THE ADVOCATE 179
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
ON THE
FRONT COVER
DALEEN MILLARD
By Ludmila B. Herbst, Q.C.
Daleen Millard joined the Faculty of Law at Thompson Rivers
University (“TRU”) as its new dean in November 2020.
Daleen was born in Pretoria, the administrative capital of
South Africa, in 1972. Pretoria is a green, leafy city at the foot
of the Magalies, a mountain range of which the scenery around Kamloops
reminds her.
Her parents, Nico and Babsie, were both civil servants. Daleen is the oldest
of three children. Colette, the middle sister of the three, is an aviation
expert (following the lead of their mother, who also ultimately worked in
the aviation sector), specializing in compliance issues. The youngest sister,
Karen, is a jeweller and goldsmith who lives in Ireland. Sadly, Daleen’s
father passed away long ago.
Daleen attended Wonderboom High School, which takes its name from
the suburb in which it is located, in Pretoria. Her interest in law developed
during high school. She sided with underdogs against bullies, and enjoyed
putting together arguments and participating in debates. She was also well
suited to looking hard at a situation and bringing calm to it; as Daleen notes,
she could have been a successful high school guidance counsellor if she had
not gone into law.
Unlike in Canada, South African students who wish to pursue a legal
career can go directly from high school into law school. Upon her graduation
from Wonderboom High School in 1990, Daleen commenced her legal
studies at the University of Pretoria, where she obtained her B. Iuris degree
in 1994. She studied at night and worked during the day as a senior administrative
clerk at South Africa’s Department of Justice. She worked for the
department’s security division, dealing with the safety of courts and judges,