Sandra Datars Bere, BA'87, MPA'06

Recipient of the 2025 Dr. Ivan Smith Award

As City Manager of London, Ontario, Sandra Datars Bere, BA'87, MPA'06, leads a major municipal government, delivering essential services to a diverse and growing community. A proud and committed public servant, Sandra has dedicated her 38-year career to strengthening communities and supporting the most vulnerable through effective governance and compassionate leadership.

A double graduate of Western University, she earned her Bachelor of Arts (Honours Psychology) in 1987 and her Master of Public Administration (Local Government) in 2006. Her academic excellence and public service commitment have been recognized by Western with the Allan O’Brien Academic Medal and the Alumni Award of Excellence from Western’s Local Government Program—indicators of a distinguished career in public service. 

Her leadership journey spans multiple levels of government, including senior executive roles in three municipalities—St. Thomas, Bruce County and London—as well as extensive experience in several provincial ministries across the western region of Ontario. In each role, she has championed innovative service delivery, inclusive policy-making and resilient community development through dedicated citizen engagement. 

Deeply committed to volunteerism, Sandra has remained closely connected to Western and her broader community. She has served on the Alumni Association board and executive, Western’s Senate and as alumni board president at Huron University College. She is currently president of Western’s Local Government Program Alumni Society and has recently acted as the alumni appointee to Western’s Staff Award of Excellence selection committee. She is also a board member of the Children’s Aid Society of London and Middlesex. In 2024, she concluded elected board roles with the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), two key organizations supporting Ontario’s municipalities. 

Although her professional life is rooted in London, Sandra maintains strong ties to her family’s farm in Huron County. Since arriving at Western in 1983, she has proudly called London home. With the tremendous support of her family, she continues to embody the values of service, integrity and community that define Western’s legacy. 

Through nearly four decades of public service, Sandra has proven that effective leadership means lifting others up, building bridges across communities and never losing sight of the fundamental purpose of government: to serve people with dignity and respect.