into accessible narratives for boards, governments, and communities. He builds trust in unionized and multi-stakeholder environments by listening carefully and closing the loop on commitments. He is an engaging public speaker who elevates conversations about equity, innovation, and the public mission of education.
http://linkedin.com/in/alan-davis-89845a7b
