Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Week 2023

Ganiyat is an advocate passionate about eliminating systemic barriers marginalized communities face. These interests are reflective of the @IAmXMovement, a social community founded by Ganiyat that seeks to raise awareness of the injustices faced by Black, Indigenous and Racialized individuals, as well as provide a safe space to share their experiences. She also co-founded and serves as the Co-Executive Officer of the Black Inclusion Association. This novel non-profit aims to achieve equity and social justice for Black Albertans. She currently serves as one of the Campus Food Bank Coordinators at the University of Calgary. Ganiyat is completing a BA in Honours Political Science and a BA in International Relations with an Embedded Certificate in Pluralism and Global Citizenship.

Thomas Tri (He/Him) is passionate about issues affecting immigrants and refugees. He serves as the Head of Operations at Equalearn Foundation, a youth-led non-profit providing free tutoring services to underprivileged and immigrant families. He serves as one of the Campus Food Bank Coordinators at the University of Calgary. He sits on the Student Union’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Taskforce aiming to achieve food security on campus. He is currently in his third year at the University of Calgary studying social work with double minors in global development studies and gender and sexuality studies and an embedded certificate in global citizenship and pluralism.

Jaya Dixit (she/her) is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor in the Office of Research Services. Her everyday professional practice draws on lived experiences as a racialized woman of South Asian heritage, a background in Sociology and Political Science, and a deep understanding of diverse student experiences in the research ecosystem. She advises researchers and teams in the design of effective, full-spectrum EDI action plans for tri-council funding proposals and works on a cross-unit team that supports the genuine, robust implementation of our institutional Canada Research Chairs EDI Action Plan. Jaya is also co-chair of the UCalgary Dimensions’ Racialized and Visible Minority Persons Equitable Pathways Working Group, and a member of the Intersectionality and Language of EDI Working Groups.

William Yimbo is a Senior Advisor, EDI Literacy, Education, and Training in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. He holds a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a graduate diploma in International Relations from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands, an MA in Public Affairs, and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Minnesota, USA.

As a Senior Advisor, Dr. Yimbo develops and delivers equity, diversity, and inclusion workshops to staff, faculty, and students across the university. He previously worked as a diversity advisor in immigration and settlement services. In this role, he delivered diversity education and advocated for equity and inclusivity in government services for Canada’s newcomer communities.

Dr. Yimbo has an extensive career background and experience in public and foreign policy administration in Kenya, Africa.

Kim Clark is a Professor of Anthropology and Assistant Dean (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization) in the Faculty of Social Science at Western University. She has previously served as a department chair, a graduate program director, and president of the faculty union UWOFA.

Identifying as a mixed-race South Asian immigrant/settler in Grand River, Haudenosaunee/Anishinaabe and Musqueam territories over the years, Aruna Srivastava has been living on Treaty 7 lands since the early 90s, when she came to teach in University of Calgary’s Department of English: there, she taught the first Critical Race Theory and Critical Race Feminism courses in the Faculty of Arts, later focussing on the politics and understanding of reconciliation post-TRC. She has taught in the International Indigenous Studies Program, serving for a few years as the Program Co-ordinator. She has engaged in non-profit social justice community work in Vancouver and Calgary, as well as in post-secondary institutions in Alberta, BC, and Ontario, focussing on anti-racism, EDIA, disability, decolonization and organizational change, as well as on pedagogy and curriculum. Most recently, she has focussed on intersectionality in the context of disability, accessibility, aging/ageism in academia, and how concepts of solidarity and alliance have functioned before and during COVID. In the last five years, she has done EDI advisory work for the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and most recently as the Faculty of Arts Associate Dean of Pluralism and Inclusion.

