Burnaby commercial banker and three-time federal Liberal candidate for Burnaby-Douglas, Bill Cunningham, is Simon Fraser University’s new board chair.
Cunningham, who served as deputy chair last year and has been on the SFU board since 2011, began his three-year term with the gavel on Jan. 30.
He is currently the manager of commercial credit with TD Commercial Banking based in Richmond and has worked for TD Bank Group offices in both Calgary and Burnaby.
He was the executive director and senior advisor for the Government of Canada’s minister’s regional office in Vancouver from 2004 to 2006.
He is also on the board of directors of the Burnaby-based Down Syndrome Research Foundation.
Other boards he has served on include the SFU Alumni Association, the Vancouver Society of Children’s Centres, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and the InnerChange Foundation.
Cunningham holds a master of business administration from SFU and a bachelor of commerce from University of Alberta.
Cunningham ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate in the riding of Burnaby-Douglas in three-straight federal elections in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
He was defeated by NDP incumbent Bill Siksay each time.
Cunningham, 45, is also a former president of the Liberal Party of Canada in B.C.
He told the NOW on Friday, however, that his community activism and role as a parent of two young boys have precluded further active political involvement.
“I have no intention of running again,” he said. “I’m not involved actively in provincial or federal politics.”
Other new appointments to the SFU board include Julia Kim as deputy chair and Christopher Lewis and Elio Luongo as order-in-council members.
