equity | The Harriet Tubman Institute

Margaret Ofori Asubonteng

rebsl — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:58:59 +0000

Margaret Ofori Asubonteng is a Black African Human Resource Management with interests in Black studies, labour, equity, law, student engagement, and community development. Her academic and leadership interests explore the intersection of Black lived experiences, institutional systems, social justice, and belonging within educational and professional spaces.

She currently serves as a Student Engagement Assistant in Liberal Arts & Professional studies �첥��Ƶ, where she supports student outreach, programming, and peer connection initiatives. Margaret has also contributed to student transition and leadership programming through York’s Student Leadership and Community Development team and has served as an Outreach Lead for a university case competition.

Her commitment to student engagement and service has been recognized through several honours, including a Certificate of Distinction for Excellence from the Student Community & Leadership Development, the Best College Crew Volunteer Award (2024–2025) from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, and recognition for her commitment to the Human Resources Student Association community. She also recently presented at �첥��Ƶ’s International Student Conference, where she spoke about navigating life as an international student.

Margaret is passionate about advocacy, and community-centered engagement, and she hopes to continue contributing to conversations that affirm the richness, complexity, and diversity of African and diasporic experiences.

Keywords: Black Studies, African Diaspora, Labour, Equity, Social Justice, Student Engagement, Community Development, Law, Belonging, Youth Leadership, International Students

Jesse Sam

rebsl — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 19:52:42 +0000

Jesse Sam is a graduate student in the MA in Health Policy, Equity Stream, at �첥��Ƶ. His research focuses on maternal health and the experiences of caregivers of children on the autism spectrum, with a particular emphasis on racialized and immigrant populations. He is currently conducting a research project using photovoice under the supervision of Dr. Farah Ahmad, exploring the challenges faced by caregivers navigating the healthcare system in Canada. Jesse's work is rooted in a commitment to equity, aiming to amplify the voices of marginalized communities in healthcare policy and practice. Jesse is passionate about advocating for social justice and is eager to contribute to research that addresses the unique needs of marginalized caregivers and families.

Keywords: Maternal Health; Autism Spectrum; Racialized Populations; Policy Advocacy; Critical Health Studies; Equity; Immigrant Families

Tracelyn Cornelius

rebsl — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 20:18:34 +0000

Tracelyn Cornelius is a doctoral candidate in the Sustainability Management program and a graduate of the Master of Environment and Business (MEB) program at the University of Waterloo. Her research primarily focuses on knowledge mobilization and issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Tracelyn's scholarly contributions involve the development of evidence-based frameworks for assessing knowledge mobilization and the formulation of processes that integrate EDI accountability within knowledge mobilization initiatives. Beyond her academic pursuits, Tracelyn serves as a Special Lecturer of Black Studies at the University of Waterloo. She also holds a part-time position as a Professor at Conestoga College, where she teaches courses such as sustainability operations, sustainability management, sustainable business plan, change management and facilitation, sustainable leadership, and supervisory and leadership practices. With over two decades of professional experience in Communications, Tracelyn is also the Director of Inclusive Communications in University Relations at the University of Waterloo. Her multidimensional engagement in academia, coupled with her professional expertise, underscores her commitment to bridging theoretical and practical aspects of sustainability and inclusive communications. Notably, Tracelyn's contributions have been recognized through her nomination for the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Woman of the Year Professional over 40 award, a testament to her impactful presence and achievements in her field.

Amrita Daftary

rebsl — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:47:27 +0000

Amrita Daftary (she/her) is associate professor at the School of Global Health, Faculty of Health. Amrita applies participatory, qualitative and implementation science approaches to address the social drivers and impacts of infectious diseases, particularly tuberculosis and HIV. She partners with researchers and communities in South Africa, Indonesia, Ukraine, Canada. and other global settings. She is founder of a borderless social science TB network, sshiftb.org. Amrita holds an honorary appointment at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and status-only appointment at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Her principle teaching and supervision commitments are at York's School of Global Health.

Keywords: global health, tuberculosis, HIV, community-engagement, qualitative methods, implementation science, gender, equity, South Africa

Andrea González

alexall5 — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 01:27:30 +0000

Andrea González is a masters student in the Public and International Affairs program at Glendon

Akolisa Ufodike

rebsl — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 04:02:41 +0000

Akolisa Ufodike is an Associate Professor at �첥��Ƶ, where he teaches auditing, and he also holds an appointment in the graduate program in Public Policy, Administration, and Law, where he teaches public sector finance. He holds adjunct associate professor roles at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, and Royal Roads University in Victoria; across these three institutions, he supervises doctoral students.

He is a last Visiting Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury’s School of
Accounting and Information Systems.

His research has been supported by two major SSHRC grants totalling nearly $1 million. His work examines accountability, governance, public sector finance, actor networks, common-pool resources, and public-private partnerships.

Before entering academia, he spent 25 years as a finance executive across telecommunications, banking, oil and gas, utilities, and consumer packaged goods. He is also the founder of the John Ware Institute and has held senior public service leadership roles, including serving as Deputy Minister for two ministries in Alberta—first Trade, and subsequently Immigration—as well as senior corporate leadership positions.

He earned his PhD from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary and his MBA from the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University. He is a Fellow of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, a U.S. CPA, and a U.K. Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. He is also an ICD.D-certified corporate director. He is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Meda

Keywords: Accountability, common pool resources, EDI, productivity, fiscal resilience, public private partnerships (P3)