Julie Cafley

Executive Director Catalyst Canada

Dr. Julie Cafley is the Executive Director of Catalyst Canada, an organization that drives inclusive workplaces. She is a creative, strategic leader and an accomplished academic with expertise in equity and inclusion, public policy and higher-education leadership. In 2023, she was chosen as a member of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67). She is a frequent writer and speaker on higher education, leadership and gender equity. Previously, she was the Vice-President, Communications and External Relations at the Digital Research Alliance of Canada where she helped to build the Alliance as a new non-profit organization. Before that, she worked as the Executive Vice-President at the Public Policy Forum (PPF). Cafley built bridges and enhanced the profile and visibility of the PPF while directing its communications, external partnerships, membership and learning teams. In her previous role as Chief of Staff to two presidents at the University of Ottawa, Julie worked closely with the President and the senior executive team to develop and advance strategic initiatives. Cafley holds a PhD in education leadership from the University of Ottawa with sought-after expertise in university presidential mandates. Her thesis focused on higher education leadership and governance through the lens of unfinished terms of Canadian university presidents. Cafley is an active community builder and a collaborative change maker. Whether it is serving coffee and muffins to the region’s homeless people, serving on the board of Parkinson Canada, mentoring young policy wonks, or supporting her alma mater on its Campaign Cabinet and Dean’s advisory council, giving back is integral to who she is and a part of her every day. Cafley is a committed advocate for women and leadership, a constant ally for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples and an indefatigable champion for diversity initiatives.

Julian Demkiw

University Secretary and Chief Governance Officer

University of Saskatchewan

Julian Demkiw is the University Secretary and Chief Governance Officer at the University of Saskatchewan. He has 20 years’ experience working in post-secondary education and has worked as a lecturer, fundraiser, alumni relations specialist, student services officer and, most recently, as Chief of Staff to three university presidents. Demkiw is a lifelong student having achieved degrees in engineering, humanities and social sciences. Most notably, Demkiw is in the final stages of a doctorate bringing together his interests in leadership and higher education to study the relationships between university presidents and university boards. In his spare time he is involved in his community as a member of the Meewasin Valley Authority board of directors and chair of the board of Leadership Saskatoon.

Julia Eastman

Adjunct Professor
Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria

Julia Eastman writes, speaks and advises on university governance in Canada, drawing on extensive experience in the field. She is Adjunct Professor in the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria, where she served as University Secretary from 2005 to 2018. Prior to that, she worked at Dalhousie University. Eastman has a BA in Political Economy from the University of Toronto, a MA in Political Studies from Queen’s University and a PhD in Higher Education from the University of Toronto. She co-authored a book on mergers in higher education (with Daniel Lang), has written about university governance and revenue generation and is lead author (with Glen Jones, Claude Trottier and Olivier Bégin-Caouette) of University Governance in Canada: Navigating Complexity (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022), based on a comparative case study of the governance of six major universities across the country.

Angela Jaime

interim Vice Provost, Indigenous Engagement and Professor in Indigenous Studies
University of Saskatchewan

Presentation

Dr. Angela M. Jaime (enrolled member of the Pit River tribe) is the interim Vice Provost, Indigenous Engagement and a Professor in Indigenous Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. Jaime arrived in Saskatoon July 2020 after accepting the position of the Vice Dean, Indigenous for the College of Arts and Science. Dr. Jaime spent 16 years at the University of Wyoming (Laramie, Wyoming) as Professor in and Director of Native American and Indigenous Studies and Associate Director of the School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice. Dr. Jaime has been teaching, consulting and researching in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism/anti-oppression, critical race theory, social justice and Indigenous Education for more than 25 years. Jaime completed her doctorate at Purdue University in 2005 and her master’s degree from San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies in 1997. Her areas of research are in critical race theory, Indigenous education, Native women and their experiences in higher education, and research methodology through an Indigenous and anti-racist/anti-oppression lens. She promotes social justice by critically examining systematic racism/oppression and discrimination of Indigenous people and people of color in higher education. Most importantly, she is a mother of two amazing boys.

Mike Mahon

President
University of Lethbridge

As the sixth President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lethbridge, Dr. Mike Mahon is committed to building a comprehensive, destination university in western Canada. Mahon has held several standing provincial and national commitments related to post-secondary education. He most recently served as the Chair of the Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta (COPPOA). Fall 2019 concluded Mahon’s two-year term as Chair of the Board of Directors for Universities Canada. He has served on a number of Boards including Canadian University Sport (USports), Alberta Economic Development Authority, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Coaching Association of Canada. Mahon is the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and an honorary member of the Kainai Chieftainship of the Blood Tribe in Southern Alberta. His Blackfoot name is Iipisowaahsiiyi (Morning Star). Mahon holds a PhD in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His current research is in the field of disability studies and sport for development.

Peter Stoicheff

President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Saskatchewan

Peter Stoicheff began his 37-year career at the University of Saskatchewan in 1986. After serving as a professor and then dean of the College of Arts and Science, he was appointed the 11^th President of the University of Saskatchewan in 2015. He has led it to be one of Canada’s top research-intensive medical-doctoral universities, with global impact in water and food security, synchrotron science, pandemic preparedness and agricultural technology. Recognizing the importance of postsecondary education to Indigenous peoples, Peter has supported the University of Saskatchewan to be a Reconciliation leader in the country, increasing its Indigenous student enrolments and ensuring its close connections with local and national Indigenous communities and organizations. He has also increased the university’s partnerships with other world-leading institutions around the world.