Connecting leaders. Building capacity. Driving change.

Board of Directors

With representation from business and post-secondary sectors, BHER’s Board of Directors represents major sectors of the economy, regions of the country and the diversity of Canada’s higher education community. Board Directors are elected by BHER’s members to provide strategic direction, establish BHER’s vision and spearhead its initiatives. Internally, the Board of Directors elects officers, including a Chair and two Vice-Chairs, to provide leadership to the Board’s activities and mandate.

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Laura Jo Gunter President and CEO, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

Laura Jo Gunter became NAIT’s seventh President and CEO on August 24, 2020. An innovative leader, she brings extensive post-secondary knowledge and an entrepreneurial spirit to her role. 

Prior to joining NAIT, Ms. Gunter was President and CEO of Bow Valley College in Calgary. During her tenure she led the creation of a new strategic plan, Open Doors – Open Minds. She also expanded Bow Valley College’s brand locally, nationally and internationally through significant partnerships with global companies. In addition, she initiated Pivot-Ed, a platform that re-imagines adult education to help those needing to pivot in their careers. Pivot-Ed incorporates AI-driven assessments based on workplace simulations and micro-credentialing using blockchain technology. 

A community builder, she has also given her time to advancing skills development and post-secondary education and to improving the communities in which she has lived in. She is a board member for Telus Spark, a member of the Minister of Advanced Education’s Skills for Jobs Task Force and a member of the Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta.  She was also a supporting contributor to the Skilled by Design: A Blueprint for Alberta’s Future Workforce report by the Business Council of Alberta. Previously, Ms. Gunter chaired the Coordinating Committee of Vice-Presidents Academic for Colleges Ontario, was a member of the Interactive Ontario Board, and served as a board member of the North York General Hospital.