Glen Allen, Faculty, Camosun College

Glen Allen has been involved with customized training programs at the post-secondary level since 1993 as an instructor, coordinator, and entrepreneur.  He is currently on the faculty of Camosun College, and has been responsible for the development and delivery of on-shore customized programs since 2009.

Sultan Almajil, International Student Advisor, Thompson Rivers University

Sultan Almajil arrived to Canada from Saudi Arabia in 2005 as an international student. He graduated from Thompson Rivers University and has been an International Student Advisor at TRU since 2008. Sultan’s work experience has revolved around understanding Saudi students’ needs, challenges and the scholarship program.

Marc Bavin, Manager, International Recruitment, UBC Okanagan

Marc is newly posted as the Manager, International Recruitment at UBC Okanagan, and holds 10 years experience in international education with Camosun College and the University of Victoria. Marc’s work and responsibilities have included leadership and operational roles in study abroad, internationalization, student services, student recruitment and marketing.

Robert Buttery, Director of International Relations, University of Applied Sciences of Northwestern Switzerland

After 10 years of work in the Basque region of Spain, Robert Buttery joined the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland as a professor in Business Communication and International Studies and subsequently became head of International Relations. In 2004 he began to work with two other European colleagues on the establishment of a joint summer program on the European Union for undergraduates from North America.  Called BEST (Business Economics Study Tour) the tours has been operating successfully for five years.  He also works with an international client portfolio giving workshops and seminars in business communications and intercultural competence. In June of 2008, working with a Canadian partner he transformed his experience leading students into a successful study tour for faculty from Canada offered bi-annually. He is a graduate in Spanish Area Studies and Applied Linguistics, University of Portsmouth, UK. and completed his post-graduate degree in Advanced European Studies (Law, Politics and Economics), Universität Basel.  His research is in the internationalisation of higher education institutions and impact on global business and the promotion of regional languages in Europe.  Robert is a frequent presenter for both the European Association of International Educators and NAFSA: the Association of International Education in the USA.  Robert has extensive experience in student exchange, overseas project management (China, Vietnam) and partnership development.

Thomas Christensen, Head of Program Development, Vital English

Thomas Christensen has been involved in international exchange professionally for 12 years, and has lived abroad for over 20 years. Through the e-learning company Vital English, he works with education institutions throughout Canada to enhance international students' experience and learning outcomes.

Bruce Condie, Director, International Marketing, Recruitment and Business Development, Vancouver Island University

Bruce has worked in education for over 25 years and international education for the past 12 years.  He has worked for School Districts, Colleges and Universities over his career including a two year stint in India.  Bruce is currently responsible for the international recruitment for VIU with the help of two full time recruiters in Canada and three overseas representative offices.

Colin Doerr, Director, Communications and Programs, BC Council for International Education

Colin Doerr, Director Communications and Programs, has worked in international education and programming for over 12 years, managing both university as well as community-based international education initiatives. He has worked to advance international mobility programs at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and most recently has contributed to the support of community-based international development education programs through his tenure with Canada World Youth. Mr. Doerr was also one of BCCIE’s early recipients of the Asia Pacific Award that enabled him to pursue language and cultural studies in Beijing, China. He has since finished graduate studies in Education at SFU and is now completing his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Scott Douglas, Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia's Okanagan Campus

An assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, Scott has worked with English language learners and educators throughout the world from the Middle East to Asia.  His research program currently focuses on the English language proficiency demands of English medium post-secondary studies. 

Brock Dykeman, Manager, Director MBA Programs, Vancouver Island University

Brock is currently MBA Director at Vancouver Island University and has spent 22 years working as a professor and administrator in post-secondary education.  He has taken part in recruiting and partnership trips to India and a BC Premier’s Education Mission to India. He has also been involved with setting up and administering joint programs in India.

