Leadership

Richard Piticco

Executive Director, Operations and Administration

Richard Piticco - Executive Director, Operations and Administration Richard Piticco CPA, CA, CFA has more than twenty years of experience in strategic financial leadership, operations and leading large-scale organizational changes. At York, he is responsible for strategic management & planning, financial management, human resources, technology, business & learning support services, physical resources planning, and health & safety.

For the last ten years, Richard was the Vice President of Student Services for CPA Ontario where he oversaw the operations, strategic and financial planning, business development, regulatory requirements, and policy development, relating to a 20,000-student portfolio. He implemented a new post graduate program and a comprehensive set of online prerequisite courses, as well as leading aspects of unifying three professional accounting bodies into one. He also led large-scale digital transformation projects and co-developed and implemented a multimillion-dollar funding model for Ontario universities that led to the creation of four specialized research centres.

Richard was also worked at CIBC World Markets where he was a Director in Equity Research, and quickly was ranked by Brendan Woods International as a “Rising Star”. Previously, he was a Treasury Manager with Pepsi Canada and become a CA with KPMG in 1999. Richard continues to volunteer on Boards of Not-for-Profit organizations, ranging from Treasurer to President of the Board.

Hassan Ally

Director, Marketing & Enrolment Management

Hassan Ally - Director, Marketing & Enrolment Management Hassan Ally joined the School of Continuing Studies in April 2019 as Director, Marketing & Enrolment Management. In this role, Hassan is responsible for growing the School of Continuing Studies brand as well as enrolment. He brings over 12 years of experience in higher education and training, centered around Marketing, Sales, and Student Recruitment.

The bulk of Hassan’s experience and achievements took place in Dubai, a fast paced cosmopolitan city in the Middle East known for innovation, entreprenuership, and multiculturalism. In his last role with global education company Kaplan, he played a lead role in establishing and growing the presence of their Leadership and Professional Development training division in the Middle East region. Prior to that, Hassan worked for renowned international universities where he undertook Marketing, Communications, Partner relations, Enrolment, and Admissions roles.

Hassan is a strong believer in personal and professional development. He holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Marketing from the University of Wollongong Australia, as well as a certification in Digital Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK (CIM).

Derek Patterson

Director, Operations and Organizational Effectiveness

Derek Patterson Director, Operations & Organizational Effectiveness Derek Patterson joined the School of Continuing Studies in November 2018, as the School’s first Director, Operations and Organizational Effectiveness. In this role Derek is responsible for ensuring that the organization is focused on doing the right things (i.e., effectively) and doing those things right (i.e., efficiently and consistently).

Derek brings over 20 years experience assisting both public-sector and private-sector organizations align processes, structures and systems to achieve their strategic objectives. He is a “reformed engineer” who has learnt that winning the hearts and minds of those impacted by a proposed change is necessary in order to achieve the desired outcomes.

Prior to joining the team, Derek was Director, Innovation and Continuous Improvement at the City of Vaughan, while more recently providing consulting services to a major Canadian bank and to the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Although new to the education sector, Derek is a passionate believer in life-long learning and demonstrates this by having received degrees from three Universities. He has a BAI (Mechanical Engineering) from Dublin University, Trinity College, an MSc. (Mechanical Engineering) from the University of Manchester and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. Derek is also a Professional Engineer (PEng) and a Certified Practitioner in Change Management (Prosci).

Christine Brooks-Cappadocia

Director, Continuing Professional Education

Christine Brooks-Cappadocia - Director, Continuing Professional Education

Christine Brooks-Cappadocia’s more than twenty-year career has focused on the marketing, fundraising, and communications of causes which benefit society. Before joining the School of Continuing Studies in 2014, Christine spent six years building and managing the marketing department of McMaster’s Centre for Continuing Education. During that period, the Centre experienced continuous double digit year-over-year enrolment growth.

Her previous roles included marketing, fundraising, communications roles for arts companies ranging from national institutions such as the Canadian Opera Company to smaller community arts organizations before moving into leadership roles in social services and health sector charities. Her career highlights include the launch of a foundation to support at-risk youth, the development of the communications department for St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation Hamilton and the management of a high-profile event featuring former US President Bill Clinton and former Ontario Premier Bob Rae.

She has been privileged to serve in a number of governance roles in non-profit organizations including President and Founding Board Member of the International Association of Business Communicators’ (IABC) Golden Horseshoe chapter, Vice-President of Community Arts Ontario, and Founding Board Member of the Coalition of Ontario Voluntary Organizations.

Christine has earned several awards for marketing from the Association of Healthcare Philanthropists, the International Business Communicators and the Learning Resources Network (LERN). Christine holds a B.FA from York University.

Isaac Garcia-Sitton

Director, International Education and English Language Institute

Isaac Garcia-Sitton - Director, International Education and English Language Institute Isaac Garcia-Sitton brings over 15 years of progressive international experience in planning, developing, and implementing national and international projects and programs to the School of Continuing Studies. As Director, International Education and English Language Institute Isaac leads recruitment efforts, develops partnerships, and provides the overall business development and strategic direction at the Institute.

Prior to York, Isaac was the Senior Manager of Language and Intercultural Communication at McGill University for 3 years where he led transformational change in program development and deployment, managing all aspects of the academic program delivery and day to day operations. His diplomatic and negotiating skills come from more than 6 years as a diplomat in roles such as Consul General of Panama in Montreal, Project Manager at the Consulate General of Dominican Republic and Vice-Consul General of Panama in New Orleans. He managed strategic development and outreach, navigating the complex environments from a foundation of multilingual and multicultural education and experience.

Isaac has an MBA in International Business and a BA in International Studies and Biology from Lindenwood University in Missouri. He was recently selected as the only Canadian recipient of the Organization of the American States (OAS) and Instituto de Empresa (IE) scholarship to pursue studies in the Global Senior Management Program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and IE Business School in Madrid.

He has been invited to speak at many international meetings on topics as diverse as social inequalities in Latin America, the rights for people with disabilities, and Latin American business practices.

Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly

Assistant Vice-President, Continuing Studies

Tracey Taylor-O'Reilly - Assistant Vice-President, Continuing Studies

Assistant Vice-President, Continuing Studies, Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly led the founding of the School of Continuing Studies at York University, drawing on her 23 years experience in university administration, research and teaching.

She joined York in December 2013 after nine years as Director of the Centre for Continuing Education at McMaster University. With a track-record of innovation and explosive enrolment growth, Tracey designed a unique model for continuing professional education at York that has led to unparalleled enrolment growth. Under her leadership, the English Language Institute diversified their international recruitment and focused efforts on recruiting students into York degrees through their exceptional programs.

At McMaster, she transformed the Centre from the brink of closure into an internationally respected, financially profitable, and sustainable enterprise, recognized by the Learning Resources Network (LERN) as being among the Top 5% most successful and best-managed continuing education centres in North America.

Tracey has served in a number of volunteer leadership roles in university continuing education, including as President of the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education. Tracey has a BA and MASc in applied psychology from the University of Waterloo and is a graduate of the Ivey Executive Program.

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