Elli Dehnavi

Holding a PhD in Cultural Studies, Elli Dehnavi is a university teacher, storyteller, and public educator, who has has been actively engaged in the community to raise awareness about interpersonal and systemic discrimination. She has developed adult education resources, coordinated training programs, and managed research and community-base projects. Elli joined CFRAC in 2017 as a Project Consultant and coordinated two main projects: Race and Respect, and Refugee Awareness Alberta. She then served as our Senior Consultant for a year and supervised the work of other researchers and consultants. Elli has designed and delivered courses and educational workshops on intercultural communication, EDI,  Implicit Bias, Creating Inclusive Communities, and gender equity.

Now in her new role as the Executive Director, Elli is committed to building equitable relationships in line with CFRAC’s vision and mission.

Eugene Chok

After completing his Bachelor of Business Administration degree at the Texas Tech University, Eugene immigrated to Canada in search of the good life and an opportunity to develop his skills in the field of accountancy. From 1980 to 2000, he worked as an accountant in both industry and government organizations. Along the way, he picked up a professional Accountancy Designation with the Certified General Accountant Association of Alberta. In 2000, he accepted an offer to work as an accountant with The Alberta Lung Association and has continued working in the non-profit sector since. He admires the strong commitment that NGO workers hold toward their cause and plans to finish his career in this sector. In his spare time, he teaches Tai Chi Chuan to seniors at the Chinese Freemason Association in Edmonton.

Ashima Sumaru-Jurf

Ashima Sumaru-Jurf has facilitated, coordinated and managed programs related to immigration and migration, adult education, and human resources in the not-for-profit and government sectors. She has worked with communities throughout Alberta to build partnerships around creating inclusive and equitable communities.

Ashima is a self-described “teacher-learner” who is interested in connecting academic research and business knowledge with community and workplace practices. She is passionate about creating education, training and programs that bring together multiple forms of knowledge and assisting communities, organizations and individuals to develop their own strengths-based solutions to the issues they face.

Reuben Quinn is the Coordinator for our Nehiyaw Language Instruction program. Reuben has been working with Aboriginal youth and adults within Edmonton for 16 years. He has been a Cultural coordinator and Cree instructor for Edmonton Public Schools, Mother Earth Children’s Charter School, as well as the Edmonton Young Offender Center.
Reuben grew up in the residential school era and when the Blue Quills School was taken over by the Aboriginal community, there was a resurgence of language and cultural teachings. Reuben credits the late Mrs. Rosanna Houle for reviving the Nehiyaw (Cree) Cahkipeyihkanah and teaching it to all the students who had been liberated from residential school. The Nehiyaw Cahkipeyihkanah, or as some refer to it ’the Star Chart’, is a tool Reuben uses for teaching the Cree language.

Rose-Eva Forgues-Jenkins

Rose-Eva Forgues-Jenkins first joined the Centre for Race and Culture in the role of Podcast Production Coordinator. In this role, she hosted and produced the Unheard Youth podcast which highlights the voices of newcomer youth across Canada. After the successful completion of the Unheard Youth podcast, Rose-Eva has now taken on the role of Projects Assistant/Public Educator. As part of the team for the Understanding Newcomer Experiences of Inclusion research project she is looking forward to deepening her understanding of newcomer experiences in Alberta. Rose-Eva is also a Public Educator where she designs and facilitates workshops for various groups and members of the community. In her spare time, Rose-Eva volunteers for local community radio station CJSR 88.5 FM where she is able to share her passion for gender equality as a producer for NCRA award-winning radio program, Adamant Eve.

Maura Roberts

Maura is a non-binary (they/them/she/her) settler living on Treaty 6 territory. They’re a current PhD student with the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta and a graduate from the Master’s program at the Women’s and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto. Their academic work has focused on understanding how settler colonialism can work through the gender binary and re-thinking relationships on stolen territories. They’re an avid tea drinker, staunch feline lover, and a novice cross-stitcher. As the Communications and Marketing Assistant for the summer, they look forward to connecting communities and promoting the incredible work done here at the Centre  for Race and Culture.

Annah Jaricha

Annah has a Master’s degree in Human Ecology and a Graduate Certificate in Community-based Research and Evaluation from the University of Alberta. Her first degree is in Sociology from the University of Zimbabwe, Africa. Annah’s academic background provides her with the ability to focus on social issues using a holistic approach; understanding how the interactions between human beings and their environments impact the health and well-being individuals, families, and communities. Annah’s academic background also provides her with the knowledge and expertise to build healthy human environments through social research, evaluation, policy making and analysis, program development and planning, and the implementation of evidence-based policies and programs. Annah’s career experience encompasses fifteen years of extensive work conducting social research; she also works as an independent evaluation consultant. Her working philosophy is grounded in the principles of fairness, social justice, equity in health and well-being, community-participation, capacity building, empowerment, social-inclusion and diversity, and a sense of collective responsibility. Annah is very excited to join the CFRAC team as Research Coordinator for the Understanding Newcomer Experiences of Inclusion research project.

Roxanne Felix-Mah, BSc, MSc

Noelle Jaipaul, BA, MSc

Kaitlin Lauridsen, BSc, MPH

Ian Mathieson, BA, MA

Ashima Sumaru-Jurf, BA, BEd