Niagara College taking steps to expand diversity on board of governors
Ten of 18 governors, including chair and vice-chair, now women
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Since the fall of 2019, 10 new members have joined the Niagara College board of governors.
Of those 10, six have been women.
With the announcement last month by Niagara College of the addition of four new governors — two women — as well as a new chair and vice-chair for the 2021-22 academic year, currently 10 of the 18 board members are women.
In terms of gender equality, the college has made a concerted effort to have those representing the college reflect the student body and local community.
The next step is cultural diversity.
Michael Wales, college communications manager, said the focus of diversity and inclusion is “an important priority” for the college, and is a concern shared by the board.
“At a meeting last spring, the board’s new member search committee identified cultural diversity as an important consideration in identifying prospective governors, with a goal of ensuring the board reflects the stakeholders it serves,” said Wales.
“This year the board specifically prioritized identifying a candidate with an Indigenous background, and Lora Tisi was among the new governors who joined the board this fall.”
Tisi, a Niagara College alumna and an international retailer with more than 30 years of experience, in a press release said she is “currently exploring her mixed-race Six Nations Indigenous ancestry, creating change, hope, unity and self-determination for Indigenous People.”
Tisi is joined for the 2021-22 academic semester by Andrew Harber, chief executive officer of Abatement Technologies; Becky Sciliberto (support staff representative), a graduate of the college’s business accounting program; and Kevin Smith, chief of Niagara Emergency Medical Services.
Elected as board chair was Wendy Wing, who has served on the board since 2016. Caroline Mann, who joined the board in 2017, was elected as vice-chair.
Among the board’s duties this year is approval of a multi-year strategic plan for the college, including a large focus on diversity and inclusion.
“The majority of our board is made up of accomplished women who are business and community leaders — including the chair and vice-chair,” said Wales. “We’ve also been fortunate to welcome governors who bring Indigenous and Black perspectives to the board (since 2019).”
The governors selection process is a combination of both chosen and elected individuals, with turnover each year typically between three to five members.
Eight members are appointed by the board itself based on recommendations from the new member search committee. The committee identifies individuals who represent industry sectors that align with Niagara College’s key program areas. They also look for individuals who bring specifics areas of expertise.
Four members are appointed by the province and four internal governors are elected by their peers in faculty, support staff, administration and student groups.
Sam Jemison, Niagara College student administrative council president, said from what she has seen at school, and the conversations she has been a part of, Niagara College is productively pushing diversity and inclusion throughout the school.
But, because of the specific selection process and turnover every few years, the board is always just a “snapshot in time.”
“(It) is better captured by seeing where they are pushing diversity, as the work they do now is what will set the foundation for the future. I am under the impression that a diverse background, with diverse perspectives, is an important quality in new candidates they elect” she said.
As a representation of the student body, Jemison said people want to see the board have “persons they can relate to in positions of power” and she hopes Indigenous students “find comfort and safety” in having Tisi on the board to represent their interests.
“I think it is only a natural progression that (diversity and inclusion) is and will be reflected in the board.”
Saleh Waziruddin, a member of the executive committee of the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, said while he does not have knowledge specific to the college’s board recruitment process, he can speak to the general issue of diversity on boards — which he said represent the student body as well as the community — and issues around recruitment and selection.
“There’s barriers in getting interest from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) applicants, but there’s also barriers in getting BIPOC applicants who are qualified to be selected. So I think that’s where there is, in general, more work that needs to be done,” Waziruddin said.
Over time, as racism is addressed in society, Waziruddin said maybe that will remove some of the barriers, but organizations themselves need to identify the impediments within their own processes.
That has to be done by being targeted and intentional, because issues of diversity will not be solved spontaneously, he said.
For example, there can be some difficulty in “successfully recruiting BIPOC people” because there can be a lack of awareness and something they don’t understand the importance of the job, said Waziruddin.
It can also be an issue, once an applicant is ready to take the next step, in understanding how to put their “best foot forward” and make themselves stand out.
“They may still have good qualifications and maybe they need help in finding (out) how to show those qualifications on their resume or the applications,” he said.
“Somebody else who has the advantages of having a great job and having had many formal accomplishments, they might not need the help. But people who don’t come from that background, they may just need a little help in the details.”
