Andrew Petter, CM, OBC, KC (Chair)

Andrew Petter, C.M., Q.C., is President Emeritus of Simon Fraser University and a professor in its School of Public Policy. Prior to joining SFU, he was a professor in the Faculty of Law of the University of Victoria where he served as dean from 2001 to 2008. From 1991 to 2001, Professor Petter served as a British Columbia MLA and held numerous cabinet portfolios including Advanced Education, Training and Technology, Intergovernmental Relations  and Attorney General. As SFU President from 2010 to 2020, he oversaw the implementation of a Strategic Vision that distinguished SFU as “Canada’s engaged university defined by its dynamic integration of innovative education, cutting edge research and far-reaching community engagement.”

Under his leadership, SFU was named Canada’s top comprehensive university in the Maclean’s Rankings for nine of ten years, and was ranked first in the world in the 2020 Times Higher Education’s Impact Rankings for its impact on sustainable cities and communities. Among his honours, Professor Petter received Public Policy Forum’s 2018 Peter Lougheed Award for Leadership in Public Policy, and the following year was inducted into the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to public policy and his leadership in advancing university-community engagement and higher education in Canada.