The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) is pleased to announce the appointment of W.R. (Rusty) Hick as the association’s new executive director.
Rusty Hick brings to OPSBA outstanding experience in the world of public education. He enjoyed a successful teaching career with the York Region District School Board before joining the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board as a principal in 1999. For the next five years, he held several key superintendent positions with the board, and beginning in 2009 he served as its director of education — the longest-serving director in the board’s history.
As a former director of education, Rusty Hick believes strongly that student and organizational success are the direct result of collaborative relationships with all partners in the education of young people: parents, staff and community, and that these relationships are the foundation for student achievement and shared accomplishment.
“I am honoured to be the new executive director for OPSBA and to be joining their talented team,” Hick says. “I look forward to advancing the work of the association and advocating on behalf of the best interests and needs of a strong public education school system in the province.”
A proud graduate of the Ontario public education system, Hick holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Toronto, a bachelor of education degree from Queen’s University and a master of science degree in education from Niagara University, New York. He has successfully completed the Ontario Supervisory Officer Executive Program through the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Hick has written on system leadership and presented at conferences across Canada on educational issues. He also has extensive first-hand experience with public education labour relations and provincial negotiations, and has worked closely with trustees from across the province, OPSBA staff, the provincial government, the Ministry of Education and other trustee associations.
“Rusty Hick has always exercised a spirit of collaboration working with various education sector partners,” says Laurie French, OPSBA president. “He is the ideal candidate to lead the association and we are confident he will continue to build on OPSBA’s very strong foundation and leadership team, which has been firmly established by our outgoing executive director, Gail Anderson.”
Hick succeeds Anderson, who retired from the role in July after a rewarding career in public education.
