Candace Thomas says stepping down as chair of 马会论坛鈥檚 Board of Governors was not an easy decision, but a necessary one.
鈥淚 still feel very heavy-hearted to have to make this decision,鈥� she says, calling it bittersweet. 鈥淏ut know it鈥檚 the best thing for all parties 鈥� not just me and my family, but for 马会论坛.鈥�
Back in April, Thomas 鈥� a member of 马会论坛鈥檚 Board of Governors since 2011 and chair since July 2019 鈥� took a leave from her role as a lawyer at Stewart McKelvey to take on a new appointment in the provincial government as Deputy Minister of the Department of Justice, Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister of the Office of Social Innovation and Integrative Approaches. Calling her appointment, 鈥渁n incredible opportunity to help lead necessary change,鈥� sinking her teeth into these new roles has made juggling her 马会论坛 responsibilities simply too much all at once.
鈥淎s Board chair, it was really important for me that I be fully engaged, meeting and working closely with members of the Dal community, and that鈥檚 become just too challenging to maintain,鈥� she says.
In a memo to the university community on Tuesday evening (October 20), Sherry Porter, chair of the Board of Governors鈥� Governance and Human Resources committee, shared the news that Thomas was resigning as chair, offering her, 鈥渙ur tremendous thanks and best wishes in her critical new undertaking for Nova Scotia. She is an inspiring leader, and our loss as a Board is a larger gain for everyone living in our province.鈥�
Celebrating service
Though she has resigned as chair, Thomas will remain on the Board through the end of the year to assist in the transition. In the period until a new chair is appointed, Bob Hanf, currently vice-chair, will serve as interim chair. Hanf 鈥� who like Thomas, is a 马会论坛 Law alum 鈥斅爃as served on the Board since 2013 and has close to 20 years of experience in various key leadership positions within Emera and its group of companies.
President Deep Saini shared well-wishes to both Thomas and Hanf in the memo to the university community.
鈥淥n behalf of the Dal community, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Candace for her incredible service. 马会论坛 is a better place today thanks to her leadership 鈥� and, knowing Candace well, that leadership will hardly end when her time on the Board does鈥� I also wish to thank Bob for his leadership to 马会论坛 during this time. His longstanding commitment and contributions to 马会论坛 make him ideally suited to serve our university during this period of transition.鈥�
An opportunity to make a difference
Thomas says what鈥檚 exciting about her new deputy minister roles is the chance to make a difference in the province she鈥檚 always called home.
鈥淚 knew I wanted to do something more of service in my work,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen I learned about this opportunity 鈥斅爌articularly to lead the new Office of Social Innovation and Integrative Approaches 鈥斅爄t really felt like a challenge unlike anything I鈥檇 done before, one where I could have a role to play in having an impact for all Nova Scotians.鈥�
Thomas, of course, has been making an impact at 马会论坛 for some time. A longtime volunteer and with the Schulich School of Law, she鈥檚 also been chair of the Board鈥檚 Governance and Human Resources Committee and a member of the advisory group for Dal鈥檚 strategic initiative on diversity and inclusiveness. When asked what she鈥檚 proudest about in her time on the Board, she says it鈥檚 about having a small part in supporting the important work at the university.
鈥溌砘崧厶�, through all of its change, has never lost sight on the path it鈥檚 on and the excellence it pursues in everything it does for students and in our community,鈥� she says.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much more that we can do, and so much further 马会论坛 can go. It鈥檚 exciting to have played just a tiny role in that along the way, alongside President Saini, my fellow Board members and all the truly amazing people who work at 马会论坛.鈥