Mohawk College on Wednesday named Ron McKerlie as the school’s new president.

McKerlie, 55, is currently Ontario deputy minister of open government, and will move to the Hamilton/Burlington area before he takes over on Aug. 5.

The school’s announcement comes after a six-month search following the departure of previous President Rob MacIsaac, who left Mohawk College in January to become the new president and CEO at Hamilton Health Sciences.

Mohawk College has more than 17,000 full-time and apprenticeship students at three campuses in Hamilton. (Alexsis Karpenchuk/CBC) “The college is so important to the fabric of the community it makes such a difference in terms of educational opportunities and I’ve seen that even among my own sons,” McKerlie said. “The thing I’m looking forward to the most is interacting with the students and finding out what’s most important to them. We can prepare them for jobs and for a future career.”

Mohawk said McKerlie was the unanimous choice of the board. He has 35 years of experience in the public and private sector. Before working for the provincial government to increase accountability, citizen engagement and transparency, McKerlie spent time as senior vice president of eBusiness at Bank of Montreal and vice president of eBusiness at Rogers.

He also served as the interim president and CEO of Ornge air ambulance services in 2012 and 2013.

McKerlie will relocate from Mississauga to Burlington for his new post, along with his wife of 33 years. His two sons, in their mid- to late-twenties, are both married.

"As President, Ron will draw on his deep understanding of public policy, his strong affinity for technology, his expertise in leading high performing teams and his personal commitment to community service," said Nancy Fram, chair of Mohawk College’s board of governors.

Mohawk has around 17,000 full-time and apprenticeship students at three campuses in Hamilton.