Dr. Sonia Aujla-Bhullar is a Canadian woman, scholar, researcher, and educator residing in Calgary, Alberta. She holds a BA in International Development Studies, a Master’s in Educational Contexts and a PhD in Curriculum and Learning. As a public school teacher and published author, Dr. Aujla-Bhullar has studied and researched the unique aspects and challenges of inclusion and diversity within Canada through an understanding of post-colonial and critical race theory in education. Her past and present work focus on anti-racism as an institutional practice and applications of diversity, inclusion, and equity between schools and racialized communities. As an advocate within community spaces, she is a board member of the World Sikh Organization (WSO) and Co-chair of the City of Calgary’s Anti-Racism Action Committee (ARAC). Her passion and commitment to inclusion and anti-racism are rooted in the desire to enhance our means to realizing a truly equitable society that benefits future generations, including her own 3 young children.

Manager - Accessible Testing, Student and Enrolment Services

Lorelei is an instructional designer with over a decade of teaching and designing courses in higher education. In her role, Lorelei specializes in innovative course design and the intentional use of learning technologies to support instructors and faculty to enhance the student learning experience across multiple modalities and learning platforms. She collaborates with faculty and campus units to develop pedagogical and evidence-based teaching and learning resources. Her work includes designing workshops for the campus community, engaging in consultations with faculty and staff, and developing material on topics of interest related to teaching and learning. In addition to course design, her areas of interest include academic integrity, blended and online learning, communities of practice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, large enrolment courses, and universal learning design. 

Michael Barrett is a Registered Psychologist and a Doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta. Mike has more than 20 years of experience in the field of adolescent and adult mental health, and has been a member of the Sinneave organization since 2012. Mike brings extensive knowledge in mental health, stress, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, self-confidence, and transition planning to his role working with individuals on the Autism Spectrum. He enjoys working to teach social, relationship, and life skills to support clients in becoming more independent, self-sufficient, gainfully employed and physically active.

Ryan Elkanah is a lifelong learner and an autistic self-advocate. He’s someone who’s eager to have dialogue and seeks to change the culture. Ryan has spent a decade working with street entrenched youth and sees himself to be an advocate of the misunderstood, alienated, and forsaken of the world.

President and Vice-Chancellor

On November 8, 2018, Dr. Edward McCauley was announced by Board Chair Jill Wyatt as the ninth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary. Ed McCauley has deep roots on the University of Calgary campus that stretch back over 30 years - as a professor, researcher and vice-president (research).

Dr. McCauley began his UCalgary career as a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in 1985, before moving on in 2009 to serve as director of the prestigious National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2011, he returned to the University of Calgary to take on the expanded role of vice-president (research) during a time of rapid growth on campus.

Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and professor of political science.

Dr. Smith holds a PhD in political science from the University of Alberta, an MA, Master of Development Administration, and a BA magna cum laude in political science and criminal justice, from Western Michigan University. She is a co-author of The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities (2017), co-editor of the forthcoming book, Nuances of Blackness in the Canadian Academy (UofT Press, 2022), editor of three books on Africa, including Securing Africa: Post-9/11 Discourses on Terrorism (2010),  as well as co-editor of Critical Concepts: An Introduction to Politics, 6/E under revision with OUP (2022); and States of Race: Critical Race Feminism for the 21st Century (2010).

Dr. Smith serves on several national bodies, including SSHRC Council and Executive, and Statistics Canada’s Immigration and Ethnocultural Committee.

Dr. Smith is a 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow and the recipient of  numerous awards and fellowships, including Compelling Calgarians (2021), the Susan S. Northcutt Award from the International Studies Association (2020), 100 Accomplished Black Women Honouree (2020), the Rosalind Smith Professional Award (2020), the ISA-Canada Distinguished Scholar Award (2018-19), the HSBC Community Contributor of the Year Award (2016); and the Equity Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (2015)

Oki nistowaok Sipiyanatohkomia”ki.

Elder Colleen Sitting Eagle is the Siksika Language Instructor at Siksika Outreach School located in Siksika Nation since 2009. 

Previously, Colleen worked as a researcher with Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. She has worked with Siksika culture and heritage since 1992. Colleen learned her Siksika history from her late parents and the honour of working with knowledgeable elders. 

