Equity Committee

Zack Cramer is a Red River Métis faculty member who identifies as gay. A proud advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, he has worked to create inclusive spaces through events and initiatives in the Faculty of Math, where he is an assistant professor, teaching stream. Serving as chair of FAUW's Equity Committee, he is committed to supporting equity-deserving groups across the university.

Feel free to reach out to Zack with any questions about the committee’s work—he’s always happy to connect!

Kelly Anthony is an associate professor, teaching stream in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health. An ex-American pacifist and foster parent, she and her partner immigrated to Canada twenty years ago as 'conscientious objectors' to the war in Iraq. Kelly is a social psychologist by training and teaches courses on social, economic and historical inequities that lead to adverse health outcomes, and she actively works for preventative 'upstream' approaches to our addiction crisis. Kelly is vice chair of the Equity Committee and is a 2nd term member of the FAUW Board. She also has significantly more cat fur around her house than EC chair, Zack.  

Aly Bailey is a community- and arts-based researcher working as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Health. She is a white (unsettled)settler cis woman who is queer, has episodic disability, and identifies as Mad. Her politically charged and theoretically informed research centres queer, fat, Mad, and disability justice in the study of aging, fitness, and health. She challenges neoliberal, capitalistic, and colonial approaches to “inclusion” that short-circuit opportunities for joy, body reclamation, and “health” by pushing for queer, crip, and thickened inclusive practices that celebrate and centre body/mind diversity.

She’s also a mama of two rescue dogs who constantly keep her on her toes!

Dr. Adam Ellis is an award-winning scholar, advocate, and hip-hop artist whose work bridges academic research, community engagement, and creative practice. His scholarship is informed by his lived experience as a mixed-ethnicity, formerly gang- and justice-involved, autistic person, providing a unique perspective that challenges dominant approaches to crime, violence, disability, and social justice.

Internationally recognized for developing Urban Arts Methods in research and pedagogy, Ellis integrates hip-hop and other creative practices into knowledge creation, mobilization, and public education. His work seeks to challenge Eurocentric and colonial systems of power that have historically marginalized, racialized, Indigenous, disabled, and criminalized communities, while advancing community-driven approaches to research, healing, and social transformation.

In 2016, Ellis was awarded the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for his doctoral research, Reconceptualizing Urban Warfare in Canada: Exploring the Relationship between Trauma, PTSD, and Gang Violence. In 2024, he received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant (SSHRC-IDG) for his project, Challenging Mainstream Narratives About the Canadian War on Drugs through the Urban Arts: Stories of Survivors. That same year, he was awarded funding for Hip Hop Healer(z): An Exploratory Pilot Study of Hip Hop Healing versus Probation in Reducing Violence and Mental Health Challenges Among Gang- and Street-Involved Youth.

Ellis has made significant contributions to criminology and sociology through innovative books, peer-reviewed publications, and interdisciplinary scholarship that positions the urban arts as legitimate mechanisms for knowledge creation, dissemination, and social change. Beyond academia, his work as a recording artist and advocate has earned international recognition, including Gold and Silver Anthem Awards. His award-winning songs and music videos have been used as educational resources, informed public policy discussions, and demonstrated the transformative potential of the arts to influence systems, shift public narratives, and inspire meaningful social change.

Amy is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research focuses on strategies to reduce airborne pollutant concentrations and occupants’ exposure in indoor environments. Through her role on the Equity Committee, Amy hopes to support the accessibility and the right to clean air for everyone at UW.

Please feel free to reach out to Amy if you’d like to chat more!

Anila is an educator and STEM advocate who has spent the past decade advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion across universities, nonprofits, and community programs in both the United States and Canada. Her lived experience as a woman of colour in STEM, combined with extensive outreach, teaching, and equity‑focused leadership, drives her commitment to strengthening systemic EDI efforts at Waterloo.

Brian Ingalls is a professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics, with cross-appointment to the Departments of Biology and Chemical Engineering. His research and teaching are focused on the use of computational tools in molecular systems biology. Brian is active in the STEM Indigenization Community of Practice, the Applied Mathematics EDI Committee, and the Office of Research's REDI council. As a member of the FAUW Equity Committee, Brian aims to support inclusion initiatives for faculty across campus. Outside of work, Brian is a husband, a father of four, and an avid runner.

Chris is a queer, autistic (self/peer diagnosis), white cis father of five. He is an associate professor in Philosophy, with research and teaching in social and political philosophy, biomedical ethics, and disability justice. He is a member of the University’s Clinical Research Ethics Board, has been involved with the Queer-Trans Alliance, and was an associate chair of graduate studies in his department.

Leah is an assistant professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability in the Faculty of Environment. Her research how collaborative governance approaches and integrated policy between water, energy, and food stakeholders can address water challenges in urban spaces and local communities. Leah joined the FAUW Equity Committee to support the diverse faculty at Waterloo. When she’s not on campus, Leah enjoys traveling the world, cooking new foods, and honing her photography skills.

Feel free to reach out to Leah to connect about the committee’s work!

Michael is an assistant professor, teaching stream in the Department of Biology, where he teaches courses in Anatomy, Human Physiology, and Immunology. As a gay educator originally from rural Alberta, he brings a lived understanding of the importance of representation and belonging to academic spaces. Michael is committed to fostering inclusion both inside and outside the classroom and aims to support equity and community within the Waterloo faculty. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, cooking, and caring for his ever-growing plant collection. He’s always happy to connect and answer any questions.

Sahar Azad is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering. Her research focuses on advancing the integration of renewable energy resources into the power grid, with the broader goal of enabling global access to clean and sustainable power.

As a faculty member in a male-dominated department, Sahar is deeply committed to fostering a more inclusive, supportive, and equitable academic environment. Through her work on the Equity Committee, she aims to advocate for meaningful improvements in institutional policies, practices, and culture—particularly in areas related to parental and medical leaves, accessibility, and support for individuals with disabilities.

She is passionate about creating a workplace where all members of the academic community can thrive, regardless of gender, ability, or background, and is eager to contribute to initiatives that drive systemic change and promote long-term equity and inclusion.

Sarahis the liaison librarian for Geography and Environmental Management, Philosophy, Planning, and Sociology and Legal Studies at University of Waterloo. A white settler, straight, cisgender woman, Sarah’s research centres on inclusive pedagogy in information literacy. She is dedicated to fostering inclusion both in the classroom and within the Libraries’ physical and digital spaces.

Sarah served on the Library’s Equity Committee from 2020 to 2022. She also served as Library liaison to the organizing committee for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence from 2015 to 2018. She is committed to developing and maintaining a diverse library collection that reflects the wide range of cultural, social, and intellectual perspectives within academia, while also incorporating Indigenous Ways of Knowing

As an associate professor in French Studies, Valerie’s research centres on 20^th and 21^st Centuries French, Francophone African and Asian literature and culture, with a particular focus on the autobiographical or fictional writing of individual and collective trauma and torments endured by children and women. She understands firsthand the impact of invisible disabilities. Chronic illness, for example, can significantly affect one’s life and work. Furthermore, as part of an interracial family, she is aware of the challenges in a society where racial profiling is part of our daily life. Over the years, she has witnessed how discrimination and toxic environments can exacerbate stress and stigmatization for some individuals. Now serving as a member of the Equity and Inclusivity Award Adjudication Committee and as a FAUW representative in her unit, she strives to improve policies, practices, procedures, and culture within our institution.

For the last three years, oiI painting and creative writing have been rewarding and enjoyable artistic pursuits for her.

Let her know if she can be of any assistance, in English, ou en français!