Edmonton, AB – September 11, 2019 – The Board of Trustees for the University Hospital Foundation announced today that Dr. Jodi L. Abbott has been selected as the Foundation’s new President and CEO. 

Dr. Abbott is joining the Foundation after nine years as President and CEO of NorQuest College. During her term, Dr. Abbott led a number of strategic initiatives aimed at transforming the College, making it a more vibrant and successful post-secondary institution serving northern Alberta’s increasingly diverse population. As a result, NorQuest College grew dramatically over the past ten years, was recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures in 2018, and received the Alberta Chambers of Commerce award for Inclusion and Diversity. She was instrumental in establishing and championing ‘1000 Women: A Million Possibilities’ which has raised over $3.3 million to remove obstacles and enable NorQuest College students to pursue education and achieve their goals.

Highlights of Dr. Abbott’s career to-date include:  

• Being named twice as one of “Canada’s Most Powerful Women” for her work in post-secondary education and healthcare  
• Securing $170 million in capital funds for NorQuest to build the Singhmar Centre for Learning – a state-of-the-art facility that opens doors to thousands of students every year  
• Chairing Health City on behalf of Mayor Iveson, including bringing in the University Hospital Foundation as a partner

While Dr. Abbott spent the past nine years in post-secondary education, her career started in healthcare. Prior to joining NorQuest, she served as a Senior Vice President with Alberta Health Services and, since then, has maintained a close connection to people and organizations in the health community in the Edmonton region and across the province.

“We’re very pleased to welcome Dr. Abbott to the University Hospital Foundation. The leadership of the President and CEO is vitally important to the success of the Foundation, and we’re thrilled to have someone with her experience, her passion and her close connections to the community help us continue raising funds to advance patient care.” – David Finlay, Incoming Chair (September 25th), Board of Trustees

“I’m excited to join the University Hospital Foundation and grateful for the opportunity to take on this new challenge.”

“The Foundation has done outstanding work and the quality of health care in our community is a direct result of so many of the initiatives they have supported. It’s a perfect time in my career to join an organization that is committed to innovation and to bringing the best new ideas, treatments, and technologies to our community.” – Dr. Jodi L. Abbott