Sula Levesque will join Georgian as the college’s inaugural Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) on Oct. 4. She’s a recognized senior leader in postsecondary education with extensive experience in EDI.
“Georgian’s journey in diversity, equity and inclusion has been accelerated by events around the world in the last 18 months,” said David Coward, Vice President, Human Resources. “The creation of this position is a significant milestone and commitment to making Georgian College a more welcoming place to learn, teach and work. I’m absolutely thrilled that we’re adding a leader of Sula’s expertise and energy to our team.”
Levesque comes to the college from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) where she served as Human Rights Officer and institutional lead on EDI.
Prior to her five-year stint at UNB, Levesque spent two decades at York University where she held roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in the role of Executive Director, TD Community Engagement Centre. She worked in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood to support experiential student learning and collaborative research between the community and university to increase postsecondary pathways for underrepresented groups.
“I’m looking forward to joining the Georgian community and to all the possibilities in front of us,” said Levesque. “Georgian has a strong equity foundation and many committed people working toward further inclusion. I’m excited about future connections and to all that we will build together.”
Levesque’s leadership and expertise will be invaluable as the college continues on its journey to create an unrivalled student experience and culture welcoming to all. In the spring, Georgian received a $400,000 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to deepen its EDI work.
In addition to her leadership and management roles, Levesque spent a decade of her career as a contract faculty member at York University in the department of Languages, Literature and Linguistics and the School of Women’s Studies.
Her educational background includes an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and a PhD (all but dissertation) in Women’s Studies from York.