Rhonda Martin

Biography

Key Repsonsibilities:

• Provide administrative and organizational support: Vice-Principal Academic & Dean (Professor Bill Gough) and Assistant Dean (Dr. Zahra Bhanji)  
• Provide committee administrative support for VP Dean's Group (DG)/VP Dean's Executive Group (DEG), Joint Chairs & Academic Directors (CAD) and Dean's Administrative Group (DAG) meetings (set meeting schedule, prepare agendas, room booking, and arrange catering and IT support) 
• Coordinate external reviews for OVPD and administrative departments 
• Provide administrative coordination and support for Great Explorations: A Series of Academic Discussions to Inspire Our Community
• Coordinate OVPD departmental events including Holiday Lunch and Year End Celebrations 
• Coordinate space plan for DAG on-campus days  

The Executive Assistant to the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean (VP Dean) provides support to the VP Dean, as well as the Director of the Office of the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean (OVPD) for all scheduling, correspondence and other administrative needs.  Rhonda Martin provides administrative support for projects coordinated by the OVPD, including overseeing the revamped Snider Speaker Series Great Explorations. 

Ms. Martin completed an Honours BA with a double major in Ethics from the University of Toronto.

1. What can you tell us about a project you are currently working on? I am working on three projects right now -- the VP Dean’s transition binder for our incoming VP Dean, our Spring 2024 Great Explorations series, and the farewell celebrations for Bill, our outgoing VP Dean. Each one is different but has an impact on the entire department.
2. If you had to define yourself in three words, what would they be?  Friendly, supportive, dedicated.
3. What do you enjoy most about your role? I actually do like calendaring but I think the part of my role I enjoy most is being able to work with all the portfolios and see how the work of the OVPD has a direct impact on our current and future students. I know that many people find operations boring but the Ops Team is the glue that holds the OVPD together and we work together amazingly well.
4. Why U of T Scarborough?  I worked down at UTSG for 27 years in the same department, starting from a part-time office assistant to the EA to the Director (I started while I was an undergraduate student). I was looking for new opportunities and the EA to the VP Dean role was a great fit to build on my previous experience and continue to grow. The 7-minute drive to campus was an added bonus!
5. What important lesson have you learned in your current role?  How important it is to make the effort to connect with your team mates, especially when your hybrid work schedules mean you rarely get a chance to see others in person. Even taking 5 minutes for a quick chat to see how others are doing helps to build a feeling of being supported and welcome.
6. What is the one thing people likely do not know about you?  I volunteer with the Association of Administrative Professionals, a national organization. I have 2 roles -- I am the Membership Chair for the Toronto Charter Branch. I am also the National Coordinator for the Certified Canadian Administrative Professional (CCAP) program. I help our graduates complete their recertification every 3 years and we currently have 124 graduates across Canada with 76 more enrolled to complete their certification requirements.
7. Which movie, book, or show makes you laugh the most?  My favourite book series right now is the Miss Fortune series – a cozy mystery series about an ex-CIA assassin who tries to live with a low profile in (fictional) Sinful, Louisiana.