��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge hosting third annual International Women's Day Leadership Conference

caroline.zentner — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 17:15:46 +0000

On March 11, an impressive roster of leaders will be at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus for its 2026 ULethbridge International Women’s Day Leadership Conference.

The conference aims to bring people together for a day of conversation, networking and inspiration for International Women’s Day. This year, the keynote speakers are Jully Black, Canadian R&B artist and Juno Award winner and Dr. Malinda Smith, Associate Vice-President (Research EDI), ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

Black is an award-winning singer, actress, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and philanthropist and fitness guru. She is a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ2S+ community, and in 2022, she founded the Jully Black Family Foundation, which offers scholarships to help women pursue education.

Smith is a distinguished scholar and leader with a PhD in political science from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and multiple degrees from Western Michigan ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, including an MA, MDA, and a BA magna cum laude in political science and criminal justice.

“This event is about connecting and learning from inspiring individuals who have been change makers and leaders in their communities,” says Martha Mathurin-Moe, vice-provost, Accessibility, Belonging & Community at ULethbridge.

“We want to continue to shift the conversation around leadership and representation and celebrate International Women’s Day, a global day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.”

This annual one-day event will bring together a diverse audience to learn from world-class leaders in research and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, business, politics and Indigenous education and outreach.

The 2026 conference theme — Disrupting the Superwoman Narrative, Embracing the Power of Rest — will examine how the superwoman archetype is not always empowering but full of hidden expectations, unseen emotional and mental labour. The keynotes and panellists will explore how to navigate opportunities, expectations and outcomes as women in leadership and community, stay grounded and authentic and how rest and self-care is resistance.

The panel of prominent local leaders sharing their insights during the Lethbridge Leaders Forum includes the following:

Whitney (BMgt '06) and Kirby Maronda – The Property Twins Real Estate
Iitoomsaokaa’sii, Diandra Bruised Head (BSc '17), Indigenous Learning and Impact, Manager, Iniskim Indigenous Relations, ULethbridge
Jenn Schmidt-Rempel (BA '93) - Councillor, City of Lethbridge

“Year after year, this conference inspires us to continue breaking barriers and creating opportunities for one another. We look forward to learning from these thought leaders and to providing exceptional professional development opportunities right here in Lethbridge,” says ULethbridge’s Vice-President (Research) and event co-host, Dr. Dena McMartin.

Hosting this annual event demonstrates ULethbridge’s commitment to providing intentional spaces for empowerment, ingenuity, and knowledge-sharing, says event co-host Dr. Michelle Helstein, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), ULethbridge.

“Empowered women empower communities,” says Helstein. “This panel of esteemed local leaders demonstrate how our Lethbridge community is full of individuals shaping the future with resilience, creativity, and courage.”

Tickets are limited and on sale now. Early bird pricing is in effect until Jan. 30, 2026. Exclusive sponsorships are also available until Feb. 13, 2026. For more information, visit go.uleth.ca/womensconference.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers earn Digital Research Alliance grants

caroline.zentner — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 17:51:01 +0000

Four ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge scholars have received $35,000 from the Digital Research Alliance (DRI) of Canada for projects advancing equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) in digital research infrastructure. The funding, announced earlier this year, is part of $2.87 million awarded to EDIA Champions across the country.

From left to right are Toyin Aladejebi, Chiedozie Alumona, Frank Onuh and Dr. Nathan Woods.

“To have four scholars from ULethbridge receive these grants is an indication of the excellence in research, and it is worth celebrating,” says Martha Mathurin-Moe, vice-provost of Accessibility, Belonging and Community. “Investing in this type of research is crucial for creating an inclusive, innovative and diverse research ecosystem where students are able to connect deeply, learn from multiple perspectives and address critical research problems. These research projects will continue to strengthen and broaden the research landscape, but also create meaningful opportunities for all our diverse students to contribute their unique perspectives and talents.”

“Digital research infrastructure is transforming the way we conduct and share scholarly work,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, vice-president of research. “By leveraging digital tools and resources, these researchers can overcome traditional barriers, collaborate more effectively and drive innovation across disciplines. Not only did we see strong interest in this inaugural call for proposals, our success rate reinforces the quality of our research environment.”

Toyin Aladejebi, a PhD student in Population Studies in Health, focused her project on empowering graduate women researchers to build networks that enable them to find and share data and collaborate with other researchers in Canada and around the world.

Chiedozie Alumona is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health Sciences studying under Dr. Olu Awosoga. Alumona’s project aims to train racialized scholars in the Faculty of Health Science in using digital research infrastructure.

Frank Onuh, a PhD student, conducts research at the intersection of information disorder, decoloniality and artificial intelligence (AI). His doctoral research centres on decolonizing information verification practices in Africa to leverage the insights and findings to develop appropriate intelligent systems for automated fact checking that capture and represent the African experience.

Dr. Nathan Woods, a postdoctoral fellow in the Humanities Innovation Lab, conducted a needs assessment study that looks at barriers and opportunities for humanities researchers to work with the Canadian digital research infrastructure.

Read the full story.

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��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge hosting third annual International Women's Day Leadership Conference

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��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers earn Digital Research Alliance grants

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��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge hosting third annual International Women's Day Leadership Conference

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers earn Digital Research Alliance grants