MacEwan University recently appointed Jason Fung as its new general counsel, starting Feb. 10. Mr. Fung has served as a senior legal counsel with the department of justice and solicitor general at the Government of Alberta and has a strong background in providing strategic and legal advice on privacy, intellectual property and risk management. Mr. Fung has served as lead counsel on a number of Alberta-wide initiatives, including the Calgary 2026 Olympic bid. He holds a bachelor of laws from Dalhousie University.
Melanie Spence-Ariemma has been appointed as the vice-provost and chief academic officer at the University of Guelph-Humber. She will begin her new position on May 2. Dr. Spence-Ariemma currently serves as dean of student affairs for the Michener Institute of Education at the University Health Network and has previously held the role as provost and vice-president, academic at Sheridan College. She holds a PhD in leadership and policy and has taught at various universities in the U.S. and Canada.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has named Paul Adams as the first of two Sherman Jen Research Chairs, positions which have been created following a donation from the Dr. Sherman Jen Education Foundation. As the Sherman Jen Research Chair in applied genomics, Dr. Adams will work with students and researchers to improve animal and plant health, sustainability, product development and competitiveness for agricultural sectors in Canada. Dr. Adams is a biologist by training and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.
Capilano University has appointed Kartik Bharadwa as the vice president, people, culture and diversity. In this newly-created position, Mr. Bharadwa will oversee human resources activities and aid the university in achieving its goal of instilling a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout all operations. Prior to joining Capilano on Jan. 19, Mr. Bharadwa served as director, human resources, operations, and chief privacy officer for the BC Dental Association. He has extensive experience in labour relations, talent acquisition and retention, learning development, change management and organizational effectiveness.
Tina Chen is serving as the first executive lead, equity, diversity and inclusion, at the University of Manitoba, where she began a two-year term on Feb. 1. Dr. Chen will oversee the university’s EDI initiatives to further the eradication of systemic inequities and biases. Dr. Chen was the first racialized person to be named head of the U of M’s history department in 2013, a role she held until 2020. She has also demonstrated leadership outside of the university setting, most recently through her involvement in two national forums on anti-Asian racism. Dr. Chen has been named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network and is a highly regarded historian.