Dr. Peter Donahue, RSW, is Director, Graduate Program Chair, and Associate Professor at King’s University College’s School of Social Work since 2015. Dr. Donahue was previously Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, Renison University College (2008 – 2012) and served as Chair of the Department of Social Development Studies at Renison (2013 – 2015).
Before that, he was an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. He holds a PhD and Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto, and a BA (Gerontology) and BSc (Biology) from McMaster University.
Before moving into academia, Peter was a Program Coordinator for the Toronto Association of Neighbourhood Services – Seniors Program, and a Program Coordinator for the Ontario Coalition of Senior Citizens’ Organizations. He is a founding member of the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (NICE), where he served at the first Network Manager, and currently sits on their Board of Directors.
Peter was a member of the Canadian Association for Social Work Education’s (CASWE) Commission on Accreditation from 2010 to 2016, and co-chaired the Commission from 2014 to 2016. He currently sits on the CASWE Board of Directors. Peter was a member of the OASW provincial conference planning committee in 2016 and is a member of the 2018 committee. He was a recipient of the OASW’s Inspirational Leader Award in 2017.
“In community development, we often refer to leaders as connectors. I see the role of President of the OASW in a similar light. The President is responsible for making connections between the OASW and our practice community, our regulatory bodies, educational institutions, students, governments, and other allied disciplines. It is through these connections that OASW and, ultimately, our profession will continue to grow and remain relevant in an ever-changing world. Throughout my career, my ability to build and maintain strong relationships has been a common thread and a key to my success as a practitioner, researcher, educator, and administrator. I hope to bring these skills to the role of President of OASW, helping the organization to translate its vision into reality.”