Faculty EDI Lead Members
Get to know the faculty EDI Leads
Chair, Dr. Malinda Smith is the Vice-Provost & Associate Vice President Research (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and a Professor, Faculty of Arts.
Dr. Malinda S. Smith, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Research (EDI) | University of Calgary
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Chair
Dr. Malinda Smith is the inaugural Vice Provost and Associate Vice President of Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and a full professor of political science at the University of Calgary. Prior to joining UCalgary, she was a full professor of political science at the University of Alberta, where she held various roles, including Provost Fellow (EDI Policy) in the Office of the Provost and Associate Chair (Graduate Studies) in the Department of Political Science.
Dr. Smith has served on numerous higher education governance committees, including Vice President (Equity Issues) for the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion External Review Committee for the Canada Research Chairs. Currently, she serves on SSHRC Governing Council and Executive; as Vice Chair of the Inter-Institutional Advisory Committee for the Scarborough Charter, on Statistics Canada’s Immigration and Ethnocultural Statistics Advisory Committee; and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s External EDI Advisory Board.
Dr. Smith is the coauthor, editor, or coeditor of 7 books, numerous articles, book chapters and reports and has given dozens of invited keynotes and public lectures in the areas of equity, diversity, human rights, and decolonization in higher education, African political economy, and international relations. Dr. Smith is the coauthor of The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities (2017); coeditor of Critical Concepts: An Introduction to Politics (OUP 2023); the Nuances of Blackness in the Canadian Academy (UofT Press, 2022); States of Race: Critical Race Feminism for the 21st Century (BTL 2010). and three books on Africa, including Securing Africa: Post-9/11 Discourses on Terrorism (2010).
Dr. Smith is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including Calgary Black Chambers’ Lifetime Achievement Award (2023), an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Simon Fraser University (2021), Compelling Calgarians (2021), the International Studies Association’s Women’s Caucus’s Susan S. Northcutt Award (2020), 100 Accomplished Black Women Honouree (2020), the ISA-Canada Distinguished Scholar Award (2018-19), P.E. Trudeau Foundation Fellow (2018), the HSBC Community Contributor of the Year Award (2016); and the Canadian Association of University Teachers’ Equity Award (2015).
Dr. Getachew Assefa is a Professor in the School of Architecture Planning and Landscape.
Dr. Getachew Assefa
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My doctoral research at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, focusing on the Sustainability Assessment of Technical Systems, drew on my sustainability philosophy that connects back to what I believe is the historical backyard of the sustainability concept and approach. The origins of the ideas of utilizing resources at a sustainable rate can be traced back to different ancient literatures, including the Scripture where a two-dimensional command says: 'and the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it,' Genesis 2:15. For me, the 'dress' dimension represents designing and using technologies for human economic and social development. The 'keep' dimension accounts for the environmental sustainability of the activity of development and utilization of technologies.
By having a holistic approach, my research strives to avoid problem-shifting and sub-optimization in designing and developing technical systems, including buildings, energy systems, etc. Sustainability can't be realized without making the whole world sustainable through environmentally benign, economically viable and socially equitable utilization of resources. During my many travels around the world, I have seen the importance of addressing developmental needs on one hand and environmental sustainability on the other. It is not an either-or; it is both that we, as human beings, need to deal with. I am confident our common will and effort have the power to make a positive difference.
Out of work, I enjoy participating in different activities of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. My other interests include swimming as well as reading and writing on sustainability and a spectrum of other issues.
Dr. Kristin Baetz is the dean of the Faculty of Science.
Dr. Kristin Baetz
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Dr. Baetz holds a PhD (2000) from the University of Toronto in medical genetics and microbiology and a BSc Honours (1995) from Queen’s University in biochemistry. She currently sits on the board of Research Canada, a national, broadly based alliance dedicated to advancing health research through collaborative advocacy. She is the former president of the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences, whose mandate is to advance and promote molecular biosciences in Canada.
Dr. Baetz has served extensively as both reviewer and chair at many funding agencies, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). In 2017, the CIHR College of Reviewers recognized her as an outstanding reviewer.
She is passionate about science and delivering future-focused programs that will allow our graduates to participate in and drive the transformation of the Calgary and Alberta economy. Her guiding principle is that innovation and excellence are built on collaboration and diversity. She has a long-standing commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenous engagement and looks forward to continuing her advocacy and reconciliation journey at UCalgary.
Dr. Heather Bensler is an Associate Professor (Teaching) and Assistant Dean - Academic Partnerships, Faculty of Nursing.
