We are pleased to announce that the Governing Council has approved the appointment of Ms. Sheree Drummond as Secretary of the Governing Council, effective March 1, 2016. This past fall, an Advisory Committee was established and undertook a comprehensive search for a new Secretary. The Committee invited members of the University of Toronto community to participate in the search process by offering their thoughts on the role and the selection criteria for the next Secretary, and also solicited direct feedback from a range of senior academic administrators. In December, a Call for Nominations for potential candidates and the position advertisement were circulated to the community. The Committee undertook an extensive national search that concluded in the unanimous agreement of the Committee that Ms. Sheree Drummond was the successful candidate.

Many of you will have worked with Sheree during the past three and a half years in her role of Deputy Secretary, and previously during her nine years as Assistant Provost. In all of her roles, she has earned a reputation for her understanding and appreciation of the complexities of our University and the system of which it is a part. Sheree is also known for her profound respect for, and commitment to, our University’s values and goals and her collegial approach to working with multiple offices, both centrally and across the academic divisions. From the perspective of the Governing Council and its Secretariat, these qualities have been consistently present in the many regular interactions in which Sheree is involved. With her breadth and depth of experience in university administration and her in-depth knowledge of the University of Toronto’s governance model, Sheree is uniquely prepared to fulfill the role of Secretary of the Governing Council – a conclusion the search committee reached following an open, national search.

Prior to joining the University of Toronto in 2003, Sheree served in the central administration at the University of Alberta (U of A) as the Government Relations Associate in the Office of the Vice-President (External Relations) and before that as Director of Campus Ministry and Student Services at St. Joseph’s College at the U of A. For three years, she was also a Senator in U of A’s Senate. A proud alumna of U of T’s then Scarborough College, Sheree holds a BA in Political Science and in French Language & Literature, as well as Master’s degrees in Political Science from Dalhousie University and in Divinity from Newman Theological College in Edmonton.

Please join us in congratulating Ms. Sheree Drummond on her appointment.