Biography
As Senior Vice-President, External Relations, Communications and Real Estate Development, Joe Cressy advances George Brown College’s unique role in serving local communities, promoting regional economic opportunities, and engaging in partnerships that benefit our students, industry, and the greater community. He also leads investment in new facilities and infrastructure that enhances learning opportunities, promotes career-oriented education and job creation, and strengthens community and corporate collaboration.
Joe joined the college in 2022, and his portfolio includes Marketing, Communications, Government Relations and the Strategic Partnerships Office, as well as a team dedicated to real estate development projects and initiatives. In previous senior leadership roles and through other experiences in the nonprofit and public sectors, Joe has proven himself as a values-driven and effective leader.
Between 2014 and 2022, Joe served two terms as Toronto City Councillor for Spadina-Fort York, where he championed investments to create a more livable city, including affordable housing and childcare, public transportation, bike lanes, and efforts to combat the city’s overdose crisis. He also served as Chair of the Toronto Board of Health — the largest public health unit in Canada — during the COVID-19 pandemic, working to ensure the city’s response was comprehensive, equitable and effective. He was also a member of the Toronto COVID-19 Strategic Command Team and Immunization Task Force. During his time on council, Joe contributed to other vital city organizations as a member of the City of Toronto's Economic and Community Development Committee, the Waterfront Toronto Board of Directors, and the Art Gallery of Ontario Board of Governors.
And Joe brings a wealth of experience in the nonprofit sector to his role at George Brown. He led literacy programs in fly-in indigenous communities in Northern Ontario with Frontier College, worked on the frontlines of the fight against HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, served as the Director of Campaigns and Community Outreach with the Stephen Lewis Foundation, and led national campaigns for the Ottawa-based Polaris Institute.
Joe earned a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University.
