Cheryl Robertson – Rothesay
“NBCC is a wonderful opportunity for people,” Cheryl Robertson says.
“NBCC provides a very meaningful opportunity for New Brunswickers and people across Canada and the world, to have more access to relevant, marketable skills and abilities.”
From the beginning of her career, NBCC’s Chair of the newly formed Board of Governors Cheryl Robertson has been an innovative educator. After attending Teachers College, Robertson taught in Woodstock for two years before continuing her education. She finished her bachelor of education, and then completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at UNB. Upon completion of her schooling, she was hired by Simonds High School in Saint John in 1968 as a Guidance Counsellor. Never one to shy away from a challenge, she became Vice Principal after 14 years in guidance. In addition to her B.A. and her B. Ed., Robertson also holds an M. Ed. from the University of Maine, Orono. In 1983, Robertson was hired by NBCC as Coordinator of Student Services. She notes that half of her career was spent in the public school system, while the other half spent at NBCC. While transitioning between the two, she also taught part-time at UNBSJ for 10 years. Robertson held progressive roles at NBCC from student services to Academic Dean, until finally becoming principal at NBCC Saint John Campus in 1993. She retired from NBCC in 2001, after having served on the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) board. She says she felt privileged to work at NBCC.
If being a full-time educator wasn’t enough, Robertson is also a consummate volunteer. From the Saint John Community Foundation Board, to the Canadian Institute of Health Research for Human Embryonic stem cell research, to the Canadian Cancer Society, she has a number of passions, not the least of which is the importance of education. Upon being asked to help with the submission to the post-secondary education commission report, she was part of the inaugural Shared Vision board, which promoted and advocated to government for improvements in post-secondary education. She was encouraged to apply for a position on the NBCC board, and found out in April that she was approved for the role of Chair.