Lloy Falconer, Teacher, SIDES (School District #63)

Lloy Falconer currently is involved with the international program at the South Island Distance Education School (SIDES). She has worked in many varied educational settings including neighbourhood schools, computer literacy labs, university classrooms, and online environments.  Lloy holds a Bachelor of Education, a Master of Arts, and a Doctor of Philosophy.  Her doctoral research identifies the specific steps educators and students take when using the Internet to create and complete international projects.  Every day, she sees the real-life aspects of this research put to practical use.  Although Lloy works as a teacher, with students of all ages scattered around the world, she sees herself as a life-long learner.  She brings energy and a love of knowledge to each learning situation and project.

Ms. Robin Garcha, Coordinator, Programs and Events, BC Council for International Education

Robin is responsible for assisting and supporting the wide array of special events, professional development events, incoming and outgoing delegations, missions, seminars and other special activities in support of the mission of BCCIE. She works closely with the Communications Team and other members of the BCCIE unit to provide ongoing support for the sound launch and administration of the studyinbc.com website. Robin is a recent graduate from Simon Fraser University (SFU) where she completed a joint major (BBA) in Business and Communications, with a concentration in marketing. Although being born in Canada, Robin’s native language is Punjabi. Having previously completed two successful co-op work terms with BCCIE, international education is an industry of interest to Robin, one she would like to continue learning more about and seeing it grow.

Kyra Garson, Internationalization / Intercultural Consultant

Kyra Garson is an Internationalization / Intercultural Consultant; her primary client is Thompson Rivers University (TRU) where she works through TRU World and The Centre for Teaching and Learning to enhance intercultural competencies for students, staff, and faculty.  She was the primary researcher and author for TRU: A Globally Minded Campus and part of the team that created TRU's Global Competency Credential, Faculty Award for Excellence in Internationalization, and International Days.  Kyra is also an instructor and course designer for Queen's International Educators Training Program (IETP); she has been invited to do workshops for UVIC, SFU, Memorial, Acadia, University of Saskatchewan and numerous colleges and institutes.  Kyra is presently conducting her doctoral research assessing intercultural and global learning outcomes in three of British Columbia's (BC's) regional universities.

Patricia Gartland, Assistant Superintendent, SD 43 Coquitlam

Patricia Gartland is the Assistant Superintendent – International Education and Continuing Education for School District No. 43 (Coquitlam) in Greater Vancouver, BC, Canada.  Mrs. Gartland provides leadership in public education with an emphasis on language instruction, multiculturalism/diversity, and technology.   Over a decade ago, she instituted one of the most successful International Education Programs in BC and Canada.   Ms. Gartland provides advice and leadership to a world-wide network of education bureaus, sister schools, and educational agencies.  Patricia is the Board Chair of the Confucius Institute in Coquitlam.  

Deborah Goble, Acting Manager B.C. Interior Yukon, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Western Region

As the current acting Manager of the BC Interior and Yukon for Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) BC / Yukon region, Deborah Goble spends a great deal of time with stakeholders in many of the Communities outside of the lower mainland working on a variety of citizenship immigration issues. During her 22 years with CIC, Deborah has worked in many different locations including a two year assignment in Kingston, Jamaica. Her experience both domestically and internationally has given her a strong understanding of the overall policies and principals of the Citizenship and Immigration. Deborah has spent the past five years in Kelowna and in doing so has developed a strong understanding regarding the needs of the international students, the student advisors and within the educational institutions themselves, both at post secondary institutions and within the various school boards. Deborah is originally from the West Kootenay region of BC and has worked for CIC at remote border crossings, Vancouver, Ottawa and Jamaica.

Dr. Daniel J. Guhr, Managing Director, Illuminate Consulting Group (ICG)

Dr. Guhr serves as ICG’s Managing Director.  Prior to founding ICG, he served as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, and as a Director of Business Development with SAP.     Dr. Guhr holds a D.Phil. and a M.Sc. from Oxford, as well as a M.A. from Brandeis.  Dr. Guhr was also trained at Bonn and Harvard, served as a research specialist at Berkeley, and conducted research at a Max-Planck-Institute.  He has authored more than 30 research papers and studies.  From 2007 to 2010, he contributed to more than 50 conference sessions and workshops. 

