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20 January 2023

Navitas announces new UPNA Vice President, Marketing and Recruitment

We are pleased to announce that Livia Castellanos, Director General Americas, has stepped into the role of Vice-President Marketing and Recruitment at Navitas for our University Partnerships North America (UPNA) division. Until her role can be filled Livia will continue to serve as Director General Americas, and play a key role in leading the implementation of the Latin America strategy.

In announcing the appointment, Navitas CEO and President for UPNA, Brian J. R. Stevenson, said: “Livia is a talented, driven and nationally respected leader with more than 20 years of international education experience. Prior to joining Navitas in September 2022, she served as Executive Lead of International Education and Jurisdictional Initiatives for the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada, where she introduced the first international education agent training programs implemented by a Canadian province and led the development and launch of Saskatchewan’s first international education strategy to position the province as a destination of choice for international students, research partnerships and innovation.

“This position followed a 20-year career in senior internationalization and recruitment roles with several Canadian universities including at the University of Regina (UR) as Associate Vice President International and Chief International Officer, where she led all international initiatives and activities, including establishing UR International and developing a comprehensive international student enrolment and retention strategy that encompasses transition programming and academic and social support.”

Livia has held senior positions in international education at other universities across Canada, including Director of Enrolment and Institutional Relations at the University of Winnipeg, and International Relations Officer Americas at University of Alberta International. She has provided external executive reviews for academic institutions in Canada and Mexico in the areas of international student enrolment, international student retention and partnership development; served as a consultant for public school boards in Canada to increase their global presence; and supported the international education agenda for governments including Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, and Saudi Arabia.

Throughout her career, Livia has served as a member of multiple boards and committees provincially, nationally, and internationally, including the Council of Minister of Education, Canada, the Canadian Bureau for International Education, and the Executive Secretariat for Canada in the Inter-American Organization of Higher Education (IOHE) providing the Canada-Latin America international education joint strategy.

Originally from Mexico, Livia came to Canada as an international student and later earned her law degree with honours from Universidad Olmeca, in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. She lives with her family in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Please join us in congratulating Livia to her new role!

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