OCDSB Appoints Dr. Pino Buffone as Director of Education
June 15, 2023, Ottawa, ON – The Board of Trustees is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Pino Buffone as the Director of Education for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Dr. Pino Buffone has over 29 years of experience in education including provincial and public education leadership roles. He has been Director of Education with the Renfrew County District School Board since 2017. He will officially assume the role of OCDSB Director of Education on August 1, 2023.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Pino Buffone back to the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board,” said Lyra Evans, Board Chair. “Pino is a recognized leader in public education in Ontario, known for his creative and innovative leadership and his capacity to build relationships and lead change. The Board of Trustees were excited about the range of skills and experience Pino brings to this role. His commitment to equity and inclusive education is well aligned with the work underway in our district. He is a candidate we believe will champion our new strategic priorities - learning, well-being, and social responsibility.”
The Board of Trustees undertook a comprehensive search for a new Director and was fortunate to have several exceptional candidates. “I am honoured and excited to return to the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in the role of Director. I would like to thank the Board of Trustees for this opportunity,” said Dr. Pino Buffone. “I am looking forward to working with staff, students, families and community partners on the new strategic plan. Focusing our work on learning, well-being and social responsibility will ensure our students are provided with inspiring opportunities to realize their potential in safe and caring environments.”
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank the current Director of Education, Michele Giroux, who has provided stalwart leadership to the district during this time of transition. Michele’s skills and experience brought stability, credibility, and continuity to the important work of the school district while supporting a newly-elected Board of Trustees in developing our next strategic plan. The OCDSB is fortunate to have a talented and dedicated senior team who have navigated a challenging school year. ” said Lyra Evans, chair of the OCDSB Board of Trustees.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is a dynamic, creative learning organization that fosters the achievement, well-being and dignity of every student. The largest school district in Eastern Ontario, the OCDSB offers a wide range of programs to 78,000 students in 143 schools. With an annual operating budget of $1B, the OCDSB employs approximately 10,000 teaching, administrative, para-professional and custodial staff. Working together, our employees do an exceptional job of supporting student learning and well-being. Please visit the Board website and follow us on Twitter.
BIO
Since 1994, Pino has been a talented educator, serving first as a teacher in the Western Quebec School Board (1994-1998) and as a teacher, vice-principal, principal and superintendent in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (1998 to 2017). In 2017, Pino joined the Renfrew County District School Board (RCDSB) as the Director of Education. The OCDSB is fortunate to welcome Pino back beginning August 1, 2023.
As Director of Education for the Renfrew County District, he was accountable to the Board of Trustees, and through Statute, to the Minister of Education for the organization and operation of the district. Key areas of responsibility included: student welfare; educational leadership; fiscal responsibility; organizational management; strategic planning; personnel management; policy/procedures; Director/Board relations; communications and community relations; student, staff and district recognition/public relations; and, system leadership. With this experience, PIno is well positioned for the complex role of OCDSB Director of Education - the largest school district in eastern Ontario.
In addition to his work with school districts in Eastern Canada, Pino has worked on secondment at the Education Quality and Accountability Office – an arm’s-length agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for provincial, national and international large-scale assessments – as an Education Officer, and subsequently, as Coordinator of English-language Assessments (1999-2003).
He is currently a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s Children and Schools COVID-19 Working Group (2020 to present) and an Education Partner with the Education Research Development & Innovation (ERDI) Institute (2018 to present). He is also a facilitator of the Supervisory Officers’ Qualification Program (SOQP) of the Eastern Ontario Staff Development Network (2017-2022) and a member of the Modernization in Measurement Advisory Panel of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (2016 to present).
Pino has served as President of the United Nations Association in Canada – National Capital Region Branch (2007-2012), as well as Part-Time Academic Staff, Faculty of Education – University of Ottawa, for the Teacher Education Program & Native Teacher Education Program (2006-2008).