Cheryl Foy

Editorial Board member - Canadian Lawyer

A belief in the importance of universities to society and a desire to ensure their success through better governance led Cheryl to write the book An Introduction to University Governance (Irwin Law/UofTPress) in 2021. Later that year, Cheryl founded Strategic Governance Consulting Services Ltd. through which she provides governance reviews, strategic advice, training and education, and mentoring to universities. Her university governance website can be found at: universitygovernance.ca. Cheryl left her inhouse counsel role in 2022 to focus on university governance on a full-time basis and has worked with over forty universities and colleges as well as university associations across Canada. Cheryl is a recognized thought leader in university governance, and she is regularly invited to speak and write about it. 

Cheryl has long been 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. Cheryl has served on several boards including the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (President), and the Canadian Universities Reciprocal Insurance Exchange. Cheryl has written for multiple publications including Canadian Lawyer InHouse (print and online), University Affairs and University Manager. Cheryl serves on the Canadian Lawyer magazine Editorial Board. 

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. She was a 2021 finalist in the Canadian General Counsel Awards, in the category of Innovation. 

Cheryl received her law degree from Queen’s University in 1993. She was called to the Ontario bar in 1995 and practised law for more than twenty-five years, including twenty years as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to four organizations in the technology and higher education sectors advising clients on governance, compliance, risk, policy, labour and employment, human rights, privacy, intellectual property and commercial negotiations. Cheryl began practising law as a litigator at the Ottawa law firm of Nelligan Power (as it then was) focusing on labour and employment matters.