Presidential Search Committee Membership [PDF]
Memorandum to:
University of Toronto community
From:
Anna Kennedy
Chair of the Governing Council
Date: May 17, 2024
Re: Presidential Search Committee Membership
At its meeting yesterday, the Governing Council approved the membership of the Presidential Search Committee pursuant to the Policy Respecting the Appointment of a President (1999).
The recommended membership respects the Policy in striving for broad representation that reflects the organizational complexity and diversity of the University of Toronto, as well as a wide range of experience, skills and expertise. Consistent with the General Guidelines and Principles for Selection of a Presidential Search Committee (‘the Guidelines’) the primary consideration was excellence. As indicated in the Guidelines it is essential that the individuals comprising the Search Committee reflect the finest members of the University’s broad community. In addition, the members each bring to the Committee the experience and profile characteristics sought for their respective group.
Building on this excellence and representation, each member’s duty is to consider the best interests of the University as a whole. In this context, the Committee will undertake an inclusive and comprehensive consultation process, ensuring that all constituencies have an opportunity to share their views.
Candidate Pool
The list of nominations received along with the proposed membership of the Search Committee were shared with the members of the Executive Committee at its meeting on May 7. We were very pleased with the response to the call for nominations, receiving numerous strong and experienced candidates for positions on the Committee.
In the discussion, members were advised that all potential candidates were assessed relative to the general selection guidelines outlined in the call for nominations, as well as the Guidelines and the Charter of Expectations of the Presidential Search Committee.
Members provided advice and comment on the potential Search Committee membership. As required by the Policy, those members of the Executive Committee who were being considered for membership on the Search Committee were replaced by other members of their constituency for the discussion.
Committee Membership
The composition of the Search Committee is as follows.
Chair
Ms Anna Kennedy
Administrative Staff
Ms Mary Lyne
Alumni
Mr. Corwin Cambray
Ms Candice Jay
Ms Claire Kennedy
Lieutenant Governor-in-Council
Ms Sandra Hanington
Mr. Rajiv Mathur
Students: Full-time Undergraduate
Mr. Firdaus Sadid
Students: Part-time Undergraduate
Ms Susan Froom
Students: Graduate
Ms Annabelle Dravid
Teaching Staff
Professor Brenda Andrews
Professor Pamela Klassen
Professor Mark Lautens
Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah
Professor Arthur Ripstein
Of the proposed membership, in addition to me, Ms Hanington, Mr. Mathur, Mr. Sadid, Ms Dravid and Professor Lautens are current members of the Governing Council.
The Secretary of the Governing Council, Ms Sheree Drummond, will serve as Secretary to the Committee.
Summary descriptions of each Committee member are below.
Consultants
Following a formal Request for Proposals and a rigorous selectin process, we have engaged the firm of Perrett Laver to assist the Search Committee in its work. The Perret Laver team will be led by Gordon Lobay, Regional Managing Partner – Americas. Perret Laver is a top 3 global search firm focused on ‘mission-driven’ sectors and themes, including the higher education sector. The firm has been active in Canada since 2013 leading searches for numerous senior academic and administrative positions in a range of post-secondary institutions. Dr. Lobay has led eighteen university President searches including fourteen in Canada, eight of which are U15 Presidents.
Further to the Charter of Expectations, the search consultants will serve as advisors and provide support to the Search Committee, but will not diffuse the responsibility and accountability of the Committee members. Their role is to provide objective advice, professional expertise and support to the Committee. They will also be actively involved in the consultation process that will form a critical part of the search process.
Next Steps
The Search Committee will begin its work immediately. The focus of the first stage of the process is broad consultations to inform the development of the position specification. In June there will be an invitation for submissions on a position specification and role profile for the next President. The consultation stage will continue into the Fall. Once the Committee has compiled and synthesized the input it receives, there will be a formal call for nominations for the position of President.
