CJI Board of Directors

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CJI Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is composed of the following:

Management Committee

Susanna Barnes

Susanna teaches anthropology at the University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon. She is familiar with and committed to the work and the mission of the Jesuits, having worked at the Jesuit Refugee Service offices in Rome, in East Timor, and in Phnom Penh. Barnes has also worked as a consultant for the World Health Organization in East Timor, and the International Centre for Transitional Justice in Indonesia. She is a member of the Canadian Anthropological Society and the Association of Asian Studies among others.

Gilio Brunelli

Gilio is a consultant on international development, a part-time university teacher and a full-time volunteer for several causes. He led Development and Peace’s International Program Department for several years and is an anthropologist by training. He was born and raised in Italy and has spent a number of years working with several Indigenous groups in the Amazon. An idealist by choice and an optimist by nature, life has taught Gilio that the best way to achieve the most beautiful dreams is not always the shortest one.

Wambui Kipusi

Wambui grew up in Kenya where she finished her undergraduate studies and started her career in economics, business and policy. She has over 30 years public sector experience in several fields, including housing, environment, socioeconomic wellbeing and employment, health and international development. For the last 25 years, she has volunteered for Development and Peace to help address poverty in the Global South, especially in Africa.

Fr Christopher Llanos SJ

Chris brings with him a wealth of experience from Latin America and the Caribbean where he was Regional Superior of the Guyana Region and prior to that, the Jamaica Region. He also previously served on the board of CJI from 2003-2006.

Fr. John Meehan, S.J.

Fr. John is the Director of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at Trinity College, University of Toronto. He is also Fellow and a member of the Board of Trustees at Trinity College, a Visiting Fellow and Interim Director of Mission and Ministry at the University of St. Michael’s College, and a Senior Fellow at Massey College. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Toronto, an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, in Washington, D.C., several theology degrees (M.Div, STB and STL) from Regis College and a BA in History and Russian Studies from McGill University.

Amaya Renobales Barbier

Amaya was born in Bilbao, Spain. She lived in Mexico for 16 years, during which time she gained extensive experience in promoting children's and women's rights, as well as in the implementation of international commitments in legislation and policies. She moved to Canada in 2015, where she now works as a senior policy analyst at Employment and Social Development Canada. Previously, she was a human rights specialist and policy advisor at Global Affairs Canada. She holds a Master of Laws degree, as well as graduate certificates in international development and international business management, alongside completing other courses on responsible mining.

Patria Rivera

Patria served as editor of Catholic Missions in Canada Magazine, a multi-awarded publication which features Canadian missionary work in remote and isolated communities in the North. She was news editor of The Catholic Register 1987 to 1994. A member of the Writers’ Union of Canada, Rivera’s first poetry collection, Puti/White, was shortlisted for the 2006 Canadian Trillium Book Award for Poetry. She also co-edited Magdaragat: An Anthology of Filipino-Canadian Writing, which was launched in 2024 by Cormorant Books in Toronto.

Desmond Wilson

Desmond is chair of the Board. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he was the CFO of the Catherine Donnelly Foundation, a grant-making initiative of the Sisters of Service, for 16 years.. He was involved in their investments stewardship, seeing their focus evolve from socially responsible investing, to incorporate divestment from fossil fuels and the deployment of an innovative impact investment strategy.

Executive Committee (ex-officio)

Fr. Jeffrey Burwell, SJ

Fr. Jeffrey is the Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada. An educational specialist, his doctoral research took him to the Holy Land, where he focused on Catholic schools in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. He has taught Catholic Studies at Campion College, University of Regina, and at St. Paul’s College, University of Manitoba. He also served as a chaplain for the RCMP and in prisons and spent his university breaks ministering in Dene and Cree communities. He previously served as a local superior and, as a province consultor.

Fr. Ted Penton, SJ

Fr. Ted is the Socius of the Jesuits of Canada. Formerly, he was Secretary of the Office of Justice and Ecology at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Ottawa and a master’s degree at Penn State in philosophy. He later completed a J.D. at Harvard Law School. His Jesuit journey began with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, where he worked with the Farmworker Unit of Legal Aid of North Carolina, educating migrant workers about their rights.

Fr. Lissaint Antoine, SJ

Fr. Lissaint is the Provincial Treasurer of the Jesuits of Canada, where he also served previously as Secretary. He has also served as Provincial Secretary and Advancement Associate for the Jesuits in Haiti. He was the National Director of the Service Jésuite aux Migrants/Solidarite Fwontalye Haïti. He holds a Master of Theology from Saint Paul University, and a graduate diploma in business administration and management from HEC Montréal.