She was one of the first groups from Siksika to be integrated to start her schooling in Strathmore, AB. She previously attended and continues to take courses from the University of Calgary. She is the proud mother of three children and eight grandchildren.

Esther (she/her) is a 4th-year undergraduate nursing student and Chair of the Nursing Inclusivity Committee (NIC). As part of the Undergraduate Nursing Society, NIC is a group of nursing students open to everyone, including allies, male allies identifying as male, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA2S+. Established in 2021, the NIC creates a sense of community by encouraging participation from students across all years of the nursing program who will unite to promote positive, inclusive change.

Randip (she/her) is a PhD nursing student and is the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Nursing Graduate Students Association (NGSA). The NGSA is NGSA) is a student-led volunteer association which aims to connect and empower graduate nursing students through services, leadership, and professional development. As Director for EDI, Randip provides leadership in advancing EDI work in responsive and meaningful ways with graduate nursing students and the broader Faculty of Nursing community.

Heather Bensler (she/her) is Assistant Dean Academic Partnerships for the Faculty of Nursing. In this role, she is responsible for the ongoing development, sustainment, and extension of collaborative partnerships with rural and Indigenous academic partners in the profession of undergraduate nursing education programs. Jennifer Jackson (she/her) is an assistant professor and has clinical experience in nephrology, intensive care, education, and management. She earned a PhD at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, at King’s College London, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her research interest is supporting nurses and improving health systems, currently focusing on community-based addiction and harm reduction services. Social vulnerability and nursing work are her areas of expertise.

Kara Sealock (she/her) is a tenured, associate professor who joined the Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary in 2010 and recently completed her EdD in 2019 with a focus in adult education. She has extensive experience teaching students from years 1 to 4 in both clinical and theory. Her research interests are adult learning with specific attention to cognitive levels of learning in clinical and theoretical environments, student success on NCLEX-RN and faculty development, relational inquiry, and empathy.

Jennifer Jackson (she/her) is an assistant professor and has clinical experience in nephrology, intensive care, education, and management. She earned a PhD at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, at King’s College London, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her research interest is supporting nurses and improving health systems, currently focusing on community-based addiction and harm reduction services. Social vulnerability and nursing work are her areas of expertise.

Añiela dela Cruz (she/her) is an associate professor and holds PhD in Nursing and an MSc in Health Promotion Studies (University of Alberta). In her 25-year professional career, she has served diverse communities and people in urgent care, cardiac care, harm reduction, HIV, newcomer health, Indigenous Peoples’ health, population and public health, health policy, and health and program evaluation research. She provides leadership in equity, diversity and inclusion at the faculty and teaches undergraduate nursing and graduate nursing programs. She is an active member of the community and currently chairs the NewHITES Canada Research Team (Newcomer, HIV, Immigration, Treatment Engagement and Stigma in Canada), co-chairs the Canadian HIV/AIDS Black, African, and Caribbean Network (CHABAC), and volunteers with the Philippine Canadian Nurses Association (PCNA) to examine equitable registration processes for internationally educated nurses in Canada.

Dr. Sandra Davidson (she/her) is Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Deputy Provost at the University of Calgary. Over her 28-year career in nursing and healthcare, she has served in a wide range of academic and practice environments that span private, for-profit; public, not-for-profit; and both large and small public universities. She is well known in each position she has been for her entrepreneurial thought and creative innovation. She is co-editor/author of the award-winning book “Leadership for Evidence-based Innovation in Nursing and Health Professions” now in its second edition published by Jones & Bartlett Learning. Her research focuses on health systems transformation, living well with chronic disease and aging. She is a fellow in both the Canadian and American Academies of Nursing. Davidson obtained her PhD in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University in 2011. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing at the same institution in 2001 and her Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Lethbridge in 1996.

