Deborah MacLatchy was appointed president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University in 2017 and renewed for a second term beginning in 2022. Previously, she was Laurier’s provost and vice-president academic and dean of science. As president, she has spearheaded the development of a five-year institutional strategic plan, the Laurier Strategy: 2019-2024, which focuses on two interconnected themes, thriving community and future readiness. This plan has recently been updated as the Laurier Strategic Action Plan, 2024-2028. A multi-campus university with campuses in Brantford and Waterloo, ON, and locations in Kitchener, ON, and Yellowknife, NT, in 2021, Laurier was granted provincial approval to develop its third campus in Milton, ON. Milton undergraduate classes begin in fall 2024.
Prior to her time at Laurier, she was a faculty member and dean at the University of New Brunswick Saint John campus. She is an active researcher and graduate-student supervisor with a focus on comparative endocrinology and ecotoxicology. She is a founding fellow of the Canadian Rivers Institute and a founding member of the Laurier Centre for Women in Science. She holds an honours BSc in biology from Acadia University and a PhD in zoology from the University of Manitoba. Her current board directorship memberships include ORION, THEMUSEUM, and Universities Canada.