World Education Services Appoints Three New Board Members
January 30, 2024
Canada
Canada
World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise that supports the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students. For nearly 50 years, WES has set the standard for international academic credential evaluation, supporting millions of people as they seek to achieve their academic and professional goals. Through decades of experience as a leader in global education, WES has developed a wide range of tools to pursue social impact at scale. From evaluating academic credentials to shaping policy, designing programs, and providing philanthropic funding, we partner with a diverse set of organizations, leaders, and networks to uplift individuals and drive systems change. Together with its partners, WES enables people to learn, work, and thrive in new places.
Everyone is able to put their education, experience, and skills to work anywhere in the world.
We help people learn, work, and thrive in new places. We help society recognize the value of people’s education and experience.
We open doors so people can build better futures.
We become stronger, more creative, and more resilient when we embrace diversity.
We uphold fairness and justice in our work and actions.
We are resourceful, inventive, and driven.
We challenge ourselves to be the best at what we do.
“With an evaluation, I can prove that what I have is equal to a Canadian degree. It makes me feel secure knowing there are future possibilities for me.”
“WES’ assessment was really beneficial for me. It provided me with the validation of my documents which was required by the admission team.”
Esther T. Benjamin has been a global executive in the public, private, and civil society sectors for more than 25 years. Before joining WES as CEO and executive director, Esther worked with Laureate Education, Inc., a leading global higher education organization. Esther served as the Associate Director for Global Operations of the U.S. Peace Corps, and held senior management roles with the International Youth Foundation and the International Partnership for Microbicides.
Abbie Cowan is a human resources executive with decades of experience leading people strategy in the public and private sectors. For the past 10 years she’s been at Atos, a global leader in digital transformation. As Senior Vice President of HR and Global Chief Diversity Officer at Atos, Abbie worked closely with senior leaders and staff around the world. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She is also a certified executive coach and mentor. Abbie received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Warwick and a master’s degree from the University of Central England (now Birmingham City University).
Shamira Madhany joined WES in 2018 after more than two decades of government service in Ontario. Her last position was Assistant Deputy Minister for Health, Education, and Social Policy, in Cabinet Office. She also served as Chief Diversity and Accessibility Officer, ensuring that 62,000 employees met accessibility and inclusion goals. Shamira has extensive experience working with employer associations, licensing bodies, non-profit organizations, and the post-secondary sector. She served as the chief architect of several government programs that enable internationally educated professionals to obtain employment in their fields. Shamira is a guest lecturer at Queen’s University and the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She also serves on the boards of Windmill Microlending, Touchstone Institute, Herzing College Toronto, and the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC).
Monica Munn joined WES in 2019, bringing over a decade of experience leading social impact and economic development initiatives in the philanthropic, social enterprise, and private sectors. Monica oversees WES’ social impact and philanthropic initiatives, including the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, funding partnerships, and corporate philanthropy. Previously, Monica held several positions at the Rockefeller Foundation and worked at Next Street, a social enterprise that drives equitable economic and community development. She currently serves on the steering committee of the Workforce Matters Funders Network.
Cheryl Cramer Toto has spent over two decades in operational leadership and business transformation in the private sector and with non-profit organizations. Before joining WES as COO Cheryl served as President and CEO of the Marketing Science Institute. Cheryl also spent ten years at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt where she helped to turn a paper-based educational publishing house into one of the sector’s digital pioneers.
John Vermaaten joined WES in 2021. He has over 30 years of experience in international business and 15 years of experience in the education sector. Prior to joining WES, John held several leadership positions, including Chief Financial Officer at Laureate Education—one of the world’s largest networks of private universities—for the Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia division. John has held positions of increasing responsibility in the global technology and e-commerce industries as well.
John’s roles have taken him beyond many borders, to more than 50 countries in regions around the world: Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asian Pacific. He has lived and worked in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Singapore.
Audrey Hendley is the President of Global Travel and Lifestyle Services at American Express, one of the largest multi-channel consumer travel agencies in the world. Audrey is responsible for delivering premium services to card members, overseeing the digital travel booking experience, travel benefits and programs, supplier partnerships, and marketing and engagement strategies for the premium card member base. In 30 years at American Express, Audrey has earned many of the company’s top awards and her teams have also won the Chairman’s Award for Innovation. Audrey is Chair for the New York Women’s Interest Network (WIN) and is an honors graduate of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she received her master’s in Marketing Management.