Dr. Guhr can be contacted by e-mail at guhr@illuminategroup.com.

Sukh Heer Matonovich, Manger, Student Engagement and Retention, Thompson Rivers University

Sukh Heer Matonovich is the Manger, Student Engagement and Retention at Thompson Rivers University.    She provides leadership within the new Centre for Student Engagement and Learning Innovation for university programs related to student success and engagement. In this role she is responsible for the implementation of the new Co-Curricular Record, the Global Competency credential and other such credentials in development, leadership programming, and orientation and engagement programming. She works closely with the university's Faculties to plan and implement retention initiatives. Her research focus is on academic engagement in open admissions programs.

Mike Henniger, International Marketing Director, Thompson Rivers University

Mike is the International Marketing Director at Thompson Rivers University and his enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge in global marketing has made him a driving force in new media marketing at TRU.

Working with Sherri King, Mike has developed a cross-platform social media strategy for reaching prospective students worldwide. He is continually creating new and innovative projects that target particular segments of the market and produce measurable results.

Lee-Anne Hermann, Deputy Director, Edu-Canada, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT)

Lee-Anne Hermann began her diplomatic career with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1994.  She has served abroad in Ireland, Zimbabwe, Germany and Côte d’Ivoire.  In Ottawa, she has worked in such varied areas as the Commonwealth, Circumpolar Affairs and the 2010 G8 and G20 Summits.  She is currently Deputy Director for Edu-Canada in the International Education and Youth Division.

Gail Hirsch, Associate Director, Financial Aid & Awards, Simon Fraser University

Gail is the Associate Director, Financial Aid and Awards at SFU. Within this capacity, she serves as a member of the StudentAid BC Policy Working group and worked directly on the current policy pertaining to International Exchanges and student loan funding.

Terry Hood, General Manager, LinkBC: the tourism education network

Mr. Hood has been involved in tourism education, conference management and community tourism planning for over twenty-five years. He is now pleased to be applying his experience and enthusiasm as a manager of the LinkBC network.

LinkBC is a value-added service organization working with tourism and hospitality programs across British Columbia with a mission to strengthen BC’s competitive edge by connecting faculty, students, and graduates of the BC Tourism Learning System to the industry and communities. Their vision is to ensure British Columbia leads the world in Tourism and Hospitality Education.

A graduate of the Geography department at Simon Fraser University, Terry has held faculty positions at the University of British Columbia and Capilano University, and served as Director of Educational Services at the former Pacific Rim Institute of Tourism. He has served as regional manager for Tourism Training Canada and managed his own firm, North Shore Project Leadership, specializing in destination development strategies and first nations community tourism planning initiatives.

Recent professional activity has included active contribution to The Canadian Tourism Commission, the Association of Tourism Professionals, the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council, the Council on Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Education, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, the Tourism Educators Consortium, and the World Travel and Tourism Council Human Resource Centre.

Mr. Hood is a proponent of “life-long learning” and continues to encourage the development of a strong training culture within the tourism industry. He has been project manager of numerous cooperative efforts between industry operators, government and the education community, all designed to create a more professional tourism workforce and to improve staff development. Terry was involved for many years with national tourism occupational standards development.

Much of this experience has been in cross-cultural environments, including many years of professional involvement with the aboriginal community.

Terry also has extensive systems planning and facilitation skills and, through has led and participated in a number of tourism human resource strategic planning projects – in British Columbia, Canada, the Caribbean, Jordan, India, and in Hong Kong.

Jack Hughes, Owner & President, Data A La Carte Consulting

Jack Hughes has over 20 years experience developing systems and teaching for a wide variety of  institutions such as SFU and UBC (both technology system and international groups), with a focus on making systems work for their users rather than making users work for their systems.