In closing, I would like to thank all those who took the time to submit nominations and the nominees themselves for their generous offer of their time and expertise. I would also like to thank the members of the Executive Committee for their input in the process of the Committee selection. Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Presidential Search Committee for agreeing to serve. Being a member of the Committee entails enormous responsibility and accountability. I deeply appreciate your commitment to the University of Toronto
Please visit the Search website for more information - https://governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/secretariat/presidential-search.
Questions or comments may be directed to presidentialsearch@utoronto.ca.
Presidential Search Committee 2024-25
Membership
Administrative Staff
Ms Mary Lyne is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Faculty of Arts and Science. She previously served as the CAO of the Rotman School of Management and prior to that of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. Prior to joining the University of Toronto she was the Administrative Director of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ambulatory Clinics & Centre for Fertility & Reproductive Health at Mount Sina Hospital. She is an alumna of the University of Toronto (BSc). Ms Lyne has extensive experience serving on a wide range of divisional and institutional advisory bodies and committees. As a highly engaged senior administrative leader, Ms Lyne is well-known and widely respected within the University community. She will bring to the Search Committee a comprehensive understanding of the critical functions and decisions that drive the educational, research and stakeholder missions of the University.
Alumni
Mr. Corwin Cambray is the Director (Acting), Strategic Initiatives, Policy & Analysis in the City of Toronto’s City Planning Division. A graduate of Queen’s University (Bachelor of Arts Honours – Urban Economic Geography), he also holds a Master of Science in Planning from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Public Administration – Honours from the University of Western Ontario. He is the current President of the University of Toronto Alunni Association (UTAA) and has served on the Board of Directors for the past seven years and has volunteered with the University for more than twenty years. His service to the University includes serving on the College of Electors, including as its Chair, and was involved in the re-election of Chancellor David Peterson and of Chancellor Rose Patten, and the election of Chancellor Michael Wilson. Mr. Cambray will bring to the Search Committee an understanding of the organizational complexity of the University, particularly its alumni community.
Ms Candice Jay is a graduate of the University of Toronto Mississsauga with an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Culture & Information Technology (CCIT) and Professional Writing and Communication (PWC). She is a Partner & Wealth Advisor at CC&L Private Capital Ltd. Ms Jay has extensive volunteer experience at the University including currently serving as the Chair of the College of Electors (an in this capacity chaired the recent Chancellor Search Committee). She is the President-Elect of the UTAA and will begin her Presidency in 2025. Her volunteer experience more broadly includes serving as a Board Member for the UHN Foundation – UHN Impact Collective, the UHN Foundation Estate Giving Committee and previously serving on the Toronto Chinese Business Association. She actively volunteers on a number of investment committees in non-profit organizations. In addition to her understanding of the alumni community, Ms Jay will bring a tri-campus perspective to the Search Committee.
Ms Claire Kennedy is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, with a Bachelor of Applied Science and Engineering in Chemical Engineering, and also holds an LL.B from Queen’s University. She also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws in 2023 from the University of Toronto. Ms Kennedy, a highly successful engineer, lawyer and professional corporate director, is Senior Advisor Clients & Industries/Partner at Bennett Jones LLP. She has an extensive track record of experience and service at the University. She served nine years as a Lieutenant Governor in Council member of the Governing Council, and as Chair for four of those years. She is currently the Co-Chair of the Defy Gravity Campaign and also sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board at Rotman. She has also served on the Engineering Alunni Association Executive and the Chemical Engineering Advisory Board. She has deep roots in a number of organizations in the volunteer sector, as well as extensive experience as a corporate director, including for the Bank of Canada where she currently serves as Lead Director. She will bring to the Search Committee a depth of experience and perspective on the complex structure and operations of the University, informed by her extensive volunteer and governance experience both at the University and more broadly.
LGIC Appointees to the Governing Council
Ms Sandra Hanington is the former President & Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Canadian Mint and prior to that she had extensive experience in the financial services sector. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. She is in the first year of her second three-year term as a governor, and her first year as Vice-Chair of the Governing Council. She previously served as the Chair of the Business Board. Ms Hanington will bring to the Committee a solid knowledge of the University as well as a broad range of expertise on financial, capital and operational matters relevant to the University.
