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Location
Office of the President
202 Regina Street, Waterloo
Mailing Address
Office of the President
75 University Avenue West
Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5
Office of the President Staff
Deborah MacLatchy, PhD
- President and Vice-Chancellor
- president@wlu.ca
- About the President
Matthew Grills
- Director of Government and Community Relations
- mgrills@wlu.ca
Matthew Grills, Director of Government and Community Relations, joined Laurier June 2021. Matt has an extensive career spanning politics, governance, and finance. Immediately prior to joining the Laurier community, he worked for Bank of Montreal at an enterprise-level on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing initiatives, including Project Protect, recognized as an innovative public-private partnership and an important element of the Government of Canada’s National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking: 2019–2024. Before BMO, Matt worked in the Office of the Prime Minister from 2012-2015, supporting the Prime Minister’s tours and logistics in the role of Advance to the Prime Minister. Matt holds an honours Bachelor of Arts degree in political science (international relations concentration) from Carleton University and is also an accredited Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). Additionally, Matt is a graduate of BMO’s Senior Leadership Program and the Canadian Securities Institute’s Canadian Securities Course.
Liz Brown
- Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives
- librown@wlu.ca
Liz Brown joined Laurier in 2016, working in the Development department before joining the Office of the President in 2018. She currently works as the Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives in the office. Prior to Laurier, Liz spent more than a decade working as a journalist and editor, including in roles at the Calgary Herald and Metro News. Her work has appeared in the Toronto Star, Vice, and Avenue Calgary, and she is the author of three young adult novels published through HIP Books. Liz has a Bachelor of Journalism and post-graduate certificate in Public Relations from Toronto Metropolitan University. She also holds a Master of Arts from Park University, in Parkville, Missouri. In the community, Liz sits on the Person-Centered Excellence Committee for Community Living Brant.
Josh Manuel
- Manager, Administration and Community Engagement
- jmanuel@wlu.ca
Josh Manuel was hired as the Manager, Administration and Community Engagement to the President and Vice-Chancellor in April of 2023. Prior to this, he served as the Administrative Manager in Laurier’s Faculty of Music. He brings numerous years of administrative experience in the post-secondary sector having held progressively senior roles at institutions in Canada and the United States. Josh holds a Bachelor's of Music (Honours) from Laurier, a Master's of Music (Distinction) from the University of Georgia, and a Master's of Education (Medal of Academic Excellence Winner) from Laurier.
Mutoni Kabalisa
- Communications and Events Strategist
- mkabalisa@wlu.ca
Mutoni Kabalisa first joined the Office of the President in spring 2021, working as a co-op student in the Communications and Events Assistant role. After completing her honours BA in Communications at Laurier, she re-joined the Office of the President in December 2023 as the Communications and Event Strategist. Prior to Laurier, Mutoni worked in digital marketing and media relations at EHN Canada, a network of mental health and addiction treatment centres in Canada. She also spent two summers interning in Kigali, Rwanda, first supporting the Marketing and Business Development teams at the Rwanda Convention Bureau, and later as an administrative assistant for Rwanda’s Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Gas. As a student, Mutoni was involved in various campus initiatives, including the Black Students Association, Hillel, and the Laurier Recreational Dance program.