Honourary Life Membership
Honourary Life Membership, in recognition of excellence in education at the national level, is normally meant to honor individuals who have contributed significantly to CASSA. Significant contributions at the provincial affiliate level will be considered only in light of their relevance to CASSA and its national mandate. The Executive Committee will consider the suitability of candidates based on responses to the items contained in the Nomination Form.
Nominations will be accepted for consideration between October 1st and May 16th for awards to be presented at the Annual Leadership Conference in July each year. The award is not necessarily presented each year.
Download the Nomination Form from the Awards Application Forms page.
2025 Honorary Life Member Award Winner
Ken Bain
Kenneth (Ken) Bain, Past Executive Director of CASSA is the 2025 CASSA Honorary Life Membership Award Recipient.
Ken Bain is the past Executive Director for the Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA), a role he held from 2012 until his retirement in 2024.
The following is an excerpt from an article by Tara Wittchen, Contributing Writer featured on page four in the 2025 Issue 6 Leaders & Learners newsletter.
Ken received this award at our 2025 national conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Prior to him being called up on stage, conference organizers played a new video highlighting all that CASSA is and attributed much of its progress to Ken’s dedication to the association.
Ken’s many years of leadership supported the growth of CASSA, the affirmation of existing relationships and the development of new partnerships. He guided CASSA’s membership through some challenging times, helping to pivot key meetings and the national conference to virtual and hybrid models when required. Among the many highlights of his time with CASSA’s executive is the successful outreach to non-member affiliates and increase of the association’s overall profile.
A look back on Ken’s personal and professional journey appears in the September 2024 issue of the Leaders & Learners newsletter. The same issue also features multiple tributes from colleagues to Ken and his legacy in senior system administration as he moved into retirement.
2020 / 2021 Honorary Life Member Award Winners
Michael Chechile
former Director-General, Lester B Pearson School Board, Quebec
Barry Litun
former Executive Director of the College of Alberta School Superintendents, Alberta