Senior Leadership Team

UCC’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) sets the strategic direction of the College and leads its implementation, ensuring appropriate resources are in place and effectively managed to achieve the College’s goals. The SLT is accountable for ensuring high standards of excellence across academics, programs, operations and advancement opportunities.

Meet the Team

List of 8 items.

Sam McKinney

Principal
principal@ucc.on.ca

Sam is the 19th Principal of Upper Canada College. Under his leadership, the College has set a course for the next decade — through its Strategic Directions: Towards 2029. Sam chairs the Senior Leadership Team and reports to the Board of Governors.

He is passionate about the College’s renewed vision and mission, which hinge on the intention to provide transformational learning experiences and to inspire students to be their best selves.

Sam McKinney’s experience, as an educator and a father, has shown him that students thrive best in a school environment that meets the needs of the whole child, not just needs in the area of academics. He believes that the renowned IB Programmes and UCC’s unique approaches to wellbeing deliver such comprehensive care.

Prior to his arrival at UCC in July 2016, Sam was the Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School at St. Peter’s College in Adelaide, Australia. While at Saints, he was instrumental in the development of a Middle Years Programme and the physical construction of a new Middle School. His previous experience includes teaching and additional senior administrative positions at schools in Australia and Canada.

Born and raised in the Niagara region of Ontario, Sam received his bachelor of arts from Carleton University, Ottawa. He furthered his education in Australia, receiving a graduate diploma in education from the University of Adelaide and a master of education from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. More recently, he studied at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education Principals’ Centre.

Sam McKinney and his wife Rosey are the parents of three boys—Jack ’17, Connor ’19 and Charles ’20—who readily embraced life at UCC.

Looking to the future, he is proud of UCC’s dynamic agenda, which was launched in February 2018. “It bolsters our commitment to deliver innovative teaching practices and learning outcomes, reflects the promise and pluralism of our global society, and supports the wellbeing of our students, faculty and staff,” he says.
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Dr. Julia Kinnear

Vice-Principal, Learning and Academic Innovation
jkinnear@ucc.on.ca

Julia oversees the College's academic program, from Senior Kindergarten through Year 12. She leads all International Baccalaureate (IB) elements, curriculum development, and the Wernham West Centre for Learning.
Dr. Jeff Aitken

Head, Upper School
jaitken@ucc.on.ca

Jeff leads the College's Upper School faculty including the College's boarding program to deliver excellence in teaching and learning for students in Years 8 through 12.
Sarah Fleming

Head, Preparatory School
sfleming@ucc.on.ca

Sarah leads the Prep School's faculty and staff to deliver excellence in teaching and learning for students in Senior Kindergarten through Year 7.
Brendan Dellandrea ’01

Vice-Principal, Advancement
bdellandrea@ucc.on.ca

Brendan leads annual and special fundraising, capital campaigns, alumni and constituent relations, and all community and school-wide communications. Additionally, Brendan oversees the implementation of school-wide strategic development.
Emily Moir

Vice-Principal, Enrolment Management
emoir@ucc.on.ca

Emily is responsible for the recruitment and admission of new students and for external marketing of the College locally and world-wide.
Patti MacNicol

Vice-Principal, Administration and Innovation
pmacnicol@ucc.on.ca

Patti is the Vice-Principal of Administration and Innovation and is responsible for all non-academic services including finance, IT, facilities, food services, housekeeping, security, rental operations, and UCC's Summer Camps and Summer Life programs.
Mary Modeste

Vice-Principal, People and Culture
mmodeste@ucc.on.ca

Mary leads the People & Culture function which spans organizational culture and employee engagement, employee relations, safety, wellbeing, pluralism, talent empowerment, succession planning, total rewards, and organizational development.