Rhonda Lenton is a respected sociologist with expertise in the areas of equity, family, higher education, and research methods. For the last 30 years she has held increasingly senior roles in academic administration, most recently as president and vice-chancellor of York University, from 2017 to 2025. Lenton was named one of the top 100 most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network in 2015. In 2016 she received the Angela Hildyard Recognition Award for innovative leadership and outstanding contributions to her institution and to higher education in general.
She has served on multiple boards including as chair of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), as a director on Universities Canada, Loran, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Hemispheric University Consortium, the Business and Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), and as a member on the US-Canada Innovation Partnership, the Canada School of Public Service External Advisory Committee, the O P Jindal University International Board of Advisors, and the Canada India Business Council Advisory Board. She brings an in-depth understanding of issues affecting the economic and social cohesion of Canada including immigration, AI and the workplace, sustainability, social mobility and international relations.