International Relations Professional Learning Community (IR-PLC)

Yukino has more than 8 years’ experience working in higher education in British Columbia, Canada. She has previously worked in; student affairs and enrollment services; international student development; student mobility; international partnership development and presently as a Manager, Global Engagement at SFU International.

In her current role, she is responsible for partnership management and initiatives in Europe, the Americas, and the South Pacific regions. She is also a Committee member of the International Relations Professional Learning Community of CBIE.

Yukino is fluent in both English and Japanese, and received her BA Honors in Sociology from the University of British Columbia.

Dan Fredrick has more than 20 years of experience in international relations, education, research, and client services.

Since 2008, Dan has held leadership positions in the International Office at the University of Alberta. In his current role as Director, Global Engagement, he leads teams responsible for International Relations, International Agreements, International Projects, and the Sponsored Student Program.

Prior to joining the University of Alberta, Dan taught History, Geography, and Governance to secondary students in Ottawa; served in the Canadian Parliament as a Foreign Policy Advisor to one of Canada’s national political parties; and worked in Canada and the Middle East as an Immigration Consultant. He holds Master’s degrees in International Affairs and Religious Studies.

Miyuki Arai manages international mobility programs and partnerships as well as promotes pan-campus processes and initiatives which support the strategic priority of Intercultural Learning for the University community. She has been engaged in various aspects of international education since 2004 at her alma mater, Saint Mary’s University. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Helen has 20 years of experience in the field of international education championing programs and partnerships in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas through her work with UNESCO, the Asia-Europe Foundation and the university sector in Canada. As Associate Director International Partnerships and Programs at York University, Helen facilitates and shepherds York’s global engagement and partnerships and supports York students’ participation in global learning opportunities. Helen has a BA Philosophy, Cum Laude, at University of the Philippines (UP), a Post Graduate Diploma on Cultural Projects for Development from the University of Turin and International Labour Organization (Italy), and an MA Public Administration from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Helen was NAFSA’s International Outreach Coordinator (2017-2020) and is active in the UP and NUS alumni associations in Toronto.

Emily MacDougall is the Director of Global Partnerships in the Office of the Vice-Provost International at the University of British Columbia (UBC), responsible for institutional partnerships, agreements and international relations, and more broadly for fostering strategic partnership engagement that supports long-term institutional goals. Prior to joining UBC in 2019, Emily worked in the non-profit sector for over 10 years, focused on partnership management and global development programs, working extensively in East Africa in particular.  Emily holds a MA in International Studies from SFU and BComm from Queen’s University.

Rooted in nearly a decade of international education experience across both the private and public sectors, Natasha recently joined the University of Guelph as the Internationalization Officer, within the newly established Office of International Strategy and Partnerships. This new role was a homecoming in multiple senses – returning to her native province of Ontario after living abroad and then in British Columbia for the last six years. She was also coming home to her alma mater, as a proud alumni of International Development Studies at U of G.

In her current role, Natasha works closely and collaboratively with other offices and units that serve international students and the university’s internationalization goals. Her work is focused on partnership development with institutions and organizations abroad as well as integrating the university’s vision for global engagement across multiple campuses.

Natasha holds a Certificate in Adult Education from George Brown College. Fluent in Spanish, she has lived in Cuba, Ecuador, and Uruguay.

Mahvish Wesley is the Director of Learning and Safety Abroad team within the Centre for International Experience at the University of Toronto. In collaboration with the tri campus university partners, she manages the portfolio for study, research, and practical experiences abroad for students.

This involves leading the work on outbound student awards, student mobility university partnership agreements, student safety and risk management of international experiences, and inbound and outbound mobility for coursework, research, and experiential learning opportunities

The student mobility portfolio also works closely with research, industry, and innovation international partnerships withing the University, via the offices of Vice President International and Vice Provost Students.

Mahvish has worked at the University of Toronto since 2005 in various divisions and faculties.

Throughout her university career, she has worked in the fields of student recruitment and admissions, student careers’ development, and student global mobility. In working with students of varying and diverse backgrounds, the goal of high quality, student-centric experiences as well as strong stakeholder relationships have always been and remain to be of paramount importance.