Kate Jennings, Director Education Abroad, University of Alberta

Kate has 15 years experience in international education, most recently in education abroad and partnership development, with roles at a number of universities in Canada.  Along with numerous IE-related presentations, Kate was International Mobility Chapter Chair (2001-2005) and Member of the Board (2002-2005) of the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

Sherri King, International Marketing Coordinator, TRU

In collaboration with Mike Henniger, Sherri has developed and maintains TRU’s social media presence including the international Facebook page, which now has the highest number of fans for a Canadian post-secondary school, at over 46,000 fans as of May 1, 2012. Sherri has formal training in graphic design and electronic publishing and has been the International Marketing Coordinator at TRU since 2003. She has seen many changes in marketing over the years and is excited to focus on social media for recruitment purposes. Sherri is currently enrolled in a Masters of Social Media program.

Melanie Koenderman, Dean of Student Affairs, Quest University Canada

Melanie Koenderman joined Quest University Canada as Dean of Student Affairs before it opened in 2007 to develop the co-curricular elements of this new liberal arts and sciences university.  Melanie worked as a teacher and university staff in Canada and abroad and as a Canadian diplomat internationally before joining the Quest team.

Robert Lajoie, Director Confucius Institute, SD 43 Coquitlam

Bob Lajoie is an education and training specialist with over 20 years of experience in education. Bob grew up in the Coquitlam School District, graduating from Centennial High School and moving along to BCIT & Simon Fraser University for undergraduate and graduate studies. His career focus has been international education; the import and export of educational products and services and has worked at several British Columbia public education institutions including Vancouver Community College, the Ministry of Education and the Open Learning Agency.

Ms Janice Larson, Executive Director, International Education, Ministry of Advanced Education

Janice Larson is the Executive Director for International Education with the BC Ministry of Advanced Education, where she and her colleagues work to advance policies and initiatives that support BC’s international education opportunities at home and abroad.  In her 18-year career with the Province of BC, Janice has worked in various roles with the Ministries of Justice, Finance, Energy and Transportation.  Janice has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Lethbridge, degrees in Education and Law from the University of British Columbia, and she is a non-practicing member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Ivy Lerner Frank, First Secretary and Trade Commissioner – S&T, Canadian High Commission to India, New Delhi 

A McGill and Concordia graduate, Ivy Lerner-Frank came to Canada as an international student and hasn’t regretted it for a moment. Currently leading Trade Team India’s Education and Science and Technology sector group at the High Commission of Canada, she has also served in Hong Kong and Beijing.

Dr. Randall Martin, Executive Director, BC Council for International Education

Dr. Randall Martin, Executive Director of the BCCIE, has experience spanning more than twenty years in post-secondary education, development education and international education, including more than 15 years supporting the internationalization efforts of Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver. He began his professional career teaching in the college sector, moved to a university development project in Eastern and Central Indonesia, after which he returned to Canada mandated to design and implement international student programming for SFU, where he spent much of the last twenty years.

Karen McBride, President, Canadian Bureau for International Education, Ottawa, Canada

Since August 2009, Karen McBride has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE). Ms. McBride has had extensive experience promoting internationalization – experience gained by leading policy development and advocacy efforts at the federal level, research initiatives on the strengths and challenges of internationalization in the Canadian context, as well as numerous workshops at the national and institutional levels on strategies to improve internationalization efforts.

Prior to joining CBIE as its President, Ms. McBride spent fifteen years at the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), most recently as Vice-President, International Affairs. Her previous work experience included serving as a research advisor to the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. In this capacity, she led research on international cultural and academic relations as part of the work of the Special Joint Parliamentary Committee Reviewing Canada’s Foreign Policy.

She received her Master of Arts in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University and her Bachelor of Arts in History and French from the University of Western Ontario.

