Media Releases and Opportunities

HALIFAX (K'jipuktuk), NS - Dalhousie University’s Board of Governors has announced the appointment of Dalhousie’s own Dr. Kim Brooks as the university’s 13th President and Vice-Chancellor.

 Dr. Brooks (she/her) has been supporting Dalhousie’s leadership transition as Acting Provost and Vice-President Academic since Jan. 1, 2023.  

She has the rare distinction of having served as Dean of two different Dalhousie faculties: the Schulich School of Law and the Faculty of Management. She is a 3M Teaching Fellow and an accomplished tax scholar and lawyer who has held research chairs at multiple top Canadian universities. Her extensive leadership and service reaches deep into the public sector and our local community with organizations such as Halifax Public Libraries, where she is the current Board Chair.  

 “I am excited about the difference the Dalhousie community makes to the province, country, and world and I’m humbled by the opportunity to serve as president. We’ve been deeply integrated into the fabric of Nova Scotia for over 200 years and yet it feels like we’re entering a new era of possibilities and opportunities. I’m looking forward to connecting and re-connecting with all who support our vital work as we hold tight to our sense of purpose and possibility; grow a culture of inclusive excellence, curiosity and exploration; and strengthen Dalhousie’s engagement with communities across Nova Scotia and around the world.”

 Dalhousie has a proud history of accomplished leaders who bring a variety of different backgrounds and experiences to bear in their work. Dr. Brooks is both the first woman and first openly queer person to be permanently appointed university president. These are overdue milestones, but ones worth recognizing.

 Her appointment is the result of a comprehensive search process that attracted exceptional candidates from across Canada and around the world. 

“We were seeking a president with the vision, passion, and commitment to capitalize on the tremendous opportunities ahead for our university. Dr. Brooks’s impressive skills and qualifications distinguished her among an incredibly competitive field,” says Cheryl Fraser, chair of Dalhousie’s Board of Governors. “I look forward to working with her as we push forward in our academic mission and grow and strengthen our vital contributions to Nova Scotia’s success.”

 Acting President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Frank Harvey will return to his permanent role as Provost and Vice-President Academic.

 “I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Kim for many years now and have witnessed and directly benefited from the many extraordinary results of her visionary, inspiring, transformative, and compassionate leadership,” says Dr. Harvey. “I am absolutely thrilled to know Kim will be leading Dalhousie as our next President, and I am very much looking forward to continuing to work with Kim and the senior leadership team. I have never been more confident in Dalhousie's future or more optimistic about the prospects for fulfilling our third-century promises. Kim is exactly the kind of leader Dalhousie needs right now. A special thanks to the search committee for their help, and my personal thanks to colleagues across Dalhousie for their support during the transition.”

 Dr. Brooks’s appointment is for a five-year term beginning August 14, 2023. For more information on the presidential search and to view the new President’s contract, please visit the Presidential Search website. 

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 Dr. Brooks and Ms. Fraser will be available for media interviews today, July 19, 2023, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and 3:15-4:00 p.m. To schedule an interview, please contact Lindsay Dowling-Savelle, Media Relations Manager at mediarelations@dal.ca / 902-222-8810.

Media contact:
Laurel Munroe
Senior Director, Communications & PR, Dalhousie University
Laurel.Munroe@dal.ca
902-266-4127

Additional biographical information:

Dr. Brooks has served on key committees with CRA and the Tax Court of Canada and as chair of the Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Response. Prior to joining Dalhousie in 2010, Dr. Brooks held the H. Heward Stikeman Chair in the Law of Taxation at McGill University and prior academic appointments at Queen’s University and the University of British Columbia. She also worked as a tax lawyer with Stikeman Elliott in their Toronto and London (UK) offices. She holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia, a LLM from York University, a LLB from UBC, and a BA from the University of Toronto. 

Dalhousie University is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. We are all Treaty people.

 We recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, legacies and contributions have enriched that part of Mi’kma’ki known as Nova Scotia for over 400 years.