Rhonda Lenton biography

Rhonda Lenton, president, York University.

Universities Canada board director

Rhonda Lenton became York University’s eighth president and vice-chancellor on July 1, 2017.

Dr. Lenton is a director on the board of Universities Canada.

She joined York University in 2002 as dean of the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, where she oversaw substantial enrolment and program diversification, as well as expanded experiential education and community-based learning. She went on to serve as York’s inaugural vice-provost academic from 2009 to 2012, and then as the university’s vice-president academic & provost from 2012 until April 2017.

A dedicated proponent of community engagement and innovative partnerships, Dr. Lenton played an instrumental role in the creation of the York University-TD Community Engagement Centre and in expanding York’s institutional collaborations with other postsecondary education partners.

Before joining York, Dr. Lenton was an associate dean and professor at McMaster University.  A sociologist by training, she earned her PhD from the University of Toronto in 1989. Her areas of teaching and research expertise include gender, family conflict, sexual harassment, research methods and more recently, higher education. She has published peer-reviewed book chapters and articles in a broad array of academic journals.

In addition to her roles at York, Dr. Lenton serves on the Council of Ontario Universities’ Government and Community Relations Committee and is now co-chair of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) board of directors. She previously served on the executive of the Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents and represented that Council on the eCampus Ontario Board and ONCAT.

In recognition of her leadership and service as a senior executive in higher education, Dr. Lenton was named one of the top 100 most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network in 2015. In 2016, she received the Angela Hildyard Recognition Award for the continual demonstration of innovative leadership in advancing the mission of, and achieving outstanding contributions to, her institution and to higher education.

Universities Canada