Experiential Learning Names New Associate Director, Lily Abediny
After an extensive search, the University of Guelph Experiential Learning Department is excited to announce the hiring of Lily Abediny as the new Associate Director, Career & Co-operative Education.
With proven success in higher education leadership roles, Lily Abediny joins U of G with over 20 years of experience developing innovative programming in career exploration, education and coaching, building experiential and work-integrated learning opportunities, and leading employer and community organization recruitment and engagement. Most recently, as the Director of Career Development & Experiential Learning at Queen’s University, Lily focused on enhancing institutional progress toward growing career and experiential learning opportunities by providing support, advice, and coordination with the academic faculties and departments and building enterprise-wide structures and mechanisms for coordinated growth and sustainability. Lily believes “only as a collaborative community can we truly become increasing responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of our diverse and changing student population.”
Lily also spent over 18 years at the University of Toronto in various leadership roles that benefitted from her professional knowledge, relationship-building, and strategic and operational planning expertise. Notably, Lily strategized tri-campus employer and community organization engagement, relationship-building, and partner engagement in experiential learning, work-integrated learning, career exploration, and recruitment opportunities. She also implemented innovative equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives to support diverse career learners and inform employers regarding the University’s values and equitable recruitment practices.
At U of G, Lily will work closely with Deans and Associate Deans from all Colleges to ensure that the co-op and career needs of the Colleges and their students are being met. She will also work closely with the ORS leadership team to ensure efficient processes are managed for all aspects of co-op enrolment management, supporting co-op student admission and capacity targets and sitting on the co-op appeals committee. Lily will also create a new assessment plan for all Co-op and Career programming to allow for continuous improvement, ensuring that the University of Guelph consistently offers quality programming.
Lily Abediny starts as the Associate Director on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.