Dwayne Hart: A Head for Business, A Heart for the North

Dwayne Hart is proud to be a Northern boy. While Dwayne is now enjoying retirement by the ocean, the former Vice-President Administration at Northwestern Polytechnic has fond memories of his time in Grande Prairie and the Peace Country.

“If you live there, you see the vibrancy. You see the industries that are driving our country: agriculture, forestry, mining, oil and gas. This is the backbone of Canada,” he says firmly.

After studying agriculture at BCIT, Dwayne began his working life in Rycroft. This was the start of 20 years in management positions in industry, including stints at Federated Co-operatives, Canadian Tire, Petro-Canada, and more.

This was also the beginning of Dwayne’s commitment to continuing education, starting with classes at Fairview College in word processing and computers back when those were newer technologies. Those courses were the first of many returns to the classroom, including an MBA at Royal Roads University in 2003, his Certified Professional Accountant accreditation, and a Doctor of Management in College Policy and Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Dwayne’s pivot from industry to the post-secondary world came after his MBA. “The academic world seemed so interesting,” Dwayne remembers. He parlayed a position at Royal Roads into vice-presidency roles at Northern Lights College, Keyano College, and, in 2015, at what was then Grande Prairie Regional College.

“My feeling is that the admin team at a post-secondary institution are caretakers, and should aim to leave the place in better shape than when they began,” says Dwayne. He joined NWP just before retirement with that in mind.

“Giving the staff confidence in their ideas so they could better the institution – those are memorable moments for me,” he recalls. Dwayne is proud that two of his mentees went on to VP positions. He also notes that his industry experience has let him find fresh ways to solve problems. For example, when the IT department needed to make expensive upgrades, Dwayne found an innovative solution. “We leased new servers, printers, etc.,” Dwayne explains. “All the staff got new equipment at a lower cost.”

Dwayne also used his industry viewpoint to introduce a business-case approach to budgeting at NWP. This evidence-based methodology requires building a solid case for expenditures and helps teams focus on top priorities, whatever the economy has in store.

“It was rewarding to see how this benefited the institution,” he notes.

Dwayne’s advice to students is to start and build their work lives in the north. “There are more opportunities and more responsibilities. You can build a good career,” he says. Two of his own four children are finding success in northern cities. “Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Prince George, Dawson Creek – these are all fantastic places to live,” he maintains.

He also wants business students to know that layoffs are part of the management life cycle. “When I mentor people, I tell them, every one of you will be laid off at some point. It’s hard not to take it personally, but later, you’ll see it can be the best thing,” Dwayne suggests. He also advises all students to get involved in the community. “Make connections. Meet business leaders. Networking is so important.”

While Dwayne is now settled in his wife’s hometown of Victoria, the Peace Country will always have a special place in his heart. “The people are definitely a highlight,” he says. “The beauty, the recreational opportunities – it’s a great place to put down roots.”

Dwayne has great admiration for today’s NWP. “What are the needs of Grande Prairie over the next 50 years? It seems like Northwestern Polytechnic is considering that and working on it. They’re heading in the right direction.”