Mr. Rajiv Mathur is an Advisory Partner and counsel with Henderson Partners LLP and was a Senior Partner with Deloitte-Canada. He is currently a member of ICICI Bank Canada’s Board of Directors and the Bank’s Audit, Conduct Review and Board Governance & Remuneration Committees. Mr. Mathur is in the first year of his second three-year term as a governor and currently serves as the Chair of the Business Board. Mr. Mathur holds a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi), an MBA from Queen’s University, and a certificate from the Wharton School’s CFO Strategic Partner Program. He is a CPA, CA, LPA, and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. Mr. Mathur will bring to the Search Committee an understanding of the financial and risk landscape of the University and the challenges and opportunities it faces.
Students - Full-time Undergraduate
Mr Firdaus Sadid recently completed his second year of his Honours Bachelor’s degree program and is majoring in Economics and Biochemistry. Mr. Sadid is currently serving as a full-time undergraduate student member on the Governing Council, President of the Arts and Science Students’ Union, and President of the Biochemistry Undergraduate Student Society. He is the Editor-In-Chief of the Arbor Journal and recently completed his term as the Vice-President of the University College Residence Council. In his first year at the University, he was a First-Year Representative on the University College Literary and Athletics Society and on the Biochemistry Undergraduate Student Society. A highly engaged student volunteer and leader, Mr. Sadid will bring a valuable undergraduate student perspective to the Search Committee.
Students - Part-time Undergraduate
Ms Susan Froom is in her academic fourth year as a part-time undergraduate student pursing a degree in Philosophy and Political Science in the Faculty of Arts and Science. She has a comprehensive track record as a deeply engaged part-time student serving the University in a variety of capacities. She was a part-time undergraduate student member of the Governing Council for nine years during which time she sat on a wide range of Boards and Committees. She also served on the Academic Appeals Committee, the Discipline Appeals Board and on two Judicial Boards. In addition to her service in governance, she has been involved with student government as an Executive and Board member of the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students, and has been active on a number of other University bodies including the Arts and Science Faculty Council, the Advisory Committee on the U of T Library System, the Council of Student Services, The Hart House Board of Stewards, the Council on Student Services, and the Community Liaison Committee. Ms Froom brings a deep and thorough understanding of how the University works and of the broader provincial landscape of higher education. She will bring a highly informed part-time student perspective to the Search Committee.
Students - Graduate
Ms Annabelle Dravid is a graduate of the University of Toronto Scarborough with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Policy and is a current Master of Public Policy student at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She previously served as a full-time undergraduate student governor on the Governing Council and is currently serving a one-year term as a graduate student governor. She has served on two Presidential Advisory Committees – on the appointment of the Vice-President and Provost and on the appointment of the Vice-President and Principal, UTSC. She is a current member of the Standing Committee on Recognition and Commemoration. Ms Dravid has been active in student life in a variety of ways, for example in leadership roles with the Global Development Initiative, as a Teaching Assistant for the UTSC Department of Political Science, and as a Program Facilitator for ArriveUTSC. Ms Dravid will bring a broadly-based graduate student perspective to the work of the Search Committee.
Teaching Staff
Professor Brenda Andrews, a geneticist, holds the prestigious rank of University Professor and is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Systems Genetics & Cell Biology. She was the inaugural Director of the Terence Donnelly Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and former Chair of the Banting & Best Department of Medical Research and former Chair, Department of Medical Genetics and Microbiology. She is a double graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and a Doctorate in Medical Biophysics. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada, an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology, and an International Member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). Professor Andrews will bring to the Search Committee a rich understanding and knowledge of the University’s research enterprise.
