The Max Bell School is delighted to welcome Gisèle Yasmeen and Kyle Matthews as McConnell Visiting Professors of Practice for the 2025–26 academic year. Alongside their teaching, they will contribute to the life of the School by hosting events, engaging in dialogue on key policy issues, and helping students build valuable connections with their networks and areas of expertise.
Until recently, Gisèle Yasmeen was a Global Fellow of the Wilson Center and was previously Associate Vice-President, International at the University of Ottawa and Senior Fellow at the University of British Columbia’s Institute of Asian Research — part of the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Her expertise is on food-systems in Asia, on which she has published, taught, and consulted since the early 1990s. Gisèle also serves on scholarly editorial boards.
Gisèle is also a former senior federal government executive, most notably Vice-President of Research and Partnerships at the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, where she served for seven years. She is also the former Executive Director of Food Secure Canada—a pan-Canadian bilingual organization. She has advised numerous Canadian and international clients including the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Bank, among others. Gisèle has served on several boards and, in addition to CCA, is currently on the International Advisory Council of the Centre for Open Societal Systems. She is also on the advisory board of the Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security at »ÆƬÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ and Women in Science Diplomacy - Canada. She was also a member of the Canada-US Innovation Committee created by former US Ambassador, David Jacobson.
Gisèle provides regular media commentary in English and French and is a former radio columnist for CBC and Radio-Canada. She has worked on the ground in many regions of the world and has studied Spanish, Thai, Urdu, and Mandarin. She has a PhD from UBC, a master’s from McGill and a BA Honours from the University of Ottawa.
Kyle Matthews is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Global Security. Kyle's work focuses on human rights, international security, emerging technologies, and countering authoritarianism. Kyle is a member of the Global Diplomacy Lab and the BMW Foundation’s Global Responsible Leaders network. He is currently a member of the Government of Canada’s Cross-cultural Roundtable on Security. Kyle began his career as a humanitarian aid worker with CARE International and then served as a diplomat with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, where he was posted to Tbilisi, Georgia, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Geneva, Switzerland. Kyle has also worked as a consultant for UNICEF, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Swiss Foreign Ministry. Kyle is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his work to advance human rights.
With support from the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, these positions are designed for practitioners with proven track records and the ability to contribute to the School’s activities. The program invites distinguished scholars in public policy or related fields to join »ÆƬÀóÖ¦ÊÓƵ for a period of research and engagement.
