The Board of Governors of York University announced the appointment of Julia Foster as the chair of the board, effective July 1, 2012.
Foster has been a member of the board since 2005 and is also chair, Dean’s Advisory Council, Faculty of Fine Arts at York. She chairs the National Arts Centre and is a former chair of the Ontario Arts Council and the Stratford Festival 
Board of Governors. She held senior administration positions at McCann Erickson Advertising of Canada, Environics Research Group, and was president and CEO, Olympic Trust of Canada. She also served as a director at Brascan Corporation and the Hospital for Sick Children.
Julia Foster
“York University is extremely fortunate to benefit from Julia’s strong leadership and breadth of expertise in effective governance,” says outgoing chair Paul Cantor. “Her contribution to York 
University and our students clearly demonstrates a commitment to excellence.”
York University’s Board of Governors also announced the appointment of new members:
William Hatanaka (left), BA, Advanced Management Program (Harvard), was appointed to the board in October 2011. Hatanaka was a member of the York University Foundation Board of Directors, and co-chaired a recent successful capital campaign. He is a director at both TD Ameritrade and the Canadian Centre for Diversity. Hatanaka, a former Canadian Football League player, has 
recently served as the group head for Global Wealth Management, TD Bank Financial Group (TDBFG) and chairman & CEO, TD Waterhouse Inc.
Armand P. La Barge (right),OOM, SBStJ, BA, BAS (Hons), MA, LLD(Hons),was appointed to the board in October 2011. La Barge was chief of police, York Region 2002 to 2010. LaBarge served as president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and member of the First Nations Chiefs of Police Association. He is vice-chair of the St. John Council (Ontario) and a former chair of Special Olympics Ontario. He is currently completing his PhD in Aboriginal studies.
John S. Hunkin (left),BA, MBA, LLD, began a new term with the Board in February, following a previous term from 1994 to 2004. Hunkin is the former chair, president and CEO of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. He chairs the Dean’s Advisory Council, Schulich School of Business. He serves on the boards of the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation, the Li Ka Shing (Canada) Foundation and Enablis.
Aidan Flatley (right), BA (York), is appointed to the Board effective July 1, 2012. Flatley is president and CEO of Kenaidan Group Limited. He received a BA (economics) in 1978. He was a member of the York University Foundation Board and served on various committees such as the Campaign Executive Group – Power of 50 (2007-2010). He is founder of the Honour Court. In 2006, he received the Bruce Bryden Alumni Recognition Award, Outstanding Contribution.
Professor Martin Lockshin (left) is the Senate nominee to the board, effective July 1, 2012. Lockshin has taught humanities and Hebrew at York University since 1978. He received his PhD in near eastern and Judaic studies from Brandeis University. He is a longstanding member of Senate, and has been a member and chair of several Senate committees over the years, including Academic Standards, Curriculum & Pedagogy and Tenure & Promotions. He has also been the director of the Centre for Jewish Studies ORU. He is the incoming chair of the Department of Humanities, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.
Emile Wickham is the student nominee to the board, effective July 1, 2012. Wickham is finishing the first year of an honours bachelor of arts in sociology program. He is the current chair of the Trinidad and Tobago Student Association at York. He participated in Leadershape 2011, an intensive six-day program hosted by the Leadership Institute, where participants learn and put into practice leadership skills and 
values based on integrity.
Debbie Jamieson (right) is the non-academic nominee to the board, effective July 1, 2012. Jamieson has been a member of the York community for over 37 years, and has had the distinction of being a member of the Board of Governors since 2004. Jamieson is a program assistant in the Graduate Program in Human Resource Management, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, where she works closely with members of the York community.
With these changes, Paul Cantor (left) officially ends his term as chair of the Board of Governors.
“We thank Paul for his exceptional leadership as chair of the Board for the last three years,” says President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “His outstanding energy, insights and commitment have been invaluable not only to York, but to me personally, as we prepare students to contribute to and thrive in the world.”