Board of Directors

Dr. Deborah Saucier was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Vancouver Island University in July 2019. Dr. Saucier holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Western Ontario and a BSc and MSc in psychology from the University of Victoria. She received her International Baccalaureate diploma from the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in Metchosin, near Victoria.

Prior to joining VIU, Dr. Saucier was President of MacEwan University in Edmonton and Provost and Academic Vice-President of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Dr. Saucier is a distinguished researcher in both psychology and neuroscience. She was the Canadian Research Chair in Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge and Dean of Science at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and has garnered numerous grants to support her research, including awards from Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

Dr. Saucier is also the author of two books in psychology and an advocate for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

At Vancouver Island University, Dr. Saucier has guided the development and implementation of the institution’s first strategic plan. The plan includes three core values – People, Place and Potential – and six commitments for the next five years. Following the guidance of the plan, Dr. Saucier is working to build on the institution’s strengths and fostering the unique educational experience at VIU to be more accessible, more inclusive, and more deeply rooted in community.

Born in Saskatoon, Dr. Saucier is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. In 2020, she was awarded the Indigenous Women in Leadership Award from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. As president of Vancouver Island University, Dr. Saucier is focused on helping to close the education gap for Indigenous youth and working to incorporate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), and the TRC Calls to Action into institutional decision making by implementing both policy and physical changes on campus to ensure that Indigenous cultures and knowledges are reflected in campus spaces.

Dr. Saucier is married to curator and contemporary artist Chai Duncan and has a teenage daughter.

A strong advocate for the value of applied education – in Ontario, Canada and around the world – Sean Kennedy is an experienced postsecondary leader with more than 20 years of experience leading teams in all areas of higher education.

Appointed Niagara College’s sixth President in January 2020, Sean has been a member of the College’s senior leadership team since 2006 when he joined NC as Vice President of Student and External Relations, and CEO of the Niagara College Foundation. He completed an interim assignment as Vice President, Academic and served Senior Vice President, International prior to becoming the College’s President.

Prior to joining Niagara College, Sean held various senior roles at Red Deer College and the University of Alberta.

Recognized as a leader in international education and student services in Canada, Sean has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), 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.

Active in the community, Sean has served on the boards of the Business Education Council of Niagara, Niagara Sport Commission, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, St. Catharines-Thorold Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Niagara, 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.

Valérie Amiraux (PhD, 1997) is Vice-Rector of International Affairs and Community Partnerships at Université de Montréal.

Valérie Amiraux has a background in history, classical Arabic and political science and is currently a full professor of sociology at Université de Montréal (on secondment from her position as a researcher at the CNRS), where she headed the Canada Research Chair for the study of religious pluralism for 10 years (2007-2017). Her main research interests are religious pluralism, discrimination, issues of race and ethnicity, Islamophobia and radicalization, focusing on several member states of the European Union and more recently on the situation in the province of Quebec (Canada). Her recent publications analyze the relationship between pluralism and radicalization, with a particular emphasis on the interaction between majority societies and Muslim minorities as examined through the lens of ethnography. She is also conducting a field survey on a number of Muslim women who were prohibited from wearing the veil.

• Mercier C., Koussens D., AMIRAUX V. (dir.) (2020), Nouveaux vocabulaires de la laïcité, Paris, Garnier.
• AMIRAUX, V., BEAUCHESNE, P-L. (2020), “Racialization and the construction of the problem of the Muslim presence in Western societies”, Shahram Akbarzadeh (ed.), Handbook of Political Islam, Routledge, 2020, p. 363- 382.
• AMIRAUX, V., GARCIA, P.(*) (2020), « Approches de l’islam et des musulmans au Québec », dans KOUSSENS, D., LANIEL J.-F., PERREAULT J.-P. (dir.), Étudier le religieux au Québec, Québec : PUL.
• AMIRAUX, V., KOUSSENS, D. (2020), « Laïcité vs accommodements raisonnables ? La comparaison franco-québécoise dans les discours publics sur la définition des rapports au religieux », dans Mercier C., Koussens D., AMIRAUX V. (dir.), Nouveaux vocabulaires de la laïcité, Paris, Garnier, p. 77-104.
• AMIRAUX, V. (2018) « Citoyens, piété et démocratie. Réflexions sur l’occultation des corps croyants, l’intimité et le droit au secret », Social Compass, Vol. 65(2), pp. 168-186.
• GERMAIN, A., AMIRAUX, V., BOUDREAU, J-A. (dir.) (2017), Vivre ensemble à Montréal, Montréal, Atelier 10.
• AMIRAUX, V. (2016) Visibility, transparency and gossip: how did the religion of some (Muslims) become the public concern of others? Critical Religious Studies, vol 4(1): 37-56.
• AMIRAUX, V. et F. DESHARNAIS (2015) Salomé et les hommes en noir. Bayard Canada. AMIRAUX, V. et D. KOUSSENS (dir.) (2014), Trajectoires de la neutralité, Presses de l’université de Montréal.

