Ivan is an internationally renowned speaker, bestselling author, award-winning performance coach, in-demand consultant, prominent educator and accomplished leader. Ivan also contributes regularly to publications like University Affairs, The Huffington Post and The Globe and Mail. His TEDx talk, “The Skill of Self-Confidence,” has over 25 million views and was named by Forbes as one of the 10 Best TED Talks for Graduates on the Meaning of Life. He has spent his career leading cultural transformation, inspiring people to believe in themselves and creating cohesive teams. He has also shared his remarkable story as an immigrant who has excelled and led a shift to inclusivity wherever he has gone.
From the beginning of his career, Ivan has focused on understanding how self-confidence and belonging drive performance. He also learned firsthand the nuances, challenges and complexities related to diversity and inclusivity. While serving as a professor and coach at Graceland University, Ivan developed the soccer program from the ground up, leading both the men’s and women’s teams to #1 national rankings. He also guided the men’s team to the first national championship in Graceland’s history—in just five years. For this accomplishment, he was chosen as National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Coach of the Year.
Beginning in 2008, Ivan spent a decade as Director of Athletics at Ryerson University in Toronto, where he helped lead his department—and the university—to national prominence. Among his many accomplishments at Ryerson, Ivan spearheaded the landmark $100M renovation of the historic Maple Leaf Gardens, created a culture of belonging, spirit and pride across Ryerson’s diverse urban campus, and inspired student-athletes to break records in their athletic, academic, and outreach accomplishments. Under his leadership, Ryerson teams won the first provincial and national championships in the university’s history.
Ivan later took up a new post as Vice-Provost, Student Affairs at Dalhousie University, a 200-year-old research institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In this senior role, he led the university’s effort to promote interconnectedness and belonging among a diverse student body drawn from across the country and around the globe. Ivan actualized this shift in culture by creating innovative programs including: Access & Pathways, Together at Dal, International Student Work Support Program and chairing the International Student Support Task Force. Ivan has also served as the Vice President, Student Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University, best known for its consistently top-ranked exceptional student experience.
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Ivan is regularly called on to support national team programs, including being asked to serve as Head Coach for the Women’s National Soccer Team in his native Guyana. Additionally, he has served as the high-performance coach for the Canadian men’s basketball team that won the country’s first ever FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.
Born in Guyana, Ivan grew up north of Toronto, where he was a nationally-ranked high school track and field athlete. He has a bachelor’s in Physical Education and Health, a Master’s in Higher Education Administration, and a PhD in Psychology with an emphasis in Sport Psychology.
