FR. GILBERT B. SALES, CICM, is a missionary priest of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (popularly known in the Philippines as CICM Missionaries). Fr. Gilbert joined the CICM in 1979, took his religious vows in 1984, and was ordained to the priesthood on 25 April 1992. Among the highlights in Fr. Gilbert’s missionary life includes his being chosen by Pope John Paul II (now Saint Pope John Paul II) to be a pioneer missionary, together with two more CICM priests, to Mongolia in 1992. From 1992 until 2006, Fr. Gilbert took on a number of important assignments that truly made an impact on the Catholic Church in Mongolia. Notable among which was the institute for street children he founded, the Verbist Care Center, which was named after the CICM Founder. For his exemplary work in Mongolia, particularly for his extraordinary care and compassion for the street children in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar, Fr. Gilbert received the highest award conferred by the Mongolian government on a foreigner, the “Ghengis Khan Honor Medal of the Great Mongolia State.” The London-based BBC News once reported about Fr. Gilbert as “the Filipino priest who brings hope to the children of Mongolia.” In 2007, Fr. Gilbert returned to the Philippines from Mongolia to become President of Saint Louis College – San Fernando, La Union. Since then he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of CICM schools and of a number of Philippine national educational associations, including the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning – Philippine Council, the Association of Catholic Universities of the Philippines, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, and the Philippine Association of Accreditation of Schools, Colleges, and Universities. In August 2015, Fr. Gilbert was installed the seventh president of Saint Louis University, with the leadership vision “Academic Excellence and Missionary Spirit.”
University, with the leadership vision “Academic Excellence and Missionary Spirit.”

Dr Fr Joseph C C, CMI, is the Vice Chancellor of CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, since May 2023. A member of CHRIST’s faculty since 1996, he has served in several leadership roles, including Pro-Vice Chancellor and Director of Student Services. He is a Professor of History whose research spans maritime history, organisational culture, and work values in higher education, with work published in journals such as the Leadership & Organisation Development Journal and the International Journal of Business Excellence. He is Chief Editor of the Encyclopedia of New Populism and Responses in the 21st Century (Springer Nature) and currently leads a major research project on organisational culture and performance in higher education institutions in South India. He also led the restoration of the St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara Archives in Mannanam, Kerala.

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Dr. Peter Yao-Tang Lin is Vice-President and Professor at the Ursuline Education Center of Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Entrepreneurship and Management from the National University of Tainan.

Throughout his academic career, he has held several leadership positions, including Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Education, Dean of Academic Affairs, Director of the General Education Center, Director of the Ursuline Education Center, and Dean of Student Affairs. His areas of specialization include whole-person education, student affairs in higher education, and Catholic higher education.

Dr. Gregorius Sri Nurhartanto, S.H., LL.M. is the Rector of Atma Jaya University Yogyakarta, serving his second term since April 2023. A member of the University’s Faculty of Law since 1989, he has held numerous leadership positions, including Dean of the Faculty of Law, Chair of the Academic Senate, and Head of the Department of International Law. He is a senior lecturer and scholar in international law and human rights, with research focusing on international human rights law, diplomatic and consular law, disability rights, constitutional law, and religious freedom. He has led and participated in numerous nationally funded research projects and has published extensively on human rights, international law, and legal policy. Dr. Nurhartanto is also an active speaker at national and international conferences and has served in several academic and professional organisations, including the Association of Indonesian Private Higher Education Institutions (APTISI), the Association of Catholic Higher Education Institutions (APTIK), and the Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB).

Fr. Winai Boonlue, SJ is a Jesuit priest, educator, and advocate for justice and peace. He serves as the Vice-President of Saengtham College, Xavier Campus, Chiang Rai, where he plays a key role in advancing higher education for marginalized and ethnic minority communities in Northern Thailand, helping shape the campus’ mission of providing accessible, transformative education grounded in the Jesuit tradition.

Fr. Winai holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, a Master of Arts in Social Development, and a Ph.D. in Social Science. His work focuses on integral human development, social justice, intercultural education, and sustainable community development. Through his leadership, he continues to promote education as a means of empowering underserved communities while fostering dialogue, peace, and the common good.

Born in 1957 in Chicago in the United States of America. After graduating from the Department of Mathematics at Divine Word College he earned an M.A. Theology from the Graduate School of Theology and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union and then Masters and Doctoral degrees in Literature from the University of Tokyo. In 1985, Kisala was ordained as a priest and in 1995 he began teaching at Nanzan University, becoming its president in April 2020. He has served in a range of positions within the Society of the Divine Word in Japan and worldwide such as provincial superior, admonitor, and vice superior general.

Nicolas Vergier is Partnerships Manager at the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU/FIUC), where he has been coordinating international cooperation initiatives. He develops strategic partnerships between Catholic universities, foundations, international organizations, and private-sector partners, with a particular focus on fundraising, institutional development, and cross-regional collaboration. Over the past decade, he has designed and coordinated numerous international projects and has organized and moderated conferences and executive programmes across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

He regularly speaks on topics including internationalization, university partnerships, sustainability, leadership, and the mission of Catholic higher education.

In 2026, he served as a Visiting Professor at the Universidad Católica Boliviana “San Pablo” (La Paz, Bolivia), where he taught the course Applied Sustainability Management.

He holds Master’s degree from the Institute of European Studies at Paris 8 University and an Executive Master’s degree from IAE Business School – Sorbonne University Paris 1, and is currently pursuing a PhD focusing on collaboration between Catholic universities and the private sector

Dr. Teresa Loong serves as Vice-Rector (Student Life) at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) in Macau, providing strategic leadership across the student journey, from recruitment to alumni engagement. Her portfolio includes student and alumni development, as well as domestic student recruitment across Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

With over two decades of experience in higher education, Dr. Loong helped establish USJ’s Office for Student Affairs in 2006 and served as its founding Dean of Students. As the university’s Diversity Officer, she supported the initiative that made USJ the first university in Macau to admit a visually impaired student and contributed to the development of USJ’s Equality and Diversity Policy. Her approach to student development emphasizes the integration of academic learning, extracurricular experiences, community engagement, and service learning.

Beyond USJ, Dr. Loong has contributed extensively to the development of student affairs in Macau and the wider region. She served as the inaugural President of the Macao Student Affairs Association and currently holds several leadership roles, including Vice President of the Macau Higher Education Development Association, Chair of the Steering Committee for the ASEACCU Annual Conference, and Coordinator for Macau SAR for the Asia Pacific Student Services Association. She also serves on the boards of several educational and community organizations.

Dr. Loong earned her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University (USA) in 2022. Throughout her career, she has been committed to building bridges between students and institutions, local practice and global perspectives, and professional excellence and inclusive values.

Department of Pharmacy
Universitas Sanata Dharma, Indonesia