Janyne M. Hodder (B.A., M.A., D.C.L. [hon.]) was named President, The College of The Bahamas on July 1st 2006. Prior to this, she had been Vice-Principal (Inter-Institutional Relations) at McGill University in Montreal since November 2004, spearheading McGill’s strategic relations, at all levels, with the Quebec government and the City of Montreal. From 1995 to 2004, President Hodder was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, an internationally renowned institution providing a sound and liberal education to Canadian, American, and overseas students. Previously, she was with the Ministry of Education of Quebec, where, as Assistant Director (1986 – 1989) and as Director and Assistant Deputy Minister (1989-1995), she was responsible for services to the Anglophone community.

President Janyne Hodder holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.’70) from McGill University and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology (M.A., Ed.Psych.’82) also from McGill. Ms. Hodder began her career as a primary school teacher at Queen’s College in Nassau before joining the Bahamas Teachers’ College as a lecturer in Reading. She was on the faculty of The College of The Bahamas when it opened its doors in 1974 where she was active in training teachers in reading methodology and in developing literacy programmes, including a project at the women’s prison in Nassau.

She has had a rich and diversified career, also training teachers in the Cree School Board in Northern Quebec. She has also had international experience, supporting educational development in projects in both South Africa and Kosovo.

President Hodder has devoted her multi-faceted career to the field of education. She has helped advance public education at all levels and has the distinction of having been the first woman to be appointed Head of a university in Québec. She also served as Chair of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), a volunteer sending agency with close ties to universities. Fluently bilingual, she has also been an active member of the boards of numerous charitable and community organizations. She is currently a member of The Bahamas Environment, Science & Technology (BEST) Commission and a member of the boards of The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) , The Antiquities, Monuments and Museum Corporation ( AMMC) and the Clifton Heritage Authority.

In recognition of her contribution to public service, she was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and in June 2007, Bishop’s University awarded her an honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law.

President Hodder has three children: Anne, M’wale and Dylan-John Rahming. She is married to Gary Mullins and has three step-children in that marriage, Daniel, Philip and Thomas Mullins. She has returned to The Bahamas where she began her career to lead the transformation of The College to The University of The Bahamas.