Cyndi McLeod, Vice President, Global Advancement, Marketing and Business Development, Royal Roads University

Cyndi McLeod is a global leader in helping universities grow through innovative recruitment and business partnerships. Her career spans 26 years of outstanding achievement in the post‐secondary education sector working in both academic and administrative roles. Her global career is truly global: she has worked in more than 100 countries, and specializes in doing business in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

Linda Millar, Education Specialist, Concerned Children's Advertisers

Linda Millar is a retired educator and “Education Specialist” at Concerned Children’s Advertisers. An international writer and speaker, Linda has worked in the prevention field for over 40 years. Ms. Millar has been seconded to several organizations, including The University of Ottawa, Faculty of Education and has authored many education and parent programs across Canada and beyond our borders.

Sarah Mines, Manager - Canada, ICEF

Sarah brings over eight years of international education experience to her position as the Manager-Canada at ICEF. She works with national, provincial and sector working groups to help leverage Canada as a premier study destination, and works directly with institutions to recommend strategies to increase student enrolment.

Neil Mort, Director of Enrollment/Student Services, Fairleigh Dickinson University

Neil Mort, Director of Enrolment and Student Services, of Fairleigh Dickinson University's Vancouver campus has more than twenty five years experience in the field of student services and enrolment management. Neil worked in Residence Life while completing his Bachelor's degree in International Relations at the University of BC. Neil holds a MBA in Educational Administration from Royal Roads University, and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Gonzaga University, Washington.

Wayne Myles, Director of Queen’s University International Centre, Queen’s University

Wayne Myles is responsible for the overall administration of QUIC. He represents the concerns of QUIC and of the international students to Queen’s administration. As the University Health Insurance Plan Administrator, Wayne works with other departments to administer UHIP on campus. He works with the ISA, EAA, and the IPA to provide a broad range of support services, and coordinates QUIC’s projects, fundraising and information systems. Wayne is also Director of the International Educators Training Program (IETP). Wayne is the recipient of the 2009 CBIE Internationalization Leadership Excellence Award.

Todd Odgers, Associate Director, Centre for Excellence in Intercultural Education (CEIE), NorQuest College

Todd is Associate Director of NorQuest's Centre for Excellence in Intercultural Education (CEIE). Over the past three years Todd has built a team of intercultural trainers and researchers at the Centre that has worked in over fifty organizations and 28 communities, and undertaken over a dozen applied research projects. Prior to joining NorQuest, he spent five years with Malaspina University-College (now Vancouver Island University) where he worked with the Teaching and Learning Centre and International Student Services. As a member of the Teaching and Learning Centre team, Todd developed and facilitated training for services staff as well as a series of popular annual retreats. His research into these approaches was published in Trilokekar, Jones, Shubert (Eds.) Canada's Universities Go Global. With colleague Isabelle Giroux in "Internationalizing Faculty: A Phased Approach to Transforming Curriculum Design and Instruction". In his student services work, he was best known for his design and co-delivery of an award winning intercultural leadership program. Todd has designed customized training and facilitated a wide range of Intercultural Communication in Canada and abroad. Prior to his work in Canadian higher education he spent 10 years in Japan teaching and training to develop intercultural competence in colleges, universities, and with the management and staff of many of the country's best known corporations.

Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director, Languages Canada

The Languages Canada Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Gonzalo Peralta as Executive Director. Gonzalo, who will be based in the Ottawa area, brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise in the language industry.

Prior to joining Languages Canada, he served for almost three years as the President of AILIA (Association de l'industrie de la langue/Language Industry Association), and his career to date has spanned over 25 years, with experience in the three main sectors of the language industry: translation, language technologies and language training. Gonzalo is fluent in French, English and Spanish, and speaks Portuguese at an intermediate level

Gonzalo has held various positions in the language industry, from linguistic, operational, human resources and training and development positions to marketing, financial and executive management roles. Among his previous positions are: President and CEO of The BabelFish Corporation, Consultant with Convivium Corporation, and President of Living Language Services Inc., as well as numerous board and advisory positions with such organizations as CAPLS, CICF and Projet ACCORD.

Kerry Pridmore, Director, International Education, Ministry of Education

Kerry Pridmore is the Director, International Education with the Ministry of Education (K-12 sector).  Originally from New Zealand, Kerry has travelled extensively and has had the opportunity to live, work and study in a variety of Canadian and international locations.  Kerry has worked with the BC provincial government for over 14 years in the areas of international education, immigration and economic development.

