Meri Diamond is the Office Manager and has worked in the Office since 2005. Meri is responsible for the effective management and administration of all departmental operations. Meri contributes to a broad range of office/ campus/ community projects that advance the University’s equity goals. Meri administers the I Count Queen's Equity Census process to all new employees and administers the Faculty and Staff Employment Equity Process.

Lavie is the director of the Human Rights and Equity Office here at Queen’s. As a proud Black women with roots hailing from the Caribbean and a deep love for community, she spent her time at university studying, thinking, critiquing, and organizing at both Queen’s University and the University of Sussex as well as in the broader communities. Her Black feminist, anti-oppressive (budding abolitionist) praxis are all part of the space she occupies in the realm of human rights, equity, community work, and life in general. Put simply, Lavie bases her work on challenging ‘neutral’ situations to fully recognize, affirm, center and most importantly, make space for those who experience marginalization and oppression. Lavie endeavours to collaborate with and empower our communities to achieve substantive change and social transformation - culturally, systemically, and interpersonally.

Acknowledging the complexity and broadness of that, she notes it is apt to recognize that racism and other ideological systems of oppression, are in a sense ‘moving targets’. This means there are no ‘one-size fits all’ approaches to deconstructing and then reconstructing our social realities. At the core of it all, world-building can only happening with the people around you. Given the centrality of relationship building and nurturing to her praxes  Lavie will seldom turn down an opportunity to have a hot beverage and get to know you, your passions, and figuring out how to build together. Please never hesitate to connect with Lavie.

Emma has been a part of the HREO team since 2022. At the HREO, Emma’s role involves  training consultation, resource development, e-learning module design, training facilitation, and Positive Space program coordination. Emma’s experience as an educator, Gender and Sexuality education consultant, and community services professional greatly informs her contributions to the HREO and Queen’s community. Emma holds a BA in Gender Studies and Indigenous Studies and BEd in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies and History from Queen’s University and an MA (Thesis) in Social Justice Education from UofT (OISE). 

Aimee Burtch joined the Office in May 2024, assuming the role of Communications & E-learning Coordinator. Working closely with both the HREO and the Centre for Teaching and Learning, she works with subject matter experts to develop training resources and associated communications to advance the institutional commitments to I-EDIAA. Aimee holds a BCom degree from the University of Ottawa and a Professional M.Ed. from Queen’s.