Objective / Vision: An inclusive and pluralistic society.

Mission Statement: To provide innovative language education, customized employment training and placement, and integration services to newcomers and Canadians based on best practices.

Values:

  • Caring | We support others through compassion, understanding, and empathy
  • Inclusion | We welcome and embrace pluralism
  • Empowerment | We instil confidence and strength in ourselves and others
  • Service | We serve and build our community

Our Approach

The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) is a not-for-profit charitable organization established in 1988 with one primary goal: to provide Calgary immigrants and economically disadvantaged individuals with a solid foothold in Canada and afford them the opportunities to grow into productive, confident and contributive Canadians.  TIES is governed by a Board of Directors made up of devoted community-minded volunteers and operates through funding from both government and private organizations. From our humble beginnings, TIES has grown from five volunteers in a single office to an employer of about 146 dedicated staff members and over 200 volunteers. TIES now operates and is in full ownership of three large facilities in Calgary’s Forest Lawn and Whitehorn and in August of 2018 expanded its services to the Westwinds area of NE Calgary, where it offers language and employment classes. Since its inception, TIES has assisted over 250,000 clients to strengthen their identities as members of Alberta society, offering services valued at tens of millions of dollars.

Our Story

With humble beginnings in 1988, The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) grew from a small volunteer-led initiative with only Mr. Salim M. Sindhu as its steward, to a 200+ staff not-for-profit charitable organization with three locations in northeast and southeast Calgary. Devoted to assisting immigrants and low income Canadians through various levels of language and employment training and settlement programming, TIES has provided tens of millions of dollars worth of service to over 250,000 newcomers in its 30+-year history. Today, TIES assists over 1,400 students a day, 7 days a week, with programs in-house and online.

Meet the Team

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Sally Zhao

CEO

Dr. Sally Zhao obtained her Ph.D. in ESL (English as a Second Language) Testing and Assessment and an MA in Language and Communication from Cardiff University, UK, an M.Ed. in Teaching English for Specific Purposes from University of Exeter, U.K., and a BA in English Language and Literature from Lanzhou University, China.

Wei Dang

CFO

Wei has over 10 years of experience in finance, accounting, auditing and tax.  He obtained his Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified General Accountant designations in 2015. He earned his Master of Arts in Economics at the University of Ottawa, and also holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Richard LeBlanc

DIRECTOR, LANGUAGE AND CHILDCARE PROGRAMS

With more than 10 years of experience in teaching English as a Second Language, 8 of which have been spent at TIES, Richard believes in taking a wholistic approach to his students’ individual successes, encouraging their professional as well as personal development. Richard earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary, with a major in Latin American History and a minor in Spanish. 

Suman Khanal

DIRECTOR OF EMPLOYMENT AND SETTLEMENT PROGRAMS

Born in Nepal, Suman Khanal obtained his Masters in International Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire. He also received his Masters in Business Administration from Lincoln University, California and is working on his Doctorate. He also earned his post-graduate diploma in Community Based Development from St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Cesar Suva

DIRECTOR, RESEARCH & PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Cesar recently obtained his PhD at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia writing on notions of power and authority vis-à-vis the state in a borderland Muslim society in the southern Philippines.  His interest in the challenges of minority integration has gained practical expression in his long-appreciated role as Program Development Manager at TIES, where he took on the responsibility of developing new programs that respond to the changing needs of Canada’s newcomers.

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