St. Lawrence College Appoints New Board Chair

St. Lawrence College (SLC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Abram Benedict as the incoming Chair of its Board of Governors for a one-year term which will begin on September 1, 2022. Joining the SLC Board of Governors in 2017, Abram Benedict has served as Vice Chair since September 2020. He will take on the role of Board Chair on September 1 to lead the board during the 2022-2023 academic year, succeeding Roger Richard, whose term on the board concluded in August after six years of dedicated service.

Abram Benedict is currently the Grand Chief for the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. In the position of Grand Chief, Abram leads a dynamic Council of 12 members that govern the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne. The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is a progressive First Nation community that straddles the Ontario, Quebec, and New York State borders and delivers a wide variety of services to its over 10,000 members. A lifetime resident of Akwesasne who’s passionate about youth empowerment and community capacity building, Abram serves as a Governor for St. Lawrence College and is a current member of the Chairperson’s Indigenous Circle of the Parole Board of Canada. Abram’s excellent community leadership and political experience have allowed him to lead a community government, meet the needs of its people, and raise the positive profile of his community and enhance relations between Canada’s second-largest First Nation Community of Akwesasne and the Governments of Canada, Ontario and Quebec and local municipalities.

“We look forward to working with Chief Benedict as our new Board Chair and know from his time on the Board that he is very committed to helping our students and college succeed,” said Glenn Vollebregt, SLC President and CEO. “His experience and community leadership will be a great benefit to steering the College as we embark on year four of the priorities set out in our strategic plan, SLC in Five.”