Shelley Aylesworth-Spink began her role as Vice President, International Education at St. Lawrence College after serving as Associate Dean in the School of Business at SLC. Shelley is passionate about intercultural communications, internationalization and student success. Her academic and research background involves the study of global disease outbreaks through the interdisciplinary lens of communications, cultural studies and science and technology studies. She taught and provided academic leadership at the University of Westminster and University of West London, both located in the UK. Her professional background has involved leading public relations in the private sector and broad public sector. Shelley holds a PhD in Cultural Studies and Master of Public Administration, both from Queen’s University, Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from the University of West London (UK), BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Waterloo, Diploma in Print Journalism from Loyalist College and a Higher Education Academy Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy (UK).

Vinitha Gengatharan is a senior leader with over 20 years of experience in the higher education sector.  She currently serves as the Assistant Vice-President, Global Engagement & Partnerships at York University where she is responsible for advancing the University’s global engagement goals, global learning and the experience of international students.  Previously, Vinitha was at the University of Toronto for 17 years where she held several progressively senior roles and led the university’s international strategy and partnerships.  She has extensive experience in engaging in the Asia-Pacific region including building institutional collaborations with institutions, industry and government.  At the University of Toronto, she established the University’s in-country presence in China.  She has served in a leadership capacity on numerous not-for-profit boards including Agincourt Community Services Association, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the Hart House Board of Stewards.  She is the co-founder of Tamil Women Rising, a non-profit organization that empowers Tamil women and their allies in advancing their professional success.

Prof. Nicole Lacasse holds a LLD in International Law (Université Panthéon-Sorbonne) and is a full professor in the Faculty of Administrative Sciences at Laval University. Ms. Lacasse founded the Stephen-Jarislowsky Chair in International Business Management. She has held various management positions at Laval University, including Associate Vice-President for Studies and International Activities, Director of International Affairs and Francophonie, and Executive Director of Continuing Education. Professor Lacasse has led cooperation projects for international organizations in Latin America and North Africa, such as CIDA and the World Bank. For over ten years, she coordinated governance training at the College of Corporate Directors. Recognized for her expertise in university governance, Ms. Lacasse chairs the Réseau international des dirigeantes et dirigeants universitaires en gouvernance et gestion (Dg²) and the Virtual Mobility Consortium eMobi@Dg². She has served on audit committees of different renowned European institutions and has served on several boards of directors, in particular CFQCU’s board (co-chair) and that of Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon (president). She is member of the board of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC).

As President and CEO of Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Dr. Larry Rosia leads the province’s primary provider of technical education and skills training.

Dr. Rosia’s career in education spans more than 35 years, as an Instructor, Program Chair, Revenue Generating Coordinator, Marketing Manager, and Dean.  He has more than 25 years of leadership experience in educational administration and has served in advisory roles to community, provincial and municipal committees.  He is currently serving as Chair, Director, or Board Member for many Regional, National and International organizations, including: the Business/Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, CANARIE, the Community Colleges for International Development (CCID), the International Mineral Innovation Institute (IMII), Polytechnics Canada, Post-Secondary International Network (PIN), the Chair Academy, the Saskatchewan Labour Market Task Force (LMTF), the University of Regina Senate, and the World Federation of Colleges & Polytechnics (WFCP).

Dr. Rosia is a well-respected ambassador for the post-secondary community and has authored a book titled “The Successful College President.”

Janaka Ruwanpura is the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President Research (International) at the University of Calgary, Canada. He is also the current elected Executive Chair of the Commission of International Initiatives of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) as the first Canadian and Non-American to chair any of the councils and commissions of APLU. He was a full professor, Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems and a founding director of the Centre for Project Management in the Schulich School of Engineering.

Dr. Ruwanpura earned a BSc (honors) from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, an MSc in construction management from Arizona State University, and a PhD in construction engineering and management from University of Alberta. He has been recognized with many national and international awards for teaching, research, innovation, leadership, service, distinguished alumni, graduate education and internationalization. He has brought new international initiatives to the University of Calgary including developing and implementing collaborative degree models, co-developing Global Research Initiatives and Sites and raising funding for research and infrastructure, establishing and promoting new research partnerships in number of countries and lobbying for international development grants. Because of these initiatives the University of Calgary won 6 competitive excellence and innovation awards from various organizations such as CBIE, APLU and the Association of International Educators and Administrators (AIEA). In 2020 he was recognized with the International Achievement Award from the City of Calgary.

Dr. Ruwanpura is a licensed professional engineer in Alberta, a professional quantity surveyor in Canada and a chartered member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.