CBIE is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chair of the Board of Directors, Sean Kennedy, President of Niagara College. Sean was appointed to the Board as Chair Designate in January 2023. In this capacity, he served on the Executive Committee and chaired the Board’s Governance Committee.
“As a recognized leader in international education in Canada, Sean is well-placed to advance CBIE’s mission in what is a complex and challenging policy context for the sector,” said Dr. Deborah Saucier, Past Board Chair. “His various senior leadership roles at Canadian colleges and universities, on Boards and in community organizations will serve CBIE well in promoting comprehensive cross-sector and multi-sectoral engagement in its approach to international education. On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to welcome Mr. Kennedy as our new Chair; we look forward to benefitting from his expertise and perspectives.”
Sean was appointed Niagara College’s sixth President in January 2020. He previously held various senior roles at Niagara – including Senior Vice President, International, as well as at Red Deer College and the University of Alberta. In addition to previously serving on CBIE’s board of directors, he chaired the Colleges Ontario Student Access and Success Coordinating Committee, and co-moderated the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities Summit on Mental Health and Addictions. He has served on the boards of the Business Education Council of Niagara, Niagara Sport Commission, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Niagara, Ontario Colleges Athletic Association, and the Canada Summer Games 2022.
Sean holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta and a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University, and is currently completing his Doctoral studies in leadership in higher and adult education and comparative, international and development education at the University of Toronto.
“Sean is a passionate international education leader and his experience, core values and collaborative approach will be instrumental in guiding CBIE through its next chapter, with a focus on building a sustainable and responsible international education sector in Canada. I look forward to working with Sean in his new role as CBIE’s Board Chair as we seek to support our member institutions to rise above the current challenging policy context and build a more comprehensive approach to international education in the years ahead,” said Larissa Bezo, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBIE.
“I am honoured to serve as Chair of CBIE, an organization that is so important to identifying and sharing best practices in international education, and promoting and supporting life-changing opportunities for international students to study in Canada and for Canadian students to study abroad,” said Kennedy. “Despite recent challenges faced by the sector, international education is more important than ever to the future of Canada. We have work to do to demonstrate the value of international education in its myriad forms, to earn back the trust of international talent seeking high quality education, and to ensure that our approach to international education endeavours is balanced, ethical, sustainable, and responsible, for long-term Canadian and global benefit,” said Sean Kennedy.
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. As the voice of Canada’s international education sector, CBIE’s pan-Canadian membership comprises 160+ colleges, institutes, cégeps, universities, school boards and language schools.
To learn more about the members of the CBIE 2025 Board of Directors visit: https://cbie.ca/who-we-are/board-of-directors/
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