Governance

St. Thomas More College (STM) is a Catholic undergraduate liberal arts college that is federated with the University of Saskatchewan. 

STM was founded by the Congregation of Saint Basil in 1936, and in 1943 it was incorporated by an act of the Saskatchewan Legislature. The STM Act (1943, 2001 Revised) and Chapter 3 Amended Act clarifies the primary functions and roles of leadership within St. Thomas More College.

The membership of Corporation is made up of Ex Officio members, representatives of the STM College Society, Diocesan & Eparchial Representatives, tenured or full-time without term faculty, student representatives, alumni representatives, members at large and the chair and vice-chair of the Board of Governors.

Corporation meets annually to fulfill its primary role to ensure the operation of the Catholic college that is federated with the University of Saskatchewan and serves as a place where students may obtain a liberal education in the arts and sciences or in any other useful branch of learning and to promote the study, practice and knowledge of those arts and sciences.

The Board of Governors governs the affairs of the College and manages the affairs of Corporation.  

 

College Secretary and Director of Strategic Initiatives
STM’s College Secretary provides leadership and advice in all areas of the College’s governance and strategic planning functions, including the Board of Governors, Corporation, their committees, and the St. Thomas More College Society, STM’s public juridic person, and Faculty Council. Together with the President, the College Secretary provides impartial advice and interpretation of policies, bylaws, precedents, protocols, and best practices to the College’s various governance and decision-making bodies.
Beginning in April 2025, the College Secretary integrated the newly created role of Director of Strategic Initiatives, which coordinates strategic planning and the continued implementation and evaluation of STM’s College Plan. The Director coordinates, leads, and assists with project to support the execution of strategic initiatives and oversees the development and execution of strategies and plans that support institutional activities.

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Board of Governors

"There shall be a Board of Governors to govern the affairs of the College in accordance with the terms of the Act and to manage the affairs of Corporation​ which are not by the Act or the General Bylaws required to be exercised by Corporation at a general meeting." - 2021 General Bylaws

Board Members

Michelle D. Blackmon, BEd, BA (Chair)

A member of the Canoe Lake Cree First Nation in Treaty 10 Territory, Blackmon is Chief Operating Officer at the Saskatoon Tribal Council. She has over 15 years of experience with Indigenous education in both First Nations and provincial schools. Blackmon’s interest in partnerships is built on a foundation of how Indigenous ways of knowing must be an integral consideration in all education and business endeavors. She is a USask graduate of both the Indian Teacher Education Program with Distinction, and Arts and Science in Native Studies, with Distinction. 
Blackmon advocates for organizations and post-secondary institutions to make meaningful space for Indigenous peoples. Blackmon serves on the Saskatoon Industry Education Council Board of Directors and in her role at STC she advocates for improving Indigenous people's quality of life through programming and partnerships.

Christopher C. Boychuk, BSc., LLB, K.C. (Vice-Chair)

An STM alumnus, Chris received his Bachelor of Science degree with distinction from USask, and his LL.B from College of Law. Employed as counsel with the McDougall Gauley law firm at their Saskatoon office, between 1992 – 2022, Boychuk's practice was primarily in the area of civil litigation with an emphasis in health, construction, and employment law.
Active in the Canadian Bar Association as an elected member of Provincial Council; past Chair of the CBA Health Law and Construction Law Sections North, and the Joint CBA/Law Society No-Fault Committee.  Chris has served on the Board of Directors of the Catholic Health Association from 2004 to 2014, including a term as Chairperson. He also served on the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation Board of Directors since 2014 to present, including a two-year term as Chair.  Chris has also served as a Director of Emmanuel Care and is currently Chairperson of that Board and is presently a member of the Diocesan Finance Committee for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon.

Melvin Gerspacher, B.Comm, LL.B, K.C., FCPA, FAC (Treasurer)

Melvin Gerspacher has been on the board of directors of St. Thomas More Lawyers' Guild of Saskatoon since it was formed. He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Distinction in 1977 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1978, both from the University of Saskatchewan. He was called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1979 and achieved his Chartered Accountant designation in 1981. He is a former partner in the firm of Robertson Stromberg LLP and is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer with particular expertise in taxation. Melvin has volunteered with numerous charitable and non-profit organizations including serving on the boards of the Saskatoon Community Service Village Inc. and the Saskatchewan Catholic Health Corporation.

