Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) has named Mathieu Rouleau as executive director effective today, November 6.
No stranger to the organization, Rouleau co-founded École-O-Champ, a non-profit organization dedicated to agricultural education and AITC-C’s member organization in Quebec.
In his new role with AITC-C, Rouleau will focus on implementing a new three-year strategic plan and continuing to build strong relationships with the agriculture and food industry to allow AITC-C to grow and thrive, the organization says.
Based in Quebec, Rouleau grew up on a dairy, grain, and maple syrup farm and holds a Bachelor in Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Business and Agronomy from McGill University.
“We are thrilled to have Mathieu take on the leadership role at AITC-C,” says Rebecca Sooksom, chair of AITC-C. “A passionate champion of ag education, he was instrumental in establishing École-o-Champs and furthering agriculture education in Quebec and I know he will strengthen our commitment to getting agriculture into classrooms across Canada.”
Last year, AITC-C and its member organizations provided over two million student learning experiences through programs and initiatives across the country.
“I’m excited to lead a national team and collaborate with our provincial members to educate and empower Canadian youth with essential agriculture knowledge and skills in both official languages,” says Rouleau. “Tomorrow’s leaders are in the classroom today and it is critical they understand the importance of agriculture to nourish and grow our industry for the future.”
He steps into the role previously held by Johanne Ross, who retired from AITC-C in February after serving as its executive director since the organization was established in 2015.