Manager - Accessible Testing, Student and Enrolment Services

Senior Specialist - Academic Advising, Student and Enrolment Services

Ava Onwudegwu grew up on the beautiful Island of Jamaica before migrating to Canada at 18. Ava is currently the Patient Care Manager for the Critical Care Unit at Lakeridge Health (Ajax, ON). She has also held various positions at Unity Health Toronto, from staff nurse on the Resource Team and in the intensive care Unit (ICU), as well as eCare Support, Professional Practice Leader for Nursing Practice and Education, Manager of Nursing Practice and Education, Clinical Educator – Nursing and Assistant Patient Care Manager. She also had the opportunity to work in academia as a Clinical Instructor and Clinical Advisor. Ava is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto. In all her leadership experiences, Ava experienced that she was always the only Black person on the team; she didn’t see Black representation or mentors. As the Academic Coordinator at CBNA, Ava is motivated by the desire to empower and build another generation of leaders who will forge the way for generations to come. She is passionate about seeing Black nurses and Black nursing students reach their highest potential. Black nurses must all leave a legacy!  Ava also gives back to communities on a larger scale, doing humanitarian work in Israel, the Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and other areas within Canada.

Ovie Onagbeboma is nationally recognized as a nurse and business leader. She is pursuing her master’s in business administration, is Lean Six belt certified and is a clinical nurse manager. Ovie is a sought-after consultant to many national organizations. She is an advisor to the Canadian Nursing Association and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing and is a stakeholder with Canadian Health Workforce Network. A transformative leader who identified a serious problem in healthcare and acted quickly to form a national organization and initiative to address this problem. She recognized that existing nursing associations work primarily to advance the collective interests of the nursing profession as a whole – an important mission. They do not, however, effectively help individual nurses maximize their personal and career potential – and none of the legacy nursing associations fully understand or adequately meet the unique needs of Canada’s Black Nurses. So, she conceived an organization that would fulfill those unmet needs – the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance (CBNA). Under Ovie’s leadership and in a short period of time, CBNA has become a phenomenal national organization that is life-changing for many Black Nurses. Already, the CBNA has grown to include students and practicing members in multiple provinces as CBNA chapters across the country and has become the most influential voice for Black Nurses across the nation. Ovie sees the future of nursing through an African proverb Ubuntu and embodies the understanding that “I am because we are” as a motivation to strive for a society where all can grow and flourish. Ovie has broken the glass ceiling to inspire the next generation.

Dr. Sevan Beukian joined the University of Calgary after serving as the Senior Executive Advisor on Anti-Racism and Intersectionality at the City of Edmonton, where she focused on implementing the Anti-Racism Strategy. She has also worked in provincial and municipal governments to incorporate GBA+, anti-racism and intersectionality into policies, programmes, and systems change.

Her experience has spanned over a decade in teaching, research, and public policy across government, university, non-profit and community-based work. Her approach combines (non-western) intersectional feminism, queer theory, anti-racism, trauma-informed approach, and anti-oppressive framework with a strong commitment to reconciliation and decolonization. 

Dr. Beukian holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Alberta and a Master of Arts in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut. Her current research focuses on how trauma and memory shape national identity discourses. It examines the impact of intergenerational traumatic memories (of genocide) and post-war experiences on national identity constructions, focusing on the Canadian and Armenian contexts. Dr. Beukian's publications have appeared in Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, Armenian Review, Routledge, Demeter Press, and Palgrave Macmillan, among others. 

William Yimbo is a Senior Advisor, EDI Literacy, Education, and Training in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. He holds a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a graduate diploma in International Relations from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands, an MA in Public Affairs, and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Minnesota, USA.

As a Senior Advisor, Dr. Yimbo develops and delivers equity, diversity, and inclusion workshops to staff, faculty, and students across the university. He previously worked as a diversity advisor in immigration and settlement services. In this role, he delivered diversity education and advocated for equity and inclusivity in government services for Canada’s newcomer communities.

Dr. Yimbo has an extensive career background and experience in public and foreign policy administration in Kenya, Africa.

