Alan Unwin, Dean, Business and Environment Division, will retire on Tuesday, April 30, 2024
A message from Fiona Allan, Vice-President, Academic:
After 30 years at Niagara College, as a champion for students and the environment, I am writing to announce that Alan Unwin, Dean, Business and Environment division, will retire at the end of April.
Al joined NC as a fulltime Professor and Program Coordinator in 1995 after teaching seasonally and contributing early research and development work for the College throughout 1994. He became Associate Dean for the School of Environment and Horticultural Studies in 2011, then Dean for the School of Environment and Horticulture. In early 2020, the division added the School of Business and Management.
Prior to joining NC, Al was an environmental consultant for numerous years both in the fields of Waste Management and Ecological Restoration.
In addition to his academic achievements, Al has demonstrated environmental leadership over the years. His work at NC and his research to develop content for the Ecosystem Restoration program more than 20 years ago, led him to branch out to working with international organizations.
Al is Past Chair of the Society of Ecological Restoration (SER) – an international non-governmental organization based out of Washington D.C. — the third Canadian to have ever held this post.
In March 2022, Al was invited to join the Canadian delegation at UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Geneva, Switzerland presenting Canada’s position on a new draft Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Al advised on targets related to the restoration of 20 per cent of the degraded ecosystems globally. The new framework intended to guide actions worldwide through 2030, to preserve and protect the health of the planet, halting and reversing biodiversity loss around the world.
In December 2022, he was among members of a historic Canadian delegation at the United Nations’ 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Montreal to finalize ongoing negotiations and agree to new targets laid out in the post-2020 GBF. Chaired by China and hosted by Canada, the COP15 concluded with the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework on the last day of negotiations.
Al continues to support the federal government’s contribution to this critically important United Nations convention as a member of the Canadian delegation. He recently returned from a UN technical advisory meeting held at the United Nations Environmental HQ complex in Nairobi, aiming to advance plans for the implementation of the agreement.
The impact of Al’s contributions to the NC community and his passion for the environment is immeasurable. He has inspired countless students from the School of Environment who strive to follow in his footsteps and make their own mark on the world in meaningful ways.
Please join us in celebration of his remarkable career during the weeks ahead. Details on the celebration with cake to follow.
Related:
Dec. 2022: Dean Unwin champions global biodiversity at COP15 | InsideNC (niagaracollege.ca)
March 2022: Al Unwin joins the Canadian delegation at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Geneva
Sept. 2019: NC’s Al Unwin helps shape next 10 years of UN action on climate change
Jan. 2017: Al Unwin speaks at UN convention on biological diversity in Mexico
Sept. 2015: NC’s Al Unwin appointed chair of Society for Ecological Restoration
Oct. 2013: Unwin chairs international environmental conference
