Matthew Grant recently joined UFV’s Community Engagement team as Associate Vice-President, Community Engagement. He brings over 20 years of progressive leadership experience in community engagement, strategic partnerships, marketing, communications, public affairs, and enrollment planning within the post-secondary sector.  

He joins UFV from Simon Fraser University, where he served as Executive Director of Community Engagement. There, he led transformational initiatives that resulted in hundreds of community-university partnerships, student placements, volunteer opportunities, community-based research projects, community-engaged learning opportunities, and knowledge exchange opportunities. 

Matthew brings extensive success at building and supporting community to his new role. Over his career he has co-founded and overseen many grant programs, like SFU’s Community Engagement Initiative and SFU’s Student-Community Engagement Competition. These initiatives have provided support for hundreds of learning and research project partnerships aimed to strengthen relationships, deepen knowledge, and make meaningful impact on issues that matter. 

Under his management, SFU’s enrollment services office increased student enrollment at its Surrey campus from 300 to 8,500 and fostered many local connections in his community engagement roles. 

In Surrey, Matthew secured millions of dollars in funding in support of community/university partnership programs. He provided executive oversight of the SFU Surrey – TD Community Engagement Centre from 2012 to 2025 — an initiative that resulted in hundreds of partnerships, hundreds of paid student placement and volunteer opportunities, thousands of community learning opportunities, and tens of thousands of dollars in additional grant funding. 

In Burnaby, he co-founded and oversaw the Burnaby Festival of Learning (ConnectFest) — a partnership between SFU and the City of Burnaby that engaged tens of thousands of Burnaby residents through events, workshops, and community-led projects over a 10-year span.  

Matthew is nationally recognized for bringing the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement to Canada and co-authoring SFU’s Strategic Community Engagement Framework (2013–2025), positioning SFU as a leader in the field. His dedication earned him an appointment as Canada’s lead post-secondary executive representative with the American Council on Education (ACE): an organization devoted to cultivating diversity in institutional leadership and forming partnerships that address the complex challenges of today’s learners. 

“I am deeply honoured to join the University of the Fraser Valley as Associate Vice-President, Community Engagement,” says Matthew. “From the moment I arrived, I have felt genuinely welcomed by a community that leads with heart, integrity, and purpose. I am inspired by UFV’s steadfast commitment to inclusivity, excellence, Reconciliation, and meaningful connection, and I look forward to building strong partnerships that reflect these values and strengthen the bonds between the university and the diverse communities we serve.” 

“We are delighted to welcome Matthew. He has demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenization,” says Susan Mide-Kiss, UFV’s Vice President of Community Engagement. “His thoughtful and collaborative leadership style, combined with his strategic vision and operational expertise, will serve UFV well as we continue to grow our presence and partnerships throughout the Fraser Valley and beyond.” 

In his spare time, Matthew invests in his community as a volunteer. He’s devoted 30 years to coaching basketball, baseball and ball hockey for Grade 4–12 students. He’s also been director of the North Delta Pirates, which was named BC Minor Baseball’s team of the year for 2024.