Georgian College

13 GEORGIANVIEW SPRING 2022 PREMIER'S AWARDS There's a photo on Glenn Vollebregt's office wall at St. Lawrence College. It's a black and white of him and two teammates in full hockey gear, taken when he was a student at Georgian College about 40 years ago. After numerous academic accreditations and promotions over the years, all the way up to his current role as President and CEO of St. Lawrence College (SLC), that photo still means so much. As Glenn explains it, everything started at Georgian, including his career, which began with an entry-level accounting position at the college after he graduated from the General Business – Accounting program (class of 1983). "It started me off on my academic journey. I never was a great student, but I hit my stride at Georgian. I recognized what I wanted to do," he says. "It gave me that start, and since then I went on to get my CMA, CPA, Master's degree, and recent ICD.D designation. However, none of that would have been possible if it wasn't for Georgian College and the college system." Knowing how hands-on experience helped him as a college student, Glenn wanted to take the same approach when learning more about SLC's faculty and students. Through a program he called #GoToClass, he's attended about 130 classes and has taken part in everything from tap dancing with Music Theatre students to ice water rescue with Firefighter students. "My wife would see my tweets and she'd say, 'I can't believe you get paid for doing what you do.' And I'd say, 'You know, I feel like I won the lottery.'" Glenn was nominated by Georgian College for an Ontario Premier's Award in 2021 in the Business category. "The honour of being nominated, that is a career highlight for me. Nothing can surpass that," he says. "If I were to retire tomorrow, I can't do better than that night, to tell you the truth." But, it's his wife, Theresa, and his sons Mitchell and Josh, who bring him the greatest joy in life. It all started at Georgian | Glenn prepares to depart on his first business trip since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago. "Nothing I do at work or anything compares to the importance of my family," he says. "Anybody that's had any kind of success, it's always rooted in family. That doesn't mean it has to be a spouse or kids. It could be friends, but it's your support system. That's the most important piece." "The honour of being nominated, that is a career highlight for me. Nothing can surpass that," he says. "If I were to retire tomorrow, I can't do better than that night, to tell you the truth."

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