Ottawa, December 18, 2020 – CBIE is pleased to announce the appointment of a new chair of the board of directors, Ajay Patel, President and CEO of Vancouver Community College. Ajay Patel was first elected to the board in January 2020, has served on the Governance Committee, and was designated the Diversity and Inclusion Champion at the Board table for 2020.
“Ajay Patel is known as a leader in international education,” said Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, Past Board Chair. “He brings a proven track record and understanding of the complexities and opportunities across multiple sectors of Canadian international education. On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Ajay as our new Chair; we look forward to his vision and insights in the years ahead.”
Born in Fiji, Ajay moved to Canada at age 6 and grew up in East Vancouver. Ajay earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia and had a distinguished and award-winning career in British Columbia’s amateur and competitive sports community. In 2001, Ajay moved into the post-secondary world as a Kinesiology instructor at Langara College, where for the next two decades, he rose through a series of increasingly influential positions. Ajay became Chair of the Kinesiology Department, Division Chair in Health Sciences, Dean of International Education, Associate Vice-President, International and External Development and, finally, Vice-President External Development. Ajay joined Vancouver Community College in May 2019 as Vice-President, Enterprise and International Development, took on the role of interim president in September 2019 and was confirmed as Vancouver Community College president on January 24, 2020.
“I am looking forward to working with Ajay in his new role as CBIE’s board chair,” said Larissa Bezo, President and CEO, CBIE. “Ajay Patel brings the unique combination of both operational insight and senior leadership experience in international education to our organization in this new capacity. Our Secretariat team and I welcome working with Ajay to advocate for the critical role of Canada’s international education sector in contributing to social and economic development as part of our country’s recovery from the global pandemic.”
“It is a honour to be appointed new Chair of the Board of Directors and I look forward to working with my colleagues, the CBIE executive, our membership and key stakeholders to promote and advocate for the internationalization of education across Canada and the world as we recover from this pandemic.” said Ajay. “I firmly believe international education is an essential pillar of Canada’s long term competitiveness and success.”
The Canadian Bureau for International Education is the national organization dedicated to the internationalization of education and the expansion of educational partnerships between Canada and countries around the globe. CBIE’s pan-Canadian membership comprises 150+ colleges, institutes, cégeps, universities, school boards and language schools.
CBIE 2021 Board of Directors
- Chair: Ajay Patel, President and CEO, Vancouver Community College
- Past Chair: Robert Summerby-Murray, President, Saint Mary’s University
- Treasurer: Roy Daykin, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President Corporate Services, SAIT
- Valérie Amiraux, Vice-rectrice aux partenariats communautaires et internationaux, Université de Montréal
- Kanonhsyonne Janice C. Hill, Associate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation), Queen’s University
- Nicole Lacasse, Avocate et Professeure titulaire, Faculté des sciences de l’administration, Université Laval
- Jean-Paul Loyer, Directeur général, Direction générale de la gestion stratégique de l’effectif étudiant, Université de Moncton
- Loretta Notten, Director of Education, Waterloo Catholic District School Board
- Kathy O’Brien, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Communications and Advancement, St. Lawrence College
- Carolyn Russell, Executive Director, Global Engagement, University of Victoria
- Janaka Ruwanpura, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (International), University of Calgary
- Anver Saloojee, Assistant Vice President, International, Ryerson University
- Jerry Wang, Director of Recruitment and International Student Office, University of Prince Edward Island
- Daniel Weeks, Professor and Senior Advisor to the President, University of Northern British Columbia
- Geoff Wilmshurst, Vice President Partnerships, Camosun College
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