Retired Lawyer, Bruce Bos joins the GSC Board: Human Dignity and Organizational Life
by Peter Schuurman, ED
“If there is one thing that has marked my leadership through the decades,” said Bruce Bos, “it is a commitment to the notion of mutual respect. Few things are more important in the workplace, and for me it’s all based on seeing people as made in the image of God.”
The GSC board of trustees just voted in a new member of its team at their May board meeting. Bruce Bos is a retired lawyer, having worked in senior management for a large insurance company for more than two decades. A long-time member of the Christian Legal Fellowship, Bos’ Christian convictions have shaped how he has practiced law, led as a manager and have directed his choices of volunteer activities.
Bos’ leadership style was focused on caring for those under his charge. While he led a team of as many as 120 legal professionals at one point, those working with him knew their boss put relationship first. “In fact,” said Bos, “even though I’m retired I still meet regularly with many of those I used to work with. Those relationships didn’t end because they weren’t just about the job. When you are loyal to people as a leader, people are often loyal to you in return.”
His passionate belief in the dignity of all persons is part of what has drawn him to volunteer weekly in Friendship Ministries for the last 17 years, a program run through churches that ministers to people with developmental disabilities. He’s also been a Sunday School teacher and counsellor for a church-run boys’ program. Now in his retirement, he takes a couple of days a week to drive cancer patients to their medical appointments through “Wheels of Hope.”
His decision to let his name stand for the GSC board was consistent with his life. The university campus and the intellectual world have been a constant thread through the decades for him. He has served on about 20 boards over the years, including Christian schools, a Christian school foundation, Redeemer University and The University of Guelph Campus Ministry. Naturally his skills and experience as a retired lawyer are helpful to any board, and he has served as chair in a number of instances. He admits he is not tech savvy, but he knows the law, particularly related to human resources and charities.
Bos was keen on the integration of his faith and his vocation already as an undergraduate, participating regularly in campus ministry events when he was at Queen’s University. “My life was deeply shaped by the Bible studies and special lectures put on by the Geneva Fellowship at Queen’s,” says Bos. “That experience gave me a robust Christian worldview for life.”
Bos was a keen student and relished his time in the academy. He completed an independent honour’s thesis for his undergraduate politics degree entitled, “A Neo-Kuyperian Perspective on Political Participation: Striving Towards True Participatory Pluralism in the Canadian State.” Abraham Kuyper was a turn of the century pastor in The Netherlands who started a newspaper, a labor union, and a university, all motivated by a Christian worldview. Kuyper also served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands in the early 1900s and has been an icon for many Christians who see participation in culture as basic to Christian calling.
After the board interview with Bos, board members remarked on the depth of his faith conviction and his “rich experience” in organizations, especially those relating to education. Welcome to GSC, Bruce!