New EDII Director brings unique blend of experience to FAS

The Faculty of Arts and Science is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Elliot Chapple as the new Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenization (EDII), effective September 20, 2021.

As the new Director, Dr. Chapple is responsible for taking the lead on proactive EDII initiatives. Supporting that first guiding principle in the Faculty’s Strategic Plan, equity, diversity, and inclusion, including anti-racism, decolonization, and Indigenous resurgence, these strategic initiatives will foster a learning and working environment where all have an opportunity to succeed.   

“Dr. Chapple brings with him over 17 years of experience to the Director role, with a unique blend of previous work as an academic, policymaker, and senior executive in both government and non-governmental organizations,” says Dean Barbara Crow. “This experience will serve him well in adapting to his new leadership position in FAS, as well as in implementing our strategic initiatives to advance EDII.”   

Dr. Chapple will continue work on the FAS EDII needs assessment and develop an associated implementation plan that includes the creation of a mentoring program to retain new Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Colour (BIPOC) faculty members.

“I look forward to collaborating with the community of students, staff, and faculty in order to implement tangible change via trackable metrics with clear timelines,” says Dr. Chapple. 

Before beginning his role as Director, Dr. Chapple served as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Specialist at the University of Ottawa Department of Medicine where his portfolio included developing policy and trainings on a wide range of EDII topics. 

Dr. Chapple also has prior experience in higher education; he began his career as a tenure-track assistant professor of Gender Studies and Modern Languages at Western Illinois University. His academic work focuses on intersections of gender, sexuality, and nationalism. He was also a visiting assistant professor of Holocaust Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In 2017, after over a decade of working in higher education in the US, Dr. Chapple decided to return home to Canada because it is more welcoming to transgender people and in order to put the ideas he had spent a decade teaching into action. Upon his return to Canada, Dr. Chapple served as the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood and as Senior Policy Advisor and Research Analyst for the Office of the Status of Women, and he continues to work in an advisory capacity with community-based groups focused on queer and trans health.

“My passion is working to ensure that marginalized populations are recognized through my work in policy, advocacy, and research; seeking to reduce inequities and improve outcomes for all,” Dr. Chapple says.