Trustee Elections Announcements

Posted On Thursday December 05, 2019

DDSB Board Elects Officers for 2019-2020

At the Standing Committee Meeting of the Durham District School Board (DDSB) held on Monday, December 2, 2019, trustees elected officers for 2019-2020 term.

Pickering Trustee Chris Braney will now serve as Chair of the Board for the 2019-2020 term.

Chair Braney was first elected as a Trustee from 1994-1997 with the Scarborough Board of Education, where he served as Vice-Chair. With a young family and a move to Pickering, Chris was again elected as a Trustee in 2006, this time representing Pickering. He also served as the DDSB's Vice-Chair from 2013-2014, and again in 2017. Chris is now in his fourth term as a Trustee with the DDSB.

Additional results of the Internal Elections include:

  • Niki Lundquist, Trustee for Whitby, was voted Vice Chair of the Board  
  • Christine Thatcher, Trustee for Whitby, was voted Vice Chair of Standing Committee
  • Darlene Forbes, Trustee for Oshawa, was voted Chair of the Education Finance Committee
  • Donna Edwards, Trustee for Ajax, was voted Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBA) Voting Representative 

The Board of Trustees hold internal elections annually each December. 

A complete list of Board Committees and Trustee Liaisons will be posted on the DDSB’s website, DDSB.ca 

Chris Braney will take over the reigns as Board Chair from Trustee Michael Barrett, who held the role of Chair from 2005-2006, then again from 2015-2019. 

“Education is the cornerstone of a forward-thinking society,” Braney states. “Here at the DDSB we will continue to focus on the success of our students and staff.” 

DDSB Director of Education Lisa Millar adds, “We would like to thank Michael Barrett for his many contributions during his years as Board Chair. We look forward to continuing our work on Equity, Diversity, Innovation, Student Success and Well-Being with Chair Braney and our very strong team of Trustees.” 

School Trustees are responsible for the operation of the public school system and represent seven of Durham Region’s municipalities. The Board also has three Student Trustees. Public School Trustees are the critical link between communities and school Boards. They ensure public schools meet the diverse needs of students in their communities. Together, Trustees are responsible to their communities for the quality of education provided in local schools within an approved financial framework. 

The Durham District School Board (DDSB) is responsible for public education in the rural settings of Uxbridge, Brock and Scugog Townships and the urban settings of Ajax, Whitby, Pickering and Oshawa. The DDSB employs 6,900 teaching and educational services staff. With 133 elementary and secondary schools and learning centres, the DDSB accommodates more than 70,000 regular day students and thousands more who take advantage of a wide variety of continuing education and adult credit courses. More information can be found on the DDSB’s website at www.ddsb.ca. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DurhamDSB, Instagram @durhamschools and YouTube at DurhamDSB.

-30-