Research Program
Transformative Leadership for Sustainable Futures
I practice community-based and participatory research informed by community priorities and aimed at finding collaborative solutions relevant to communities at the centre of the research inquiry.
Informed by my practice in community-based, non-profit sector, and most recently by my journey as a co-founder of a social enterprise, my research program focuses on transformative leadership that seeks solutions towards co-creating livable and sustainable futures for all. Such leadership involves pursuing so called 'triple bottom line' that combines economic, social and environmental sustainability. You can often hear me making a lighthearted comment that 'I am chasing 'zebras' in Atlantic Canada'. Since it immediately catches people's attention, I am eager to explain that 'zebras' are innovative organisations that combine economic profitability with the goals of social and/or environmental sustainability. 'Zebras' also tend to follow more equitable and sustainable models of organizational development and leadership.
My current research project funded by UNB explores experiences of women and non-binary identifying leaders of emerging social enterprises in New Brunswick, PEI and NS. This research is bringing an important intersectional feminist lens to understanding leadership and action necessary for transitioning to sustainable futures.
I am also a co-founder of social enterprise Transform Practice Non-profit Co-op, where from my position as an insider, I capture our collective experiences in the social enterprise ecosystem via auto-ethnographic research.
My doctoral dissertation entitled 'Common Health' (2020) examined the role of urban, community-based non-profit organisations in supporting community action for health equity and justice. It described the three roles non-profits can play in supporting or impeding community participation - that of a 'manager', a 'maintenance worker', and a 'gardener'. The research applied participatory action research (PAR) methodology. A tool for measuring community participation in community-non-profit partnerships was co-created with research participants. The dissertation provided a set of guidelines for supporting meaningful and sustainable community participation in collaborative projects convened by non-profit organisations and public agencies. To get a brief, reader-friendly snapshot of my dissertation research, read the blogpost. A number of 'long reads', aka peer-reviewed publications, resulted from this work, you can access them in the 'Publications' section of this website.