Team
Leadership
Dr. Wendy Cukier (she/her)
Founder & Academic Director; Professor, Entrepreneurship & Strategy
Dr. Wendy Cukier, MA, MBA, PhD, DU (hon) LLD (hon) is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, and Founder of the Diversity Institute at Ryerson University. She is the co-author of the bestseller, Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Java to Jurassic Park and former VP of Research and Innovation and more than 200 articles on aspects of diversity, inclusion and innovation. Dr. Wendy Cukier is one of Canada’s leading experts in disruptive technologies, innovation processes, and diversity and inclusion. The Diversity Institute has more than 100 research staff and projects include DiversityLeads, which has tracked the representation of women in leadership roles and a host of projects focused specifically on women in technology. The Diversity Institute has also pioneered innovative projects such as the Advanced Digital and Professional Training program (ADaPT), the Women Entrepreneurship Hub and the Newcomer Entrepreneurship Hub. She also leads the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and a program of research for the Future Skills Centre as well as the new Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network (IIE-Net).
Mohamed Elmi
Executive Director
Mohamed is the Executive Director of the Diversity Institute. The Diversity Institute conducts and coordinates multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder research to address the needs of diverse Canadians, the changing nature of skills and competencies, and the policies, processes and tools that advance economic inclusion and success. Mohamed holds a PhD in Information Systems at University of Cape Town. Prior to this, Mohamed completed his thesis Masters of Arts in International Development Studies at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and an Honour Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of New Brunswick.
Katlynn Sverko (she/her)
Director, Research – Special Projects
Katlynn is the director of research – special projects at the Diversity Institute (DI). In previous roles, in entrepreneurship, accessibility and entertainment, Katlynn led the development of creative pilots, technical products and global expansion objectives. She has worked closely with municipalities and governments to engage in entrepreneurship programming and skills training. Katlynn has a BA in Creative Industries and an MDM from Toronto Metropolitan University. At the Diversity Institute, she contributes to content creation and curation, with a particular focus on the implementation of the Diversity Assessment Tool App, asynchronous e-learning courses, development of technology and tools to support DI’s organizational initiatives, and the development of EDI best practices. Katlynn’s work also includes EDI strategies, upskilling and training projects within Canada’s Super Clusters, including projects with the Digital Supercluster and Next Generation Manufacturing Canada. Within the 2022-2023 year, Katlynn led a number of training initiatives, curating over 120 courses, engaging over 1,000 diverse learners, and over 700 organizations. Building on these efforts, a new program is underway to define the specific skills and competencies required for in-demand job opportunities and work placements as well as research on what works for whom.
Stephanie Roberts (she/her)
Director, Marketing and Communications
An accomplished communicator, Stephanie brings more than 16 years’ experience building teams and developing, executing and measuring the success of strategic communications programs in large, complex organizations. She holds an Honours BSc from the University of Toronto, and a BJ and Master of Journalism from the University of King’s College, and has mini-MBAs in business and marketing.
Prior to joining DI, she was founding director of communications at Sunnybrook Research Institute, the top-10-ranked research enterprise of Canada’s fourth-largest hospital. There, she provided strategic counsel to senior leaders and mentored a high-performing team to craft and carry out internal and external communications strategies and plans. Her leadership supported growth in staff to 1,309 from 600 and in revenue to $109 million from $74 million.
Employment
Sangeeta Mehta (she/her)
Senior Manager, Partnership Development
Sangeeta has completed her BA in Economics from Brock University and two post graduate diplomas in Human Resources Management and Career Development Practitioner. She is currently the Manager, Partnership Development and Career Counsellor for the ADaPT program. Prior to joining ADaPT, Sangeeta spent 15 years in Human Resources working for entrepreneurial to large organizations in the areas of recruitment, employee development, and HR strategy. Sangeeta’s mission is to provide career coaching to post secondary graduates and to empower them with the requisite skills to succeed in today’s labour market. She is passionate about coaching her students, preparing them to be job ready and helping them transition to meaningful employment.
Laurene Williams (she/her)
Program Manager
Laurene’s solution-focused approach to life led her to complete post-graduate studies in Alternative Dispute Resolution and Human Resources Management at Humber College. She previously read for her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Laurene returns to the Diversity Institute having previously worked as a research assistant before joining the University’s Office of the General Counsel and Board Secretariat, where she interned as a Student-at-Law before transitioning to a legal advisor role, primarily supporting the Office of the Vice President and Research Services. She also held several roles in the human resources and alternative dispute resolution industries. Laurene enjoys volunteering and community engagement and is passionate about the advancement of those in her community.
Lousia Makhtar (she/her)
Program Manager
Lousia is currently working on the Lifeline Afghanistan portfolio that encompasses the following: working within the PSR and GAR resettlement pathways to support the arrival of refugees and Human Rights Defenders (HRD’s) into Canada, promoting and advocating for refugee protection, durable solutions, and international human rights, as well as programming to further aid newcomers with integrating meaningfully into Canada’s labor market.
Lousia holds a Master’s (MA) – Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies from the University of London, as well as a Bachelor’s of Science – Double Major in Population Health and Mental Health from the University of Toronto.
Prior to joining the Diversity Institute, Lousia worked as a mental health counsellor providing direct emotional, trauma-informed care, and crisis support to newcomers enduring various challenges associated with their pre, during, and post-migration journeys.
Shania Pierre (she/her)
Program Assistant, Partnership Development
Shania has completed her BSc in health sciences from the University of Toronto. Presently, she is the program assistant, partnership development for both ADaPT for Success and the ADaPT-BYAP Program. Shania has experience in career coaching and youth work placement from her prior work with MyStartr, a startup dedicated to breaking barriers in the youth employment sector. Her passion for training youth in areas of communication and confidence shows through her work to encourage them to succeed in the workplace by bringing their transferrable skills to any job and forging alternative career paths for themselves.
Sohaila Khaliqyar (she/her)
Research Assistant
Sohaila Khaliqyar is a research assistant at Ryerson’s Diversity Institute, Lifeline Afghanistan.
Sohaila Khaliqyar worked with LERRN, UNICEF Afghanistan, George Brown College, and the Livelihood project. Sohaila is a Ph.D. student in the Humanities program at York University.
Jazz Dev (she/her)
Program Coordinator
Jazz is a Ryerson University graduate with an Honors BA degree in Arts & Contemporary Studies and achieved a double minor in HR Management and Sociology. She has over six years of combined work experience in higher education, business development, research support, placements and the customer service sector. To expand and diversify her knowledge, she is working towards a Business Communication certificate at Ryerson.
Marketing
Deirdre O’Beirne-Røsaeg (she/her)
Marketing & Communications Manager
Deirdre O’Beirne-Røsæg is a marketing communications specialist with over ten years of experience and joins the Diversity Institute as Marketing & Communications Manager.
She started her career with a top global premium drinks company, dedicating five years to building brands and advancing strategic communication plans while working in Montréal, Brussels, Dublin and Copenhagen. After successfully developing significant marketing expertise, she was keen to combine this knowledge with her activism on climate and social justice.
And so she worked for the Green Party of Ireland and Canada in various positions, including as a Legislative Assistant on Parliament Hill and as Deputy Director of Communications for the Green Party of Canada. Her most recent role was Head of Communications at the feminist non-profit, the National Association of Women and the Law.
