TORONTO — Joe Baker will be joining the Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC) team effective June 15 as Systems Leadership and Integrated Strategy Advisor. This newly created role was designed to support the OTEC senior team in their collaborative role in tourism-and-hospitality workforce recovery alongside numerous industry and association partner organizations.
“The unprecedented ripple-effect of COVID-19 through this sector has required us to take a comprehensive, responsive approach to provide pandemic recovery to hundreds of thousands of affected workers,” says Adam Morrison, president and CEO, OTEC. “Joe’s industry and advocacy expertise will be a game-changer in terms of our ability to provide rapid response to this hard-hit sector. The work ahead will be critical to the sustained recovery of the tourism industry and the resilience of the tourism workforce.”
A vocal advocate for the tourism industry, Baker brings 20 years of combined hospitality-operations and tourism-education leadership experience to OTEC. Most recently as Dean of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts at Centennial College, Baker transformed the school over the last six years, during which time enrollment more than doubled, solidifying its reputation as one of Canada’s premier destinations for tourism-industry focused education. He also serves on the board of directors with Tourism HR Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO), recently stepping down from OTEC’s board to accept this role.
“OTEC has played a pivotal role in tourism-industry workforce development for many years,” says Baker. “There could not be a more critical time for our industry to rely on OTEC and its partners to help tourism-and-hospitality workers, as well as businesses, re-invent themselves for the next new normal. With OTEC’s partnership and innovation strategy, Tourism 2.0 will emerge more dynamic and resilient than ever.”