Professor Pamela Klassen is a Professor, Chair and Graduate Chair in the Department for the Study of Religion and is cross appointed to Anthropology. Her research traverses the study of religion, anthropology, history, and Indigenous studies. Professor Klassen previously served as the Vice-Dean, Undergraduate & International, Faculty of Arts & Science and as the Acting Director, Jackman Humanities Institute. She was the William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Harvard University and the Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Anthropology of Modern Religion at the Ludwig Uhland Institute of Historical and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Tübingen. She is also an Adjunct Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School. She has a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from McGill University, a Master of Arts, Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a PhD in Anthropology of Religion from Drew University. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and she has held awards and fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Fulbright Program, and other organizations. She was a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Principles to Guide Recognition and Commemoration. Professor Klassen will bring to the Search Committee a deep understanding of the organizational complexity and diversity of the University community, as well as valuable experience from other global universities.
Professor Mark Lautens, an organic chemist, holds the prestigious rank of University Professor and is the AstraZeneca Professor of Organic Synthesis. He is currently the Chair of the Department of Chemistry. He holds a Bachelor of Science and an Honorary Doctor of Science, from the University of Guelph and a PhD from the University Wisconsin-Madison. He was a Post Doctoral Fellow at Harvard University. Professor Lautens is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has held numerous Visiting Professorship and Lectureships at a number of global universities. Professor Lautens is also a public intellectual, publishing many articles in The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star on a wide variety of subjects. He is also in his second year of his final three-year term as a teaching staff member of the Governing Council. He has served on a range of governance bodies during his tenure, including the Executive Committee and the Planning & Budget Committee (of which he is currently Chair). Professor Lautens brings to the Search Committee a well-informed perspective on graduate education, the research enterprise and the federal granting councils.
Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto Mississauga and holds graduate appointments in the Department of Sociology, and at the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, within the Faculty of Arts and Science. He also holds Affiliate Scientist status at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Professor Owusu-Bempah is a double graduate of the University of Toronto with a Master’s degree in Criminology and a PhD in Criminology and Sociolegal Studies. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Carleton University. Before beginning his academic career, he held positions with Canada’s National Judicial Institute, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General. He is currently the Chair of the Massey College Governing Board. He has also served on a variety of University of Toronto committees, including on two Presidential Advisory Committees. He is among the most highly mentioned University faculty members in the media, with his interviews and op-ed columns appearing regularly in print, digital, and broadcast mediums, and syndicated to local and international outlets. Professor Owusu-Bempah brings a tri-campus perspective to the Search Committee along with an understanding of the complex and important relationships within the University of Toronto ecosystem.
Professor Arthur Ripstein is University Professor in the Faculty of Law and the Department of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Science. He holds the Howard Beck Q.C. Chair in Law. Professor Ripstein graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba, and holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh, and Master of Studies in Law from Yale Law School. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and was awarded the Killam Prize for Humanities. Professor Ripstein served an eight-year term as a teaching staff member on the Governing Council, and was a member of the Business Board and the Executive Committee. He has an extensive record of service to the University including serving as a member on the Special Joint Advisory Committee on the Memorandum of Agreement with the U of T Faculty Association, serving as Chair of the Working Group on Anti-Semitism, and as a long-serving member of the Committee for Honorary Degrees. Professor Ripstein brings to the Search Committee a rich knowledge of the complex workings of the University of Toronto and deep insights into what matters to the University’s success.
Chair
Ms Anna Kennedy was the Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer of KingSett Capital Inc., one of Canada’s leading real estate private equity firms from 2011 until her retirement in 2022. Prior to joining KingSett, Ms Kennedy enjoyed a twenty-five-year career at Oxford Properties Group where, during her last five years she was Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. Ms Kennedy is in the second year of her second three-year term as a governor, and her first year as Chair of the Governing Council. She previously served as the Chair of the Business Board. Currently she is a Board Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of the C.D. Howe Institute, Board Member of Jona Capital Inc. and Advisory Board Member of the KingSett Canadian Real Estate Income Fund. Ms Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Honours from Queen’s University and is an FCPA, FCA. She also holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.