Helen Connell to lead Western's Board of Governors

London, ON. - Local community leader Helen Connell will oversee her first meeting as Chair of the Board of Governors of The University of Western Ontario this Thursday (Jan. 26). Connell, Executive Director of the United Way of London and Middlesex, and the former editor of the London Free Press, has been elected to chair the Board until December 31, 2006. Connell received her MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business in 1996 and served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors this past year. Connell takes over from Don McDougall who served as Chair January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2005. "I'm honoured to chair the Board of Governors at Western," says Connell. "The Board is made up of a group of individuals who are highly committed to ensuring a strong and prosperous future for the University. Right now, there is a renewed commitment to post-secondary education at both the provincial and federal level and it is a time of optimism. In the year ahead, we will work together and strategize how best to build on this new momentum." "Our new Board Chair has long been an active member of the Western family," says Paul Davenport, Western's President. "As a graduate of the University, a community leader and a Londoner, Helen has a deep understanding of Western, our goal to provide the best student experience at a research-intensive University, our desire to work closely with the community, and the role that post-secondary education and research play in the future health and prosperity of the country." Hank Vander Laan, the founder of Trojan Technologies and a well-known businessman of national and international stature, has been elected as Vice-Chair. Vander Laan, an alumnus of The University of Western Ontario joined Western's Board of Governors in 2002. He remains engaged as a Senior Advisor to Trojan and is also involved in other leadership roles in industry and the broader community. For more information please contact Ruta Pocius, Communications & Public Affairs at 519-661-2111 ext. 85468.