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When Cheryl Hodder, KC (’81) graduated from ������ýapp with double honours in political science and history, she carried with her both a love of learning and a passion for governance. Today, that same passion has guided her to a new chapter: an appointment to the board of Medavie, a national health solutions partner headquartered in Moncton, NB.

For Hodder, the role is both professional and personal.

“Medavie is a remarkable company,” she says. “As a commercially focused not-for-profit, Medavie does not pay dividends to shareholders; it reinvests in the business and gives back to the communities it serves through the Medavie Foundation. The work matters and the leadership team is outstanding. It’s energizing to be part of that.”

She knows well what makes a board work. Over her 30-year career as a lawyer, executive leader, and governance expert, Hodder has served on more than 30 boards. She has advised CEOs, senior leadership teams, and directors in sectors ranging from health and business to culture and public service.

“When I consider joining a board, I look for alignment of the work with my competencies and values,” she explains. “Then it’s about the people — the quality of the leadership team, and the expertise and experience of the people around the board table. That’s what makes good governance possible.”

It was at Mount Allison where she first discovered this calling.

“The very first board I ever sat on was the Mount Allison Board of Regents as a student Regent,” she recalls. “Now, so many years later, I’m honoured to chair the very same board at Mount A.”

That Mount Allison foundation — of curiosity, leadership, and connection — has been a guiding force throughout her career. Hodder emphasizes the importance of remembering a director’s role.

“We are there to provide strategic guidance and independent oversight, not to run the company. Some call it 'noses in, fingers on the pulse.' That’s what effective governance looks like today.”

Her leadership extends to championing equity, diversity, belonging, and inclusion, which she believes are essential to effective decision-making.

“The more diverse the voices around the table, the better the outcomes. Atlantic Canada is more diverse than ever and boards must reflect that," says Hodder.

Although her professional life has spanned boardrooms across the country, Hodder remains deeply rooted in Atlantic Canada and in Mount Allison. She recently announced that at the end of 2025 she will be stepping back from her role with the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, where she currently serves as CEO, and will begin a new chapter of governance consulting and corporate board service.

Through it all, Mount Allison has been a touchstone.

“Mount A is home,” she says. “The friendships I made here have lasted more than 40 years. That kind of lifelong connection is what makes Mount A so special.”

Her family’s Mount Allison story runs deep as well. All three of her siblings studied at Mount Allison in the 80s and 90s and two met their spouses on campus. Before them, their cousin, Donald MacLean, was a proud student-athlete, playing on the 1946 rugby-football team and being involved in the University as an alumnus. 

Hodder’s aunt, Elaine MacLeod (nee Bungay), graduated from Mount Allison in 1971 and left Allisonians with wise words that ring true to this very day.

“The greatest essentials of happiness are: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.”

Today, Hodder continues that legacy of doing, loving, and hoping by giving her expertise back to the University, while also lending her expertise and care at the Medavie board table.

“Mount Allison opens doors,” she reflects. “It gives you a foundation for whatever path you want to pursue. That foundation shaped my life and led me to this new role with Medavie — a company doing work of lasting impact that really matters. I’m excited for what comes next.”