Shannon Kelly (Co-Creator of Diversity Circles): Shannon joined BCIT in 2002 as teaching faculty in the Communication department, where she has been looking at diversity through numerous research projects. Shannon co-founded Diversity Circles with Zaa Joseph in 2015 and they achieved SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) funding to help the BCIT community address the increasing diversity on campus using a grassroots, strengths-based approach which draws on an Indigenous framework. Diversity Circles has most recently received Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) federal funding through the Canada Research Chairs Program. Diversity Circles strives to build relationships with many people in the BCIT community and wider communities to do this work in safe, respectful, equitable ways.

Zaa Derik Gammel Joseph is a member of the Tl’azt’en Nation. He holds a BA from Capilano University and completed his Master of Arts in Professional Communication at Royal Roads University in 2013.

Zaa has been an Advisor in the BCIT Indigenous Services department since 2008. He is also a committee member of BCIT’s Indigenous Advisory Council responsible for the first Aboriginal Strategic Plan (2010-2013), was a Director-at-Large for BCIT’s Faculty and Staff Association (2013-2019) and sits on the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Equity Committee and Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education Working Group (2018-present). Zaa was recently seconded to participate with Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships for the building of the BCIT Indigenous Vision (2018-2019).

Zaa is the co-founder of Diversity Circles at BCIT and organizes, facilitates workshops and continues to build internal and external relationships. Zaa is very proud to work with Shannon, Kyla, Splash, Andrew, BCIT RDI and the Diversity Circles Steering Committee to create and lead organizational and human-centred culture shifts that support the growth of equity seeking-groups.

Kyla (she/her) joined the BCIT Faculty & Staff Association in 2013 in the newly created position of Member Engagement Officer and joined the Diversity Circles team when it was founded. In 2022, Kyla moved into a new role at BCIT as the Manager, Stakeholder Relations and continues as a co-founder of the Diversity Circles initiative. Building on her degree in Political Science and International Development Kyla has worked for social justice in both Canada and Guatemala. With almost two decades of experience in non-profit administration, governance, fundraising, engagement and communications, Kyla is an active volunteer having served on many boards and most recently was a Director with the BC Library Trustees Association (BCLTA), and the Chair of Vancouver Public Library. Kyla currently serves on the board of the Vancouver Writers Festival, the board of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD), and – in 2017 – Kyla was selected to attend the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference. Kyla is currently completing an MA (Interdisciplinary Studies).

Kyla is a White person of Jewish descent living on the unceded lands xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Aaron Nelson-Moody, or “Splash”, lives and works in the Capilano Village on the North Shore of Vancouver, British Columbia. These days he is working mainly on jewelry engraving and repousse, and still carves the larger houseposts and panels on commission.

While Aaron is his English name, he also has his Squamish Nation name, Tawx’sin Yexwulla, which translates as: Splashing Eagle, so most people know him simply as “Splash”. He also carries the name, Poolxtun, from his adopted father Gerry Oleman, which he tanslates as, ‘the spreading ripples from a splash of water’.

He has worked with community groups and students in a number of schools in the Squamish and Vancouver areas since 1995, as well as sharing in Japan and Scotland.

Fellow, Diversity & Innovation, SFU Centre for Dialogue

Dr. Daum was a member of the original SSHRC-funding Diversity Circles project and is an ongoing supporter and collaborator with Diversity Circles. 

Dr. Robert A. Daum (PhD, UC Berkeley) is a Fellow in Diversity & Innovation at Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue. He is an active research collaborator and practitioner in community and university-based initiatives focused on intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement. As an Advisor in the Office of Vice President, Students at UBC, he has been the Project Lead for a series of dialogue-based, interdisciplinary and intercultural student development initiatives. At UBC he is also Honorary Associate Professor in UBC’s Department of Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies, Faculty Associate of UBC’s Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice, and a Faculty Member of the Common Room at UBC’s Green College. In the community, he is a Director of The Laurier Institution. A Director on the inaugural Board of Reconciliation Canada, he moderated the inaugural National Reconciliation Gathering in its six-city national series. For the City of Vancouver, Robert co-convenes (with BCIT’s Kory Wilson) the Intercultural & Civic Engagement Strategy Group for the Vancouver Immigration Partnership. For the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, he is a guest editor and member of the editorial advisory of Directions, its research and policy journal. He co-leads (with UBC’s Prof. Francisco Peña) the Cultural Symbioses Project, an interdisciplinary consortium of nine teams of 40+ researchers at 23 leading universities and colleges in nine countries. He also co-leads the theory and translation research team within that Project, and is also a Collaborator within its Medieval Iberia research team. As well, he is a Collaborator in an interdisciplinary SSHRC Partnership Development Project, “Evolving the Botanic Garden: Digital Environmental and Cultural Interpretation at the Edmonton Devonian Botanic Garden’s New Islamic Garden,” led by UBC’s Prof. Hussein Keshani with support from the Devonian Botanic Garden and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. In 2015 he was appointed to an initial three-year term as one of 12 national delegates to the first formal, bilateral national Dialogue between the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus. A moderator, facilitator and public speaker, he has published his research in leading refereed journals, and has been a presenter and keynote speaker at academic conferences in Canada, the United States, China, France, Spain, and Sweden.

