Senior administration team
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Jim Butler, Vice-President: Finance and Administration The vice-president: finance and administration is responsible for finance, human resources, physical resources, safety and security, and a number of ancillary services. Jim joined Laurier in August 2002 after a 14-year career in university administration at the University of Windsor. He has taught courses in human-resources management, compensation management, pension management, and business policy and strategy for the Faculty of Business Administration at Windsor. He holds an Honours degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Saskatchewan, and a Certified Human Resources Professional designation from Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario. Jim currently serves as chair of the Council of Senior Administrative Officers of Ontario, which is part of the Ontario Council of Universities (COU). He also represents COU on the board of the Education Safety Association of Ontario, which includes Environmental Health & Safety among its responsibilities. |
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Dr. Lesley Cooper, Acting Principal/Vice-President: Laurier Brantford As acting principal/vice-president: Laurier Brantford, Lesley is responsible for all aspects of Laurier's fast-growing campus in the City of Brantford in southwestern Ontario. Previously, Lesley was dean of Laurier's Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work. Prior to joining Laurier, she was head of the School of Social Administration and Social Work at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, and director of the Australian Centre for Community Services Research. Lesley will serve as acting principal/vice-president until July 2013. |
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Robert Donelson, Vice-President: Development and Alumni Relations As vice-president: development and alumni relations, Robert leads a new philanthropic vision and alumni-engagement strategy for Laurier as the university prepares for its 100th anniversary. He has more than 25 years of executive experience in fundraising and advancement, most recently as president of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation in Hamilton. He previously served as executive director of St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation in Kitchener. He also played senior roles in development and alumni affairs at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo. Robert has led multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns for St. Joseph’s Healthcare and St. Mary’s General Hospital. At St. Joseph’s, he helped set a new record for annual donations to the foundation, including the largest personal and corporate donations ever in the organization’s history. At St. Mary’s, he played a lead role in the One Voice, One Vision campaign that has raised $43 million for hospitals in Waterloo Region. Robert has extensive experience working with boards, volunteers and community groups. |
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Dr. Deborah MacLatchy, Vice-President: Academic and Provost The vice-president: academic and provost is the academic leader of the university, working closely with the president, vice-presidents, deans and faculty to develop academic programming and to advance the university’s strategic plans. Deborah, a distinguished zoologist with extensive experience in research, teaching and administration, served as dean of Laurier’s Faculty of Science from 2007 to 2009. She contributed to many initiatives, including the establishment of a BSc in Health Sciences and the launch of Laurier Institute for Water Science. Prior to Laurier, Deborah worked for 13 years at the University of New Brunswick, where she served in several senior roles, including dean of science, applied science and engineering, and as director of the university’s international office. Deborah holds an honours BSc from Acadia University and a PhD in zoology from the University of Manitoba. She has authored or co-authored numerous articles and publications, and has secured research funding from many agencies, including NSERC, Environment Canada and CIDA. She has also served on a number of professional organizations, including a term as president of the Canadian Society of Zoologists. |
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Dr. Abby Goodrum, Vice-President: Research The vice-president: research leads Laurier’s Office of Research Services, providing vision, strategy and support for Laurier’s overall research endeavors, raising the profile of research at Laurier, and through the Office of Research Services, assists faculty in obtaining the necessary resources to support their research and scholarship. Goodrum held the Velma Rogers Graham Research Chair in News, Media and Technology at Ryerson University, where she also served as Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Communication & Design. Goodrum is also the Director for Social Science and Humanities Research in the nationwide network of centres of excellence in Graphics, Animation and New Media (GRAND), and is a Senior Research Fellow at the Knowledge Media Design Institute based at the University of Toronto. Goodrum holds degrees in Radio, TV and Film, and Library and Information Science from the University of Texas, and a PhD in Information Science from the University of North Texas. The author of numerous publications, Goodrum began her academic career at Drexel University before moving to Syracuse University, and spent a sabbatical at the University of Waterloo as a visiting research professor in the Canadian Centre of Arts and Technology. She joined Ryerson in 2004. |
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David McMurray, Vice-President: Student Affairs With a focus on the quality of student life and an exceptional Laurier student experience, the vice-president: student affairs is accountable for the development and delivery of all student-life policies, programs, services and facilities on all Laurier campuses. He plays a lead role in Laurier’s innovative strategy to integrate its academic/curricular agenda with the co-curricular elements of student learning, development and engagement. Direct responsibilities include: accessible learning, athletics and recreation, community service learning, chaplains and multi-faith team, conference services, co-operative education and career development, counselling services, food services, health services, judicial affairs council, Laurier One Card program, learning services, Rainbow Centre, residential services, student diversity support, Student Leadership Centre and the Women’s Centre. David McMurray, whose undergraduate and graduate academic background is in kinesiology, has been an active member of the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services for more than 30 years, serving as the association’s president from 2000-02. In 2004, he received the association’s highest recognition, the Award of Honour, which recognizes outstanding achievement, contribution and delivery of student services in Canada. He has also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for excellence in higher education, administration and student services. |
