At its regular meeting on April 23, 2020, the Thorneloe University Board of Governors elected Brian Koivu as Chair. Brian replaces Nicole Charette who has served as Board Chair since 2017.
Brian Koivu joined the Board of Governors at Thorneloe University in 2010 and, throughout the years, has provided guidance in negotiations, finance, investment, audit and strategic planning.
A lifelong resident of Sudbury, Brian Koivu graduated from Laurentian University with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences in 1977. He earned a Diploma in Public Administration in 1985.
Prior to retiring in 2016, Brian Koivu had a successful career in the financial services industry and was licensed as Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU). He served as Executive Director of the Sudbury Community Foundation, Financial Advisor for the Investors Group, Executive Director of the Sudbury Branch of the Canadian Red Cross and a Music Educator.
Brian Koivu values volunteerism and has made a significant contribution to the community. In addition to his involvement with Thorneloe University, he is currently the Treasurer of the Sudbury Theatre Centre where he served as Past Chair, Treasurer of the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra, Chair of Maple Tree Pre-school, President of the Masonic Foundation of Ontario and founding member of the Finlandia SISU Foundation where he also served as Past Chair. He was a Past President and long-time Board Member of Finlandia Village.
Brian Koivu also served as Past Chair of the Congregational Council, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sudbury; Synod Council Member, Eastern Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada; and member of the Board of Governors of Waterloo Lutheran Seminary (now Martin Luther University College) at Wilfrid Laurier University.
In recognition of his dedication to community service, Brian Koivu was awarded the Cross of Merit of the Order of the White Rose from the Government of the Republic of Finland and The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada.
Brian Koivu welcomes the opportunity to lead the Board of Governors at Thorneloe University: “I am both honoured and humbled by this call to serve a cherished institution and I look forward to continuing the work related to the ongoing fulfillment of its mission with particular emphasis on the advancement of education, the dissemination of knowledge and the betterment of society as part of the Laurentian community and the community at large.”
As a founding member of the Laurentian University Federation, on the campus of Laurentian University in Sudbury, Thorneloe University has offered academic programming in the humanities for more than 50 years.
For more information about Thorneloe University, visit www.thorneloe.ca.
Media Contact:
Dr. John Gibaut, President
president@thorneloe.ca