Marco Qaqish, Coordinator, International Marketing and Recruitment, Vancouver Island University (VIU)

Experienced in international student recruitment, educational marketing and global business development, Marco Qaqish actively seeks innovative, cost-effective & sustainable solutions designed to make educational institutions more competitive locally & globally. Marco has received multiple graduate & undergraduate honors & was nominated for Canada’s Future Entrepreneurial Leaders (FuEL) Award in 2011. 

Leah Sanford, Manager - International Programs and Services, University of British Columbia's Okanagan Campus

Leah Sanford (MA, BA, TESOL), Manager of International and Language Programs and Services at UBC’s Okanagan campus, has been involved in International Education as an educator, teacher trainer, coordinator, and manager for the past 17 years. Her interests lie in EAP, curriculum and program development, intercultural communication, and bridging the gap between EAP courses and 1st-year English.

Prashant Srivastava, Associate Director for Global Recruitment, New York Institute of Technology

Prashant graduated from VIU’s MBA program in 2004 and is currently working for New York Institute of Technology-Vancouver as Associate Director for Global Recruitment. Prashant started VIU’s India office in Delhi and worked there from 2007 to 2010. Prashant was involved in working with BCCIE in planning & execution of Team BC Mission to India in Nov 2007.

Dawn Sutherland, Vice President, Marketing & Development, Maple Leaf Educational Systems, China

Dawn Sutherland has worked in post-secondary education in Canada and internationally for more than 30 years with over 15 years dedicated to international education. She has been involved nationally and provincially with advisory committees and professional associations, including serving on the Board of Directors with CBIE, BCCIE and ACCC. Her work has involved developing partnerships, projects and business opportunities worldwide. Since August 2011 Ms. Sutherland has been living and working in China. Formerly the Director of Camosun College International, she is currently Vice-President, Marketing & Development and a Board Director with Maple Leaf Education Systems, China – Canada’s largest accredited offshore high school program.

Catherine Vertesi, Vice President International, External Relations and New Initiatives, Capilano University

Catherine Vertesi began her academic career in 1980 at the University of BC in Marketing and Strategic Management.  She was one of the fir5st in Canada to introduce mobility programs for students and grew them to become 25% of the U/G and 50% of the MBA students’ experience in the faculty of Commerce and Business Administration.  She then joined the President’s team to work on a variety of other internationalization initiatives including the creation of ESL pathway programs and professional education undertakings. In 2001 she became Dean of Business at Capilano University and was named Vice President Education with a portfolio that included management and international programs in 2006.

Catherine has been very active in the international education associations worldwide assuming leadership positions and giving presentations to promote excellence in international education practices at home and abroad.  She received awards from UBC as well as recognition for her internationalization work from Thai, Hungarian and Danish institutions and in 2003 received the CBIE International Leadership Award for Canada.

Since beginning at Capilano she has set up exchanges and field schools for Capilano students, helped to introduce internationalization elements into the curriculum of the Cap School of Business and worked with the international office to develop greater integration of the international students at Cap. With her colleagues from Switzerland Catherine has twice led Canadian faculty to Europe for professional development.  

Morgan Westcott, Communications Manager, LinkBC: the tourism education network

A graduate of the BC Tourism Learning System (BCIT marketing management), Morgan also has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from UBC and a Masters of Arts in Tourism Management from Royal Roads University.

Her professional experience includes a position as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Arts & Cultural Guide to BC, freelance work with Tourism New Westminster, managerial experience with food and beverage organizations, and special events marketing and logistics management.

Morgan’s role with LinkBC is to raise the profile of the network and its partners over the coming years while acting as manager of the Tourism Online Resource Centre (TORC). She implements an organizational communication strategy (including print materials, social media, electronic newsletters, web development), and runs LinkBC’s Student-Connect programs which include career planning workshops, resources for employers, networking events such as the Student-Industry Rendezvous, and the Provincial Tourism/Hospitality Student Case Competition.

Many of Morgan’s other projects relate to the emergence of a multi-year strategy to promote BC as a tourism learning destination.

Outside of LinkBC, Morgan is a respected copywriter and editor. Recent projects include serving as the ghostwriter for the BC Travelers’ Companion e-newsletter (for camping and RV enthusiasts), an editor on Tourism British Columbia’s Business Essentials series (Sustainable Tourism and Cultural Heritage Tourism), and as an editor on the Belize Cultural Tourism Development Handbook for Community Champions. She has also taught courses in Globalization and Hospitality Management (Royal Roads University) and recently supervised a term of tourism co-op placements (Capilano University).

Morgan’s long-term goals include additional tourism instructing opportunities at the post-secondary level, and taking on increased leadership and responsibilities within provincial tourism organizations.

Kevin White, Principal, South Island Distance Education School, School District #63

Kevin is presently taking a year leave from being the principal of the South Island Distance Education School (SIDES) in Victoria, BC. Kevin has been an educator for over 23 years, working in various secondary settings; adult learning centres; and various international online learning environments. He holds three degrees, including a Master of Education in online learning from Royal Roads University. Kevin is known as an innovative leader who uses collaborative technologies to build supportive online learning communities. His mission in education is not to replace the incredible things that occur in our schools, but to instead, to make online learning experiences a natural part of every student's school experience. He feels that online learning works best in a blended partnership with our neighbourhood schools.  Kevin has led and participated in various national and international K-12 learning projects and conferences. He also has worked for a number of educational organizations including Royal Roads University, the United World College of the Pacific and the International Baccalaureate Organization in Cardiff, Wales.

Catherine Wilde, Program Manager, International Scholarships, CBIE

Catherine Wilde is a Program Manager at the Canadian Bureau for International Education, working with the team responsible for DFAIT’s International Scholarships Program. She has several years experience with international internships and scholarships. In 2007, she obtained a Masters in Education from UBC, focused on adult learning and global change.

Dawn Wilson, Director, Education Extension & International Programs, St. Michael University School

As the Director of Education Extension and International Programs at St. Michaels University School, Dawn Wilson develops and manages all of the external domestic programs, maintains and creates new exchange opportunities for SMUS students, and directs the international programs for groups and individuals offered throughout the school year.

Gardner Wilson, Consultant

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Gardiner Wilson spent his career with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade which included overseas postings in Bangkok (twice), Teheran, London, Sydney, Singapore, Canberra as Deputy High Commissioner and High Commissioner to the Sultante of Brunei. He also had an assignment as Senior Vice President (Education) at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Upon retirement he joined the Canadian Education Centre Network (CECN), a non profit international education marketing company as Director of Public Policy and Research where he specialized in government relations including developments at Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In recent years he conducted research on international education issues for provincial governments and national organizations such as CBIE and AUCC. He now concentrates on organizing incoming familiarization tours of overseas educators interested in visiting Canadian educational institutions - some 20 such tours have been organized over the past few years.

Kim Winter, Citizenship and Immigration Officer, Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Western Region

Kim Winter is currently an officer in the Multiculturalism and Community Outreach and Temporary Foreign Worker Unit, and is actively involved in the outreach activities to Government and non-government partners, NGO’s, schools and employers on Immigration programs. Kim has been with the department for over 25 years and has experience working in many CIC programs. She was also a member of the team for the entry of Temporary Foreign Workers associated with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Jon Wong, Manager, Socio-Cultural Program, UBC English Language Institute

Jon Wong is currently the Socio-Cultural Program Manager at the UBC English Language Institute (UBC-ELI). In this capacity, Jon's goal is to foster an environment where international students can form meaningful cross-cultural connections with their local peers at UBC. More specifically, Jon leads a team of Cultural Assistants (CAs) and oversees the operations of the UBC-ELI Socio-Cultural Program.