The Honorable Jocelyne Roy Vienneau served as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, following a distinguished career in economic development, education promotion, and community engagement.
In 2014, Roy Vienneau completed her second and final term as Vice-President of the Shippagan Campus at l’Université de Moncton. She earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering from the same university, along with a teaching certificate from New Brunswick.
Throughout her career, Roy Vienneau championed research and innovation. She held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister for Post-Secondary Education in New Brunswick and worked at New Brunswick Community College in Bathurst for 23 years, serving as dean, department head, professor, and ultimately principal during her last six years. Her career began as a project engineer at Esso’s Imperial Oil refinery in Montreal.
Roy Vienneau broke multiple barriers as the first woman to hold a secular Vice-President position at a campus of l’Université de Moncton, the first woman to lead a francophone community college in New Brunswick, and one of the first female graduates from the Faculty of Engineering at l’Université de Moncton.
In 2003, she was honored as Alumni of the Year by l’Université de Moncton’s engineering faculty. In 2001, while serving as principal of New Brunswick Community College in Bathurst, the institution became one of the first two colleges in Canada eligible for research grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada. In 2015, the Shediac Rotary Club awarded her the Paul Harris Fellow.
To quote New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs:
“Ms. Roy Vienneau was a passionate advocate for New Brunswick and its people throughout her career, and, during her time as Lieutenant-Governor, championed literacy, mental health issues and the need for a new sense of pride for the place we call home.
Since taking on the role, Her Honour took part in well over a thousand events, earning the admiration and affection of people across the province. She would often remind us of our diversity and how powerful New Brunswick can be when we work together using our unique strengths and talents.”
Lieutenant Governor Jocelyne Vienneau passed away August 2, 2019 after a battle with Cancer. Ms. Roy Vienneau was the mother to two grown children, Isabelle and Cédric, and grandmother to Simon and Matthieu. She was a supporter of MyNewBrunswick.
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I loved that lady. New Brunswick has lost a jewel.