Boozoo, Mko Mose Indizhnikaz, Meshekenh n’doodem, d’ eshkan ziibi n’doonjiba Anishinaabe inini n’dow. Hi, my English name is Andrew Judge and my spirit name is Bear Walker (Mko Mose), I am Turtle Clan (Meshekenh n’doodem) was born and raised near the horned river (d’ eshkan ziibi n’doonjiba) and I am both Irish and Anishinaabe. My dad was born in Thessalon, ON and my Mom was born in London, ON. I was born and raised in London, ON. I have been working in the area of Indigenous education for the past decade. I started by engaging youth at an Indigenous science camp in Wikwemikong, Manitoulin Island, I then began designing, facilitating and implementing mentoring programs for Indigenous elementary and secondary students at the CAMH centre for Prevention Science.

Dr. Andrew Judge (Mko Mose, Bear Walker) is a tenure-track faculty at Algoma University and has taught Indigenous knowledge based courses at the University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier University. He is the former coordinator of Indigenous Education at Conestoga College. Dr. Judge is the co-founder of The Indigenous Collective, a platform that highlights the work of Indigenous leaders in performance and story-telling. He has received over $800,000 in SSHRC and Ontario Trillium Foundation grant funding and has given over 70 lectures on Indigenous land-practices and cosmologies.

Each day I continue to be humbled by the teachings of my ancestors and I am always excited to share the little I have learned with anyone interested.

Chi Miigwetch (Big Thanks)

www.mkomose.com

Tanya Buschau (she/her) graduated from the University of Manitoba with an Advanced Degree in Labour Relations.  After graduation she went to work as an Advocate for a NGO where she represented unemployed workers in appeals of Employment Insurance decisions.  Recognizing that the root cause of loss of employment in her community was frequently related to issues of harassment and discrimination she subsequently went to work at the Manitoba Human Rights Commission to focus on human rights.  She remained at the Commission for seven years, first as an Investigator then as the Manager of the Intake and Mediation departments. She relocated to Vancouver in 2016 to join Assistive Technologies BC, part of the Vancouver School Board where she was a Medical Adjudicator for a program providing support to post-secondary students with disabilities.  In 2020 she joined BCIT as the Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisor. Tanya has always had a passion for justice and fairness and is committed to removing barriers so that everyone can fully participate in all aspects of society, free of harassment and discrimination.

Wendy (she/her) has been at BCIT for over 10 years and currently part of the Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion Department. She previously worked with the Human Resources, Labour Relations, and Organizational Development teams at BCIT.

As part of the Diversity Circles Steering Committee, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Pride Committee, Pink Shirt Day Committee and the Anti-racism Working Group at BCIT, Wendy feels that it is very important for us to provide a diverse and inclusive community where all people feel welcome and respected. Together we are stronger.

Wendy has completed her Leadership and Inclusion Certificate, Human Resources Certificate, and Workplace Mental Health Certificate. Niya kishchiitayimoon alii Michif awiiyan – I am proud to be a Metis person.

Mx Trina Prince (they/them) is a trans, non-binary, fat, disabled, neurodivergent, white person currently living on the shared traditional territories of the Kwikwetlem, Qayqayt, Stó:lō, Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, and Musqueam First Nations. Trina is honoured to be the Manager of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the Past Board Chair for WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre. Previously, Trina enjoyed working at BCIT and the BCIT Student Association for a combined eight years and is so happy they can stay connected with the BCIT community through Diversity Circles. Most importantly, Trina is a very proud Entie to their nine niblings. Trina absolutely loves orcas, dragons, Star Wars, LEGO, Titanic facts, dancing, and escape rooms. Trina tries to create safe(r) spaces everywhere they go.