Dr. Heather Bensler
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Dr. Heather Bensler joined the Faculty of Nursing in August 2017 as a tenure-track assistant professor (teaching) and the Director of Indigenous Initiatives, focusing on faculty and curriculum development. She is the 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 educational programs.
Dr. William Bridel is associate dean academic with the Faculty of Kinesiology and LGBTQI2S+ Sport Inclusion Task Force Steering Committee Member.
Dr. William Bridel
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Dr. William Bridel specializes in sociocultural aspects of the sport, physical activity, and the body. Current projects include investigations of LGBTQI2S+ inclusion in sport, as well as inclusion and safe sport policy. He is also interested in sport-related pain and injury, with a recent focus on athletes’ experiences of sport-related concussions.
Dr. Pamela Chu, MD is associate dean for Professionalism, Equity & Diversity at the Cumming School of Medicine and EDI lead member.
Dr. Pamela Chu
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Dr. Pamela Chu, MD, has been the associate dean of Professionalism, Equity and Diversity at the Cumming School of Medicine since 2019. Dr. Chu is a Gynecologic Oncologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a cross-appointment in the Department of Oncology.
Dr. Chu has spearheaded many EDI initiatives within the Cumming School of Medicine, including educational sessions, policy development, curriculum review, and a faculty EDI award.
Dr. Stefania Forlini is the Associate Dean, Student Experience, Graduate Studies.
Dr. Stefania Forlini
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Dr. Forlini is one of two Associate Deans Student Experience who work collaboratively with other leaders at FGS and across campus to ensure a positive graduate student experience and enhance graduate student success. Together with Graduate Academic and International Specialists and other members of the student team, Dr. Forlini provides support to graduate students and faculty navigating challenges with supervision, research progress, extensions, leaves of absence, misconduct, exams, and other issues. She also informs the development of programs and services that support graduate students and of policies relating to student success and academic issues. Dr. Forlini is also an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Emily Marasco is the Associate Dean, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility at the Schulich School of Engineering.
Dr. Emily Marasco
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Dr. Emily Marasco is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) of software engineering and the SSE Teaching Chair in Engineering Education Innovation – Digital Transformation. She is the founder of the ADAPT Lab: Advancements in Digital Applications and Pedagogical Transformation. Her current research and teaching interests are in the area of learning engineering, including the use of gamification, blended learning, and interactive digital learning tools as methods for enhancing creativity within software and computer engineering. Her pedagogical initiatives for digital transformation in education include digital and AI literacy, integration of cognitive diversity, and accessibility best practices.
Dr. Marasco is active as a science communicator and outreach speaker in the local education community. She has been recognized as the 2018 ASTech Outstanding Leader of Tomorrow and received the 2016 Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Graduate Award for women in engineering. She was most recently recognized as one of Calgary’s 2019 Top 40 Under 40 recipients.
Dr. Hieu Ngo is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work and an EDI lead member.
Dr. Hieu Ngo
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Hieu Van Ngo, PhD is associate dean (teaching and learning) and associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work. As a person with intersecting identities, he has lived with and confronted many inequities facing immigrants, racialized people and GLBTQ+ members. Hieu has been involved in anti-racist and equity work since 1997. To date, he has led over 15 collaborative initiatives that address systemic discrimination in education, health, and justice.
Dr. Soroush Sabbaghan is an associate professor (Teaching) and Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Werklund School of Education.
Dr. Soroush Sabbaghan
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Dr. Sabbaghan is an Associate Professor (Teaching) at the Werklund School of education. He holds a PhD in English Language Teaching and another in Curriculum and Learning, focusing on Mathematics Education.
His current focus is on addressing the pedagogical challenges in the post-pandemic context of higher education.
Interests:
- Artificial Intelligence and Pedagogy
- Mathematics Education
- Teacher Education
- Bilingual/second language education
- Applied Linguistics
Dr. Michelle Scott is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) and Director of Indigenous Initiatives, Faculty of Nursing.
Dr. Michelle Scott
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As the Faculty of Nursing's Director of Indigenous Initiatives, Michelle Scott, Anaatsa'poopaki (Pretty Plume Woman) joins UCalgary Nursing after being the director of Indigenous Initiatives at St Mary’s University in Calgary for over eight years. Michelle is a proud L’nu (Mi’kmaw) and Irish/English woman whose ancestral home is Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). She grew up in Tkaronto (Toronto), where she received a BA in Sociology from UToronto and has called Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary) home for the past 23 years. She also completed her MEd at the University of Saskatchewan.
Michelle is committed to opening up spaces within the western academy to centre Indigenous voices and Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing - to bring community together to learn alongside each other at the fire of all our relations about the historical and ongoing legacy of colonization in the place we now know as Canada and to provide the space at this fire for people to begin to understand themselves, their world and the future they want to create together, in a good way, on the path of reconciliation.
