Charles Kennedy, currently manager of alumni relations at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU), has accepted the positions of executive director of the York University Alumni Association (YUAA) and director of Alumni Affairs.

    Previous to his appointment to York, Kennedy was alumni relations officer at the University of Calgary (UC) where he also did development work and, for the past three years, has been manager of alumni relations at WLU. Kennedy has BA in Political Science ('91) from the University of Calgary.

    "I'm really pleased that Charles has agreed to join our team. His experience and skills in the alumni and development field will be very helpful to York and to the YUAA," says Ian Lithgow, vice-president (external relations).

    Kennedy, who has travelled widely -- from South-East Asia to Europe and Mexico -- has received many awards for his outstanding alumni work, including a McConnell Fellowship in 1991. While a McConnell Fellow, Kennedy worked as assistant to the executive director (external relations) at UC. He was responsible for fundraising with student groups and alumni, and visited and analyzed the development operations of 28 universities. The YUAA and Alumni Affairs office are preparing for a number of new directions that, over time, will demonstrate the University's commitment to its graduates, says Lithgow.

    YUAA president Dale Lastman says he is "more than pleased" with Kennedy's appointment. "Charles will build on the great work of [former executive director and York grad] Lucy Fromowitz," says Lastman. "Lucy did some terrific things in terms of developing new programs for York alumni, and we expect Charles will continue that 0tradition."