A message from Craig Youdale, dean, Canadian Food and Wine Institute:
It is with great pleasure that I get to introduce our new associate dean of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute, Maija Saari, effective August 9, 2021.
Maija brings over 20 years’ experience in post-secondary education to Niagara College. Her most recent role which she held for the past six years was as associate dean for the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design at Sheridan College. Prior to that, Maija served as associate dean at Centennial College for two years in the Faculty of Communications, Media and Design.
“I am thrilled to join the CFWI and work in the beautiful Niagara region,” said Maija upon accepting her new role.
In addition to a decade of experience as a professor at both Wilfred Laurier University and Mohawk College, Maija also brings an entrepreneurial spirit to our team at NC. While at Sheridan College, she led the Sheridan Production House (SPH), a small internal video production unit, where she transformed the operation into thousands of hours of real work experience for students.
Maija holds a Bachelor of Education from Western University as well as a Master of Arts from the School of Journalism at Western. She also has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and is currently a PhD candidate at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education at the University of Toronto while being a current member of the Ontario College of Teachers.
When asked about joining the creative world of food and beverage she said, “There’s a tremendous artistry and creativity in the world of food and beverage that people are really beginning to appreciate and explore, including myself.”
Please join me in welcoming Maija to the Niagara College Team!
Craig Youdale
Dean, Canadian Food and Wine Institute