Dr. Fouzia Usman is an education development consultant with the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning
Dr. Fouzia Usman
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Dr. Fouzia Usman, PhD, has spent the last 10 years immersed in EDI within an educational context as a researcher, educator and consultant. Her educational development experience spans across the K-12 and postsecondary context. Identifying as an "Anti-Oppression" educator herself, Fouzia has taught several courses in the Werklund School of Education focusing on topics such as diversity for learning and learning theories. Fouzia’s doctoral research focused on inclusion within Dubai’s educational system, whereby she provided guidance to reshape administrators’ and policymakers’ perceptions of inclusion practices for students with specific learning needs. She brings important international experience to the TI, working for the Higher Education Department for the Government of Dubai, supporting large-scale projects related to student engagement and satisfaction, and quality-assurance processes across Dubai’s entire postsecondary sector. Within the community, Fouzia currently serves as a member on the Calgary Police Services Anti-Racism Action committee.
As an educational development consultant at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, Fouzia works to advance EDI initiatives across the university’s teaching and learning communities. She works with individuals and groups on incorporating EDI values and principles, including anti-racism practices, in postsecondary teaching and learning contexts. She also provides support as an academic staff member by facilitating programs related to the Taylor Institute’s Certificates in University Teaching and Learning. Fouzia is one of the primary contacts for inquiries related to EDI in teaching and learning, and is excited to collaborate with members of the campus community to take this work forward. Fouzia has an interest in promoting anti-oppression pedagogical practices at the postsecondary level and her research interests include decolonization of curriculum, anti-oppression pedagogy, equity and inclusivity in teaching and learning, and intercultural competency among faculty members.
Sherry Weaver is associate dean for the undergraduate program of the Haskayne School of Business.
Sherry Weaver
Sherry is a senior instructor and associate dean (undergraduate) at the Haskayne School of Business. She has been a faculty member in the Operations and Supply Chain Management area since 1999. She participated in doctoral studies at the Centre for Research in Healthcare Engineering (CRHE), University of Toronto. She has her CPIM designation as well as degrees in Business and Education. Prior to joining Haskayne, Sherry worked in government services, energy, transportation, education and the healthcare industries. Sherry taught for the Calgary Board of Education and University of Toronto Schools before joining Haskayne.
Sherry has been in various administrative roles at Haskayne for over the past decade as Assistant Dean Student Leadership and Associate Dean Teaching & Learning prior to her current role. Sherry serves as a chair co-chair for a variety of committees across campus, including: GFC Calendar and Curriculum Subcommittee, HSB Undergraduate Review Committee and the HSB EDI Committee.
Kellinde Wrightson is the Director of the Foreign Trained Lawyers Program in the Faculty of Law and Chair of the Faculty of Law's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Dr. Kellinde Wrightson
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Kellinde is a Permanent Resident of Canada and an Australian award-winning scholar, lawyer and published novelist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours and the University Gold Medal, a PhD in English Literature from the University of Sydney, Australia, and a Bachelor of Laws and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Wollongong, Australia. Kellinde clerked at the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia, where she was appointed to the prestigious position of Researcher to the Chief Judge in the Equity Division. Kellinde has many years of experience as a university professor in Australia. She has published many articles in peer-reviewed international journals. She is the recipient of eighteen awards and accolades for excellence, including the Australian Bicentennial Award, the Federation of University Women Award, the Australian Research Council Post-doctoral Fellowship, the British Library Centre for the Book Fellow, the University of Sydney Fellow, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Writer Residency, and Guest Author at the Sydney Writers’ Festival.
Kellinde has lived and worked in Australia, England, France, Denmark, and Iceland before settling in Alberta. After completing the requalification process to practice law in Alberta, Kellinde was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 2018. Kellinde practiced mainly in civil litigation for four years in a mid-sized Calgary firm before taking up the three-year appointment as Director of the Foreign Trained Lawyers Program in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary. Kellinde has a keen interest in helping those beginning the journey she has taken.
Kellinde is Chair of the Faculty of Law's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Outside her roles at the University, she is a Director on the Board of Directors of the Legal Education Society of Alberta. She is writing an Emond Publishing textbook entitled The Foreign Trained Lawyers' Guide to Canadian Legal Research and Writing.
Kellinde is an enthusiastic skier. She learnt to ski after moving to Canada on the advice of a Canadian friend who recommended it to manage the winters. Kellinde took that advice and fell in love with the sport and the country. She qualified as a ski instructor two seasons after learning to ski and currently working towards her Level 2 qualification.