Senior experienced leaders assume roles of chair and vice-chair of Durham College Board of Governors

Oshawa, ON  The Durham College (DC) Board of Governors (BOG) is pleased to announce Michele James as the new board chair and Kristi Honey as vice-chair, respectively, effective Monday, July 1, 2020.  The appointments are for a one-year term.

As chair for the BOG, Michele brings over 30 years of leadership in the health care sector to the role. Currently the vice-president of People and Transformation at Scarborough Health Network, Ontario’s third largest community hospital. Michele’s diverse portfolio includes oversight of the human resources function for the organization’s 5,200 employees. Michele also spent several years in the private sector at IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Michele is a life-long volunteer and has been involved in a number of community organizations.  She is a strong advocate for inclusion and is currently the volunteer chair of the Advisory Committee for the Black Physicians Association of Ontario. Michele has been selected as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women for 2020.

As vice-chair for the BOG, Kristi brings over 20 years of private and public executive leadership experience to the role. Currently the chief administrative officer for the Township of Uxbridge, she is also a DC graduate and Alumni of Distinction recipient for her success as an entrepreneur. An active volunteer in the community, Kristi is a champion of human rights and environmentalist causes having been recognized for her efforts by Women of Influence in their Global Series as one of Canada’s leading women driving equality, diversity, and inclusion nationally and internationally.

Michele and Kristi have both served on the Board of DC for four years.

The BOG is responsible for the governance of DC. It is accountable to the students, employees and communities the college serves, making sure that it is effectively and appropriately managed to achieve its established mandate and to provide needed services.

As chair, Michele will be responsible for ensuring the board meets its responsibilities and established mandate through leadership, openness and transparency. To learn more about the roles of chair and vice-chair of the board, read the Board policy.

About Durham College

At Durham College (DC), the student experience comes first. With campuses in Oshawa and Whitby and a learning site in Pickering, the college offers more than 13,600 full-time post-secondary and apprenticeship students access to more than 140 full-time and eight apprenticeship programs in a number of different disciplines, enabling them to develop the skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market. The college has also launched its first four-year degree program, the Honours Bachelor of Health Care Technology Management, in September 2018.

The Oshawa campus features the state-of-the art Student Services building and the Centre for Collaborative Education, a legacy project tied to DC’s 50th anniversary in 2017. The newly-opened facility brings together local, Indigenous and global communities, providing a new home for several of the college’s most innovative and ground-breaking programs.

The Whitby campus features the award-winning W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, which includes Bistro ’67, a full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a retail store featuring food prepared by students in the college’s culinary programs.

For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000.

Media contact:

Meghan Ney

Communications and Marketing

416-648-5453 (cell)
meghan.ney@durhamcollege.ca