March 11, 2021

Dr. Amy Dambrowitz appointed as registrar

Message to the campus community from Dru Marshall, provost and vice-president (academic)
Amy Dambrowitz
Amy Dambrowitz

It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Amy Dambrowitz, PhD, will be appointed registrar, effective May 1, 2021. 

Dr. Dambrowitz is currently associate registrar at the University of Alberta, a role she has held since 2018. In this role she has a wide range of responsibilities including short- and long-term undergraduate strategic enrolment management. She has held roles of increasing responsibility at the University of Alberta in a disciplinary faculty, the Office of the Provost, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, and the Registrar’s Office since 2008.

One significant accomplishment during her time at U of A was acting as a co-project lead for the development of the institutional strategic plan in 2016. She holds a PhD in (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from the University of British Columbia and a BScH in Biochemistry from Queen’s University.

She has worked at a number of institutions through her professional career including the University of Washington and the University of Toronto, where she developed her keen interest in administrative systems, particularly those that support the student experience. In 2018, she received the University of Alberta Staff Recognition Award for her energetic commitment to the success of the university.

Raised in Calgary, Amy is looking forward to returning to her hometown and joining the UCalgary team. 

As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team reporting to the vice-provost (student experience), Dr. Dambrowitz will work with colleagues from across the university to ensure best practices are utilized throughout our registrarial function, from recruitment through to graduation and convocation. She will champion data-informed processes that focus on transparency, accountability, and effectiveness.

With a service-oriented focus she will lead the Registrar’s Office while fostering a culture of teamwork enabling engagement within and across departments while driving high-performance results. We know she will support UCalgary’s commitment to Indigenous engagement, and an equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus. 

As we announced in January, Angelique Saweczko is leaving the University of Calgary as she has been appointed university registrar at University of Toronto effective April 1, 2021. Since joining UCalgary in 2015, Ang has demonstrated outstanding leadership and has been committed to supporting our students and enhancing the student experience. She will be deeply missed and we wish her all the best in her new role.   

From March 15 until April 30, 2021 Vanessa Wood, our deputy registrar, will serve as interim registrar. We are grateful to Vanessa for stepping into this role and know she will ensure a smooth transition for the Registrar’s Office.  

I'd like to thank the members of the advisory selection committee, which I chaired, for their exceptional work on ensuring we had a strong candidate pool and a robust process. The members include: Susan Barker (Provost Team representative); Bruce Evelyn (Provost Team representative); Malinda Smith (Provost Team representative); Richard Sigurdson (Decanal representative); Robin Yates (Decanal representative); Karen MacDonald (SES representative); Semhar Abraha (undergraduate student representative); and Mary Zhang (graduate student representative).

Please join me in welcoming Amy to the University of Calgary.  

Dr. Dru Marshall 
Provost & Vice President (Academic)