About

Board of Governors

St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School is a school for girls, founded by women beginning in 1891.

The school has grown and evolved to be a leader in girls’ education. Our Board of Governors is charged with the ultimate decision-making responsibility for the school, ensuring the school's sustainability for current and future generations of Millies. 

Responsible for oversight of the School, the Board establishes strategic direction for the school with the assistance of the Head of School and Senior Leadership Team. Great schools rely on skilled leadership, and our governors are recruited for their skills, expertise, alignment to the mission and vision of the school, and their commitment to the values and essence of SMLS. This includes expertise in finance, law, accounting, real estate, entrepreneurship, technology, science and governance. Board members are committed volunteers, drawn from current and past parents, alumnae, the Community of the Sisters of the Church, and friends of the school. 

Frequently Asked Questions

List of 6 frequently asked questions.

  • What is the role of the Board?

    The Board of Governors is the ultimate decision-making body of the school. Governance, long-term sustainability, oversight of the development and implementation of the school’s strategic plan, as well as the stewardship of the mission, vision and values of the school, rest with the Board of Governors. 

    The Board of Governors is a governance board not an operational board. As such, the Board’s function is to oversee and ensure that action is being taken in the long term interests of the School and to function at arm’s length from the school’s senior administration. 
  • Who sits on the Board?

    The Board is a skills-based board. The Board is comprised of parents, alumnae, the Bishop of Niagara, Sisters of the Community of the Sisters of the Church and friends of the school. 

    Members of the Board are generally appointed at an annual meeting in September for a two or three year term, though a Governor could be appointed during the year should a vacancy arise. 

    The Governance Committee to the Board of Governors is responsible for assessing the needs of the Board going forward, including identifying gaps in knowledge or experience relevant to the function of the Board. The Governance Committee considers the skills and expertise needed and makes recommendations to the Board regarding candidate appointments. 
  • How does the Board function?

    The Board meets throughout the school year for formal board meetings (or more frequently as required) and generally meets for a Board and Senior Leadership Team retreat annually. Meeting topics are set by the Chair of the Board taking into account strategic and operational timing and needs.
     
    The Board has several committees established to oversee important areas and make recommendations to the Board. The Board establishes ad hoc committees based on future work and the strategic plan considerations. The committees generally include both members of the Board of Governors and members of the SMLS community at large.
     
    Currently the Board has appointed the following committees:
    • Finance and Audit
    • Strategy and Facilities
    • Risk
    • Advancement
    • Governance
    • Head Evaluation
    In addition to Board members, committees may include appointed advisors who have relevant skills to make a contribution to the work of the applicable committee. Committees work with members of the Senior Leadership Team to advance the priorities of the committee.
  • Are there other ways to get involved with the Board?

    Yes! In addition to members of the Board of Governors, SMLS has several advisors to Board committees. Advisors to a Board committee are not members of the Board of Governors, but have specific skills needed for the relevant Board committee and are appointed for one-year terms by the Board of Governors. Advisors participate in recommendations to be made by a Board committee to the Board of Governors on strategic matters.  Board appointments and advisor appointments are made taking into account the skills needs of the Board or Committee and the relevant skills and experience of individual candidates. 
  • What are the expectations of a Board member and Advisor?

    Board members are subject to certain statutory duties owed to SMLS. In addition, Board members and advisors are required to comply with policies adopted by the Board, including a Code of Conduct,

    Confidentiality Policy and Conflict of Interest Policy. Board members are expected to be involved in the work of one or more committees and to effectively contribute to the work of the Board. The Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), which provides accreditation to SMLS, has established indicators of effective practice and guidelines for Boards to comply with. 
  • How can I apply to be on the Board or to be an Advisor to a Board Committee?

    Interested members of the community who wish to be considered by the Governance Committee are encouraged to complete the Confidential Board Profile and to submit both the profile and a resume or C.V. by email to Noreen Luk, Executive Assistant to the Board of Governors, at nluk@smls.on.ca.

Meet our Board of Governors

List of 15 items.

  • Victoria Hughes '01

    Chair Of The Board Of Governors

    Victoria Hughes ’01 is Managing Partner of Blue Egg Capital, a privately-held real estate investment and management group.
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  • James Ash

    James currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer and heads the Pension Investment Management division at CIBC. In addition, he oversees the bank's Analytics and Quantitative functions within its Treasury group.
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  • Bishop Susan Bell

    Bishop Susan Bell succeeded Bishop Michael Bird as diocesan bishop on June 1, 2018 becoming the 12th Bishop of Niagara and the first woman to serve in this role.
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  • Sister Heather Broadwell

    Sr. Heather Broadwell was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario and graduated from Queen's University, Kingston with a Bachelor's degree in Nursing Science.
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  • James Brown

    James is a Partner in the Corporate practice at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He focuses on capital markets and M&A, acting for issuers and underwriters across a number of industries in a wide variety of transactions.
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  • Ian Gallagher

    Ian Gallagher has over 20 years of experience in the IT mining industry. Since 2013, Ian has held the position of Head of IT for Glencore Canada Corporation in Toronto, Glencore is a Global mining and commodity trading company.
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  • Sister Margaret Hayward

    Sister Margaret is a member of the Community of the Sisters of the Church, the founding Community of St. Mildred's College in Toronto. She has been a member of CSC since 1993 and has served on the SMLS Board of Governors several times over the years.
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  • Adil Khalfan

    Adil Khalfan joined Kensington Health as President and CEO in February, 2023. Adil has a vast background in nursing, public health, international development, and health system strategy in Canada and internationally.
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  • Meredith Krishnasamy

    Meredith is currently Senior Vice President of Delivery and Operations at TD Bank, responsible for project governance and delivery across TD and the strategy and business management of the Platforms and Technology business.
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  • Leah Coutinho Mauer ‘00

    Leah Coutinho Mauer ‘00 is General Manager of Multi-Blend Ltd, a manufacturing business in Mississauga. A proud Alumnae of SMLS, Leah participated for many years on the Alumnae Executive and now is a parent in the community with a daughter in middle school.
     
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  • Lisa Mathews

    Lisa Mathews is a lawyer with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. She has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada. Before her call to the bar, Lisa articled as a clerk to the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto.
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  • Jennifer Rafauli

    Jennifer is a lawyer, talent management leader and executive coach with 20 years of experience in both the legal and finance industries. She is currently the Partnership Development Leader at WeirFoulds LLP where she works with partners to grow their legal practices and build leadership capability.
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  • Harpreet Roopra

    Harpreet Roopra is the Assistant Vice-President, Reporting and Corporate Tax Policy at the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association.
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  • Lauren Tribe '87

    Lauren Tribe '87 is an Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and a Teaching Fellow at The University of Western Ontario. Prior to her appointment as a Teaching Fellow, Lauren was Assistant Dean, First Year Studies, at Western Engineering.
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  • Ijeoma Ugwunze

    Ijeoma is the Lead Finance Business Partner for Deloitte Canada Consulting and Operate. Ijeoma joined Deloitte Canada in 2016 after moving from the UK with her family where she held various finance positions within the Investment banking Industry.
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