Meet Timothii Ragavan, the KSA’s new executive director

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The Kwantlen Student Association has seen an influx of executive directors over the past 14 months. Following the resignation of then-Executive Director Ben Newsom in December 2022, Parveen Sehra, Gagandeep Kaur, and Richard Hall each filled and either resigned or were dismissed from the position. 

At a council meeting on Dec.8, Timothii Ragavan was appointed the KSA’s new executive director following the dismissal of Hall. Ragavan attended Ryerson University, now known as Toronto Metropolitan University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business/managerial economics. He went on to work as executive director at Lalitha Jewellers, located in Toronto, for six years which is within the global trade and commerce industry, he says. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ragavan says the business had to downsize in which he decided to move into the non-profit sector. He started working at Building4Change, a non-profit that aims to help those affected by the global humanitarian crisis in developing countries, as executive director, up until he was hired at the KSA. 

Ragavan says he has lived in Toronto most of his life and moved to British Columbia for this position, which he applied for after seeing the job posting online. 

“[The job] really just aligned with my morals and my values in regards to helping students and the fact that [the KSA] is a non-for-profit,” Ragavan says. 

“I realized after working for Building4Change [that] I really did enjoy the non-profit side of business and so it really drew me in. … I enjoyed my experience at my university when I was attending, so I thought it was a great platform and an opportunity for me to show my leadership in regards to creating vibrant success.” 

The role of the KSA’s executive director is to manage employees and aspects of human resources including hiring, discharging, training, and supervision of employees in discussion with the executive committee, according to the KSA’s Regulations. They are also responsible for managing general business affairs of the association, ensuring security and maintenance of the society’s property, and performing other duties assigned by the association, as found in the KSA’s bylaws.

“It’s definitely an important [position] because it plays a key role in making university life better for everyone,” he says. 

“You work closely with students, council, and staff members, so it helps create a supportive and engaging environment for the students. It’s leading with a clear vision … and you have to work together, … which helps enhance students’ experiences at [all] campuses.”

Since starting the position, Ragavan says he has been busy familiarizing himself with the role, working on the general election, planning the KSA’s upcoming annual general meeting (AGM), and resolving outstanding internal issues like the collective bargaining agreement with KSA staff. 

Ragavan’s goals as executive director include improving relations between the KSA and Kwantlen Polytechnic University and taking active steps to improve student life at KPU now and for the future.

“There’s a lot of external issues that could come up or internal policy changes, but inevitably I want to try to improve the day-to-day life of KPU students,” Ragavan says. 

“The end goal is to empower students to make a difference. You want to make sure that students are every single day trying to be better, and the only way to do that is to make sure they have support and resources, and possibly impact the university experience as a whole.” 

He says he loves having conversations and wants to keep his door open to students as much as possible, whether it be to chat or ask questions. Coming from the South Asian community, Ragavan says he is also able to relate to international students which they might find helpful. 

“They don’t have to feel like they’re talking to someone that doesn’t understand their cultures.” 

Ragavan hopes to stay at the KSA for as long as they will have him and doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

“I really appreciate the fact that I’m able to work with regards to helping students,” he says. 

“It’s a lot more meaningful because it’s not really managing outside factors, it’s more so helping students as well as making sure that their day-to-day improves, which gives the position a sense of meaning rather than a monetary value.” 

Students can reach out to Ragavan through his email, timothii.ragavan@kusa.ca.