Yuna Chen is the daughter of immigrants from India and a Hakka Chinese settler. She is currently living on the unceded lands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. After being a first-generation student, Yuna worked in population health and post-secondary student well-being for the past six years. She has led various initiatives to support mental health and well-being in higher education, such as learning opportunities for increasing individual capacity for resilience and facilitating early intervention from a whole-campus approach. Before joining BCIT in 2021, Yuna worked as the Acting Associate Director, Health Promotion at Simon Fraser University. And as a Specialist with the Ontario Palliative Care Network Secretariat. She hopes to continue learning, unlearning, and relearning in the community to support belonging.

Jackie Gruber (she/her) acknowledges respectfully that she is a humble guest on the traditional unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səlí? lwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations.  She is the second generation to Canada, of Jewish descent and identifies as a person with a disability.  As the Director of the Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion department at BCIT, she supports the Institute’s values of championing diversity and inclusion, engaging with respect and pursuing collaboration by providing strategic direction in creating a respectful, inclusive, and accessible environment for all. Jackie came to British Columbia from Treaty One Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation.

I’m Leah, and I use the pronouns she/her. I have a career background in human resources. I’m passionate about Inclusion and Diversity programs, especially how to create inclusive work environments and support leaders in building inclusive teams. I also have a passion for coaching and obtained my International Coaching Certification in 2020. I’m honoured to be a part of such a wonderful and dedicated team at the Respect Diversity and Inclusion office at BCIT. I’m also a proud BCIT Alumni and excited to be a part of the amazing Diversity Circles team!

Matt Greaves (he/him/his) works as the BCITFSA’s Member Engagement Officer and lives on unceded land belonging to the shíshálh Nation. Matt has been organizing in the Canadian post-secondary sector for more than a decade, where he’s held positions in union organizing, communications, and research. He’s helped lead successful strike actions, founded solidarity and social justice committees, and volunteered in community organizing. He holds aPh.D.D from the School of Communication at SFU (2018).

Fizza Rashid (she/her) is a first-generation Pakistani Canadian woman whose parents arrived in Canada for opportunities as unwilling settlers. She started working as an Advocacy Specialist at the Student Association in July 2022. She graduated from the University of Northern BC with a Bachelor of Psychology degree in 2020. During her time in school, Fizza volunteered at the Women’s Centre, which provided a 24-hour safe space for all self-identifying women. She also created and led the “South Asian Student Society” to promote diversity and educate students about South Asia’s various cultures and religions. Fizza has worked with the “Crisis Prevention and Intervention Centre of Northern BC” and “TalkSuicide Canada” for 8+ years and has extensive experience in this field. During her time there, Fizza onboarded 50+ volunteers and presented multiple youth mental health workshops in schools asides from volunteering on the lines. Fizza is passionate about combating the stigma of mental health within the intersections of her community, particularly the South Asian community. Fizza has experience working with at-risk youth and the homeless population in the Downtown East Side as well. Fizza is passionate about initiatives combating violence against women, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and racism and enjoys volunteering at events related to these initiatives.”

Karl Chen (they/he) is an event planner and community builder whose work focuses on advancing the lives of marginalized communities and social justice. Karl is the founder of RYSE – Professional Asian Network, a community of 65,000+ sharing their experiences as racialized individuals in professional settings and uplifting each other through dialogue and mentorship. Stemming from RYSE, the Asian Unification Project(AUP) was formed during the pandemic to support visibly racialized individuals who are elderly, immunocompromised, or disabled during the rise of hate crimes against POCs. Karl is also the host of Ganbei, a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of Asian professionals as they explore the intricacies of their Asian identities.

Sharad Kharé is an award-winning storyteller, documentarian, and founder of Human Biography (www.HumanBiography.com), a content agency that produces original video content for the most incredible humans, brands, and organizations across the globe. Sharad has a background in media and journalism and holds a Master’s degree in communications, where his academic research focused on personal and digital legacy.

Human Biography has created content with such organizations as TED, Microsoft, UN Women, The David Lynch Foundation, and many more. Sharad has led lectures in storytelling at Harvard, IIT, Parsons, UPenn, and the United Nations. He is currently a professor in the Masters of Film program at the University of Rome, Italy.

Sharad is the co-founder of The Indigenous Collective www.TheIndigenousCollective.com and has been a collaborator with Indigenous communities across North America, directing and producing video projects that capture First Nations stories and culture. His latest work documenting the life of Orene Askew (DJ OShow) won best documentary globally. Sharad was the recipient of the Disruptor Fellowship for his work in media, awarded to him at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2019, alongside fellow awardees Val Kilmer and Oona Chaplin.