2026 SMUS Governor Election Information
July 14, 2026
The SMUS Society is pleased to announce the nominations and resulting election by acclamation of the 2026 Governors of the Board of the SMUS Society.
The continuing members of the Board of Governors include fourteen voting governors, twelve of whom are elected members of the SMUS Society, and two who are Appointed Governors; namely, the Presidents of the Alumni Association and Parents' Auxiliary.
This year, four of the twelve elected positions were open to be filled with four current governor terms expiring. Each of those four Governors are eligible to renew their terms. In January 2026, a Call for Nominations was sent to the SMUS Society to ask Members to express their interest in serving on this or future Boards and we thank those Members who expressed their interest. Through that process, the Nominations Committee identified several future Governor candidates, including candidates who may be suited to serve in future leadership positions on the Board. This is an important part of the Nominations Process, to continue to identify qualified candidates with different skillsets and backgrounds, and wherever possible, start to get those candidates involved in Committees of the Board in preparation for potential future Board service.
On April 2, 2026, the Nomination Papers were sent to the SMUS Society, with the four returning Governor candidates subsequently completing and submitting their Nomination Papers. With four open positions and four candidates, those four candidates are hereby elected by acclamation. The four candidates that have been elected to the Board as returning Governors are as follows:
- Elisa Djurickovic
- Fiona Donald '82
- Matt Howard
- David Kim '05
Please join the Nominations Committee and the SMUS Board of Governors in congratulating these four Governors-elect who have been elected to serve a three-year term which begins following the 2026 AGM.
The Nominations Committee recommends and the SMUS Board of Governors fully supports the nomination of these four governors, each of whom has served this Board in a leadership role with dedication, commitment, integrity, philanthropy and each bringing their valued and varied skills to the Board team. We encourage you to learn more about each of these four Governors in the Candidate Summaries below and in the further links to additional Candidate Details also provided below.
The Nominations Committee is always seeking new volunteers to serve in various Board and Committee capacities. Those interested in learning more about serving on a Committee or the Board in the future, can read more about the roles and responsibilities and can email [email protected].
Candidates are listed below alphabetically by last name:
SMUS Board Service: 6 years on the board with 3 years as an Ex-Officio Governor as President of the Parents' Auxiliary and 3 years as an elected Governor. Current Chair of the Advancement Committee and also currently serves on the Head Support and Evaluation and Finance Committees. Previously also served on the Nominations, Head of School Search and Onboarding Committees.
Relationship to SMUS: Past school parent to Luka ’21, Maya ’23, and Markus ’25.
Primary Occupation: Registered Nurse
Place of Residence: Victoria, B.C.
Key Contributions, Attributes and Qualities:
- Elisa has held various important leadership volunteer positions at the School, including as a past SMUS Parents Auxiliary President and the current Chair of the Advancement Committee, bringing an understanding of school parent perspectives to the Board table.
- Elisa’s professional experience includes clinical nursing practice in large tertiary care settings, hospice work, occupational health nursing and teaching. Having worked extensively within interdisciplinary teams, Elisa strives to understand each stakeholder’s perspective and work collaboratively to deliver high-quality outcomes. Elisa believes that at the heart of authentic relationships is a genuine effort, transparency, honesty, and integrity in one’s actions.
- Elisa brings more than 20 years of extensive volunteer service in leadership roles and coaching to several community sport-based organizations, parent advisory councils, and as a previous Board member of St. Christopher’s Montessori School.
SMUS Board Service: 3 years as a SMUS Board Member. Current Chair of the Risk Management Committee and currently serves on the Sustainability Committee. Previously also served on the Advancement Committee and the Board of the American Friends of SMUS.
Relationship to SMUS: Alumna ’82
Primary Occupation: Physician Executive/Healthcare Consultant
Place of Residence: San Francisco, California
Key Contributions, Attributes and Qualities:
- Dr. Fiona Donald has taken on the Chair role for the Risk Management Committee, working to bring further focus and rigour to risk management at the Board and in collaboration with the School’s leadership.
- Dr. Fiona Donald is a Physician Executive/Healthcare Consultant with over 30 years’ experience in the field of health care delivery, administration and leadership. She has worked tirelessly in a variety of healthcare settings from Montreal to San Francisco, providing service to patients with complex care needs and leading change during difficult times.
- Fiona is also a mother of two daughters who attended independent schools in San Francisco where she volunteered in various Parents Association roles.
SMUS Board Service: 3 years as a SMUS Board Member. Currently serves as an Officer of the Board as Board Secretary and also Chair of the Governance Committee. Currently also serves on the Risk Management and Executive Committees and has previously served on the Nominations Committee.
Relationship to SMUS:Parent to Benedikt ’22, Annabel ’24 and Madeleine ’28
Primary Occupation: Retired partner in a global law firm./p>
Place of Residence: Victoria, B.C.
Key Contributions, Attributes and Qualities:
- Matt has taken on several leadership roles on the Board, in particular strengthening the School’s Governance on multiple dimensions, both as Board Secretary an Chair of the Governance Committee. In his first term, Matt led a very significant update to the Board Governance Manual where the Board’s key operating policies and procedures are documented.
- As a former partner in one of the world’s leading global law firms, Matt brings impressive legal, analytic and management skills to the Board. He headed one of the leading teams in Europe in commercial real estate securitization, advising clients on groundbreaking multi-billion euro transactions and receiving several major awards. He was also involved in higher education as a lecturer at the Frankfurt University (Germany) Law and Finance Masters program.
- Having spent most of his career based in Europe, in a diverse cross-border environment, Matt brings an international outlook and a high degree of proficiency in managing intercultural perspectives. Since joining the SMUS community in 2017, the Howard family has been constant supporters of the school, both financially and with their time and efforts.
SMUS Board Service: 3 years as a SMUS Board Member. Has previously served in a Board leadership role as Board Secretary. Currently also serves on the Governance and Advancement Committees.
Relationship to SMUS: Alumnus ’05
Primary Occupation: General Counsel, Savvy Games Group (Qualified to Practice in New York and Ontario)
Place of Residence: Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Key Contributions, Attributes and Qualities:
- David brings significant expertise in navigating complex governance, investment, regulatory, strategy and legal matters across the globe and brings a wide range of perspectives as an alum, former day student and international businessperson leading globally diverse teams to bring a holistic perspective to the Board
- David serves as General Counsel to Savvy Games Group, a global games and esports company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where he is responsible for all governance, risk management, compliance and legal affairs.
- David’s career spans roles in both private practice and in-house in Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Venture Capital based in Toronto, New York, Washington, DC and Saudi Arabia. David has worked for the Danaher Corporation, Latham & Watkins LLP and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP and brings a global perspective to governance, risk and legal matters, particularly with respect to technology, intellectual property, and life sciences.