Sidney Hargro is the executive director of the Leaders Trust. He is the former executive director of Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia and the Community Foundation of South Jersey. He has also served as the Senior Officer of Strategy and Organizational Learning at The Columbus Foundation, the nation’s 7th largest community foundation. He is the author of “Lessons Learned,” a chapter in the Foundation Center’s fundraising guide After the Grant: A Nonprofit’s Guide to Good Stewardship. Sidney served on the Board of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, as well as the boards of regional and national organizations including Wells Fargo Regional Foundation and CDC, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, and the advisory committee of the New Jersey Nature Conservancy. He is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Ohio State University, and the United Theological Seminary.
Samuel Artmann is Area General Manger, South Florida at Sonder, Inc. He was previously Senior Vice President & Head of Global Strategic Partnerships at Web.com. He has also worked as a management consultant for Oliver Wyman and Bain & Company, as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers, and as an entrepreneur, co-founding Guiato, a location-based online marketing platform, and OndaLocal, an online marketing company that provides automated online marketing solutions for small businesses and franchise brands. Samuel currently serves on the Boards of Sanctuary Ventures and I Love ECommerce, both in São Paulo, Brazil. He is a graduate of the University of Karlsruhe (Germany) and the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
Helen Hayward was born and educated in Hong Kong and came to Canada as an international student. She has a successful track record of advising and leading change in high profile and complex environments. In 2018, Helen retired as a National Partner with Western Management Consultants (WMC), a Canadian management consulting and executive search firm. She was previously with Mercer Delta International Organizational Consulting, a consulting firm based in New York. As a Certified Management Consultant, she has consulted extensively with national, provincial, and municipal governments and their agencies. She serves on multiple health care, justice, and education boards.
Ann Buller, President Emeritus of Centennial College, is passionate about education that drives personal and community transformation. She is renowned within the Canadian post-secondary sector for her leadership and her ability to catalyze major transformative change, resulting in widespread recognition for her ground-breaking work in leadership development and global citizenship education. During her tenure, President Buller led Centennial’s award-winning internationalization efforts. She also introduced notable programs to support underrepresented students, such as those residing in underserved neighbourhoods, students with learning disabilities, and those who are the first in their families to pursue post-secondary education. She served as Board Chair of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (2012-14) and as the Chair of the Colleges and Institutes Canada (2011-14) and currently serves on the Board of World Education Services and Academics Without Borders. President Buller recently received the Order of Canada, has earned several prestigious awards recognizing her excellence as a leader, including the Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2021 Global Women in Education’s Influential Women in International Education Award, the 2016 World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Leadership Award, the Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award (2016, 2010), the 2015 Canadian Bureau for International Education’s President’s Award for Distinguished Leadership in International Education, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Misha Esipov is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nova Credit, the world’s first cross-border consumer reporting agency. Nova has built a global network of credit bureaus to empower consumers to transport their financial identity wherever they move. Misha oversees the overall strategic direction of the firm and leads Nova’s mission to “enable immigrants to access credit to realize their potential.” Before Nova, Misha was a private equity investor at Apollo Global Management. He started his career at Goldman Sachs where he was involved in corporate financing, mergers, and acquisitions. Misha was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States in the 1990s. He is a graduate of New York University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Caroline Gayle is an experienced IT, business, and technology transformation leader. She is the Managing Director for the Technology Financial Service Practice at Accenture Canada, where she has spent more than 21 years. She has extensive experience implementing large and small systems projects, as well as 22 years of IT experience in all industries. Over the course of her career, she has earned several awards recognizing her excellence as a leader, women’s advocate, and mentor, including the 2019 Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) Mentorship Award and the Canadian Inspirational Leader Award. Caroline earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of the West Indies (Mona) and an MBA from Golden Gate University.
A professor of mechanical engineering, Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur has served as an educator and leader over the span of a more than 35-year career in research and higher education. In 2021, Feridun retired following ten impactful years as the sixth President and Vice Chancellor of University of Waterloo. Feridun previously served as the Provost and Vice-President Academic and as the Vice President Research and International at Carleton University in Ottawa. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul in Türkiye.
