Cheryl A. Foy, BAH, LLB
Cheryl Foy is regularly described as “the thought leader” in Canadian university governance. Having worked within universities for more than a decade and having worked with over fifty universities in the past five years, Cheryl is an expert in university governance. She has spoken with hundreds of governance professionals, faculty, senior leaders, students and board members and thus has a deep understanding of the constituents within universities. Cheryl advises and works with provincial governments and sector organizations. Cheryl believes that good governance is foundational to organizational effectiveness and institutional autonomy.
She has worked in governance for twenty years having held General Counsel and Corporate Secretary executive roles in the public and private technology company context and within higher education. She is a thought leader in strategy and governance. Cheryl is an advocate for good governance and the development of the in-house legal profession. She is a founder and the Past President of Women General Counsel Canada, a national organization established by female general counsel who recognize that the role of GC is a unique leadership role bridging law and business and also that women in the GC role have common challenges and opportunities.
Board Service:
Cheryl has served on numerous not for profit boards. Currently, she serves on the Governance Committee for Project Tembo. She is also a member of the Canadian Lawyer Editorial Board. She has served on a number of national not-for-profit boards (Canadian Bar Association, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, and Women General Counsel Canada). Most recently, Cheryl served as Investment Committee Chair, and Board member for the Canadian Universities Reciprocal Insurance Exchange, and a founding board member for Ontario Tech Talent, a for-profit, wholly-owned subsidiary of Ontario Tech University, delivering skills training.
Writing: Cheryl is a published author who writes regularly about university governance in a variety of publications. Watch for Cheryl’s essay on university governance in Hope Circuits Illuminated: Conversations with Luminaries in the Midst of Collapse (MQUP, forthcoming).
Cheryl and/or her book have been quoted or cited in the following publications:
Speaking: Cheryl is invited to speak regularly on all aspects of university governance, the role of inhouse counsel, and legal ethics.
In the news: From general counsel to governance leader: Cheryl Foy’s higher ed consulting journey (Lexpert, April 2025).
Awards: In 2025, Cheryl received the WGCC Hall of Distinction Annual Vanguard Award from ZSA. The award honours remarkable trailblazing women General Counsel for their outstanding contributions to the advancement of women General Counsel across Canada.
Cheryl was awarded the Women’s Law Association of Ontario, General Counsel Award in 2020 for her leadership and her commitment to the success of women in law.
Education: Cheryl holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Studies, and a Bachelor of Laws, from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1995.
