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Honouring Black Leaders(hip): A Panel & Networking Event for Black Employees is co-organized by the ³ÉÈË´óƬ Equity Team, the Black Employee Resource Group and the HR ABR Working Group. This closed event will provide a unique opportunity for Black employees across ³ÉÈË´óƬ to connect, network, and learn from Black women in a range of senior leadership positions at the University. In addition to the moderated panel, participants will be invited to engage in interactive activities and discussions about their own leadership experiences and career journeys. Note that a variety of hors d’oeuvres including vegan and gluten-free options and non-alcoholic refreshments will be served throughout the event. 

Please register by clicking the registration form button below and submitting the form by Friday, March 21, 2025.

Speakers

Brittany Williams (Panelist) is the Assistant Dean (Students) and Dean’s Lead for Black and Indigenous Flourishing at ³ÉÈË´óƬ University's Faculty of Law. She directs student affairs and advising services, collaborates with the Student Affairs and Graduate Programs Offices, and advises the Dean on equity, diversity, and inclusion. She focuses on promoting the retention and success of Black and Indigenous law students and oversees the LEX by Davies Outreach Program. Additionally, Brittany supervises the Faculty’s Student Coordinators for Black Affairs and Indigenous Initiatives, who assist in the development of initiatives for Black and Indigenous law applicants, students, and alumni and serves as Faculty Advisor for the Black Law Students’ Association of ³ÉÈË´óƬ and the Indigenous Law Association. 

Dr. Chidinma Offoh-Robert (Panelist) is Senior Director, Strategy and Operations, for the Office of the Vice-President, Administration and Finance at ³ÉÈË´óƬ University. Dr. Offoh-Robert has had a professional journey born from and strongly rooted in an understanding of university environments (both strategically and operationally), further developed by holding several senior leadership roles within an academic Faculties and central administration. In all of her positions, she has been instrumental in leading and effecting strategic change to improve the ways institutions operate and achieve their objectives.    

Dr. Yolande E. Chan (Panelist) is Dean and James ³ÉÈË´óƬ Professor at ³ÉÈË´óƬ University’s Desautels Faculty of Management. A proud Jamaican-Canadian, she is the first Black dean at ³ÉÈË´óƬ. Prior to joining Desautels, Dr. Chan served as Associate Dean of Research, PhD and MSc Programs, and the E. Marie Shantz Chair of Digital Technology at Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. Prior to that, she served as Queen’s Associate Vice-Principal (Research). A graduate of MIT, she is MIT's first Black Rhodes Scholar and first female Rhodes Scholar. 

Shanice Yarde (Moderator) is the Associate Director, Anti-Racism and Equity Education in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic). She has worked at ³ÉÈË´óƬ since 2016 with a focus on developing equity educational initiatives for employees and creating a more welcoming and inclusive institution for all. Shanice is the co-lead of the Black Employee Resource Group and one of the founders of Black History Month at ³ÉÈË´óƬ which has been celebrated institutionally since 2017. Outside of ³ÉÈË´óƬ, Shanice is an educator and facilitator, the Scholarship Program Director for the Black Foundation of Community Networks (BFCN), and curator of free community resources such as Jobs & Things and All Black Everything Montreal. She is also the author of her debut children’s book