Toronto Metropolitan University names Donette Chin-Loy Chang as new chancellor

Donette Chin-Loy Chang, a distinguished communications leader, accomplished public affairs strategist, prolific philanthropist and proud alumna, has been recommended to the Board of Governors as the next chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University. Succeeding Janice Fukakusa, Chin-Loy Chang’s appointment as TMU’s sixth chancellor will begin on October 10th for a three-year term.

The chancellor, who is the ceremonial head of TMU, acts as an ambassador for the university on local, national and international levels, presides at all convocations, and confers degrees and diplomas.

“Donette has been a valued member of the TMU community for decades. Through her work and support for equity-focused organizations and her commitment to education, she continues to make her mark in improving the lives of those around her,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi. “We are so pleased that she will continue to strengthen her relationship with TMU in her newest role as our chancellor.”

Over the years, Chin-Loy Chang has supported hundreds of students by funding scholarships and well-being initiatives at TMU. She has established bursaries across several areas of the university, including the DMZ, The Chang School, and the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. She also created an emergency fund for students during the pandemic and contributed to TMU’s Viola Desmond Awards program and the President’s Awards to Champion Equity campaign.

“TMU always challenges the status quo with bold and innovative action, responding to the needs of learners in an ever-changing world. I accept this role with great humility and am proud to be part of an extraordinary community that truly values excellence, equity and reconciliation,” she said.

Chin-Loy Chang’s professional career spans over four decades. She has created and managed successful strategies for countless corporate, government, not-for-profit and institutional clients. As a philanthropist, she and her late husband, G. Raymond Chang, TMU’s third chancellor, have been dedicated to transforming lives through education, health care, social justice and the arts in Canada and globally.

After graduating in 1978, she worked as a reporter-producer with CBC Radio, eventually leading the overseas service of Radio Canada International in Toronto. Chin-Loy Chang has written for a number of prestigious Canadian publications and has trained journalists in several English-speaking Caribbean countries and in Haiti. As a strategist for global public relations firm Ruder Finn & Rotman, she provided counsel to the Prime Minister of Jamaica, ministers of government, heads of crown corporations and media practitioners, and was later appointed by the Prime Minister as head of radio at the Jamaica Information Service. 

She was also a visiting lecturer at the University of the West Indies in the Faculty of Mass Communications. In the early 1990s, she founded Donette Chin-Loy and Associates, a leading communications agency in the Caribbean. In 2000, she partnered with fellow TMU alumna, Lucy La Grassa, to establish La Grassa Chin-Loy Communications in Canada. 

Chin-Loy Chang has dedicated her time and philanthropy to many influential organizations and causes. She is former co-chair of Food For The Poor Canada, an international relief agency. She is also co-patron of the University of the West Indies annual benefit awards, the largest Canadian fundraiser in support of student scholarships. 

Chin-Loy Chang served on the dean’s advisory board for TMU’s Faculty of Community Services and was a member of the university’s renaming committee. Currently, she is a board director for the BlackNorth Initiative and the Toronto International Film Festival, and chairs TMU’s Alumni Council. She also sits on the advisory boards of the Onyx Initiative and TMU’s Anti-Asian Racism Taskforce, founded by the university’s fifth chancellor, Janice Fukakusa.

Chin-Loy Chang holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. She has received honorary degrees from Toronto Metropolitan University (2021) and the University of the West Indies (2018).