Coady Institute is saddened by the death of Hugh Landry who passed away January 21, 2026. Hugh worked with Coady International Institute for 30 years, retiring as assistant director in 2007.

According to former Coady employee Anthony Scoggins, Hugh joined Coady in the early 1980s as a part-time instructor as the Institute began developing capacities in small business and micro-enterprise development. His experiences in the private sector were invaluable to the Coady teaching team.

Within a few years, he joined Coady full-time where he oversaw the Institute’s own financial and project management. Hugh was also active in the Antigonish community, where he provided leadership in the organizing of a new housing co-op as well as serving as a President of Antigonish Minor Soccer, Braemore Cooperative, and other organizations. He served on several boards of directors including Soccer Nova Scotia and the Bergengren Credit Union.

“Above and beyond his direct engagements with Coady students and partners, Hugh played a key role in professionalizing the Institute’s own management systems,” Anthony says. “In a world of increasingly complicated project funding and accountability requirements, Hugh was the guy who did all the heavy backroom lifting that made it possible for the rest of us to be out in the classroom and around the world, working with partners.”

Finance Officer Lola Corkum says Hugh was one of two people who interviewed and hired her in 1999 for a new administrative assistant position at Coady.

“Even though he was my supervisor, he allowed me to work independently to put in place processes to manage the daily financial transactions and track donations, but he was always there if I had questions,” Lola says. “Hugh had a great sense of humor and always had a funny story to tell which would usually leave me in tears laughing. I will always appreciate him taking a chance on me as I am still here at Coady many years later.”

The Honourable Senator Mary Coyle, former St. Francis Xavier Vice President and Director of Coady International Institute, expressed her condolences to Hugh’s family saying he “was beloved and well respected by his colleagues, and the many Coady graduates and partner organizations working on the ground in every corner of the globe to improve our world one community at a time.”

“I can attest to the many leadership contributions Hugh made during a critical period of growth and renewal for Coady, his legacy will endure,” Mary says.

Hugh was also the brother of former Coady employee Janet MacDonald. For a full obituary go to: https://macisaacs.ca/tribute/details/857/Hugh-Landry/obituary.html#tribute-start