Sandra Irving is a community leader and a champion of education and health-care research.
Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, she holds a bachelor of arts with distinction from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and a master of arts in political science from the University of Toronto.
Admired for her kindness and care, she is deeply committed to helping others. Together with her husband, Arthur Irving, she supports students across Atlantic Canada with leading scholarship and mentorship programs. As chair of the President’s Advisory Council of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC): The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, she was instrumental in establishing the organization’s Atlantic Canadian chapter to further support academic research.
She served on the board of UNB, the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission, the Saint John Regional Hospital, Dialogue NB, and the Boys and Girls Club. She is a strong supporter of Junior Achievement and an honorary fellow of the RSC.
She played an important role in developing the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University, the Beaubassin Environmental Research Station, The Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society at Dartmouth College, and the Harriet Irving Library Research Commons and Gardens at UNB.
As a cancer survivor, she is dedicated to supporting cancer research and care through the Stay Strong Cancer Survivorship Program in New Brunswick and research in cancer immunotherapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
For her outstanding leadership and commitment to community, Mrs. Irving received the Paul Harris Fellow award (Rotary Club of Saint John), the Red Cross Humanitarian Award, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. She was named to the Order of Canada and is an honorary degree recipient from St. Mary’s, St. Thomas, Acadia, Dalhousie and UNB.
Mrs. Irving loves music, bicycling, walking, and spending time with her family and her dogs.
Sandra L. Irving receives the Order of New Brunswick for her outstanding leadership, advocacy for the transformative power of education, her substantial impact on health care and delivery, and her passionate commitment to the betterment of her community and her province.