Dear members of the social science and humanities community,
Today, I am pleased to announce that Dhanela Sivaparan, PhDc (She/her/hers), has accepted the position of Senior Advisor – Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) with the Federation.
Dhanela is an anti-racist scholar, activist-researcher, and community engagement organizer. She has worked extensively and passionately on a variety of EDI topics such as anti-racism, anti-blackness, anti-Indigeneity, anti-oppression, international human rights and gender-based violence, and has been involved in many equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives, including Toronto’s Anti-Black Racism Task Force and the Steering Committee for the University of Toronto’s Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Dhanela is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto in the Department of Social Justice Education. She has held positions as EDI Specialist, Community Engagement Coordinator, Executive Director at the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union, Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Officer, and Policy Advisor on Access Programs. She has also served as chair and board director for over 20 caucuses and committees, and was the recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Service Award, and Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award for her works on anti-racism education and inclusive schooling.
In her new role at the Federation, Dhanela will be responsible for leading the development of a multi-year plan to implement the recommendations outlined in “Igniting Change,” the final report of the Congress Advisory Committee on EDID. She will manage the implementation of the Federation’s EDID Action Plan, and work closely with the Federation's staff, Board of Directors and Standing Committee on EDID to support EDID throughout our activities and membership.
Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Dhanela!
Regards,
Gabriel Miller
President and CEO
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences