Alumna Kassie Burkholder will build bridges between teaching excellence, innovation and community impact.

A leading figure in Edmonton’s entrepreneurial landscape, Burkholder brings a wealth of entrepreneurship expertise to the position. Most recently she served as executive director, Corporate and Continuing Education and Product Development at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), where she was responsible for leading one of Canada’s largest continuing education portfolios.

A lifelong entrepreneur who has founded and operated multiple businesses across sectors including communications, retail, hospitality and consulting, Burkholder brings experience spanning higher education, the startup ecosystem, technology sector, entrepreneurship, communications and business development. She has also been recognized as one of Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 by Edify magazine.

Burkholder graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from MacEwan in 2014 before going on to complete a Master of Arts in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta.

“I am thrilled to be able to welcome Kassie back to her alma mater. I know she will help advance the university’s vision as a community catalyst for entrepreneurship, innovation and community impact,” said Dr. Annette Trimbee, MacEwan president and vice-chancellor. “She has extensive experience bringing together industry, education, government, non-profit organizations and community partners, and I look forward to seeing what she will accomplish as she returns to MacEwan!”  

Burkholder has also served on numerous boards, advisory committees and working groups at the local, provincial, national and international levels helping to advance innovation, workforce development, entrepreneurship and community-building initiatives. She is a frequent speaker, panelist and facilitator on topics including artificial intelligence and the future of work.

The associate vice-president, Entrepreneurship position is new at MacEwan and is designed to deepen the university’s role as Edmonton’s community catalyst for entrepreneurship. Burkholder will provide strategic leadership to integrate entrepreneurship across the university, connecting academic programs and applied research to foster new ventures and community partnerships. The portfolio will evolve to include additional priorities such as expanded programming, deeper industry partnerships and broader cross‑institution collaborations, in alignment with MacEwan’s strategic direction, Teaching Greatness.