 

Michelle Dinter-Lipinski

A retired teacher from Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS) division, Dinter-Lipinski was a student at St. Thomas More College, Newman Centre member, and has served two terms on STM's Corporation. A volunteer with Development & Peace-Caritas Canada for over 30 years, Michelle also served for six years on the National Council of the organization. Passionate about music Dinter-Lipinski has coordinated and accompanied liturgical music ministry in parishes for many years.
Raised in Saskatoon Dinter-Lipinski is married and has 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. She hopes to bring her life experience, vision of Catholic mission that includes Catholic Social Teaching at its heart, and an educator's perspective to the board of St. Thomas More College.

Chris Donald, B.A., M.A., LL.B. LL.M, K.C.

Chris is a lawyer at Robertson Stromberg LLP, where for many years he has practiced corporate/commercial law. He has been involved with several Catholic organizations in various capacities over the years, including member of Corporation of St. Thomas More College, board of directors and past chair of the Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan, board of directors of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, member and chair of St. Joseph’s Parish Pastoral Council and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Pastoral Council, and founding member and president of St. Thomas More Lawyers’ Guild of Saskatoon. Chris is also a Sessional Lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Law.

 

David Smith, CMC, ACC, CPQC, RPM

David Smith is an executive coach, former CEO, and experienced board member with more than three decades of senior leadership and governance experience. He is the Co-Founder and President of Logia Consulting, an executive coaching and leadership firm serving organizational leaders. David has held governance roles in health care, financial services, and education, contributing to strategic oversight, leadership succession, and organizational effectiveness. He holds a B.Comm. from USask and has completed advanced leadership studies at Harvard Business School, the University of Colorado, and the Banff Centre for Management, with formal training in adult education from St. Francis Xavier University. David and his wife Nancy are members of Holy Spirit Parish in Saskatoon.  He has been involved in many ministries and projects at the parish and diocesan levels.

 

François Rivard, B.Ed, M.Ed.

François Rivard is a dedicated education leader with nearly 30 years of experience in guiding Catholic education, with the past ten years focused on executive administration. An alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan, François currently serves as Director of Education for Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, providing system-wide leadership in governance, strategic planning, student achievement, and Catholic identity across Saskatchewan’s largest Catholic school division. François has served as a classroom teacher, school administrator, and senior executive. His leadership is grounded in collaboration, partnerships, stewardship, and a strong commitment to faith-based education.François is married to his wife, Rae, and together they have four children. He is an active parishioner at the Cathedral of the Holy Family and is honoured to serve on the Board of Directors of St. Thomas More College in support of its mission and community.

 

Dr. Saeed Moshiri, MA, Ph.D.

Dr. Moshiri is a professor of Economics at the STM College, University of Saskatchewan. He received his MA from the University of Toronto (1993) and PhD from the University of Manitoba (1997) and has taught at different International and Canadian universities before moving to Saskatoon in 2019. His area of teaching and research are Macroeconomics, Energy and Environmental Economics, Innovation, Productivity, Technological Changes, and Economic Growth. Saeed’s research projects are supported by various national and local grant agencies and published in top Economic journals such as Energy Economics, the Energy Journal, Ecological Economics, Energy Policy, Industry and Corporate Change, Economic Journal, Empirical Economics, Economics of Innovation and New Technology. In his free time, Saeed plays soccer and has recently joined a curling team. 

 

Raine Rusaw (STM Student Member)

Raine Rusaw is entering her fourth year of a Psychology degree with an aspiration to study labour law. She has spent her previous years being involved with the St. Thomas More Students’ Union (STMSU) as the director of events. In 2024 Rusaw represented STM at a provincial level serving on the Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Student Council. Having gained confidence with these roles and the workings of the College Rusaw decided to run for President of STMSU. One of her main goals as STMSU President is to boost student engagement through increased transparency on the rewards of being involved in the students union.

 

Dr. Carl Still, PhD (President)

Completed an undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina, a Licentiate at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (Toronto) and MA and PhD degrees in Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. He teaches and publishes in the history of western philosophy. He joined the Philosophy department at STM in 1995 and later served as Department Head of Philosophy. From 2006 to 2016 he served as Dean of STM. Dr. Still is strongly committed to the value of Catholic higher education and to STM’s federation with the University of Saskatchewan. 

 

Board Reports

Corporation

Corporation's primary role is to ensure the operation of the Catholic college that is federated with the University of Saskatchewan and serves as a place where students may obtain a liberal education in the arts and sciences or in any other useful branch of learning and to promote the study, practice and knowledge of those arts and sciences.

The President of the College is the chief executive officer and academic officer of the Corporation and shall be responsible to the Board of Governors for the general supervision and direction of the academic work of the faculty and student body of the College, the business affairs of the College and personnel employed by the College.

Files:

STM Act

General Bylaw

Corporation Members

Annual Corporation Reports