Skip to main content
Aerial shot of campus
CUBA Conference 2025

Disruption as Opportunity: Catching Waves of Change in Higher Education

May 1-3, 2025 in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Registration is OPEN!

CUBA ACCAU

This year’s conference theme—Disruption as Opportunity: Catching Waves of Change in Higher Education —reflects the conversations and decisions made in our Board rooms across the country.

In addition to a great program, conference participants will be treated to a reception the evening of May 1, 2025 at the McInnes Cooper Law Firm on the Halifax Waterfront, and an East Coast Kitchen Party the evening of May 2, 2025.

The Canadian University Boards Association (CUBA) exists to improve the governance of Canadian universities. It serves as a means of mobilizing the leadership of university boards to support and develop policies and programs that enhance the ability of boards to discharge their fiduciary duties and to be accountable for the overall direction of their universities.

Program

Hosted by the University of Waterloo

University of Waterloo

6:45 - 7:30 a.m. Morning activity - TBD
7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Registration Desk open
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Land Acknowledgement and Welcome 
8:45 a.m.

Opening Keynote
Sparking Curiosity: The Future of University Governance

  • Matt Fullbrook, Founder, Fullbrook Board Effectiveness
9:30 a.m.

Panel Discussion: What is the future of university governance?

  • Matt Fullbrook, Founder, Fullbrook Board Effectiveness
  • University Secretary Panel (panellists to be announced)
10:30 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m.

Achieving World Class University Governance in an Age of Disruption

  • Paul Dubal, ISO37000 Certified Governance Expert, Author, EQ for the Governance Professional
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Lightning Talks - Presenters to be announced
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m.

Sensemaking: Navigating Change for University Leaders

  • Daniel Atlin, Executive Coach and Strategic Advisor
4:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
5:00 p.m. Shuttle to the Welcome Reception - Meet in hotel lobby
5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Welcome Reception Hosted at McInnes Cooper Purdy’s Wharf Tower II
6:45 a.m. Morning Activity: Halifax harbourfront boardwalk stroll
7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Registration Desk Open
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m.
  • Land Acknowledgement - Claire Milton, KC, ICD.D
  • Welcome Honour Song - Raymond Sewell, Assistant Professor of Indigenous Literature and Culture, Saint Mary's University
8:45 a.m.

Presidents Panel: Leading through Disruption - Protests; Anarchy; Existential Crisis

  • Moderator – Dr. Jessica Riddell, Professor of Early Modern Literature, Bishops University
  • President – Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, Saint Mary's University
  • President – Dr. Vivek Goel, University of Waterloo
  • President – Dr. Wendy Rogers, University of Prince Edward Island 
  • President – Dr. Graham Carr, Concordia University
10:00 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m.

Indigenous-led Governance – Lessons from Labrador

  • Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, Provost and Vice-President Academic and Research, Acadia University
11:45 a.m.  Lunch
1:00 p.m.

Measuring Success in a University – Reshaping Accountability in a Distressed World

  • Katrina Beach, FCPA, Partner, Doane Grant Thorton
  • Dr. Natalia Kochetova, PhD, FCPA, FCMA, Professor of Accounting, Saint Mary's University
2:15 p.m. Break
2:30 p.m.

Break Out Group 

Board Members: The Chair-President RelationshipMaintaining Trust in Disruption

More presenters to be announced

  • Simon Chan and Deborah MacLatchey, Wilfred Laurier University
  • Alan Abraham and Robert Summerby-Murray, Saint Mary's University
  • Julian Demkiw, University Secretary and Chief Governance Officer, University of Saskatchewan
  • Facilitator: Catherine Woodman, ICD.D, KBRS

Break Out Group

Governance Professionals: The Bridge Over Troubled Waters

More presenters to be announced

  • Sheree Drummond, Secretary of the Governing Council, University of Toronto
  • Claire Milton, University Secretary and General Counsel, Saint Mary’s University
  • Facilitator: Kate Fagan Taylor, GrowthPoints
4:00 p.m. Closing remarks
5:15 p.m. Commute to East Coast Kitchen Party – Meet in Hotel Lobby
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

East Coast Kitchen Party – Lobster Dinner at The Cable Wharf – Featuring Big Fish

6: 45 a.m. Morning Activity 
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Land Acknowledgement and Welcome
  • Mark Gosine, Board Vice-Chair, Saint Mary's University
8:35 a.m. Invitation to CUBA 2026
University of Waterloo
8:45 a.m. Purpose Governance - Reclaiming the Role of Higher Education in Saving the World
  • Coro Strandberg, President, Strandberg Consulting
10: 00 a.m. Closing Keynote: Hope Circuits 2.0 - Blueprints for Governance and Leadership
  • Dr. Jessica Riddell, Founder, Hope Circuits Institute, Professor of Early Modern Literature, Bishops University
11:00 a.m. Break
11:20 a.m. CUBA Annual General Meeting
12:30 p.m. Boxed lunch to-go
1:30 p.m.

Optional: Post-Conference Intensive Workshop with Dr. Jessica Riddell, Founder, Hope Circuits Institute, Professor of Early Modern Literature, Bishops University

  • Co-Creating Blueprints for Transformative Governance
  • Applying Hope Circuits' Tools for Immediate Campus Impact

 

Meet our Presenters

More presenters to be announced
Click presenter card to read more