Joanna Harries is the Senior Vice President of Expansion at Endeavor Global, the world’s leading organization working with high-impact entrepreneurs in more than 30 countries. Endeavor identifies, mentors, and co-invests in entrepreneurs that build world-class businesses and grow entrepreneurial ecosystems. The organization has tripled its footprint over the last decade. Joanna has launched Endeavor offices across the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. Prior to Endeavor, Joanna was an Acumen Fellow working in Mumbai and a brand manager at Unilever. Joanna is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University’s School of Business and Economics. She has been recognized as a Kauffman Fellow and serves on the advisory board for the Lazaridis Institute
Shakti Jauhar is Co-Founder and CEO of Mechanism Wellness. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Global HR Operations and Shared Services for PepsiCo. In this role, he led PepsiCo’s strategic HR Digital Transformation, which deployed and established Global Operations and Shared Services across 83 countries with 300 employees and contractors for PepsiCo’s HR and Payroll processes, technology, and services. The scope of the transformation included all HR functions comprising Board and Executive Total Rewards, Global Mobility, Compensation, Talent Management, and Talent Acquisition. Shakti also served as a member of PepsiCo’s Security Council. Throughout his career, Shakti has held various leadership roles in Manufacturing, Finance, and IT. Shakti has a Bachelor of Engineering from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in Patiala, India.
Francisco Marmolejo has spent his career in international education, leading and advising higher education, governmental, and nongovernmental institutions. He has held leadership roles at the World Bank as its Global Coordinator for Higher Education and, more recently, as the Education Specialist for India and South Asia; and as Executive Director of CONAHEC, the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration, a network of more than 160 colleges and universities from Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. He has been a fellow with the American Council on Education (ACE) and a consultant with the Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development (OECD). He is now based in Doha, Qatar, as the Higher Education President of Qatar Foundation. He was born in Ojuelos, Mexico, and holds an MBA from the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí.
Dewayne Matthews is a Fellow at the Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. In his prior role as Vice President for Strategy, he led the development of the Foundation’s goal to increase postsecondary attainment in the U.S. to 60% by 2025 and its first three strategic plans. Dewayne has served as Executive Director of the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education and Vice President of the Education Commission of the States. He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Highlands University, and Arizona State University.
Julie Reddy is the former Chief Executive Officer of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), where she held senior management positions since 2012. She previously served in senior management and leadership roles for over 30 years in the international and South African education, skills development, and civil society sectors.
Over the years, Julie has worked at numerous national and international entities, including the National Skills Authority and the Human Resource Development Council in South Africa.
Julie has participated in or worked on various UNESCO and other global initiatives. She is currently a UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning International Juror for its Learning City Award and a director on the board of the Groningen Declaration Network. In 2022, the Minister of Basic Education designated her the Deputy Chair of the South African National Commission for UNESCO. Her appointment to the World Education Services Board of Trustees began in 2023.
Julie received a Master of Science (as a Fulbright scholar) and a doctoral degree, both from Cornell University.
Paolo Varias is a registered nurse who is currently serving as Associate Director of Clinical and Support Services for Niagara Region in Southern Ontario. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Philippines and a Master of Science in Aging and Health from Queen’s University in Canada. He is currently pursuing McGill University’s International Masters for Health Leadership. He has studied the impact of universal health care programs and contributed to an international USAID project. Before becoming Associate Director, Paolo held several leadership positions in long-term care facilities. He also has broad knowledge and experience in managing and leading health operations in primary healthcare and public health. He was a former Fellow of Health Policy Development Program (HPDP) and a current surveyor at Canadian Centre for Accreditation (CCA). In 2014, he immigrated to Canada and began the process of becoming licensed as a nurse. He received his registration from the College of Nurses of Ontario in 2016.
Paolo is a passionate healthcare advocate committed to challenging systemic barriers facing internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs).
Aaron Williams has extensive experience in the strategic design and management of assistance programs in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In addition to his role as Director of the Peace Corps, he was for 22 years a diplomat and senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he reached the rank of career minister in the Senior Foreign Service. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of directors of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, and ChildFund International, as well as the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs’ Advisory Board. Aaron has also served on the board of directors for the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, CARE, the National Peace Corps Association, and the Institute for Sustainable Communities. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Chicago State University, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Esther T. Benjamin has been a global executive in the public, private, and civil society sectors for more than 25 years. Before joining WES as CEO and executive director, Esther worked with Laureate Education, Inc., a leading global higher education organization. Esther served as the Associate Director for Global Operations of the U.S. Peace Corps, and held senior management roles with the International Youth Foundation and the International Partnership for Microbicides.
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View Current OpeningsWES uses and participates in a land acknowledgement to recognize the enduring presence and resilience of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island. It is also a reminder that we are all accountable to these relationships. This is a first step in our collective progress toward truth and reconciliation. WES has its main offices in Manhattan and Toronto, so we acknowledge our debt to the Indigenous Peoples in each location.
WES acknowledges that it is on the island known as Mannahatta—now called Manhattan—in Lenapehoking, the homeland of the Lenape people.
WES acknowledges that it is on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, that is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit.