The Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) is pleased to welcome its new Executive Director, Dr. David Julien, who, on February 1st, 2016, enters into his first term of four years. Presented by the IOHE Board of Directors, his appointment was subsequently ratified by the XXXV General Assembly of Members, held October 19th, 2015, in Quito, Ecuador.
For Dr. Julien, it was his return to the organization after completing an internship with the Vice-Presidency of Mexico in 2002 and working as the head of the Inter-American Training Networks in the College of the Americas (COLAM), from 2003-2007.
Over the coming months, the new Executive Director will be visiting members from over 9 IOHE regions as well as working in conjunction with the Presidency and various Regional offices in order to develop our 2017-2022 Strategic Orientations. “I welcome the challenge brought forth as it is a key moment for the IOHE and I will seek to continue the excellent work put in place by my predecessors”, Dr. Julien said. He goes on to explain that “with the full participation of our members, we can ensure that the IOHE and higher education institutions are well positioned as leaders on relevant issues throughout this continent while ensuring the continuation of our organization”.
Holding a PhD in Organizational Psychology focused specifically on intercultural issues in the learning environment, from the University of Sherbrooke, the new Executive Director has also studied at the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School and at McGill University.
Academic expert on intercultural relations, Dr. Julien relies on his vast management experience acquired from various internationally-renowned organizations, such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). During his years at WADA, he was responsible for developing inter-governmental partners and offering various educational and sports-related programs globally. He is primarily specialized on Latin America and China.
He has taught courses about the management of cultural diversity as well as courses on other connected themes, at the Confucius Institute of Montreal, the University of Sherbrooke, the Marie Victorin College and the University of Kaifeng (China); he has also hosted various training seminars within a number of Latin America universities and participated in meetings and conferences on five continents and in more than 75 countries.