Paul Davidson

Paul Davidson has played leadership roles in government, the private sector and the voluntary sector for more than 25 years. He joined the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada in May 2009 as president and CEO.

As president of AUCC, Mr. Davidson is building strong partnerships with business, postsecondary education and community leaders to advance a vision of higher education that promotes opportunity and excellence for Canadians. The university sector has also seen substantial and exceptional investments in university research funding, increased resources for campus internationalization and a heightened awareness of the need to improve Aboriginal Canadians’ access to postsecondary education. Mr. Davidson has been named both a top lobbyist in Ottawa and a top foreign policy influencer.

Prior to joining AUCC, Mr. Davidson was executive director of World University Service of Canada (WUSC). He also held senior positions in the Canadian book publishing sector, including five years as executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers. In the early 1990s, Mr. Davidson led the Toronto office of a prominent government relations firm after having served as a political advisor to Ontario’s Leader of the Opposition, Treasurer and Deputy Premier.

He holds an MA from Queen’s University, where he studied southern African history and a BA from Trent University, where he was part of the first graduating class of the Trent International Program.

Mr. Davidson is married to Elly Vandenberg and they have three teenaged sons.