Announcements – November 2020

The University of Guelph will soon have a new vice-president, finance and operations. Sharmilla Rasheed, a certified financial accountant, will assume the position on Dec. 3. Ms. Rasheed is currently vice-president financial and information services and chief financial officer at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, and oversees finance, environmental services, information technology, risk and performance management at St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph and St. Joseph’s Lifecare Brantford. In her upcoming role at U of Guelph, she will be responsible for areas including financial services, human resources, campus police and fire prevention.

Jamena James Allen, a former chief and councillor of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, is Yukon University’s new chancellor. Mr. Allen entered First Nations politics in the 1980s and was a land claims negotiator for the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. He was elected chief for two four-year terms in 2002 and 2010. He also worked with Yukon College – now Yukon U – to create its executive development program, which later became the Indigenous governance degree program. He will officially be installed as chancellor at a ceremony in November where he will confer the first Yukon U honorary degrees.

The University of Northern British Columbia announced that its interim president Geoff Payne will stay on in the position for another two years while the university’s board of governors continues its search for a new president. He will wrap up his term as interim president on Aug. 31, 2022. Dr. Payne became acting president earlier this year. He previously served as vice-president, research and graduate programs, at the university.

Michelle Porter has been reappointed director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba and will serve in the position until June 30, 2025. Previously, Dr. Porter served as associate dean, research; acting dean; graduate program chair; and acting director of two research institutes at the university, including the Centre on Aging. She is a leader in the age-friendly university movement and was instrumental in making U of Manitoba one of the world’s first age-friendly universities. Dr. Porter is also a member of the Gerontological Society of America.

On Nov. 16, Tony Frost takes on the role of Carleton University’s inaugural chief communications officer and associate vice-president, communications and public affairs. Mr. Frost joins Carleton from the University of Waterloo, where he served as associate vice-president, marketing and strategic initiatives. Before this, he led brand identity and platform development at Fanshawe College, Mount Allison University and Wilfrid Laurier University. In this new position, Mr. Frost will be responsible for Carleton’s communications strategy, which includes media relations, public affairs, branding and marketing.

Jalana Lewis began her new position as Dalhousie University’s first director of African Nova Scotian community engagement in September. Ms. Lewis, a Dalhousie alumna, has spent her career working to uplift voices of African Nova Scotian and BIPOC communities, working in human rights law and collaborating with NGOs, universities and governments as a non-practicing lawyer. As director, she will play a lead role in implementing the university’s African Nova Scotian Strategy and support the success of African Nova Scotian students, staff and faculty.

The University of Guelph has named Brett Shepherd the new director of its Ridgetown campus. Mr. Shepherd comes to the University of Guelph from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) southwest region where he served as director of operations. Before this, he was director for intergovernmental affairs and strategic relationships and manager of strategic research at WSIB’s Toronto office. Mr. Shepherd begins his new role on Nov. 16.

Lorraine Grondin has taken on an acting position as university registrar at the University of Windsor. She was previously associate registrar, system and records, and will hold the interim position for approximately one year. In the new role, she will be responsible for student registration, degree audit, credit transfer, transcript fulfillment and course and exam scheduling.

Algoma University has selected Mary Wabano-McKay to fill the new position of Nyaagaaniid, student success and Anishinaabe initiatives. The newly created role, which sits as a vice-president on the university’s senior executive team, takes its name from the Ojibwe verb niigaanii, meaning “to lead.” Ms. Wabano-McKay will begin working at Algoma on Jan. 11, 2021 and will focus on student success, cross-cultural learning and teaching, the legacy of the Shingwauk site and enhancing relationships with the community. Currently, Ms. Wabano-McKay serves at Canadore College as director of academic leadership and business development.

Carman Neustaedter has been named dean of the faculty of communication, art and technology at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Neustaedter, a professor and director for SFU’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology, first joined the university as an assistant professor in 2010. His research in in the field of human-computer interaction focuses on social culture, user behaviours, group collaboration and mobile technology design. Before coming to SFU, Dr. Neustaedter was a research scientist at Kodak Research Labs. He begins his new role as dean on Dec. 1.

Brock University announced associate professor Robyn Bourgeois has accepted an interim appointment as acting vice-provost, Indigenous engagement. She will remain in the position until Aug. 31, 2022. Dr. Bourgeois teaches in the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies in Brock’s faculty of social sciences and focuses her research on Indigenous feminisms, violence against Indigenous women and girls and Indigenous women’s political activism and leadership. She received Brock’s 2019 Chancellor’s Chair for Teaching Excellence, the Faculty of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Accessibility and Inclusion Recognition Award.

Vincent Georgie has been appointed to the position of acting associate vice-president, external, at the University of Windsor, effective Nov. 1 for a two-year period. In this role, Dr. Georgie, who most recently served as director of the School of Creative Arts and a member of the marketing faculty in the Odette School of Business, will oversee the departments of alumni and donor communications, advancement, and public affairs and communications. He joined the university in 2009 and is currently serving on both its board of governors and the university senate.

St. Paul’s University at the University of Waterloo announced the appointment of Michaëlle Jean, Canada’s 27^th governor general, as chancellor, for a three-year term effective immediately. Ms. Jean, who was born in Haiti and sought refuge in Canada with her family at age 11, was appointed governor general in 2005 after a career as a journalist and helping establish shelters for women and children fleeing from violence. She was named the UNESCO special envoy for Haiti to support the reconstruction efforts after a devastating earthquake in the country in 2010. In 2014, she was the first woman elected to head the International Organization of La Francophonie.