Laura Jo Gunter will stick around for another two years, NAIT’s Board of Governors decided. The President and CEO was reappointed on July 14; the news was shared in an announcement on NAIT’s virtual newsroom.
Gunter was first appointed in 2020 and served a five-year term before being reappointed.
“Laura Jo’s reappointment reflects our shared commitment to continuity in leadership and to advancing NAIT’s long-term vision,” said Yasmin Jivraj, Chair of NAIT’s Board of Governors.
The announcement highlighted Gunter’s leadership in the development of NAIT’s strategic plan and the new seven-school model introduced in August 2024. Gunter also played a “key role” in obtaining $43 million dollars towards the Advanced Skills Centre, “the largest infrastructure project in NAIT’s history.”
“I am proud of what we have accomplished together in my first term and energized by what lies ahead for NAIT,” said Gunter.
The criteria used to determine the reappointment is not publicly available, nor is there any public procedure regarding the appointment of NAIT’s President and CEO.
Section 81 of the Post-Secondary Learning Act dictates that the “board of a post-secondary institution shall appoint the president of the public post-secondary institution.” In the NAIT Board of Governors’ bylaws, a committee or the Chair can negotiate the Presidents’ terms of office, salary and other conditions. Once the terms are decided, they are “approved by resolution of the Board and executed by the Chair and one other Member.”
The Board did not respond to the Nugget’s request for comment by time of publication.
Continued collaboration with NAITSA
The NAIT Students’ Association will continue to collaborate with Gunter, hoping to continue ensuring student voices are heard. “We hope to see proactive student engagement and a strong focus on meaningful consultation and transparency, and seeing decisions that reflect the needs of students,” said Lilly Houcher, NAITSA President.
Gunter previously worked in the post-secondary sphere, serving three years at Bow Valley College in Calgary as President and four years as Senior Vice President Academic at George Brown College in Toronto.
Editor’s note: This article was updated with clearer information regarding the procedures to appoint a President at a post-secondary institution. Feature image via NAIT Content Collective
