Barber to be recognized for her leadership and service

Posted: August 30, 2013 10:15 a.m.

Susan Barber, 2013 recipient of the Dr. Robert and Norma Ferguson Award for Outstanding Service. Photo: U of R Photography

The University of Regina has been part of Susan Barber’s life since she was a teenager.  Her association with the U of R began in 1976 when her father, Lloyd Barber, became president, a position he held until his retirement in 1990.

Barber graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Arts (English), with Great Distinction in 1984 and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1987.

Barber is the 2013 recipient of the Dr. Robert and Norma Ferguson Award for Outstanding Service.  The award recognizes an alumnus or alumna who has shown exceptional volunteer leadership and service to the University of Regina or its alumni association.

Barber served as a member of the University Board of Governors for six years, beginning in 2005 and culminating in the two years she served as chairperson from 2009-11.

A senior partner with the Regina law firm McDougall Gauley LLP, Barber has built a reputation as a leading practitioner in the area of labour and employment law. She was named Queen’s counsel in 2008 and is designated in Lexpert, Canada’s comprehensive guide to legal talent, as a leading practitioner in labour law.  In The Best Lawyers in Canada she is recognized by her peers across the country in the area of labour and employment law.

Barber served as a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1992-95 and has volunteered for numerous corporations and community organizations. She was chair of Information Services Corporation, served as a bencher for the Law Society of Saskatchewan, and volunteered as vice-president (Legal) and was a member of the management committee for the 1995 Grey Cup. Recently, she was named chair of the Board of SaskEnergy.

In recognition of her community work, she was awarded the Community Service Award by the Canadian Bar Association, Saskatchewan Branch, in 2007.  The YWCA named her a Woman of Distinction in Business, Labour and Professions in 2000 and Saskatchewan Business Magazine named her a Woman of Influence in 2007. The Women's Executive Network named her one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2012.

Barber says service to the community and especially to the University is something her parents ingrained in their six children.

"To me, it’s just being a member of a community – you give back," she says.  Barber is a supporter of the University of Regina’s priority campaign, the College Avenue Campus revitalization project.

Barber will be one of five distinguished alumni recognized at the ninth Annual Alumni Crowning Achievement Awards Gala on September 20.

To purchase tickets and for more information visit: www.uregina.ca/alumni.