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MEMBER PROFILE



                                                                                If there is such a thing as a natural
                                                                                born leader, there’s a good chance
                                                                                Norma McDonald-Ewing is one of
                                                                                them.
                                                                                Since joining Conestoga College full time in
                                                                                1998, she has held a variety of positions that
                                                                                have  not  only  sharpened  her  educational
                                                                                skills  but  fed  into  her  passion  of  helping
                                                                                others learn and grow.
                                                                                “Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed
                                                                                how learning can change lives – whether
                                                                                it’s  through  structured  programs  or
                                                                                experimental learning opportunities that
                                                                                come from working closely with others,” says
                                                                                Norma, the College’s Associate Vice President
                                                                                of Employee Experience & Development. “A
                                                                                lyric from  The King and I resonates deeply
                                                                                with me: ‘if I become a teacher, from my
                                                                                pupils  I  will  learn’.  This  quote  captures  my
                                                                                gratitude for the many students, coaches,
                                                                                and colleagues I’ve learned from throughout
                                                                                my career. They have shaped who I am as a
                                                                                leader, and I view each learning experience
                                                                                as a two-way street.”
                                                                                She believes her ‘knack’ for teaching began
                                                                                while growing up in Rockton looking out for
                                                                                her two younger sisters.
                                                                                “I think I came by it naturally,” says Norma,
                                                                                adding she also was heavily involved as a
                                                                                youth in  community  activities  and  worked
                                                                                a couple of summers as a teen at Camp
                                                                                Tawingo near Huntsville where she learned
                                                                                valuable leadership skills from its founder
                                                                                Jack Pearse. “He really believed in whole
                                                                                person leadership.”
                                                                                This experience led her to work as a summer
                                                                                camp director for the City of Kitchener, the
                                                                                place where she would eventually kickstart
                                                                                a very successful career after obtaining a
                                                                                degree in recreation and leisure studies and
                                                                                business from the University of Waterloo,
                                                                                followed by a master’s degree in business at
       ‘Leadership must serve                                                   Wilfrid Laurier University. She spent about
                                                                                a decade working for the City of Kitchener,
                                                                                including two years as its Services and
       the community’                                                           Resource Development Supervisor.

                                                                                “I  learned  how leadership  must  serve  the
                                                                                community and prioritize listening and
     - Norma McDonald-Ewing – Conestoga College                                 collaboration,” says Norma, referring to
                                                                                her time there. But looking to expand her
                                                                                wheelhouse, she made the leap from public
                                                                                service to teaching full time a variety of
                                                                                courses under the continuing education
                                                          PHOTOS BY BRIAN RODNICK

       42       Winter 2025                                                                            www.cambridgechamber.com
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