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James Downey
James Downey, President and CEO
James Downey has been president of three universities: Carleton University, the University of New Brunswick and the University of Waterloo. He also served as presi­dent of the Canadian Bureau for International Education, chair of the Association of Atlantic Universities, and chair of the Corporate Higher Education Forum. Dr. Downey was also special adviser to the premier of New Brunswick; special adviser to the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada; and co-chair of the New Brunswick Commission on Excellence in Education. He founded and directed Canada’s first center for the study of cooperative education.

In 2000, he was awarded the Symons Medal for outstanding service to higher education in the Commonwealth by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and in 2003 he received the David C. Smith award from the Council of Ontario Universities for his contributions to universities and public policy in Canada.

Dr. Downey is an Officer of the Order of Canada.