Senior Consultant - Leadership, Organizational Design and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - University of Calgary

Mary Tidlund is an experienced Canadian businesswoman and philanthropist with extensive international experience. She was the co-founder and CEO of Williston Wildcatters Oil Corporation, a public oil and gas exploration and service company that pioneered horizontal drilling. In 1998, Mary transitioned from the energy industry to philanthropy and founded and led The Mary A. Tidlund Charitable Foundation, a global not-for-profit that from 1998-2018, delivered 90 separate programs in 29 countries focusing on empowering women and children to make lasting changes to health and education, and the alleviation of poverty. Her philanthropic experience has given her the opportunity to develop a strong global understanding of innovative, relationship-based strategic conscious leadership on a global level. Mary has a demonstrated ability to motivate, inspire and foster cohesive direction to a diverse set of teams, stakeholders, and international community partners. She is a past Director with Women Moving Millions, Tostan International and is currently a trustee and board members of the NYC-based Grace Institute Foundation, Dallas, Texas-based public corporations Valhi Inc. and CompX International Inc. and the Alberta based  Strategic Advisory Board of the O'Brien Institute for Public Health.  In addition to her current board governance work, Mary is the author of the recently published Memoirs of a Wildcat: Unadoptable, Unstoppable, Unconditional Love and is an inspiring public speaker. Mary is an avid skier, hiker, tennis player, traveler, reader, pilot and lives in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Community leader and Canadian Football Hall of Famer Jon Cornish was elected the 15th chancellor of the University of Calgary, effective July 1, 2022.

Cornish is most known for his legendary nine years as a member of the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League where he was selected as the top Canadian player for three years consecutively, Most Outstanding Player in 2013, and led his team to two Grey Cup championships. In recognition of his Kansas University football career, where he still holds numerous records, the Jon Cornish Trophy is awarded annually to the best Canadian NCAA Football player.

During and after this unmatched Canadian Football Hall of Fame career, where he was only the second football player to win the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete, Cornish spent the last nine years in various wealth management roles, working as a consultant and was a part of a top-ranked private investment counsel wealth team. He is now an investment advisor and team lead at RBC Dominion Securities, where he is responsible for building relationships, providing wealth management guidance, and holistic, goal-oriented financial planning so his clients can realize their best lives.

Cornish works with various non-profits and charities around Calgary, including many events as an emcee for the Alberta Children's Hospital, working directly with at-risk youth for Wood's Homes, and at the Calgary Foundation, where he serves on Doc Seaman Hockey Fund. He also continues to work with the Calgary Stampeders as their gameday ambassador. Cornish is president and founder of the Calgary Black Chambers, a non-profit working to make Calgary the best place to live and work for BIPOC people. The Calgary Black Chambers provided over $60,000 in scholarships to help university students and supported 300 high school students with skill training to aid in their careers and life journeys over the last two years.

Kenna is the operational lead for faculty development at the CSM and the Health Professions Education Leadership stream lead for the Precision Health graduate program. As a doctoral student in adult learning and a faculty developer, Kenna focuses primarily on equity, bias, and anti-oppression in university environments.

Ali is a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in Business Administration. He currently serves as a GPA for the Precision Health and MBT programs at the CSM. In the past, Ali held the VP of Academic and Student Affairs position at the GSA, where he advocated for graduate students. His research focuses on leadership and equity, diversity, and inclusion for staff at the university.

Roxanne Felix-Mah has more than seventeen years of experience working in equity and inclusion in health promotion, community-based research, evaluation, settlement, and anti-racism in the private, public and non-profit sectors. These diverse experiences are a backdrop for her work in community capacity building, community development and mentorship. 

Ashima Sumaru-Jurf has facilitated, coordinated and managed programs related to immigration and migration, intercultural competency, anti-racism, literacy, adult education, and organizational effectiveness in the not-for-profit and government sectors. She has worked with communities and organizations throughout Alberta to build inclusive and equitable spaces and help find strengths-based solutions to our challenges.